Housing Part 2: Decoration and Planting

Housing is, without a doubt, one of the most important parts of successful turcicus keeping and so it is well worth discussing in depth; for this reason, I've decided to span this article out over 4 posts. This way, I can fit in as much detail as I want on each subject. Today, we'll be continuing the series by taking you through decorating the enclosure and adding plants to the terrarium.

The Hide
Your turcicus will need somewhere where they can rest throughout the day without being disturbed. Without a hide, your pet will feel exposed and stress out, which will be detrimental to your pets health and could kill it. The hide does not have to be elaborate; a cardboard tube with both ends covered and a small hole cut in the top is ideal. A piece of cork bark, cardboard, or a flat rock under which the gecko can crawl is also ideal. You can make a hide to stick on one of the opaque walls of the terrarium (see Backgrounds section) by taking the lid of a margarine tub. Stick the tub onto the wall (with the open side on the wall) and cut in a doorway. Commercial reptile hides, in the shape of caves, can be used as well. You should preferably have a couple of hides, and fill one with damp moss to aid shedding.

Climbing apparatus
As arboreal geckos, places to climb are essential. This can be provided with some twigs, reptile vines, vertical or horizontal cork bark/cardboard tubes, "sponge mushrooms," tall rocks, vertical pieces of cork bark, and so on. Turcicus really do love climbing so put in as much climbing equipments as you can.

Water bowl
A shallow water bowl-such as an upturned jam jar lid-will help increase humidity and should always be provided. Commercial reptile bowls are available as well and look very natural. It is also important to spray the terrarium regularly to provide droplets they can drink (they may not drink from the bowl, but it must still be provided).

Backgrounds
An opaque background on the rear and possibly side walls of the terrarium will help your gecko feel more secure. Cork bark panels, coco panels, or just some paper can be used for this. Artificial rock backgrounds are also frequently available and look very naturalistic. Some people make their own fake rock backgrounds out of polystyrene.

Plants-Real or Artificial?
This is a question often asked by gecko keepers. The simple answer is that it depends on what kind of set-up you have. If you are able to provide UV light and regularly attend to the plant's needs, go for it. If not, artificials will be just as good. Spider plants and Pothos are two great choices for terrariums, as they are very hardy and will thrive in a range of temperatures.

Housing Part 1: Enclosures and Substrates

In the first of our 4-part series about housing Hemidactylus turcicus, we discuss picking the right enclosures and substrates.


Housing is, without a doubt, one of the most important parts of successful turcicus keeping and so it is well worth discussing in depth; for this reason, I've decided to span this article out over 4 posts. This way, I can fit in as much detail as I want on each subject. Today, we'll be starting with selecting the right enclosure (picking a size, material etc) and discussing the suitability of different substrates in turcicus terrariums.

The enclosure: Selecting the right enclosure is one of the most important parts of housing this species. The majority of turcicus keepers use aquariums with screen covers, and it is true that these work wonders. The one big problem is that when you lift the lid off, you've left a very large space open for a speedy, 4-inch long gecko to run out of. There is a solution to this; simply invest in a screen lid with a smaller door you can fit your hand through without having to take the whole lid off. Glass reptile terrariums, with front-opening doors and screen lids, are not actually as suitable for the species as one might think. The problem is similar to that in the aqquarium; opening doors leaves the majority of the front of the terrarium open; not a good idea when your keeping turcicus! The same applies to wooden reptile terrariums as well.
So what size enclosure should you use? Young turcicus may stress in larger enclosures and will be very hard to find; for this reason, smaller accommodation is recommended. A standard 2.5 gallon aquarium measuring 12in/30cm long x 6in/15cm wide x 8in/20cm high would work. When the gecko matures, a standard 10-gallon aquarium measuring 20in/50cm long x 10in/25cm wide x 12in/30cm high is adequate for a pair.

The susbtrate: A substrate that holds humidity and cannot be accidentally eaten/is safe if eaten is recommended. Sand can cause blockages within the gecko's intestines so is not recommended; although a sand/soil mixture can work. Very chunky wood chips have also been used successfully. Paper towels/newspapers, although ugly, are a great choice. But perhaps my favourite is coco fiber (e.g. bed-a-beast, eco-earth, etc). It is safe if ingested, looks natural and holds moisture well. It is also readily available. Cypress mulch is another good choice.

A Different Approach To Housing

While reading this caresheet, I noticed a picture of a house gecko on a wad of newspaper. It was labelled "House gecko shippers use wadded up paper to give them lots of surfaces to crawl on." This got me thinking. Lots of scrunched-up newspapers would provide a house gecko with places to hide (in between the wads, under the wads, under newspaper sheets, and in folds), places to climb (on taller wads), places to run (open sheets of newspaper), and water (if a small water dish was provided). Could a suitably sized aquarium with nothing but newspapers be a fantastic cheap way to provide your gecko with everything he needs?

First, you could place down several sheets of newspapers, under which the geckos can easily scurry. Next, lightly scrunch (not so it's a ball, just so that it has lots of folds and creases and stuff) a few more, and place them on top of the flat newspapers, leaving a large area free. Then, scrunch and wad up a few bundles of sheets to make balls and shapes with lots of creases that the geckos can slip into. Simply strew them into the enclsoure, leaving that big space you had free originally empty. Then throw in another layer (possibly another couple of layers), and on one side of the viv, build up a large stack of newspaper wads, glued together with aquarium silicone. You'd end up with a large structure a bit like one of those rock stacks they have in desert enclosures on one side. In the large space you left open, put a water dish, but keep the rest free; this will be a running area.

So what do you guys think? Could this be an alright enclosure if it was humid and warm???

Please comment!!!

What do you lot think? If it was sprayed regularly to keep humidity