bought this little dude after seeing a million videos on how easy they are to take care of. I'm finding that he is actually the most unsocial animal of all time. so much so, that he never steps outside his hides to eat or drink. the only times Ive seen him drink is when I soak him to help with his shedding. he has shed twice, and MAYBE has eaten two silk worms, in about two months. and I've found two piles of excrement since I got him. I have tried taking him out and placing him in separate containers with multiple kinds of bugs/worms, and he just moves past them. even seen him let a cricket take him for a piggy back ride. he does not take food from tongs, and I've tried reducing the misting system, as well as heating up a side of the tank. any ideas? hot side is usually around 80 degrees, cool is 70. regularly misted. his sheds have been pretty clean, so at least I have that going.
Help with feeding
- Thread starter JD11D6
- Start date
Elizabeth Freer
Active member
Hi ~
Which species of Goniosaurus do you have?
Please let Geckos Unlimited know whether you discover ANY helpful suggestions in the following links:
Which species of Goniosaurus do you have?
Please let Geckos Unlimited know whether you discover ANY helpful suggestions in the following links:
Goniurosaurus (cave gecko) Care Sheet . . . . . . Markus Schroter
For the link Keeping and raising of Goniurosaurus click: goniurosaurus orientalis toyamai yamashinae kuroiwae splendens hainanensis lichtenfelderi luii araneus catbanensis bawalingensis huuliensis For scientific facts of Goniurosaurus species click: goniurosaurus orientalis toyamai yamashinae...
www.geckosunlimited.com
Elizabeth Freer
Active member
For Goniurosaurus hainanensis click this link. Scroll down for temperature & humidity guidelines:
Scroll up & down this link for additional information.
''The major reason for the death of so many G. is keeping them under the wrong temperature. In the summer time, Goniurosaurus needs 25°C, at most 27°C during the day and 20-22°C at night. In the winter time (lasting 3 months here where I live), I have 18-20°C during the day and 14-16°C during the night. To heat with the appropriate temperature, there are two possibilities: either infrared heat lamps or heating the room itself with the temperature needed. When using an infrared heat lamp, you should pay attention to the right position and dimension of the lamp. During the day, the temperature should not be higher than 26-27°C. Goniurosaurus easily dehydrates. The lamp should not be directed at the cave so that the substrate does not lose its humidity. When heating the whole room, you merely need to make sure that every terrarium has got its own illumination. The advantage of this technique is that the terrariums are not overheated and the geckoes do not dehydrate. During the summer, I usually achieve the perfect temperature only by switching on the regular lamps. The room heats up (26-27°C) without any additional heating and an illuminating duration of 14-16 hours. When the days are becoming shorter (towards the winter time), I usually reduce the illumination time every two weeks by 1 hour. By doing this, the room slowly cools down and you have a smooth transition between summer and winter time."
Food
"I feed all my Goniurosaurus two times in the week. Each of the bigger species (Goniurosaurus luii, araneus, hainanensis, and lichtenfelderi) gets three crickets every time I feed them. The insects you feed should have an appropriate size proportional to the gecko. All Japanese Goniurosaurus merely need 2 crickets. I always put some dry, vitamin and calcium containing chemicals on the insects to ensure that every gecko keeps healthy. The best one here is a mixture of Reptical and Korvimin (proportion 50:50). This mixture contains everything the gecko needs, especially when the females are laying their eggs. Some breeders furthermore put vitamins into the drinking water. I myself have never done that so far."
Important tips and advices for hygiene
"Feeding G. regularly, of course every individual defecates. You should frequently clean the terrarium of dirt and excrement. This is not very difficult because the geckoes usually have certain spots for defecation. It is furthermore very important that new water is put into the dish every other day. Old water can threaten the health of all geckoes. You should clean the whole terrarium once a year, i.e. taking out everything and cleaning all items very well. Of course, you should put new substrate into every terrarium when doing this."
Scroll up & down this link for additional information.
''The major reason for the death of so many G. is keeping them under the wrong temperature. In the summer time, Goniurosaurus needs 25°C, at most 27°C during the day and 20-22°C at night. In the winter time (lasting 3 months here where I live), I have 18-20°C during the day and 14-16°C during the night. To heat with the appropriate temperature, there are two possibilities: either infrared heat lamps or heating the room itself with the temperature needed. When using an infrared heat lamp, you should pay attention to the right position and dimension of the lamp. During the day, the temperature should not be higher than 26-27°C. Goniurosaurus easily dehydrates. The lamp should not be directed at the cave so that the substrate does not lose its humidity. When heating the whole room, you merely need to make sure that every terrarium has got its own illumination. The advantage of this technique is that the terrariums are not overheated and the geckoes do not dehydrate. During the summer, I usually achieve the perfect temperature only by switching on the regular lamps. The room heats up (26-27°C) without any additional heating and an illuminating duration of 14-16 hours. When the days are becoming shorter (towards the winter time), I usually reduce the illumination time every two weeks by 1 hour. By doing this, the room slowly cools down and you have a smooth transition between summer and winter time."
Food
"I feed all my Goniurosaurus two times in the week. Each of the bigger species (Goniurosaurus luii, araneus, hainanensis, and lichtenfelderi) gets three crickets every time I feed them. The insects you feed should have an appropriate size proportional to the gecko. All Japanese Goniurosaurus merely need 2 crickets. I always put some dry, vitamin and calcium containing chemicals on the insects to ensure that every gecko keeps healthy. The best one here is a mixture of Reptical and Korvimin (proportion 50:50). This mixture contains everything the gecko needs, especially when the females are laying their eggs. Some breeders furthermore put vitamins into the drinking water. I myself have never done that so far."
Important tips and advices for hygiene
"Feeding G. regularly, of course every individual defecates. You should frequently clean the terrarium of dirt and excrement. This is not very difficult because the geckoes usually have certain spots for defecation. It is furthermore very important that new water is put into the dish every other day. Old water can threaten the health of all geckoes. You should clean the whole terrarium once a year, i.e. taking out everything and cleaning all items very well. Of course, you should put new substrate into every terrarium when doing this."
Elizabeth Freer
Active member
I only know of 1 person currently on Geckos Unlimited who may have kept Goniurosaurus hainanensis.
That's GU's admin Hilde.
Hilde often chimes in when she has something to add.
That's GU's admin Hilde.
Hilde often chimes in when she has something to add.
This is an old article and I don't know if you'll be able to find any of the contributors, but maybe there will be something there that's useful:
Aliza
Three to Get Ready: Goniurosaurus - Gecko Time
Goniurosurus also known as "cave geckos" are a small, terrestrial gecko native to China, Japan and Vietnam. With their bright colors (which I think makes them look like psychedelic leopard geckos) and red eyes, they are striking to look at and tempting to own. More
geckotime.com
Aliza
Elizabeth Freer
Active member
Thanks so much, Aliza!
I hope JD11D6 can find the information sought within your Gecko Time article.
The contributors to Aliza's Gecko Time article are:
Carola Jucknies,
Derek Vera, &
Rachel Wintjen
As of May 2024 Derek Vera & Rachel Wintjen can be found on Facebook.
I hope JD11D6 can find the information sought within your Gecko Time article.
The contributors to Aliza's Gecko Time article are:
Carola Jucknies,
Derek Vera, &
Rachel Wintjen
As of May 2024 Derek Vera & Rachel Wintjen can be found on Facebook.
jesica847
New member
Here are some suggestions. I hope this will be helpful for you.
- Make sure your enclosure has enough hiding places & is set to the proper temperature.
- Cover three sides of the tank to minimize stress.
- Use your fingers to duplicate natural movement.
- Provide a shallow water dish and spray the tank lightly.