Homeless Gecko Needs to Be Identified

GeckoGirl1990

GeckoGirl1990

New member
Someone dropped off this cute little guy at my friends reptile shop today, saying she might give him to me for free. What species is this? I was thinking maybe some kind of pachydactylus... He burrows in the sand and thats all she told me lol
Also, does he look healthy? He is a few years old
 

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Elizabeth Freer

Elizabeth Freer

Well-known member
GeckoGirl1990 said:
Someone dropped off this cute little guy at my friends reptile shop today, saying she might give him to me for free. What species is this? I was thinking maybe some kind of pachydactylus... He burrows in the sand and thats all she told me lol
Also, does he look healthy? He is a few years old
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Hi GeckoGirl1990 ~

I would say he looks malnourished...his tail is extremely thin. Hope that you are putting some weight on him!


EDIT: Just learned from GU member gekkoterra that these guys normally have thin tails. Sorry about this previous recommendation, GeckoGirl1990. See link I posted below of Stenodactylus petrii at mealtime ;-).
 
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GeckoGirl1990

GeckoGirl1990

New member
Turns out the lady who dropped him off had offered him to the store owner first.... So he may not be in my care after all. This made the situation a bit awkward and dissapointing because I had already told my boyfriend I was going to give the little guy to him, who's been looking for his first gecko. :(
I'll still let them know what he is and that he needs to fatten up.
 
gekkoterra

gekkoterra

New member
Gecko Attack, your posts are misleading and uneducated. It's not good, when you're dealing with an animals life, to throw out suggestions like that.

It is 100% Stenodactylus petrii. Sometimes confused with S. doriae (which is quite uncommon in U.S. collections anyways), but the brown border along its side is an easy indicator that it's S. petrii. It would have no interest, or anyway of hunting and catching an arboreal "house gecko" species, so disregard that statement. 1/2" crickets are preferred. They love to bury themselves and tunnel throughout their enclosure. Moisten about 1 1/2" of sand and allow to mostly dry, then put him in. Have a warm zone around 88-90F and a cool zone around 76F. Night time temps should range from 68-74F. Personable, interesting, and underrated geckos.

Ohh and he is actually fairly healthy, males rarely get bulkier than that. His tail is normal for a healthy adult. They do not store virtually any fat in their tails like other geckos. Enjoy him if you get him.

Ashton
Vivarium Essentials
 
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gekkoterra

gekkoterra

New member
This video demonstrates the feeding behaviour of a healthy group. The enclosure seems to be setup well also. 4" pieces of cork bark, laid flat, would give them some variety of hiding and a bit of climbing. Good example.

Ashton
Vivarium Essentials
 
GeckoGirl1990

GeckoGirl1990

New member
Thanks for all the thoughts guys, but like i said above, little Petri, as I called him, was never in my care. The lady who dropped him off made me think the gecko was mine, when she had actually offered him to the store first. When I asked for a box to take him home in, they tried to tell me this gecko was extremely rare and worth $700, without even knowing the species. I just said "no actually, it's not" and walked out. I wish the store owner would've just given him to me, because now they have him for sale for $70 labeled as "Dune Gecko" and is being housed with pictus geckos. No sand in the cage. It's terrible how people are just in the business for money.
 
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