Care Guides

Below contains the basic requirements for each species we offer here at The Phantom Gecko. I encourage all of our customers to do their own research before purchasing any animal. If you have questions feel free to send me a message on Facebook or any of my other social media links found at the bottom of the page.

Arboreal Gecko Care

This section includes Frugivorous Crested Geckos (Correlophus ciliatus), Leachianus geckos (Rhacodactylus leachianus), Gargoyle Geckos (Rhacodactylus auriculatus), Sarasinorum geckos (Correlophus sarasinorum), Chahoua geckos (Mniarogekko chahoua), Halmahera geckos (Gehyra marginata), and Insectivorous Tokay geckos (Gekko gekko)

These geckos spend a majority of their time in the branches and leaves of trees. They rarely come down to the surface, except to lay their eggs. As such their tank should be taller than wide with plenty of branches and leaves to climb on and hide in. They make excellent pets and do well in natural vivarium displays. Standard 20-gallon tanks are best suited for an adult Crested Geckos, Gargoyle Geckos, Halmahera Geckos, and Sarasinorum Geckos. Much larger species such as Leachianus Geckos, Tokay Geckos, and Chahoua Geckos will require larger tanks due to their size. We provide 10-gallon tanks for juveniles and recommend moving to a larger size once they have reached their full size.

If you're interested in housing multiple geckos together we recommend a larger tank size. We also recommend only housing geckos of the approximate same weight together. NEVER house two males together as they will fight, this holds true for most reptile species. Housing two females together or a male and female is acceptable should there be no signs of stress. The signs would include bite marks from physical altercations, reduced weight in one or both geckos, and change in temperament. We also provide a low hide towards the base of the tank along with one higher up near the top in each of our crested gecko setups. However, if you house a male and female together you will eventually see fertile eggs. If you have no plans to incubate them you can simply freeze the eggs. If you are interested in breeding your own geckos check out our "Breeding Guide" for more information. For substrate we recommend either paper towels or, for a more naturalistic look, finely ground coco-fiber. 

Crested geckos drink their water off of the leaves after it rains or after morning dew in their natural habitat. So to simulate that for our geckos we mist the leaves and substrate in the evenings and mornings. One frequently asked question is "how much should I mist my gecko?" The goal should be to moisten the leaves so that water collects on them. Doing this provides the correct humidity as the water evaporates and adequate water to keep your gecko properly hydrated.

Like many other reptiles, arboreal geckos shed their skin. Unlike other reptiles with larger scaling, geckos eat their shed. Failure to properly remove their shed, due to inexperience as a juvenile or too low or high humidity can cause health problems for your gecko. These problems include cutting off blood circulation to the affected limbs or tail, gangrene and eventually septicemia or death. In order to prevent this, proper humidity must be maintained. Your gecko will need times of high humidity (70% humidity level which is achieved when you mist your gecko's leaves) and low humidity (less than 30% which is achieved as the tank dries out between misting). If you see your gecko has stuck shed, you can use a Q-tip and organic coconut oil to help remove the shed. Be sure not to "peel" the shed off as this is painful and could harm your gecko. If you have problems with this feel free to message us on Facebook and we will be more than willing to help you and your gecko out. 

Your gecko tank should maintain an average temperature of between 72 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit. With temperatures never going below 60 degrees or above 85 degrees for extended periods of time. We provide a warmer side using Zoo Med brand heat cable. This is not required as most homes are maintained within an acceptable range for temperature. The extra heat is good however for breeding pairs and for homes that maintain cooler average temperatures. 

Finally we feed our frugivorous (fruit eating) geckos a rotation of two flavors of Pangea Fruit Mix Complete Crested Gecko diet: Banana/Papaya and Watermelon/Mango. We personally have the highest feeding response out of these flavors, however, that may not be the case with every breeder or every individual gecko. We also provide mealworms, crickets, and dubia roaches dusted with calcium with D3 or Rep-cal Herptivite Multivitamin (with beta carotene) once a week. For insectivores we exclusively offer mealworms (or superworms depending on the size of the animal), dubia, and crickets dusted with calcium or herptivite. Adult Tokay geckos and Leachianus geckos are large enough to eat superworms. We find that our geckos maintain a healthy weight best on this diet. 

Arid Gecko Care

This section includes information to care for Leopard Geckos (Eublepharis macularius) and African Fat-tailed Geckos (Hemitheconyx caudicinctus).

Leopard geckos and African Fat-tailed geckos require a wide foot space. They climb on low branches and rocks but spend a majority of their time on the ground hiding in burrows or between rocks. Standard 10 gallon or 20 gallon tanks are acceptable for adult geckos. If you wish to house multiple geckos together a 20 gallon tank is best. If you provide a much larger tank it could cause the gecko to stray too far from the warm hide and reduce its ability to thermo-regulate. Thermo-regulation is a natural phenomenon that your gecko will automatically do in order to properly digest and metabolize its food. Like other species of geckos, if you choose to house two geckos together they must be of similar weight and males should never be housed together as they would fight. Housing males and females together or two females together is acceptable as long as there are no signs of stress. The signs would include bite marks from physical altercations, reduced weight in one or both geckos, and change in temperament.

These geckos require an under-tank heater along one side of the the tank. Never use a heat rock as this is too hot and could burn your gecko. Doing this will create a temperature gradient which is necessary for your geckos to properly thermo-regulate. One each side of the tank (warm and cool side) there should be a hide. The ideal temperature in their warm hide should be approximately 88 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit. On the warm side fill your hide with sphagnum moss or paper towels (the paper towels will need to be changed out weekly) and mist them heavily. These moist hides are necessary for proper shedding and should never dry out. The moist hide is particularly important for African Fat-tail geckos as they require more moisture than Leopard geckos. The reason for this is because African Fat-tails experience more average rainfall in their natural habitat and have adapted to that climate. Both of these species require an ambient air temperature of approximately 72 degrees Fahrenheit. 

For substrate we recommend using paper-towels or artificial turf only. They will need to be changed out (or cleaned if you use turf) every two weeks. Using sand or fine-particle products as substrate could cause harm to your gecko. This species of gecko has eyelids and often dirt or sand gets stuck under their eyelids and causes irritation and inflammation which could be fatal to your gecko. Your gecko could also ingest the particles and become impacted which could also be fatal. Interestingly these geckos have a tendency to only use the bathroom in one corner which makes spot cleaning easy. Simply change out the paper towel in that corner or wipe off the turf. 

These species of geckos are exclusively insectivores and will only eat live food. We feed our leopards and fat-tails a combination of gut loaded mealworms and small dubia roaches dusted with calcium with D3 or herptivite. Crickets are also recommended, but out of personal experience we prefer mealworms and dubia roaches. We feed our geckos every two or three days in a dish with straight, low sides so that the insects cannot escape but the gecko can freely move in or out of the dish. You will also want to provide a shallow water dish with freshwater that should be available at all times. 

Uroplatus species 

Uroplatus fimbriatus are one of the larger of the Uroplatus species. They grow to be about 11 to 13 inches vent to snout. Standard 10 gallon tanks (taller than wide) are suitable for juveniles under 6 months of age. After Uroplatus are 6 months or older they need to be in a tank of  18x18x24". Exoterra brand glass tanks are perfect for this species. This species thrives best in a live-vivarium setup with 2 inches of coco-fiber substrate. We also have a layer of sphagnum moss and dead leaf litter (breeding females prefer to lay her eggs on the top of the soil) and we provide a UVB bulb. Here is a list of acceptable plant species to use for your geckos. Temperatures should be 76 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit during the day and 70 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit at nighttime. Humidity should be approximately 75% to 100% at nighttime with a dry period during the day. 

We feed our Uroplatus large or medium dubia roaches dusted with herptivite or calcium with D3 every day or every two days (sometimes they are uninterested in the meal because they are still full from the last meal). We prefer tong feeding our Uroplatus because they strike hard at their meals and can injure their jaws. Until your Uroplatus are comfortable with tong feeding we recommend that you line the bottom of their food dish with a sponge cut to size. This will help reduce the chances of injury. We also have a shallow wide water dish with fresh water available. Our Uroplatus will sometimes bathe in the water.