Never house more than one male in the same tank as they may fight. As well, if you decide to keep female and male geckos together, be prepared for them to breed and produce baby geckos. You may need to move your expanding population of geckos to a larger tank to make sure there is enough room for the adult and baby geckos.
The tank’s overall temperature should be around 85ºF-90ºF (29ºC–32ºC) at the warm end and about 78ºF-80ºF(25ºC–27ºC) at the cool end. Night temperatures should stay around 78ºF-80ºF(25ºC–27ºC). Make sure you provide a cool and a warm end in their enclosure to assist with thermal regulation. Appropriate temperatures can be achieved by using a small low wattage heat lamp on one end of the of the tank. You may also use a side or under tank heater for your tank. Keep the heat lamp on for 12 hours a day and then turn it off at night. You can also use a blue heat lamp may to control nighttime temperatures. Do not use a heat rock as they are outdated and can cause severe burns and even death. You do not need to use UV lighting for house geckos as they are nocturnal.
The substrate should be at least 3 inches (7. 6 cm) deep as geckos typically create a small divot or burrow for their eggs. Do not use sand or pebbles as substrate for the tank, as you gecko can end up trying to eat it and become sick. Change the paper substrate two to three times a week. If you are using particulate substrate, like mulch or bark, spot clean them once a day and replace all the substrate once a month.
Because house geckos are nocturnal, they will need a place to sleep and hide at night. You can buy hiding structures, often made of cork, from your local pet store. Buy two hiding structures and place one on the cool side of the tank and one on the warm side. This will give your gecko the option of cooling down or warming up. Try to have at least two hides per gecko.
You can also set up an automatic mister in your tank that releases a spray of water on a daily basis. Look for automatic misters at your local pet store.
Always give your gecko de-chlorinated water, as distilled water can cause medical issues for your gecko due to its lack of nutrients and minerals. Avoid giving your gecko untreated tap water, as it can be unhealthy for your gecko.
You should gut load the insects, feeding them a nutritious diet about 24 hours before offering them to your gecko. Then, give the gut loaded insects to your gecko. Do not give your gecko wild caught insects, as they can carry diseases.
Opt for a calcium supplement fortified with vitamin D3 and dust it on two to three time a week. Do not use a calcium supplement with added phosphorous, unless specified by your vet.
You may want to wait until your gecko is an adult to handle him outside of his cage. Even then, you should be careful when handling him and try not to let him out of your hands as house geckos can move very fast and tend to hide in hard to reach places once they are out of their tanks.
In general, you should only handle your gecko if you need to remove him to clean the tank. Wash your hands before and after handling your gecko, as you may have bacteria on your hands that can cause illness.
During the shedding process, your gecko will grow a new layer of skin and it will separate from the old layer, creating a fluid between the two layers. If your gecko’s enclosure is too dry, the fluid will not form properly and make it more difficult for your gecko to shed his old skin. If your gecko’s old skin does not seem to be coming off on its own, you may need to adjust the humidity of your tank by misting the tank twice a day. You may also provide a moist box in his tank, such as a plastic container filled with moist reptile terrarium moss. Cut a door into the side of the container and place the lid on the container. This will allow your gecko to go into the box at his will. If your gecko has trouble getting old skin off his toes, tail, or head, you can assist him by spraying the area with water and gently massaging the skin until it peels off on its own.
