Marbled gecko Care according to Self Experience

[AndrewspenLL]

hello.

I am looking forward to get some marbled geckos as pets since I’ve heard that they do not require any heating, lighting or a big space..

But there are somethings that I still have in mind..

1. Will they tolerate Melbourne winter without heating? Temperature can be lower than 8 degrees if you’re unlucky and probably around 10 in my room.

2. Will they do find in Exo Terra Desert Sand type substrate? I’ve read that they like to burrow so Kritter Crumble, Coco peat and so on would be a great option but personally, they don’t look too appealing for me and I might as well go for the sand. Some will choose the other but I want to know what you guys use and what you think is the best. I am also planning to use egg cartons or something like that as hiding spots.

3. Will they do fine with just Woodies?
Parents won’t let me keep tubs of crickets, woodies, mealworms etc. and they honestly would prefer me to not own anything. But roaches seem to be the only option since they are the easiest to breed.

4. Anymore comments to add before I make any mistakes in keeping my first pet reptile?

So here is my idea :

Get some woodies possibly online and house them in a secured, plastic tank, add some egg cartons, feed them carrot, hope they’ll survive, and then I’ll see how they go..

Next..

I’ll buy a 45x30x30 ish terrarium, place it on my nightstand, put about 1” of Exo Terra desert sand in there, add some egg cartons for hiding spots, maybe a rock or two, and THEN finally place possibly a trio of marbled geckos in there, spray some water everyday feed them with the woodies, dust once a week with calcium, change egg cartons once a week or when it somehow gets moldy (hope it cannot happen), and change substrate and clean the entire tank and accessories once a month or so.

P.S : I have read alot of caresheets and some threads posted in this forum before but I just want to make sure again. Some say that you need a heat mat but others swear that their geckos have no problem in the harsh, cold Victorian winter. Some people say to use a sandy substrate, some say coco peat, some say kritter crumble, and some say a mix of them.
I am new in Australia by the way.

Looking forward to replies... Thank you.


Andrew

 

[Sdaji]

1) Yes. I've seen them actively foraging in the wild at temperatures under 10 degrees. When I lived in QLD it wasn't cold enough so I kept them in the fridge to cool them in winter.

2) Probably. I always used setups which made life easier. Sand, something to hide under, and for these guys, stuff to climb on. Too much stuff, cocoa peat etc gives the insects stuff to hide in which causes hassles. Some people seem to like hassles, or they would rather take the hassles which come with pretty enclosures. Your choice.

3) Yes. Don't forget to use calcium/multivitamin supplements once in a while.

4) Keep it simple, don't overthink stuff. Have fun

 

[SpottedPythons]

Roaches might get a bit too big... I keep Marbled geckoes and they seem to prefer temperatures around 10 - 15 degrees minimum in winter. Sand is good, though sometimes they have trouble walking uphill with sand since they keep sliding down. Crickets I feel are the better option, they seem to hunt them better and you can get them in smaller sizes.

 

[Foozil]

I prefer roaches for my geckos. More nutritious. If you breed them (which is very easy, despite what people may say) you can pick out the right sizes.

 

[Flaviemys purvisi]

Breeding woodies is far easier than crickets, woodies live 4x longer., have a much broader diet and don't eat their young. I don't use crickets as feeders for anything except occasionally for my scorpioons. Woodies for everything else.