[Azathame]

so some friends found this little guy in their fish store and brought him to me, but we dont know what it is. from google image search the closest we've come is its possibly a coleoynx switaki, but that seems highly unlikely lol. so any suggestions would be helpful. we arent even sure that its a gecko...

thaaanks

plenty of views, but no suggestions? if it helps, im in SW oklahoma.

[Pat]

That gecko appears to be a house gecko in the hemidactylus family.If I had to guess I would say Hemidactylus Turcicus, which is very likely as they have been introduced to large areas of the United States and are known to thrive in most climates. I have kept this species in the past and found that they did best when given ample hiding spots, a heating pad, and small dusted crickets. I have kept this species both humid and dry and found that they did well in both situations, but it is always a good idea to mist to ensure they stay hydrated. This is particularly important with wild caught geckos because they commonly do not drink standing water.

[PassPort]

turcicus FTW

[Azathame]

thank you so much, thats very helpful.

[shamrock75]

You may actually want to research the hemidactylus mabouia.I think that may be what you have.They get a little larger than turcicus and tend to get a purplish color in the evening...I have a breeding pair,and prefer their temperament to other house geckos.

[PassPort]

not mabouia, skin texture and pattern is all wrong. turcicus.

[shamrock75]

yea,just something to look into,pattern is different than the norm for mabouia but it's skin texture is too similar.I think it could be either,the purple color and adult size are the main differences.

[shamrock75]

You may also want to check out the moorish gecko,theres something about them in another thread.The pic. of your gecko may just be misleading,moorish geckos have more tubercles than hemidactylus species but similar structure.

[Azathame]

well hes not super bumpy, but hes not smooth either. but thanks for the suggestions guys. i figure i wont be able to really tell til he gets a little bigger.

[PassPort]

Sorry, been too busy last few days to give you an in depth answer to any of your questions.

No need to wonder which species it is at all. Your gecko is a Hemidactylus turcicus, not mabouia and definitely not any sort of Tarentola species. The toes indicate that it is 100% Hemidactlyusis (notice the small protrusion from the tips of the toes - this how the genera got the name leaf-toed geckos). The tail shape, pattern and skin texture is all wrong for mabouia, but very indicative of turcicus. In fact the only other "house gecko" that is could be is maybe angulatus or a cf brooksi of some sort, but at this age/size the tail would be brightly colored and they are not nearly at established in the states.

These guys will flourish in a variety of climates, but are found in the wild in Northern Africa with Egypt being the type locale, I believe, so semi arid to sub tropical seems to work best for them. Sand as a substrate, vertical/diagonal cork flats or slate make excellent climbing surfaces. If you use slate then please make sure it's secure and cannot shift of fall and crush the gecko.

They are nocturnal and will need somewhere to hide during the day. This can be accomplished with broken in half terra cotta plant saucers or commercially available reptile hides, just keep in mind that the gecko is small and would feel more secure with hides that don't have a lot of "ceiling room"

Temps around 85-90F day and 70-75F night seem to work very well. Crickets and arachnids are the preferred meal items. The enclosure should be lightly misted at least 1-2 times per week for drinking water and humidity. Standing water will not likely be utilized, so I see no point in offering it unless you're experiencing dry weather and could use the extra humidity in between misting.

Best of luck with your new friend.