Florida gecko

GeckoLeen

New member
Yes, she needs lots more hiding places. You can get some fake plants cheap at a thrift store (just wash them well before using). Geckos like to climb, so sticks like the one you have in there (maybe a little wider) would be good. Sticks that just lay on the floor will only roll around on your gecko and won't serve any purpose. Keep the paper towel as a substrate for now.
 

Birby

New member
Using your computer to post and read here is excellent. That's handy when you want to re-read some details on this thread.

I suggest lots of thin and thicker sticks (and more air plants) everywhere. Right now Mocha is extremely exposed. She does not have nearly enough hiding places.



I don't know how long she will live.

Get Mocha some mango! I'll bet she'll love it.

Have you bought Zoo Med's Repti Calcium with D3 and Zoo Med's Repti Calcium without D3? PetCo stocks them. That is vital!!! Without those supplements Mocha will get metabolic bone disease (MBD). :( You don't want to go there.



Click: Most Underrated Geckos - 39 Sphaerodactylus - Supreme Gecko

  • /\ Even though this care sheet suggests a mixture of sand and coco fiber for the substrate, it's safer to keep Mocha on paper towels for now. With sand and coco fiber as a substrate there is always the chance that Mocha will eat some substrate when she dives for a cricket. :(

my mom said no more air plants because she only has two of them left. im confused about what you mean by the sticks creating hiding places? how do i do that? do i position them a certain way? do i just make a pile?
 

Birby

New member
also i put some mango in with her last night in a bottle cap but it doesnt look like she ate any. but there is a new poop on the paper towel. my mom said we would go to petco yesterday but we didnt
 

Hilde

Administrator
Staff member
my mom said no more air plants because she only has two of them left. im confused about what you mean by the sticks creating hiding places? how do i do that? do i position them a certain way? do i just make a pile?

Take a look at this thread, it's about a similar species: http://www.geckosunlimited.com/comm...actylus/80836-sphaerodactylus-macrolepis.html
That enclosure is ideal for your gecko. Try to set yours up along these lines.

A bare minimum enclosure (critter keeper) like you're using is nowhere near sufficient for any gecko over the long run, it will just lead to stress and eventual health problems. She needs a decent sized enclosure, proper hiding places, more plants, and things to climb.

If you can't set her up properly, maybe you should release her (assuming you live in the same area you found her), or find her a home with somebody who can give her the proper care.
 

Aimless

Super Moderator
agreed. taking a gecko from the wild if you don't have a lot of experience can have a bad ending for the gecko. that being said, I definitely also second a larger and more elaborate setup. if she doesn't have sufficient places to hide, she will not thrive.
 

Birby

New member
agreed. taking a gecko from the wild if you don't have a lot of experience can have a bad ending for the gecko. that being said, I definitely also second a larger and more elaborate setup. if she doesn't have sufficient places to hide, she will not thrive.

would this be big enough? https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/exo-terra-nano-wide-terrarium-8x8x8
i dont know if my mom will let me buy it though. i may have to wait until school starts at the end of this month to be able to buy stuff on my own. i cant put her back outside because im not there anymore
 

Aimless

Super Moderator
I don't think that's big enough. did you follow Hilde's link? that 12x12x12 is a much better size, and it's very well set-up. it's a perfect example of what your gecko needs.
 

Birby

New member
I don't think that's big enough. did you follow Hilde's link? that 12x12x12 is a much better size, and it's very well set-up. it's a perfect example of what your gecko needs.

I'll see if my mom will let me. I'm at petco and I have a question about powder. All the powders say that they are calcium with d3 in them. Does that mean I don't get a separate d3?
 

Birby

New member
yup, in the calcium is fine and easier.

okay i did that. i got the tetra powder and i put it on the crickets and gave mocha the crickets. my mom said no to buying the exoterra at the store the 12x12x8 one.

would mocha be fine for waiting until next month when i'll be able to buy a bigger tank? does it have to be an exoterra or would a fish tank work? whats the difference between the two?
 

Elizabeth Freer

Well-known member
okay i did that. i got the tetra powder and i put it on the crickets and gave mocha the crickets. my mom said no to buying the exoterra at the store the 12x12x8 one.

would mocha be fine for waiting until next month when i'll be able to buy a bigger tank? does it have to be an exoterra or would a fish tank work? whats the difference between the two?
Did you buy one of these Tetra supplements? Which one? What you bought makes a BIG difference in how it's used!!! If not one of these 2, please share the product name as it's listed on the container. A photo of the container will be helpful.

3/7/2018 -- Label has changed! Update coming......
1. Tetrafauna ReptoLife Plus multivitamins & minerals
  • vitamin D3 = 40,000 IU/kg
  • vitamin A = 400,000 IU/kg
  • calcium = 4.2% (min)
  • phosphorus = 0.6% (min)
2. Tetrafauna ReptoCal -- This is a multivitamin. It contains more than calcium + vitamin D3.

Exo Terra's cost more money and have front doors. Fish tanks need a fine mesh screen lid in Mocha's case. Zilla makes a tank with a sliding fine mesh screen lid. Zoo Med, Zilla, and Flukers currently manufacture fine mesh screen lids.

If you buy an Exo Terra someday, Aliza says it's vital to add tape to narrow the slits between the doors. Otherwise Mocha could escape!

GeckoLeen suggests visiting a thrift store to buy fake leaves/foliage. Can you do that right away? Thoroughly wash and rinse them. Place fake leaves all around Mocha's enclosure like we suggest...like everywhere!
 
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GeckoLeen

New member
As much as you'd like to keep Mocha, I think it might be better to see if there is a rescue or some type of reptile group who could take Mocha and release where she came from, or a similar place where she is allowed to be wild. Keeping wild-caught geckos, especially when you are not experienced, usually will not end well. If your mom is not willing to help you with a really good setup, (& that is her right) then it would be kinder to find a way to get Mocha back to her place in the wild. Where do you live? Maybe we can help you find a reptile rescue who could help.

In the meantime, follow the suggestions given as best you can. You are doing your best with what you have, but it may not be enough in the long run.
 
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GeckoLeen

New member
I would also like to add that, while I don't know whether you're male or female, or what your morph is, lol(!) it's very evident that you are an intelligent, responsible young person who is very interested in responsible pet ownership. I think that if you can show your mom that you care enough about the animal to do what is best for it and are willing to give it up to someone who can provide for its needs, even though you would love to keep it, that shows a very mature response. And then start adding on to the research that you are already doing, and start doing odd jobs so that you can save up some money for your very own captive-born gecko. That way you will have the tank and the set-up all ready for it, and can show your mom that you are willing to do what it takes to responsibly care for one of your very own that CAN be a pet. I think you would be an awesome owner; the fact that you came here for help and asked good questions, and are doing your best with what you have, tells me that one day in the not-too-distant future, you will be ready to be a reptile owner, and you will be prepared to give it the best life possible!
 
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Birby

New member
Did you buy one of these Tetra supplements? Which one? What you bought makes a BIG difference in how it's used!!! If not one of these 2, please share the product name as it's listed on the container. A photo of the container will be helpful.


Exo Terra's cost more money and have front doors. Fish tanks need a fine mesh screen lid in Mocha's case. Zilla makes a tank with a sliding fine mesh screen lid. Zoo Med, Zilla, and Flukers currently manufacture fine mesh screen lids.

If you buy an Exo Terra someday, Aliza says it's vital to add tape to narrow the slits between the doors. Otherwise Mocha could escape!

GeckoLeen suggests visiting a thrift store to buy fake leaves/foliage. Can you do that right away? Thoroughly wash and rinse them. Place fake leaves all around Mocha's enclosure like we suggest...like everywhere!

yes thats the powder i have with the anole on front. the first one.


but it doesnt even matter anymore about the exo terra because last night she got out and i've been looking for her all day and i cant find her and shes gone and my dad says shes just gonna live on the house plants like our old anole did but i dont believe it because shes so small and she cant just live off whatever tiny spiders she can find and she cant find any water.

i just replied to your message but i dont know if it sent because when i click on the sent folder it doesnt show me anything.

thank you geckoleen thats very nice of you to say and it makes me happy and i love mocha very much but i just cant find her i dont know where she is.

she was there last night and i was putting in the crickets at different times and she was eating them when i turned the lights off but i was tired so i put the last of the crickets in and went to bed and this morning there was a bunch of dead crickets because she didnt eat the ones i put in at the very end and when i looked inside she wasnt in there anymore there was just a shed of her arm on the airplant.


please help me i just want to find her
 

Elizabeth Freer

Well-known member
yes thats the powder i have with the anole on front. the first one.


but it doesnt even matter anymore about the exo terra because last night she got out and i've been looking for her all day and i cant find her and shes gone and my dad says shes just gonna live on the house plants like our old anole did but i dont believe it because shes so small and she cant just live off whatever tiny spiders she can find and she cant find any water.

i just replied to your message but i dont know if it sent because when i click on the sent folder it doesnt show me anything.

thank you geckoleen thats very nice of you to say and it makes me happy and i love mocha very much but i just cant find her i dont know where she is.

she was there last night and i was putting in the crickets at different times and she was eating them when i turned the lights off but i was tired so i put the last of the crickets in and went to bed and this morning there was a bunch of dead crickets because she didnt eat the ones i put in at the very end and when i looked inside she wasnt in there anymore there was just a shed of her arm on the airplant.


please help me i just want to find her

Thanks so much. I received your message. :) My GU Sent Items folder IS working. I'll check out details about the powder you bought soon.

Small geckos can be escape artists. Occasionally I've found very small mourning geckos and hatchlings on the loose. My crested gecko took off once. I found him in the middle of the night hanging out on the washing machine between the bedroom and the bathroom! Another gecko ran underneath the wet bar. It took a couple days to find her. She appeared to eat some crickets. She's doing well to this day. It's been years since that happened.

Mocha is very small. Do you think she squeezed through the Kritter Keeper's lid holes? If you find her, cover the Kritter Keeper with a lightweight cloth (like a hankie) before you snap on the lid. She'll be able to breathe through that.

Every day:
  1. Empty TP rolls can serve as hides. :)
  2. Look high; look low.
  3. Check your mom's air plants and any other houseplants.
  4. Re-check places at night after the lights have been off for an hour or so.
  5. Keep Mocha's cage open. Mist it several times a day.
  6. Leave water dishes out near her cage, in the bathroom(s), and in especially warm places.
  7. Leave a few undusted crickets in her cage and in other containers spread around your house. Keep a small piece of damp paper towel next to the crickets so they'll have something to drink.
 
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GeckoLeen

New member
But make sure any crickets you leave out (or in the cage) can't escape! So deep containers - and not sure about the Kritter Keeper, hopefully they can't get out of that if you leave it open. Crickets are escape artists too!

Good luck, I hope you find Mocha.
 

Birby

New member
But make sure any crickets you leave out (or in the cage) can't escape! So deep containers - and not sure about the Kritter Keeper, hopefully they can't get out of that if you leave it open. Crickets are escape artists too!

Good luck, I hope you find Mocha.

shes back everyone!!!! my dad found her underneath his bed all the way downstairs and she tried to run away but he caught her with a net. shes now back to hiding in her air plant and i sprayed her with water. she doesnt look skinny so my dad thinks she ate one of the house spiders.
 

GeckoLeen

New member
That's great news! Please make sure to put some more fake plants and a toilet paper roll or something in there for her to hide in.
 

Elizabeth Freer

Well-known member
shes back everyone!!!! my dad found her underneath his bed all the way downstairs and she tried to run away but he caught her with a net. shes now back to hiding in her air plant and i sprayed her with water. she doesnt look skinny so my dad thinks she ate one of the house spiders.

That's remarkable, Birby!!!

:banana: :cheer: :banana:
 
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