hemidactylus frenatus

[lexx]

hi all, well i just aquired my first gecko that isn't a leopard gecko. it was a complete accident. i'm working in a pet store and anyway while clean out the iguana enclosure i found a hatchling house gecko. i was told that they import them as food for a customer's vine snake and on occasion they escape and i guess they have started a small collony in the store anyway my manager let me take it home. he's eating pin heads and he's only 1.5". he has a cream white base colour and tope marbled bands on his body and has a flat dorsal flap.

i'm thinking of starting a tropical planted terrerium and because of this little guy i can't get the species i was intending on. i don't want any more (unless i find more at the store) but i am interested in a comunal set up with other small tropical geckos, any tips would be great. i was thinking lygodactylus capensis.

thanks
lexx

 

[Badger]

The first tip that if your geckoes have flattened body, flaps on sides and "tope marbled bands on his body" they are Cosymbotus platyurus rather then Hemidactylus frenatus. But it is not essential in view of keeping them.

The second that IMHO there is not a good idea to keep different geckoes together. It would be safely only whith species live in mixed populations also in nature, as for example with some "house geckoes". I successfully keep and bred some this species (C.platyurus, H.frenatus, H.bowringii, G.mutilata) in one terrarium, but terrariums were great enough (up to 18x18x18 inches and more). Also it is possible for some Pachydactylus and Tarentola(P.turnieri/P.laevigatus/P.tuberculosus/T.mauretanica) using tubes of different diameter as hide places, P.tigrinus/P. mariquensis and C.russowi/C.eversmanni owing they use different zones of terrarium, Nactus/small Cyrtodactylus for the reason unknown and amazing for me still now :biggrin: etc. But it does not work well in other cases: with Lygodactylus picturatus/L.luteopicturatus, H. mabouya/any other Hemidactylus, Cyrtopodion caspius/C.fedthschenkoi and with some other species which are simbiothopic at wild.

 

[lexx]

thanks alot for the info badger, you've been alot of help. i'll post pics in the future.

 

[lexx]

i looked up the latin name you sudgested and it turns out you where right - a flat tail house gecko, very beautiful

do you think a bibron gecko (Pachydactylus bibroni) would be a good choice?

i was also thinking about having a mix of diurnal and nocturnal species. does anyone have some dirunal speciese to share?

and would housing males of closly related species be a problem?

 

[Badger]

P.bibroni is a good choice for novice because it is one of easiest gecko for keeping/breeding but not one for keeping it together with Cosymbotus. At first it requires more dry and warm conditions and eats insects of the greater size. Secondly, though it usually not eats offsprings of own or closely related species I don't sure about Cosymbotus. Greater size allow P.bibroni to make it easily.
The most of diurnal geckoes (Phelsuma, Lygodactylus etc.) are strongly territorial/agressive.
It is probably possible to keep (in large terrarium) Ptyodactylus guttatus or P.hasselquistii as mainly diurnal together with Pachydactylus bibroni/turneri/similar as nocturnal. I did it with Ptyodactylus and Tarentola but during a short time. Together with Cosymbotus besides other house geckoes probably is possible to keep some small ground geckoes wich required warm damp conditions (such as Nactus, some small Paroedura, Pachydactylus etc.) but I do not know what such geckoes are available in Canada at reasonable price.