Ring Tailed Gecko Care Sheet

(Cyrtodactylus louisiadensis)

Caging

They are Australias largest species of gecko and are found in north eastern Queensland, New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. Being found tropical high rainfall areas they need to be kept at high humidity, and also kept warm. A 2ft (60cm) aquarium with a low wattage coloured globe is ideal. They do not have pads on their toes so they have graet difficulty climbing the glass however we still have an escape proof lid on our cages. They are at home amongst rocks or bark.

Food.

Moths, crickets, cockroaches, mealworms, earthworms etc, preferrably dusted or gut loaded with calcium or reptile suppliment for about half of the feeds.

Sexing.

At approximately several months of age the males can be sexed by looking for hemipenal bulges at the base of the tail.

Breeding.

Like other geckos they usually lay 2 eggs, ours laid 2 hard shelled almost spherical eggs on 11th July 1998 and we are incubating the eggs at 23 degrees centigrade. We expect the eggs to hatch by December however they may take 9 months to hatch.

The female dug a hole in which she buried her eggs.

The eggs apparently require temperatures lower than normal reptile incubation temperatures. We are trying 23 degrees this time. Otherwise they should be incubated the same as other eggs. Being hard shelled they are more likely to be damaged when you dig them up or handle them.

Special requirements.

They will easily overheat in summer. Ensure that the terrarium is kept cool and humid.

The females are apparently prone to calcium deficiency problems, so dusting is very important.

They should be misted or sprayed with water often, particularly in dry weather.

Special notes.

The juveniles have a different pattern to the adults and almost look like a different species, and the babies are much larger than most other baby geckos, and grow rapidly.