A Pet's View / September 2006
Celebrity Reptile
Although most Geckos do not have a British accent, as does the spokes-gecko for a well known insurance company, geckos are unique among lizards in their vocalizations. The small lizards of the Gekkonidae family make chirping sounds in social interactions with other geckos. Found in warm climates throughout the world, geckos are unusual in other respects, too. Many species have specialized toe pads that enable them to climb smooth vertical surfaces, including indoor ceilings. Their acrobatics are familiar in warmer regions of the world where several gecko species make their home inside human habitations.
House geckos are often welcomed since they feed on insect pests.
The family Gekkonidae is divided into five different subfamilies, containing numerous different genera of gecko species. Many geckos are kept as pets and will eat various kinds of insects and sometimes fruit.
Most geckos are tan to dark grey, subtly patterned, and appear rather rubbery. Some species can change color to blend in with their surroundings or with temperature differences and others are brightly colored.
Besides capturing public attention with their charisma and salesmanship, geckos have attracted scientific attention. A gecko’s feet adhere to a wide variety of surfaces, without the use of liquids or surface tension. Recent studies of gecko footpads demonstrated that the attractive forces that hold geckos to surfaces are van der Waals interactions, weak forces related to particle polarization enhanced by special areas of a gecko’s footpad. Scientists are intrigued since the attraction involves no liquids or gases. It is important, at least in theory, since a boot made of a synthetic that imitated the gecko footpad feature would adhere to the surface of a space station as easily as to a ceiling.
Calm and docile, the leopard gecko, Eublepharis macularius, is the most common pet gecko, though it has claws rather than toe pads to enable it to climb rough surfaces like tree bark. Pet leopard geckos can eat cockroaches, crickets, and mealworms. Leopard geckos come in a range of colors and patters, from yellows to designer colors like tangerine and lavender, as well as in stripes and patterns. They are a good choice for children, eight and up, since their requirements are simple, compared with other reptiles and amphibians. The leopard geckos tolerate handling well, are quite sturdy and may live up to 30 years.
They are an ideal pet that takes up little space, has simple food requirements, comes in a rainbow of colors and patterns and can withstand even the most absent-minded keeper. They are excitable as babies, but harmless, and as adults they become very tame and can be fed by hand. As adults, they may reach seven to ten inches. Handlers must remember that their tails can break off, though they can also be regrown, so they should never be picked up by their tail.
There is an endless variety of these engaging lizards. Gecko enthusiasts and collectors speak of ‘Flyers’, Webfoots, and Viper Geckos, Madagascar and Australian geckos and New Caledonians. The Crested Gecko, Rhacodactylus ciliatus was believed to be extinct until recently but is now steadily gaining in popularity as a pet. Crocodile geckos have the distinguishing characteristics of a pointed head and spiked skin with a crocodile’s tail. Vietnam veterans may have noticed the golden gecko, native to Vietnam rain forests and are particularly likely to remember the Tokay Gecko, a large, common Southeast Asian gecko known for its aggressive temperament, loud mating calls, and bright markings.
The Stump-toed gecko can vary its color from very light to dark to blend into a background. There’s a Gargoyle Gecko and a fox gecko, Hemidactylus garnoti, known for its long, narrow snout.
The mourning gecko, Lepidodactylus lugubris is parthenogenic-the females can reproduce without the assistance of a male and tree geckos are forest dwellers.
In a home or apartment, terrestrial type geckos are easy to house in a glass or plastic cage at least 12 inches high with 10” x 10” of floor space for each gecko. The cage should be off the floor and kept in temperatures from 82-88° F for the daytime to as low as 64° F in the evening. A screen on top protects the gecko from young children-or cats. A 40-watt light bulb placed over the screen cage top will help reach the necessary daytime high temperature.
Several female geckos can be kept in the same cage, but only one male at a time. The males fight. PL
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