How to Care for a Day Gecko

Day geckos are diurnal meaning they are active during the day which is different from most other geckos. They are a very interesting lizard to watch but do require quite a bit of care from their owners. Day geckos can be very fragile and will require a large time commitment, but with proper care they can provide a lot of enjoyment.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Enclosure
• Screen lid
• Substrate
• Heat lamps
• Full spectrum lighting
• Plants
• Climbing branches
• Feeder insects
• Spray bottle

1. Provide an all glass and vertically oriented aquarium sized relative to the particular breed of day gecko. The larger the enclosure you can provide the better. Purchase a screen lid for the aquarium.
2. Cover the cage floor with a substrate that will help maintain humidity in the enclosure like peat moss or mulch.
3. Construct a thermal gradient by strategically placing heat lamps to provide a basking area with 90 degrees Fahrenheit and keep the rest of the cage at 80 degrees Fahrenheit.
4. Use full spectrum lighting during the day as it is essential for your day gecko's health.
5. Add plenty of plants and climbing branches because your day gecko is arboreal and will spend most of its life climbing.
6. Spray the plants in the cage with a fine mist several times a day to maintain humidity and provide drinking water for your lizard.
7. Feed your day gecko every other day with gut loaded feeder crickets. You should also feed them fruit flavored baby food. Remove all uneaten foods within two hours of placing them in the enclosure.

Tips & Warnings

• Day geckos will not readily drink from a water dish instead they get their water from what is collected on leaves.
• Dust your feeder insects with a reptile vitamin supplement before feeding them to your lizards.
• Be sure to maintain a high humidity but not too much. If the substrate is wet instead of moist or the sides of the cage build up with moisture, you could promote the growth of dangerous molds.