Newbee with new skunk gecko and questions??

orbit516 · #1 10-13-2008, 04:15 PM

Hello to everyone, I just purchased my first skunk gecko...I have a 10 gallon tank setup with uv lighting, tree bark,. I am new to geckos and I had a few questions. First off my gecko has only had 1 small cricket in the past 3 days. I tried feeding him small pieces of banana with honey but he doesnt seem to be eating. Is this something to be worrying about. Also my gecko seems to be attached to the glass walls of the tank all day long. Should I be concerned? How much water do I use to myst the tank with. I would appreciate any help you guys can give me on these skunk geckos as this is my first, thanks-- Ronnie

jpg · #2 10-13-2008, 05:06 PM

First Ronnie , skunk geckos ( gekko vittatus ) are arboreal geckos and you should move him to a high oriantated tank , something higher than a 10g aquarium . You do not neeed to use UV lighting on your gecko as it is noctunal . You do need to use a heat lamp or ceramic heater on one end of the tank so he can thermo-regulate his body temp . Make sure you have ample hiding spots ( cork flats , logs , branches , plant leaves ) for him to be comfortable and retreat to when feeling threatened . Gekko vittatus doesnt feed on friuts etc... and you should try to vary its insect diet with crickets being the staple , mealworms and wax or silkworms a couple times a week . Make sure to dust the feeders in vitamin and calcium w/D3 powders a few times a week . Mist the enclosure daily with a declorinated water for it to drink and keep the humidity .

I think your gecko is stressed out and that is the reason for it not feeding . It hanging on the sides of the tank is normal granted its comfortable and has places to hide . I think that you need to at least get its enclose situated if you do not already . If you cant afford a bigger tank than try standing the 10g upright .

Feed it a couple medium size crickets every other day .

Hope this helps a little .

orbit516 · #3 10-13-2008, 07:57 PM

thanks for the help. Am i required to use a heat lamp because the tempature without it is around 80 during daytime and 75 at night. Also I find that my geckos heart beats very rapidly, is this a sign of anything?

jpg · #4 10-13-2008, 08:12 PM

I would put a sm wattage lamp on one end to be safe .

The heartbeat is a sign of stress .

orbit516 · #5 10-13-2008, 09:13 PM

Whats an average heart beat rate for the skunk gecko? Mine is beating around 12-14 times every 10 seconds. Is this normal?

jpg · #6 10-13-2008, 09:45 PM

I dont know . I dont have any right now so I cant compare .

Dyesub Dave · #7 10-14-2008, 12:04 AM

Hi Ronnie and welcome to the forum. I have a breeding pair of these geckos right now that seem to be doing well in their new home. The female laid one pair of eggs on the glass about a month ago and I can see a couple more in her belly now.

As previously stated your gecko will need more vertical space. I have my pair in an 18"x18"x24" tall exo-terra enclosure. I use a hydroton, charcoal, reptile mix/coco fibre substrate with patches of sphagnum moss. I have several large pieces of bark/wood along with live and plastic plants. It is important for these geckos to have hiding places througout the day. These are very skittish geckos and are not easy to handle at all. Temps can reach up to the mid-high 80's in the basking spot during the day and drop to around 70 at night. The enclosure needs to be fairly humid as well. Having a substrate that holds moisture as well as using live plants will help.

My Gekko Vittatus will eat crickets, silkworms and butterworms as well as blended fruits. It may be the honey you added to the banana that he doesn't like. If you're concerned about him eating you can try some fruit babyfood with NO SUGAR ADDED but don't use it all the time ... fresh fruit is much better. The mixture that I'm using now has bananas, strawberries, pears and canteloupe along with some SUGAR FREE yogourt. (You can use any fruits that you think they may like as long as they're not CITRUS fruits!) This mixture is blended up and then frozen into small ice cubes. When I want to feed them some I thaw a piece out and mix in any supplements. I usually alternate between insects and fruit sometimes giving two insect feedings in a row with the next being fruit as they seem to like hunting down the insects. Your gecko may also need a bit more time to adjust to it's new home.

I just took another pic of their enclosure and added it to my Vittatus thread here .... http://www.geckosunlimited.com/commu...tml#post200951. You can see how the enclosure started compared to how it looks now. It would be helpful if you could show us some pics of your gecko and the enclosure so we can give you more precise advice.

Good luck with your new gecko and keep us posted on his progress!

Dyesub Dave.

Saille · #8 10-14-2008, 12:08 AM

YOu've gotten great advice so dar, but I have some questions/comments:
Being smaller, they'll have much more rapid heartbeats as long as they're not too cold. So yes, a rapid heartbeat can be a sign of stress, I agree to make sure he has adequate hiding places.
Mine loves paper towel tubes.
Do you know if your gecko was wild caught or captive bred? Most wild caught specimens will not be as expensive, but can harbor parasites and that can affect their appetite.
Do you have a good reptile vet lined up?
If not, try ARAV redirect
or Herp Vet Connection and find your state for the nearest exotics/reptile vet.
What substrate is your gecko on?
I always keep new animals on paper towel for about a month so I can monitor their poop, and its easy to clean.
That way, if they have parasites, its easy to keep the cage clean and sterilized until they're treated as well.
If you can get a fresh poop sample (if it's still wet, ziplock baggie it and put it in the fridge) to take in to the vet it'll be cheaper and less stressful for the animal rather than bringing the gecko into the vet with you.
fecals run anywhere from 20-50 bucks depending.

Good luck, these are fast and vocal geckos, but they are really a lot of fun and very rewarding to keep!
Can you get some pictures?

Dyesub Dave · #9 10-14-2008, 12:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Saille

..... What substrate is your gecko on?
I always keep new animals on paper towel for about a month so I can monitor their poop, and its easy to clean.
That way, if they have parasites, its easy to keep the cage clean and sterilized until they're treated as well.

....... these are fast and vocal geckos, but they are really a lot of fun and very rewarding to keep!

Good advice on the paper towel first. Mine had newspaper for several weeks until I finished setting up the enclosure. I used paper towels with my chameleon hatchlings but found that it really stuck to the bottom after being sprayed and then drying out. Do your Vittatus eat fruit as well as insects like mine do? I haven't heard mine being vocal yet ... well ... perhaps a couple chirps ... and sometimes a little squeel when I mist their cage and they're not expecting it !!

Dyesub Dave.