Captive Husbandry of the Thick Tailed Gecko
(Underwoodisaurus milii) Introduction Thick Tailed or Barking Geckos, as they are sometimes referred to, are one of the more commonly kept geckos in Australian Reptile collections. Over their wide distribution (covering large areas of southern Australia) they show considerable variation in size and colour. Western Australian forms tend to be larger with some populations showing an unusually light brown colouration. Thick tails are terrestrial and mainly active at night (nocturnal). Housing A pair or trio can be adequately housed in a glass tank or similar container with a floor area of 60 by 30cm. Thick tails can not climb smooth surfaces so no lid is required. We use peatmoss as a substrate but sand or bark would also be suitable. Apart from normal room lighting no additional lighting is required. Hiding places in the form of bark, hollow logs or upturned pot saucers should be provided as well as a shallow water dish. No climbing opportunities have to be provided as Barking geckos don’t climb. One of the most important captive requirements for thick tails is their dislike of high temperatures. They should not be subjected to temperatures over 30 degrees for prolonged periods( although some populations might be more tolerant of hotter temperatures considering their large distribution covering different climatic zones but there is no concrete evidence of that as yet).We keep our thick tails on the lowest shelf in our reptile room to keep temperatures as low as possible during hot conditions A nest box Half filled with moist peat moss should be provided for a cool moist retreat, aid for shedding and egg deposition. Feeding Crickets and woodies offered twice or three times a week make up the diet of our animals. Rep Cal calcium powder is included every second or third feed. As with other nocturnal species we only offer food in the evening. Breeding Barking Geckos can attain breeding size in 12 months but 18 months to 2 years is more common. Sexing as with most other geckos is by the presence of hemipenal; bulges in males . Females can be very productive and have been known to produce up to 8 or 9 clutches a season. Incubation period at 27 degrees is around 60 days. Eggs are incubated in co**** vermiculite at a ratio of one part of water to one part of vermiculite by weight. Females have to be provided with plenty of food dusted with calcium powder most feeds in order to replace lost condition during egg laying.
Im in SE/QLD so i dont need to heat them. 28ish should be ok with a hot spot a bit warmer IMO they are geckos so they dont need lighting, if you want lighting go for a purple light.