Very new- help!

A friend of mine recently gave my son a gecko for his birthday. I know absolutely nothing about them. She had not had him long and knows nothing about them either. I spoke to a guy who raises them, and he explained to me that he raises a certain kind, but that mine is considered a "day gecko" which he was not familiar with. He basically looks like the "geico gecko." He recently got out of his aquarium, and when my husband caught him, his tail broke off. All we know now is that he eats crickets and sticks to the glass. We are keeping the water bowl filled, and a heat lamp on at night. My friend also said he will bite and doesn't let go, so we have not attempted to handle him. There has to be more we can do to keep him happy- he sits on the glass all day and does nothing- please give me any info that will make his life a little more "meaningful." Thanks!

Michelle,
Day geckos are nice display animals - but they don't like, and are not particularly suited to handling...they are small, fast, and can climb walls (all of which you have all ready learned, lol). Keep them in a tall enclosure, with lots of plants (real or fake). Scrap the water bowl and , instead, mist the enclosure daily. Depending on your temperatures (indoor), you may not need the heat lamp at night. Feed it gutloaded bugs (crickets, mealworms, etc) every 2-3 days, with occasional baby food (fruit) and calcium supplementation. Not to dispute your friend, but I have not seen that sort of aggression from day geckos (now if you had said tokay geckos...) - sure, they may bite if they feel threatened, but they are much more likely to drop their tail and run...and if they do bite, they generally let go as soon as you do. Just put your hand in the enclosure and open it - they will run for cover.
My knowledge of the little guys comes from minimal direct experience from when we had the shop about 8 yrs ago...hopefully others will chime in with more assistance

Harald is right..... Day geckos are NOT your typical gecko that your son can play with. They don't tolorate handling, but with some patience and training (with their favorite flavor of baby food), they might be coaxed into sitting on your hand while licking baby food off a spoon. Not only will they drop their tails when handled roughly, but their skin tears easily too. These guys are display animals only.....but with a fully planted terrarium as a background, they are beautiful!!

As stated before, lose the water bowl. Day geckos won't use it. A daily misting of their enclosure, the plants, and the geckos themselves is all they need. For food, crickets are the staple diet with some occasional wax worms for treats. I haven't had much luck feeding them mealworms...they just regurgitate them. Once every week or two, you should feed them a slurry of fruit baby food (banana, apricot, or my guy's favorite...peach and mango), mixed with a few drops of avian (bird) vitamins, some bee pollen (you can find at health food stores), and a small drizzle of honey. Thin this mixture out with water (half water, half slurry) and pour into a small cup or dish accessable to the geckos. That covers their dietary needs.

For heat, a small overhead heat lamp will suffice. Something that gets the temps up to around 85 degrees. This should be put on one side of the enclosure and be plugged into a timer along with a UV flourescent light. Have a branch underneath so that they can bask 3-6 inches away from the light. These are DAY geckos, so make sure the lights go OFF at night. A heat lamp on all hours of the day and night is stressful to them. During the winter months, 8-10 hours a day is good...in the summer, increase it to 12-14 hours a day. The nighttime temps can fall to room temperature.

I'm sorry to hear the little guy lost his tail. Usually, they will regenerate, but the new tail won't be as pretty and you'll be able to see the break line. If he gets out again, try "rounding him up" in a large bowl or directing him onto a stiff piece of cardboard....and then moving over the enclosure and "redirecting" him back in...lol. One other thing...day geckos may be kept singlely or in mated pairs (male/female). Never try to keep more than a mated pair in the same tank!! Adult males will kill other males and the dominate adult female will harrass any other other females to to point of stressing it to death. You can keep several babies all together, but they need to be separated before reaching sexual maturity (about 7-9 months old).

Whew!! I think that covers it!! My experience?? I've have a mated pair of Madagascar Giant Day geckos for 4 years and the big adult male for 9 years now. They've given me quite a few eggs and hatchlings over the years.

Just my opinion....

Scott Nellis

Oh, I forgot to add.......Gutload the crickets (feed the crickets some cricket chow 24-48 hours prior to feeding them to the geckos), and dust them with a calcium supplement when feeding your gecko. Also...a small dish of calcium supplement or "day gecko food"... should be left in the enclosure at all times so that they can lick it up.

Day geckos are arboreal and will most likely be found at or near the top of their enclosure, so put these food dishes up where they can reach them...or tape to the sides. You will rarely see a day gecko walking down on the ground or floor.

Scott Nellis

I forgot to mention how easily the skin tears - thanks, Scott

Thank you all- I am relaying all of this information to my son. If anyone else wants to add, I will be checking back often. You guys are very helpful.