Florida gecko

[Varalidaine]

okay i will do that

this is the kind of lamp you said is good right?
View attachment 46002

That's actually not a lamp in and of itself, it's just the "hood" or "fixture." It holds the bulb. That's quite large though for such a small tank. Since you only need a very low wattage house bulb for light (meaning you don't need a reptile light for heat), I would size down to the 5.5" dome. It'll save some space. You can certainly use the larger one but it may look bulky on the small tank.

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

Hi Vara ~

Birby got a 10 gallon enclosure for her wee Sphaerodactylus.

Birby uses the hood/fixture with a low wattage bulb to provide heat for the small gecko. The Fluker's 8.5 inch diameter fixture spreads heat out over the 10 gallon pretty well and also lets Mocha have a cool end. I even use 10 inch diameter hoods over some of my 10 gallons.

Since heat rises a 5.5 inch diameter hood would allow too much heat to escape into the room.

 

[Birby]

Hi Vara ~

Birby got a 10 gallon enclosure for his wee Sphaerodactylus.

Birby uses the hood/fixture with a low wattage bulb to provide heat for the small gecko. The Fluker's 8.5 inch diameter fixture spreads heat out over the 10 gallon pretty well and also lets Mocha have a cool end. I even use 10 inch diameter hoods over some of my 10 gallons.

Since heat rises a 5.5 inch diameter hood would allow too much heat to escape into the room.

okay so as we were discussing by email i had met ron at the baltimore reptile expo a couple weeks ago. i showed him a couple pics of mocha because i was told by other vendors that he is the guy to ask about the more uncommon geckos.

he took one look at her and he straight out said that she is not a cuban ashy gecko. over the couple of weeks i have been in contact with the company over facebook trying to get good photos of mocha so they can properly identify her.

last night they said that they believe that mocha is sphaerodactylus macrolepis. blue eyes because they can see that she has blue eyes.

im not really sure what they mean by seeing that she has blue eyes because her eye color has never looked blue to me. i googled the gecko name and most of the geckos dont look like mocha. completely different patterning and colors

heres the pics of mocha that i sent them

 

[GeckoLeen]

I googled images of sphaerodactylus elegans and s. macrolepis - both came up with photos of many patterns, and some with no patterns, that look just like Mocha. They both seem to have the common name of Ashy Gecko. Maybe somebody here who's more schooled in the micro geckos can check into it further for you! I am so glad that Mocha is doing well, and that speaks a lot to your dedication.

 

[Birby]

I googled images of sphaerodactylus elegans and s. macrolepis - both came up with photos of many patterns, and some with no patterns, that look just like Mocha. They both seem to have the common name of Ashy Gecko. Maybe somebody here who's more schooled in the micro geckos can check into it further for you! I am so glad that Mocha is doing well, and that speaks a lot to your dedication.

shes really hard to find in the tank with all the stuff inside with her but she poops everywhere so i know shes eating. i started giving her fruit flies every once in awhile along with crickets because this other guy that i met on discord who keeps dwarf geckos said that she would eat them.

i dont know if she is actually eating them or is they just escape from the lid but she is pooping a lot.

and every time i clean out her tank she tries to run up the walls and escape but i never let her. i have also seen her licking her eyeballs it was cute

i got a pathos plant and another vine plant to put in her tank because ron said that her substrate should be eco earth mixed with playsand so i am planning on doing that probably during winter break

im very happy that mocha is happy

 

[GeckoLeen]

I think you might have to be very careful with the sand/eco earth if you are feeding crickets. She could grab a mouthful of substrate while going after the crickets and get impacted. Are you pulling out any crickets she is not eating? If left in there, they can bite her and really cause some problems, so do try to make sure that she is eating them, and not leave them in there loose if she is NOT eating them.

Hopefully Elizabeth or Aliza can let you know if the above would be an issue.

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

shes really hard to find in the tank with all the stuff inside with her but she poops everywhere so i know shes eating. i started giving her fruit flies every once in awhile along with crickets because this other guy that i met on discord who keeps dwarf geckos said that she would eat them.

i dont know if she is actually eating them or is they just escape from the lid but she is pooping a lot.

and every time i clean out her tank she tries to run up the walls and escape but i never let her. i have also seen her licking her eyeballs it was cute

i got a pathos plant and another vine plant to put in her tank because ron said that her substrate should be eco earth mixed with playsand so i am planning on doing that probably during winter break

im very happy that mocha is happy

I can't tell from those photos just what color Mocha's eyes are.

You're doing a great job keeping Mocha happy! She looks well-fed!!! :banana: It's a good thing that she's hard to find. That means she's safe.

When you feed Mocha fruit flies use that cloth underneath your fine mesh screen top. That will prevent the flies from escaping.

I'd wait to change the substrate from paper towels (?) until Mocha eats her crickets totally out of some feeding container or bowl. Just like Eileen says, it's super easy for any gecko -- large or small -- to gulp a mouthful of substrate when they "dive" for a cricket. Then the gecko chokes to death! That happened to one of my geckos.

Eco Earth comes in fine coco fiber much like peat moss or a much coarser bark-like medium. Playsand is really dusty. It would need washing.

 

[Birby]

I can't tell from those photos just what color Mocha's eyes are.

You're doing a great job keeping Mocha happy! She looks well-fed!!! :banana: It's a good thing that she's hard to find. That means she's safe.

When you feed Mocha fruit flies use that cloth underneath your fine mesh screen top. That will prevent the flies from escaping.

I'd wait to change the substrate from paper towels (?) until Mocha eats her crickets totally out of some feeding container or bowl. Just like Eileen says, it's super easy for any gecko -- large or small -- to gulp a mouthful of substrate when they "dive" for a cricket. Then the gecko chokes to death! That happened to one of my geckos.

Eco Earth comes in fine coco fiber much like peat moss or a much coarser bark-like medium. Playsand is really dusty. It would need washing.

i cleaned her cage yesterday shes very plump and she always runs up the walls and tries to get out and that always scares me. i havent seen her use the bowl i got her so im thinking of maybe getting another bowl and putting it on the ground and then i take the hind legs off the crickets so they cant jump out

also i got a question about magonlia leaves? some people had been saying that they make good leaf litter and cover for their geckos is that true? how do i make the leaves safe for mocha?

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

i cleaned her cage yesterday shes very plump and she always runs up the walls and tries to get out and that always scares me. i havent seen her use the bowl i got her so im thinking of maybe getting another bowl and putting it on the ground and then i take the hind legs off the crickets so they cant jump out

also i got a question about magonlia leaves? some people had been saying that they make good leaf litter and cover for their geckos is that true? how do i make the leaves safe for mocha?

Thanks for sharing. I've been wondering how Mocha's been doing. She's thriving! :biggrin:

A reliable friend who keeps some geckos on leaf litter just told me that magnolia and oak leaves are her favorites. She just rinses them off before using.

Mocha should have NO trouble catching her crickets in an empty Lee's 24 ounce betta container or some container of similar height. Place a pinch of ProGutload diet in the container. Add a few crickets and see whether they disappear. One of my juvenile, Mocha-sized, mourning geckos often beats me to her betta container waiting for her supper. :drool:

 

[CrestedRick]

I usually boil the leaves for a few minutes before I add them as leaf litter. Always better to be safe than sorry

 

[Birby]

I usually boil the leaves for a few minutes before I add them as leaf litter. Always better to be safe than sorry

question about the boiling i shouldnt boil them all the way down like spinach leaves right? just like a few mins to kill off the germs but the leaves should still be firm right?


also are fresh leaves picked straight off the tree better than ones picked off the ground?

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

question about the boiling i shouldnt boil them all the way down like spinach leaves right? just like a few mins to kill off the germs but the leaves should still be firm right?


also are fresh leaves picked straight off the tree better than ones picked off the ground?

If you boil dried magnolia leaves -- only do so for a very brief time (a few seconds?). The leaves should remain firm NOT "wilted" like spinach after it's been boiled or steamed.

Collect your fallen leaves from a tree that's unlikely to have been sprayed with any insecticide.

 

[Birby]

If you boil dried magnolia leaves -- only do so for a very brief time (a few seconds?). The leaves should remain firm NOT "wilted" like spinach after it's been boiled or steamed.

Collect your fallen leaves from a tree that's unlikely to have been sprayed with any insecticide.

alright thank you! i'll have to wait till spring then since we have a magnolia tree in our yard and my parents dont use pesticides

 

[Birby]

i cleaned her cage today and she got out again. luckily she went against my dresser and tried to blend in with the wood instead of going behind it so i got her back.

i've decided that she'll have a food bowl but shes not on paper towel anymore. its too stressful cleaning it. but i dont want to risk her eating dirt so shes on bare bottom now.

she was also much darker from way back from when i got her and my dad said she was twice the size then she originally was i will try to upload pics soon

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

i cleaned her cage today and she got out again. luckily she went against my dresser and tried to blend in with the wood instead of going behind it so i got her back.

i've decided that she'll have a food bowl but shes not on paper towel anymore. its too stressful cleaning it. but i dont want to risk her eating dirt so shes on bare bottom now.

she was also much darker from way back from when i got her and my dad said she was twice the size then she originally was i will try to upload pics soon

I suggest removing Mocha before you clean her cage. Guide her into one of those tall deli cups from her care package. That will work just fine as long as you poke some holes in it so she can breathe. After you're done cleaning put her back in her 10 gallon. With zippy quick geckos like Mocha, that's the safest way to clean her environment.

Ya don't want to lose her.

Has Mocha grown some?

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

alright thank you! i'll have to wait till spring then since we have a magnolia tree in our yard and my parents dont use pesticides

It's handy that you have a pesticide-free magnolia tree in your yard.

I've never heard of gecko keepers using fresh green leaves for leaf litter. I don't know whether fresh leaves ARE safe.

The gecko keepers I know who use leaf litter collect leaves in autumn when they are brown and fall off the trees.

 

[Birby]

I suggest removing Mocha before you clean her cage. Guide her into one of those tall deli cups from her care package. That will work just fine as long as you poke some holes in it so she can breathe. After you're done cleaning put her back in her 10 gallon. With zippy quick geckos like Mocha, that's the safest way to clean her environment.

Ya don't want to lose her.

Has Mocha grown some?

thats what i try to do. i remove the stuff from her cage one by one to make sure shes not hiding in anything and with the silk plants i squeeze my fingers inbetween the leaves so that if shes hiding in them she'll run out. but what happened this time that instead of jumping back onto the tank floor she actually jumped onto the floor right next to the tank. i didnt realize she could jump so far

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

thats what i try to do. i remove the stuff from her cage one by one to make sure shes not hiding in anything and with the silk plants i squeeze my fingers inbetween the leaves so that if shes hiding in them she'll run out. but what happened this time that instead of jumping back onto the tank floor she actually jumped onto the floor right next to the tank. i didnt realize she could jump so far

Sometimes geckos take flight! Maybe Mocha has hidden wings! ;-)

 

[Birby]

as you can see she was very upset with me

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

It looks like Mocha's pouting. Does she color up at times?

Just think how long you've had her now!