Female Madagascan Giant Day Gecko CB Sub Adult

Day Gecko


Care Sheet

Giant Day Geckos are large green geckos from Madagascar. They are found in the rainforest and are extremely active during the day.
Day geckos are cold blooded and are known as ‘exothermic’– meaning that they need heat from an outside source in order to maintain their body temperature.

Day geckos enjoy an arboreal enclosure to provide them with plenty of space to exercise as they would in the wild. They enjoy climbing and jumping. Day geckos can be kept in a bio-active terrarium which replicates their environment in the wild.

Day Geckos are fast moving, timid lizards who make excellent display pets. Care should be taken if handling to clean the enclosure as these geckos will run away very quickly. We recommend catching your lizard inside a plastic tub.

Gold Giant Day Gecko Kit

HOUSING YOUR GECKO

Day Geckos enjoy an arboreal environment with plenty of space to jump around. Other geckos such as crested and gargoyle geckos enjoy the same type of environment but instead of day geckos being nocturnal, they are diurnal meaning they are active during the day time.

There are many substrates available for geckos, almost all being soil or natural fibre based. Which substrate you use is down to personal preference, don’t be afraid to try new things like mixing a couple of substrates together to get the perfect mix for your gecko.

Plastic plants or live plants can be used. Geckos require UVB. Although they often remain in the partial light, they do have access to sunlight in the wild and so we do recommend a UVB source. Heating should be provided in the form of a ceramic or heat bulb. This should maintain ambient temperatures with a hot spot for basking.

It is important to turn off lighting at night, and any heating which is used, so that your gecko can understand the natural light cycle and act accordingly. If you are not reaching the advised temperatures, speak to us about adding extra heating to your enclosure.

HOUSING YOUR GECKO

Day Geckos enjoy an arboreal environment with plenty of space to jump around. Other geckos such as crested and gargoyle geckos enjoy the same type of environment but instead of day geckos being nocturnal, they are diurnal meaning they are active during the day time.

There are many substrates available for geckos, almost all being soil or natural fibre based. Which substrate you use is down to personal preference, don’t be afraid to try new things like mixing a couple of substrates together to get the perfect mix for your gecko.

Plastic plants or live plants can be used. Geckos require UVB. Although they often remain in the partial light, they do have access to sunlight in the wild and so we do recommend a UVB source. Heating should be provided in the form of a ceramic or heat bulb. This should maintain ambient temperatures with a hot spot for basking.

It is important to turn off lighting at night, and any heating which is used, so that your gecko can understand the natural light cycle and act accordingly. If you are not reaching the advised temperatures, speak to us about adding extra heating to your enclosure.

Gold Giant Day Gecko Kit
Gold Giant Day Gecko Kit

HANDLING YOUR GECKO:

Always wash your hands or use an anti-bacterial hand wash before and after handling your gecko. Day geckos are very fast and do not enjoy being handled. They also have tearaway skin meaning they can drop their skin if stressed.

If moving your gecko to clean, we recommend catching it in a plastic tub and trying not to handle it.

Female Madagascan Giant Day Gecko CB Sub Adult

GENERAL CARE

Genus, Species Phelsuma grandis
Adult Size 25-30cm (with tail)
Habitat Rainforest
Lifespan 5-8 years
Diet Insects , Pangea, calcium powder twice a week
Ambient Temp (f) 82-86
Basking Temp (f) 95
Humidity (%) 55-65 UVI 1.0 – 2.6 (Shade) UVI: 2.9 – 7.4 (Max bask)
Locality New Caledonia Difficulty 3
Breeding Age 12-14 months old
Social Structure Live alone except breeding times. Females can be kept together given enough space (with caution), males will fight.

GENERAL CARE

Genus, Species Phelsuma grandis
Adult Size 25-30cm (with tail)
Habitat Rainforest
Lifespan 5-8 years
Diet Insects , Pangea, calcium powder twice a week
Ambient Temp (f) 82-86
Basking Temp (f) 95
Humidity (%) 55-65 UVI 1.0 – 2.6 (Shade) UVI: 2.9 – 7.4 (Max bask)
Locality New Caledonia Difficulty 3
Breeding Age 12-14 months old
Social Structure Live alone except breeding times. Females can be kept together given enough space (with caution), males will fight.

Female Madagascan Giant Day Gecko CB Sub Adult
Male Madagascan Giant Day Gecko CB Sub Adult

SEXING YOUR GECKO

Day Geckos can be accurately sexed from around 6 months of age.

Like many other lizards, Male Day Geckos will have large femoral pores between their back legs. It is easier to sex Day Geckos using a clear tub and looking at the bottom of the lizard from underneath.

It is important to accurately sex your gecko before housing it, especially in a group enclosure.

As adults, females are slightly smaller than males but this should not be used as an accurate way to sex.

SHOPPING LIST

SHOPPING LIST

Female Madagascan Giant Day Gecko CB Adult

HEALTH CHECK

Eyes–  Eyes are clear with no eye caps. Sometimes with a dry shed, eye caps get stuck. To help get the shed off fully, you can set up a moist moss hide for your gecko. Use Beaphar skin and eye ointment for stuck caps and gently remove with a cotton pad, never try to peel off the eye caps.

Skin–  The skin is clear of shed and there are no cuts or scrapes on the geckos skin. Occasionally locusts or crickets can nip the skin of the gecko. Always remove live food that is not eaten after the geckos meal to prevent further bites and stress which can stop your gecko eating.

Limbs– All the limbs are moving correctly and the gecko is able to walk and move normally. Geckos can suffer from a condition called MBD (metabolic bone disease). This occurs when geckos do not have enough calcium and causes their bones to grow abnormally, eventually restricting their movements. MBD cannot be reversed so always dust livefood with calcium twice a week to avoid MBD occurring.

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