Gargoyle Gecko Care Sheet
Rhacodactylus auriculatus
Introduction
Gargoyle geckos are arboreal geckos which are native to New Caledonia, and island off the coast of Australia. They made their way into the pet trade and due to their ease in care, striking patterns and gentle nature they have become extremely popular pets. Many collectors and breeders have also taken a great liking to the geckos as well. Gargoyles like to spend most of their time resting in trees and foliage but will frequently climb down their enclosure to search for bugs or fruit. The average adult size of a gargoyle gecko is between 8 to 10 inches and they can live to around 10 years with proper husbandry. They are also generally nocturnal geckos who mostly come out at night but are often found during the day camouflaging into their vines and branches.
Cage Requirements
With the proper habitat set up, gargoyle geckos can thrive in your house. There are many different options for keeping gargoyles, depending on if you want a few geckos for display or are looking to keep large numbers for breeding purposes or just for a diverse collection. The size of the enclosure should get larger as the gecko grows. It’s not recommended to put a freshly born baby gecko into an adult sized enclosure. Many tiny babies can be kept in medium plastic keepers or small glass tanks, we would recommend using a 5 gallon glass aquarium. For newly hatched geckos, we use 6 qt plastic tubs with small holes poked in the sides. We also have a large screened portion on the front which allows for a bit of ventilation and also grants us easy access to mist the tub.
As they grow older, geckos will need larger enclosures. Juveniles can be kept in a 10 gallon enclosure and adult can be kept comfortably in a 15-20 gallon tank. We will never recommend using screen enclosures because gargoyles do need and like a bit higher humidity. A screen enclosure would let too much humidity out and would dry out the gecko. For our adult gargoyles we prefer using an 18x18x18 Exo Terra. These tanks are tall, glass tanks with a screen lid and front opening doors. The screen lid allows for some ventilation without overly drying the tank out. Some breeders have been known to use a rack system, however we prefer using tanks. Keep in mind that because gargoyle geckos are arboreal, they do prefer having a tank that is taller rather than it is longer.
If you wish to house more than one gecko together, a bigger tank is recommended. Multiple females can be kept together, or a male and female can be kept together if you wish to breed. Multiple males should never be housed together no matter how big the enclosure is, due to the risk of fighting. If you are keeping various geckos together, they must be approximately the same size. With the correct size tank, multiple hiding places, and ample food supply there is hardly ever any risk for fighting or nipping however always keep an eye on the animals in the enclosure. If there is more than one gecko in the tank, the risk for a gargoyle dropping their tail may go up. If they feel scared or stressed, they may drop their tail and run for cover. Doing this does not hurt the gecko itself, it is essentially their one “get out of jail free card” with predators and it will grow back over time.
The ideal temperature for gargoyle geckos is between 70-80F. Since this range generally falls in the same range as most people’s home, extra heating elements are not required. We like to keep our geckos around the low to mid 70s. When winter comes around, or if you like to keep a chilly house, some form of heat may be needed. A lightbulb sitting on top of the enclosure, attached to a thermostat would work well to bring the temperature up a hair if needed. Since gargoyles are nocturnal, I would recommend using a black or red light bulb because it would be the least disruptive. UVA/UVB are not required or needed for use with gargoyles.
Gargoyle geckos are originally from the rainforest and love to have a tropical, humid environment. Humidity is important to keep a healthy gecko shedding properly. The humidity levels in the tank should be around 60-80%. Hygrometers can be found at many pet stores or online to help you keep track of the levels in the tank. A well vented tank will allow some humidity to escape, if you want to keep more humidity within the tank you can have less ventilation. Spraying the tank will help achieve desired humidity levels. We like to spray our geckos twice a day, once in the morning and once before we go to bed. It is very important that the enclosure is allowed to dry out between misting times to keep bad bacteria from growing.
Misting our geckos not only helps with humidity but it also helps keep the geckos hydrated. Some gargoyles will refuse to drink out of water bowls so by spraying the tank, the gecko will be able to lap up water droplets. We will also always have a fresh bowl of water in the tank. Even if we never see the gecko drinking from a bowl, it is better to let the gecko have constant access to water. They may just be shy and never drink in front of you. Fresh water should be given at least every other day and the water bowl should be disinfected or replaced at least once a week.
The bottom of the enclosure should be covered with some sort of substrate. There are many different substrates that can be used such as reptile carpet/turf, paper towels, eco earth or orchid bark. Choices such as eco earth or orchid bark will help hold humidity. For babies and younger gargoyle geckos we use and recommend paper towels. When feeding insects, sometimes geckos can miss their target and ingest some of the substrate. By using paper towels, it will prevent any baby geckos from getting impacted. We also line our adult enclosures with paper towels, while we are not worried about impaction with the adults it is easier to clean and monitor the bowel movements. It is up to you to decide what works best for you and your gecko.
Hides, plants and other décor are a must for gargoyle geckos. If you are going for a more naturalistic vibe in your tank you can use real, potted plants. Real plants offer great hiding places, will help hold humidity and also offer more places for water droplets to form. You can look online for a list of safe, non-toxic plants to use in your tank. We personally use fake plants and vines with many leaves in our tanks. Bendable vines are great for creating walkways throughout the tank and can go all the way from the bottom to the top of the tank. Cork bark and driftwood are two other great options to add to your tank and will definitely be utilized by the gecko. We also recommend using a humid hide, which can be as simple as a plastic food storage container with a small hole cut in the top. Which is then filled with sphagnum moss or eco earth and is misted when needed. This gives your gecko a cool spot that will help them feel secure and aid in shedding. Adult female geckos will also use this humid hide as a lay box for their eggs.
Keeping your gecko’s tank clean is extremely important to keep bacteria at bay and your gecko happy and healthy. During the process of cleaning the tank it is easier to keep the gecko in a separate, small tub so they don’t run away while your back is turned. There are many cleaners available to use such as a bleach/water solution, soap & water or a disinfectant from a pet store. Whichever option you use, it must be thoroughly rinsed from the tank before the gecko is reintroduced into its enclosure. We use an F10 solution for cleaning our tanks and décor. F10 is a veterinary grade disinfectant that we order online from Reptile Basics. We do a full tank clean and disinfect every single week, however it may vary with the number of geckos you have in your tank or how messy your gecko can be. New water bowls are given every week after the deep clean and plants and vines are scrubbed and cleaned as well. If any fake plants or other décor are small enough, running them through a high temperature washer is another great cleaning option.
As they grow older, geckos will need larger enclosures. Juveniles can be kept in a 10 gallon enclosure and adult can be kept comfortably in a 15-20 gallon tank. We will never recommend using screen enclosures because gargoyles do need and like a bit higher humidity. A screen enclosure would let too much humidity out and would dry out the gecko. For our adult gargoyles we prefer using an 18x18x18 Exo Terra. These tanks are tall, glass tanks with a screen lid and front opening doors. The screen lid allows for some ventilation without overly drying the tank out. Some breeders have been known to use a rack system, however we prefer using tanks. Keep in mind that because gargoyle geckos are arboreal, they do prefer having a tank that is taller rather than it is longer.
If you wish to house more than one gecko together, a bigger tank is recommended. Multiple females can be kept together, or a male and female can be kept together if you wish to breed. Multiple males should never be housed together no matter how big the enclosure is, due to the risk of fighting. If you are keeping various geckos together, they must be approximately the same size. With the correct size tank, multiple hiding places, and ample food supply there is hardly ever any risk for fighting or nipping however always keep an eye on the animals in the enclosure. If there is more than one gecko in the tank, the risk for a gargoyle dropping their tail may go up. If they feel scared or stressed, they may drop their tail and run for cover. Doing this does not hurt the gecko itself, it is essentially their one “get out of jail free card” with predators and it will grow back over time.
The ideal temperature for gargoyle geckos is between 70-80F. Since this range generally falls in the same range as most people’s home, extra heating elements are not required. We like to keep our geckos around the low to mid 70s. When winter comes around, or if you like to keep a chilly house, some form of heat may be needed. A lightbulb sitting on top of the enclosure, attached to a thermostat would work well to bring the temperature up a hair if needed. Since gargoyles are nocturnal, I would recommend using a black or red light bulb because it would be the least disruptive. UVA/UVB are not required or needed for use with gargoyles.
Gargoyle geckos are originally from the rainforest and love to have a tropical, humid environment. Humidity is important to keep a healthy gecko shedding properly. The humidity levels in the tank should be around 60-80%. Hygrometers can be found at many pet stores or online to help you keep track of the levels in the tank. A well vented tank will allow some humidity to escape, if you want to keep more humidity within the tank you can have less ventilation. Spraying the tank will help achieve desired humidity levels. We like to spray our geckos twice a day, once in the morning and once before we go to bed. It is very important that the enclosure is allowed to dry out between misting times to keep bad bacteria from growing.
Misting our geckos not only helps with humidity but it also helps keep the geckos hydrated. Some gargoyles will refuse to drink out of water bowls so by spraying the tank, the gecko will be able to lap up water droplets. We will also always have a fresh bowl of water in the tank. Even if we never see the gecko drinking from a bowl, it is better to let the gecko have constant access to water. They may just be shy and never drink in front of you. Fresh water should be given at least every other day and the water bowl should be disinfected or replaced at least once a week.
The bottom of the enclosure should be covered with some sort of substrate. There are many different substrates that can be used such as reptile carpet/turf, paper towels, eco earth or orchid bark. Choices such as eco earth or orchid bark will help hold humidity. For babies and younger gargoyle geckos we use and recommend paper towels. When feeding insects, sometimes geckos can miss their target and ingest some of the substrate. By using paper towels, it will prevent any baby geckos from getting impacted. We also line our adult enclosures with paper towels, while we are not worried about impaction with the adults it is easier to clean and monitor the bowel movements. It is up to you to decide what works best for you and your gecko.
Hides, plants and other décor are a must for gargoyle geckos. If you are going for a more naturalistic vibe in your tank you can use real, potted plants. Real plants offer great hiding places, will help hold humidity and also offer more places for water droplets to form. You can look online for a list of safe, non-toxic plants to use in your tank. We personally use fake plants and vines with many leaves in our tanks. Bendable vines are great for creating walkways throughout the tank and can go all the way from the bottom to the top of the tank. Cork bark and driftwood are two other great options to add to your tank and will definitely be utilized by the gecko. We also recommend using a humid hide, which can be as simple as a plastic food storage container with a small hole cut in the top. Which is then filled with sphagnum moss or eco earth and is misted when needed. This gives your gecko a cool spot that will help them feel secure and aid in shedding. Adult female geckos will also use this humid hide as a lay box for their eggs.
Keeping your gecko’s tank clean is extremely important to keep bacteria at bay and your gecko happy and healthy. During the process of cleaning the tank it is easier to keep the gecko in a separate, small tub so they don’t run away while your back is turned. There are many cleaners available to use such as a bleach/water solution, soap & water or a disinfectant from a pet store. Whichever option you use, it must be thoroughly rinsed from the tank before the gecko is reintroduced into its enclosure. We use an F10 solution for cleaning our tanks and décor. F10 is a veterinary grade disinfectant that we order online from Reptile Basics. We do a full tank clean and disinfect every single week, however it may vary with the number of geckos you have in your tank or how messy your gecko can be. New water bowls are given every week after the deep clean and plants and vines are scrubbed and cleaned as well. If any fake plants or other décor are small enough, running them through a high temperature washer is another great cleaning option.
FEEDING
Another great feature of the gargoyle gecko is that they can eat both fruit and insects. There are many different Crested Gecko Diets (CGD) to choose from, with the two most popular brands being Repashy and Pangea. While they are not crested geckos, they do eat the same exact diet as them. These diets are a complete meal replacement dry powder and come in many assorted flavors. The diets are a dry powder which you mix with water and serve. We offer all our food in disposable cups so we can toss them when they are done and the next meal will go in brand new cups. This wet food is offered on Monday, Wednesday and Friday evenings. Because we also sell Repashy and Pangea Crested Gecko Diets, we have all the flavors on hand. I know I wouldn’t like to eat the same thing every day, so we alternate between the flavors every feeding so our geckos don’t get bored of one flavor.
In all of our enclosures we have magnetic feeding ledges. These can be ordered online (or through us) and placed anywhere in the tank. They are awesome to use and each ledge will fit two 2ounce plastic deli portion cups. Each adult enclosure gets a ledge which will hold a water dish and their wet food dish. These ledges are also extremely easy to clean and can be effortlessly taken off the tank or moved around. If you don’t wish to use a magnetic ledge, the cup of food can be placed on the ground. Uneaten food must be removed so it does not attract bugs or allow bacteria to grow.
Most gargoyle geckos will devour live insects if they are offered. If you are using a CGD, you do not have to feed insects because they are a complete diet and both Repashy and Pangea offer an insect diet. However, we have found the geckos to grow faster with insects, and since they do quite enjoy them we do HIGHLY recommend feeding live prey items. Live insects can include wax worms, phoenix worms, crickets and roaches. All insects should be dusted with vitamins and calcium to help keep your gecko healthy. We prefer to use Repashy Superfoods Calcium Plus because it contains both vitamins and minerals, so it is an all in one dusting agent. If you wish to alternate between a vitamin dusting and calcium dusting, that is perfectly acceptable.
When feeding live insects it is important to only feed gut loaded insects. Gut-loading your insects can even simply be letting them feast on carrot for a day before feeding. We give our insect a wide variety of fruits and fresh veggies which we mostly grow in our garden. A dry gut-load is also offered which contains a mix of bee pollen, spirillia algae, wheat bran, ground alfalfa pellets, corn meal, ground barley and various types of ground beans and nuts. After a day or so of gut-loading, the insects are primed and ready to be fed to your gecko. We breed a few different species of roaches so it is extremely easy for us to always have roaches on hand. Generally dubia, discoid or hissing roaches are fed to our geckos as long as they are appropriately sized. We will never feed wild caught insects to our animals, you just don’t know what parasites they may have or if they have been in contact with any pesticides or toxins that could harm your gecko.
In all of our enclosures we have magnetic feeding ledges. These can be ordered online (or through us) and placed anywhere in the tank. They are awesome to use and each ledge will fit two 2ounce plastic deli portion cups. Each adult enclosure gets a ledge which will hold a water dish and their wet food dish. These ledges are also extremely easy to clean and can be effortlessly taken off the tank or moved around. If you don’t wish to use a magnetic ledge, the cup of food can be placed on the ground. Uneaten food must be removed so it does not attract bugs or allow bacteria to grow.
Most gargoyle geckos will devour live insects if they are offered. If you are using a CGD, you do not have to feed insects because they are a complete diet and both Repashy and Pangea offer an insect diet. However, we have found the geckos to grow faster with insects, and since they do quite enjoy them we do HIGHLY recommend feeding live prey items. Live insects can include wax worms, phoenix worms, crickets and roaches. All insects should be dusted with vitamins and calcium to help keep your gecko healthy. We prefer to use Repashy Superfoods Calcium Plus because it contains both vitamins and minerals, so it is an all in one dusting agent. If you wish to alternate between a vitamin dusting and calcium dusting, that is perfectly acceptable.
When feeding live insects it is important to only feed gut loaded insects. Gut-loading your insects can even simply be letting them feast on carrot for a day before feeding. We give our insect a wide variety of fruits and fresh veggies which we mostly grow in our garden. A dry gut-load is also offered which contains a mix of bee pollen, spirillia algae, wheat bran, ground alfalfa pellets, corn meal, ground barley and various types of ground beans and nuts. After a day or so of gut-loading, the insects are primed and ready to be fed to your gecko. We breed a few different species of roaches so it is extremely easy for us to always have roaches on hand. Generally dubia, discoid or hissing roaches are fed to our geckos as long as they are appropriately sized. We will never feed wild caught insects to our animals, you just don’t know what parasites they may have or if they have been in contact with any pesticides or toxins that could harm your gecko.
SEXING
Sexing a gargoyle gecko is easiest done when the gecko is a large juvenile. The smaller the gecko is, the more difficult it may be to properly sex the gecko because they may not be fully mature yet. However, the more practice you get the easier it will become. After flipping a gecko over, locate the vent. A male will have a “V” shape of pre-anal pores, which look like a short row of very thick dots running from leg to leg and are about the length of his vent. He will also have a bulge directly behind his vent which would be where his hemipenes (his reproductive organs) are located. When you flip a female over and examine her vent area, she will not have the pre-anal pores or a bulge behind the vent.
ENJOY YOUR GARGOYLE GECKO!!!
Gargoyle geckos come in all different colors, patterns and morphs and now that you have properly learned how to care for a gecko, you can confidently take one (or multiple) home with you! They are a fun and personable gecko, I know I will never get tired of peeking into an enclosure and seeing one of the splotched geckos stare back at me or chase after a roach. If you feel confident enough raising gargoyle geckos, and you wanted to take on the experience of breeding them, feel free to check out our article on how we successfully breed our gargoyle geckos! If you have any other questions on something we may not have mentioned in the article, feel free to message us and we will gladly take time to help in any way we can.
