JeffT
05-27-04, 10:47 PM
I just finnished a care sheet I have been working on for a while about White Line Geckos. All was done entirely by myself and nothing taken off the internet. Let me know what you think or things that I missed or overlooked.
The White Lined Gecko (Gekko vittatus)
DESCRIPTION
The common White Lined Gecko or “skunk gecko” is an excellent gecko for a beginner wanting to enter the interesting world of arboreal reptilians. They originate in Indo Australian archipelago. They are a gold/ brown/ gray color with a white stripe on their back from their neck to their tail, they average an adult length of 9-10 inches. With their lammel padded feet they can climb up extremely smooth surfaces like glass and plastics. They are also closely related to the Tokay gecko (gekko gecko) and are nocturnal, meaning they hunt and are active at night.
HOUSING
These geckos are arboreal, so they love to climb. I recommend a 10 gallon minimum for a single adult and a 15+ gallon for pairs or trios, NOTE- Never house two males together, they will fight and possibly kill each other. Provide tropical plants if possible with strong, widespread leaves so the geckos can hide under and jump on without the leaves breaking. Provide lots of hiding spots to make your gecko feel right at home. As for a substrate, I prefer cypress mulch or peat moss, make sure the soil you pick has no fertilizers or pesticides in it.
LIGHTING / HEAT
Since these animals are nocturnal, they require no UVB or UVA lighting but you can provide it if you want to. For heating always use a heat lamp, it creates an ambient temperature and can provide a nice basking spot. These geckos like their environment to be higher in temperatures and humid. Ideal temps are 80-87 F throughout the day and a night time temp of 72F. Keep the humidity around 72-80%, don’t let it get too dry.
FEEDING
Like most geckos, White Lines will eat crickets, meal worms, mashed fruits (non citrus) and baby food, I find mine the peach and apricot best. I feed every other day and each gecko will eat about 4-8 crickets each. Be sure to dust every meal with calcium and vitamins.
I do not and have never provided my geckos with a water dish, when I mish down the cage they always head over to the plants and lap the water off the leaves with their tongues.\
BREEDING AND INCUBATION
I am having great success with my breeding of the geckos. In a females prime breeding cycle she will lay a clutch of 2 eggs every 15-20 days. When she lays them she will often stick them to a branch or the glass. NOTE- DO NOT try and remove/pull and egg off a log of glass, they are stuck on with a super-glue like material and will crush if you try to remove them. If on a piece of wood try and cut a small piece out around the egg to transfer to an incubator. But if on glass, take a small container, cut a few holes in the sides and duct-tape it over the egg to form a protective area around it. Fill the container up with about an inch of vermiculite and this will help to insulate heat and keep up humidity. Try and keep the temps in the container around 80-85F and a humidity of 75-80%. If all goes well and the eggs are fertile then you should have little babies in about 60-80 days.
Hopefully this care sheet has helped you. It was entirely written by myself and through my own experiences and breeding observations and notes.
Jeff Terborg
The White Lined Gecko (Gekko vittatus)
DESCRIPTION
The common White Lined Gecko or “skunk gecko” is an excellent gecko for a beginner wanting to enter the interesting world of arboreal reptilians. They originate in Indo Australian archipelago. They are a gold/ brown/ gray color with a white stripe on their back from their neck to their tail, they average an adult length of 9-10 inches. With their lammel padded feet they can climb up extremely smooth surfaces like glass and plastics. They are also closely related to the Tokay gecko (gekko gecko) and are nocturnal, meaning they hunt and are active at night.
HOUSING
These geckos are arboreal, so they love to climb. I recommend a 10 gallon minimum for a single adult and a 15+ gallon for pairs or trios, NOTE- Never house two males together, they will fight and possibly kill each other. Provide tropical plants if possible with strong, widespread leaves so the geckos can hide under and jump on without the leaves breaking. Provide lots of hiding spots to make your gecko feel right at home. As for a substrate, I prefer cypress mulch or peat moss, make sure the soil you pick has no fertilizers or pesticides in it.
LIGHTING / HEAT
Since these animals are nocturnal, they require no UVB or UVA lighting but you can provide it if you want to. For heating always use a heat lamp, it creates an ambient temperature and can provide a nice basking spot. These geckos like their environment to be higher in temperatures and humid. Ideal temps are 80-87 F throughout the day and a night time temp of 72F. Keep the humidity around 72-80%, don’t let it get too dry.
FEEDING
Like most geckos, White Lines will eat crickets, meal worms, mashed fruits (non citrus) and baby food, I find mine the peach and apricot best. I feed every other day and each gecko will eat about 4-8 crickets each. Be sure to dust every meal with calcium and vitamins.
I do not and have never provided my geckos with a water dish, when I mish down the cage they always head over to the plants and lap the water off the leaves with their tongues.\
BREEDING AND INCUBATION
I am having great success with my breeding of the geckos. In a females prime breeding cycle she will lay a clutch of 2 eggs every 15-20 days. When she lays them she will often stick them to a branch or the glass. NOTE- DO NOT try and remove/pull and egg off a log of glass, they are stuck on with a super-glue like material and will crush if you try to remove them. If on a piece of wood try and cut a small piece out around the egg to transfer to an incubator. But if on glass, take a small container, cut a few holes in the sides and duct-tape it over the egg to form a protective area around it. Fill the container up with about an inch of vermiculite and this will help to insulate heat and keep up humidity. Try and keep the temps in the container around 80-85F and a humidity of 75-80%. If all goes well and the eggs are fertile then you should have little babies in about 60-80 days.
Hopefully this care sheet has helped you. It was entirely written by myself and through my own experiences and breeding observations and notes.
Jeff Terborg