Pictus gecko care sheet

This pictus gecko care sheet might help you decide if this gecko species is right for you. This type of gecko has also been referred to as a panther gecko or they can also be known as fat tailed geckos.

Whereas your average pet gecko likes to climb, this gecko usually prefers to stay on the ground. In the wild, the forest floor is where you might find this gecko species, hiding amongst the leaves and tree roots.

Cage

As mentioned above, the pictus gecko is a ground dweller, so height is not required when designing a habitat. In fact this gecko species is liable to hurt itself when climbing something too tall. You will need to provide at least two hides, possibly more -for your pet gecko to manage its stress level.

There should be a temperature gradient from one end of the cage to the other allowing the gecko to move to a different part in order to warm or cool down its body temperature.

One of the hides should be used as a humidity box -by misting this hide on a daily basis will help their health in many ways, but mainly to assist in the shedding of their skin.

A 10 gallon long tank is adequate, a 20 being better, to house your pictus gecko -as they will only reach 4 to 8 inches in length.

For a substrate, many people use paper towels or newspaper. A safe and more attractive substrate would be cocofibre. Sand, or calcium sand is not encouraged, as it is highly probable that this gecko species will accidentally ingest some of the sand and become impacted.

Lighting

The pictus gecko is a nocturnal lizard that becomes active from dusk till dawn. Because of this, a UV light is not required, although some owners use a small amount of UV because this gecko species receives a small amount of sun in the wild.

Your goal is to try to mimic the gecko's conditions in the wild. This means having a longer day (more sunlight) in the summer and a shorter day in the winter.

The daytime temperatures can fall between 80°F and 85°F. A basking spot should be maintained at around 88°F. Nighttime temperatures can range from 75°F to 80°F.

The humidity in the cage should be maintained at 50 to 80%. Misting the cage once daily with a water bottle is suggested to achieve the proper humidity level. You should also supply a very shallow bowl of water for drinking and soaking -and this should be changed on a daily basis to avoid the growth of bacteria.

Food

A pictus gecko diet can consist of a variety of insects ranging from crickets to silkworms to feeder roaches. Any insect you provide should be gut loaded at least 24 hours before you feed them to your pet gecko.

The insects should be no bigger than the width of your pet gecko's mouth to avoid choking. Three times a week you should dust your feeder bugs with a good quality multivitamin. A good calcium supplement should be provided, either in the form of ground-up calcium in a bowl in their cage five times a week, or dusting their bugs five times a week.

If you decide to acquire a pictus gecko as a pet lizard, be sure and read a few more care sheets and possibly a book on this wonderful lizard.