Hatchling Giant Day Gecko enclosure - temps

CynicKitten

New member
Hello!

I am new to day gecko keeping, and will be getting a juvenile Giant day gecko from a breeder soon. In preparation for this, I have been monitoring temperatures in my 10-gallon temporary tank. I have the 10-gallon set up until the gecko is large enough for my ExoTerra.


The basking temp currently sits at 95°F, 5" under the bulb. The other side of the tank is at 82°F. Room temperature at night is about 70-75°F.


I know the recommended temp is 90-95°F for basking, but just wanted to make sure these temperatures and the gradient are okay, or if I need to raise the bulb to cool down the basking temp a bit. Photo is attached for reference (and note the UVB bulb isn't set up in this picture).


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Green Gecko

New member
The gecko will go wherever it wants and needs to be. 95F seems a bit high to me, my GDGs won't bask directly in that. Provided the basking spot is around 90F they will bask there when they need a boost (possibly to one side on wall or shimmy around bamboo etc at 30+) and go elsewhere to cool off. As you say, subsequently the cooler side of the enclosure is what I would consider very warm, but not basking heat, for my GDGs.

My gradient is more like 75-90F. In a larger 1.5x1.5x3.15" foot viv for adult I use a 150W ceramic emitter placed on top of mesh with bamboo about 6 inches below. It's a more ambient heat, but is sufficient and the gecko spends most the time there and the rest of the time cooling off. Directly on the spot during the winter.

I use a 75W Arcadia halogen spot with reflector dome raised about 6 inches from the top of the mesh in a taller configuration about twice the size of yours, upright, for a young adult. Which I'm sure you know is ideal for arboreal geckos.

Consider that the gecko will perch at an angle or on the glass, usually face down - where they actually go is where you want to pay attention to temps.

As long as there is a gradient, with a slight drop at night, the lizard will figure itself out.

Do you know what the breeder means by "juvenile"? People refer to hatchlings, neophytes, babies, young, juvenile, all sorts. How old, in weeks? What size? A GDG maybe 6 months to 1 year old absolute maximum can live in that viv. But it seems too small to have an ideal thermogradient to me, without repositioning the lighting. I think there may be risk of overexposure to UVB as well, although there is some shade. That's just as important, to have UVB protection as UVB exposure.

That thin layer of coir will dry out quickly. You will need to mist it at least 2-3 times per day. Consider that young GDGs can ingest coir and cause impaction, I recommend the chunkiest orchid bark you can get for a top layer. It is unusual for day geckos to be on the ground but in a small enclosure they can end up there and swallow dirt. They will also sometimes randomly eat dirt like Cresties do to try and get vitamins so watch out for that. So I would add orchid bark and bump up the substrate to at least 2-3 inches to maintain humidity. A drainage layer is a good idea, but you loose verticality - you may not want to bother until you have a larger setup ready. It may sound like a waste of space but it is not - a base level of humidity that is never dry is very important for these animals or you will get shed stuck to toes, tails, and all sorts.

Humidity needs to be 40-80% at all times for assured shedding, although a well kept diet may mean you can get away with lower. This is more important. Live planting makes a huge difference. Every animal is different so pay attention to behaviour, where the gecko basks, for how long and what it does. You can quite quickly tell whether it has figured out its basking spots, ambient spots and cool down spots if it gets too to hot on a sunny day, for example.

Please get a thermohygrometer to provide a constant readout (digital is preferable) and definitely use a thermostat in an enclosure that small with a reflector dome. This will beam a LOT of heat straight down - the mesh will allow it to not heat up indefinitely, but better safe than sorry. Just hold your hand under there for about a minute. If it burns you it's too hot. Diffirent bulbs / diffuser / lens designs focus heat more or less intensely at different spreads/cones. I have had powerful bulbs heat an enclosure up to 133 F when I was not paying attention (the bracket slipped and I got a 100W halogen instead of 75W). One my thermostat failed and the enclosure went up to 140F!!!

Do you not need a night time heat source in your part of the world? Day geckos suffer below 70F as the absolutely barest minimum ever.

I also recommend including a small dish for livefood. Do not let them loose. Livefood can bite and even eat a young, languishing GDG if for some reason it is grovelling on the floor.

Bear in mind the context of this environment too - people think GDGs need lots of light and heat and humidity (so everything) and then chuck everything at it. The truth is, African rainforests are some of the driest, darkest environments on Earth, as well as some of the most humid (NOT wet!!) and brightest (above the canopy!). You need daylight but you also need shade (like forest canopies). You need moisture but you also need soil to dry out so that it doesn't become waterlogged and attract microbial growth. You need heat but you also need cool areas. Imagine a giant day gecko climbing up and down 100foot trees, jumping through canopies of leaves, in and out of shade and direct sunspots breaking through canopies. This is why their eyes are so huge because they are able to see in the dark. The UVB exposure the animals get is actually passed through the forest canopy. A good setup simulates all of these variables so that the gecko can make a choice for what it needs.

sauce: 5 years keeping GDGs exclusively, at least 15 - I lost count of the hatchings at one point. I have learnt from both good and bad experience using the most ideal and the most economical setups.

NB i've converted Celsius to Fahrenheit so this isn't exact stuff, like I say, the gecko knows best anyway.
 
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CynicKitten

New member
Thank you for the thorough reply!


Do you know what the breeder means by "juvenile"?
It's about 1-2 months old, and about 4". I was opting for a small enclosure to make sure I can see it regularly for health, and to make sure it can find its food (and that I know it's eating). I know most breeders raise their hatchlings deli cups initially, and move on to slightly larger critter keepers later on.


That thin layer of coir will dry out quickly. You will need to mist it at least 2-3 times per day. Consider that young GDGs can ingest coir and cause impaction

I am a vet student, so I know all about impactions! I have a screen layer (like window screen) that sits on top of the coconut husk right now (hadn't bought it when I took the picture). I guess I should get a layer of orchid bark to go on top of that? Then the order would be coconut husk > screen > orchid bark. I am planning on having a bioactive viv, but once it's in the adult enclosure.


Humidity needs to be 40-80% at all times for assured shedding, although a well kept diet may mean you can get away with lower. This is more important. Live planting makes a huge difference.

I have a few live plants in there, so hopefully that will help some! Plus misting daily, and a water bowl. I live at high altitude, so humidity can be an issue. There is a hygrometer in the enclosure.

Do you not need a night time heat source in your part of the world? Day geckos suffer below 70F as the absolutely barest minimum ever.

In an insulated house, with windows open at night, in the summer, it never gets below 70F at night. However, I know temps in Madagascar get in the low 60's frequently (and other day gecko sources claim 65F-75F for night temps), so I doubt that's the minimum for them ever? Plus, 75F is barely above 70F, so I am a bit confused why you say it's the based minimum.

Livefood can bite and even eat a young, languishing GDG if for some reason it is grovelling on the floor.

Luckily I am aware the damage live food can cause to reptiles! I was planning on feeding with foreceps? Good idea, or no? Maybe fruit flies instead of crickets?


What kind of set up do you have for your hatchlings? Would a 2.5 gallon be a good idea for a 1 month old, with UVB, and a small basking spot on one side?
 

mkschaefer

New member
Your overnight temperatures are fine. The majority of my Phelsuma go through a cool season where temperatures dip to 17-18C (62-65F) and some go below. I have taken a few montane species even lower than that and this is typical of their natural habitat. I feed live invertebrates and you can allow them to remain loose in the cage. If there are too many remaining the next time you feed them, just cut back how many you feed. I haven't had issues with supplying appropriately sized invertebrates with 40+ species of Phelsuma.
 
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