Cave Gecko features:
Just like other geckos, such as Leopard Geckos, Cave Geckos store fat in their tails. This ensures they have a nutrient reserve when food is hard to find. Interestingly enough, they have eyelids, which many other geckos do not. They do not have sticky pads on their feet, so they rely on their small claws to climb. Depending on the species of Cave Gecko, they can present in a variety of colors and patterns. Their colors can range from dark black and yellow, to purple and yellow, to black and orange.
Common behaviors:
Cave Geckos are nocturnal and will hide all day long. They are very active at night, and will emerge at night to eat and explore. They will find a place within their enclosure and the colony will utilize that one specific area as their restroom. Cave Geckos are timid, but if held often and regularly, they begin to calm and become comfortable with being handled.
The ideal husbandry:
tropical mix soil substrate, misted daily, minimum one hide for each gecko in colony, and artificial plants or live plants (with bioactive tank). The hides and flora and fauna are particularly important for these curious geckos in order to provide them enrichment. They enjoy exploring through the nighttime hours. We provide a 78 degree, monitored and regulated, belly heat for all of the geckos in our rack system. Colonies of four females are kept in a super 70 tub. Single adult males are kept in VE2 tubs. Juveniles live in shoebox tubs until the time of moving.
Diet/Feeding:
We believe in giving your cave gecko a variety of insects within their diet, however, we have found that their preferences leans towards crickets and Dubia roaches dusted with a calcium powder. Insect size should be no bigger than the width of a Cave Geckos head. We adhere to a free feed model. The approximate insect consumption is 8-10 roaches per juvenile, per day, daily. Adults are kept stocked with appropriately sized roaches each day. Roaches should be placed in ceramic bowl, which the roaches cannot climb out of. We always offer a small dish of fresh, dechlorinated water, consistently, ensuring that water is shallow enough that the gecko can stand in the water. (Pro Tip: If one experiences a problematic eater, a very small dollop of prepared Crested Gecko food (such as Pangea brand) can be placed on the nose of the Cave Gecko to begin to entice it to lick the paste, stimulating interest in eating other food).
Colonies or Individual:
We house female Cave Geckos in colonies of up to four in super 70 tubs. Females can become aggressive, and colonies should be monitored. We also house 1-4 juvenile Cave Geckos together in a 1o gallon tank or similarly sized tub until juveniles begin to display sex. Upon the geckos showing their sex, males need to be separated. Adult males can show a great deal of aggression and should be housed individually.
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Sexing:
Cave Geckos’ sex can be determined visually by 6-12 months of age. At this point, one can observe a protruding bulge at the base of the tail, and this indicates the gecko is male, or no bulge at all, with this indicating the gecko is female.
Breeding:
Breeding should only be done when Cave Geckos are healthy adults, aged two years or older. Breeding Cave Geckos weights should average around 16-20 grams for females. Breeding season spans early March to October. Chinese Cave Geckos, being the more prolific breeders, begin ovulating in Early March, and finish out laying eggs between August and September. Japanese Cave Geckos begin later, ovulating in June, and can continue laying clutches until October or November. Cave Geckos normally lay two eggs in a clutch every 30-45 days during breeding season. We have seen anywhere from 1 to 6 clutches produced, per adult female, per breeding season.
Incubation:
we incubate in vermiculite mixed dechlorinated water , at a temperature of 72 degrees Fahrenheit. The eggs hatch, on average, around 85 days. Our go to is a self-made incubator that allows us to establish temperature control and to monitor the babies as they leave their shells.
Care Guide.
General Cave Gecko Care, with main focus on G.Hainanensis:
-First and foremost, moisture!
Cave Geckos need a moist/cool environment. They cannot stand higher temperatures for too long. Too often Cave Geckos are assumed to need conditions like those of Leopard Geckos, but this is not the case. High humidity and misting daily is crucial. Cave Geckos need misting once a day to ensure that dry substrate patches become re-dampened every 24 hours. These Geckos absolutely require temperatures below the 80s.
Ideal temperature range: mid 60/70 degrees is a safe range for most Cave Geckos. Our summer temperatures range from 70-75 degrees Fahrenheit. Our winter temperatures range from 65-low 70s . We provide 78-degree belly heat to our Geckos year-round and find that the Chinese Cave Geckos will make use of the heat all year.
