HELP with a gecko?

[Chadeash]

hey,

I really want to get a knob tailed gecko. They are so cute. But I really don't know much about them.
Can they be handled? what sort of enclosure do they need? and most importantly where can I get one?
and do they make good pets?

any other useful info would be great.

thanks

 

[SamNabz]

There are different types of knob-tailed gecko, but I will assume you are talking about Smooth Knob-Tail Gecko (Nephrurus levis) which are the most common.

Minimum enclosure size would be 30L x 30W x 20H.

As for who sells them, they are very common, and I'm sure if you look in the for sale section on here, you should have no problem finding some for sale around your area.

Geckos are more of a look-don't-touch kind of 'pet'. Excessive handling will result in a stressed out gecko, which will lead to it not eating and eventually starvation...

I only ever handle mine when necessary - e.g. check ups and cleaning (not spot cleaning).

If you are looking for something to handle, then I suggest maybe purchasing a bearded dragon instead.

 

[Smithers]

And get Rob Porters -Keeping Australian Geckos around 20 bucks online. Great read. Good luck

 

[Raymonde]

I've been thinking about wanting to get geckos too, i am aware they don't like to be handled, but are their any particular species that more interesting to watch. for example i heard (don't know if its correct) that leaf-tails geckos are more secretive than other geckos so i guess you wouldn't be able to watch them as much as some of the other species. So are there any species which will come out of the hiding spots more than others (i do realise it will be related to how secure they feel in their enclosure and that they are noctural) or that do interesting displays or things like that?

 

[SamNabz]

I've been thinking about wanting to get geckos too, i am aware they don't like to be handled, but are their any particular species that more interesting to watch. for example i heard (don't know if its correct) that leaf-tails geckos are more secretive than other geckos so i guess you wouldn't be able to watch them as much as some of the other species. So are there any species which will come out of the hiding spots more than others (i do realise it will be related to how secure they feel in their enclosure and that they are noctural) or that do interesting displays or things like that?

The Strophurus species are in plain sight 99% of the time, hanging out on perches, vines, branches or whatever furnishings are in their enclosure. Only rarely do mine ever go to their hide.

They are extremely entertaining to watch at feed time as well, as they are like little kamikaze's that jump, flip and dive from all corners of their enclosure to catch crickets.

 

[Raymonde]

The Strophurus species are in plain sight 99% of the time, hanging out on perches, vines, branches or whatever furnishings are in their enclosure. Only rarely do mine ever go to their hide.

They are extremely entertaining to watch at feed time as well, as they are like little kamikaze's that jump, flip and dive from all corners of their enclosure to catch crickets.

Strophurus are actually one of the groups i was considering but i was having some trouble finding info on different species behaviour (i have got a copy of rob porters book and have started reading through it). They sound awesome . I do think i should probably wait a while before getting some, still settling my latest addition and need to save up some money. but they are definitively on my wishlist

 

[saximus]

Are there issues with gex and food size? I know with dragons you're not supposed to give them food larger than their head because it can cause internal problems

 

[SamNabz]

Strophurus are actually one of the groups i was considering but i was having some trouble finding info on different species behaviour (i have got a copy of rob porters book and have started reading through it). They sound awesome . I do think i should probably wait a while before getting some, still settling my latest addition and need to save up some money. but they are definitively on my wishlist

What kind of information were you after?