What type of geko is this?

[Thaedion]

Hello, I'm at a total loss here, and don't really know what to search for, My aunt calls up and wants to give me her gecko, (here grandkids lost interest in it and since I own scorpions she thinks I should know how to care for it ) any how she says it is green and looks like the one from the car insurance commercial (GEICO).

Any ideas, I'm supposed to pick it up Wednesday afternoon, it has a tank and such. But I would like to make sure it's habitat is optimal for the spp it is.

I know I gave you nothing to go on, really. But any help would be appreciated. Habitat, food, water, heating, lighting.... :wall:

Thanks in advance Thaedion

 

[dtknow]

Perhaps golden gecko, green anole, giant madagascar day gecko?

 

[skinheaddave]

The Geico gecko is a Phelsuma sp. of some sort. The common names tend to be "day gecko" but there are several species. Incidentally, spp. is an abreviation for more than one species in a genus. In other words, I could say that "day gecko" is a common name for Phelsuma spp. On the other hand, this particular critter, since it is only a single species, would be Phelsuma sp.

Cheers,
Dave

 

[edie]

yeah its a type of day gecko, but if she doesn't know the species maybe its something all together different?

i know people who would see any type of gecko and say it looks like the geico one, and a day gecko is pretty nice for grandkids (assuming they're children) maybe its a type of anole, i know lots of kids get those as pets, they're pretty low maintenance for children

 

[Thaedion]

Thanks Dave I was unaware of the proper way to use sp & spp. The whole Kingdom Phylum Class .... cascading tree overwhelm me. So just me using species in the correct manner is a daunting task.

So is there a general care requirement across the board for these above mentioned geckos? And is there anyway to ID one by a photo?

BTW her G-kids are 3 & 5.

Thanks Thaedion

 

[edie]

i'm sure if you put a picture up here someone can id it, and once you get an id i'm sure finding the right care will be a LOT easier
if you want to look for care on day geckos and anoles there are lots on the internet, just google search the name and some care sheets should pop up.

 

[AneesasMuse]

Yeah, if you post a pic of it... I can probably tell you what it is. I agree that any of the Phelsuma spp. would be a very "nice" gecko for 3 and 5 year olds... umm, Wow! Ya never know, though.

www.geckosunlimited.com is a very good site for ALL kinds of geckos, with pics, care sheets, knowledgeable keepers and breeders, etc. That's the first site I go to for research when I want a new species

 

[Thaedion]

Thanks all. Now I have some place to start. Like I said I'll be picking it up Wed. afternoon (weather permitting, N.E. OH) And I'll put up a pic as soon as I get it home.

Again Thanks. :worship: Thaedion

 

[K-TRAIN]

Hello, I'm at a total loss here, and don't really know what to search for, My aunt calls up and wants to give me her gecko, (here grandkids lost interest in it and since I own scorpions she thinks I should know how to care for it ) any how she says it is green and looks like the one from the car insurance commercial (GEICO).

Any ideas, I'm supposed to pick it up Wednesday afternoon, it has a tank and such. But I would like to make sure it's habitat is optimal for the spp it is.

I know I gave you nothing to go on, really. But any help would be appreciated. Habitat, food, water, heating, lighting.... :wall:

Thanks in advance Thaedion

i would say its most likely a day gecko or anole. alot of people get anoles and geckos confused. how big is it?

 

[lucanidae]

I'd definitley put money on it being a green anole. I worked in a pet store and we got that description ALL the time. Plus, Day Geckos are expensive...nobody buys one for little kids, a $5 Anole is what always sells.

 

[Mushroom Spore]

a $5 Anole is what always sells.

And people don't realize that that $5 anole needs ten gallons of space and a UV light, a varied diet, reptile vitamins, a heating pad for night-time warmth when the UV light is off...and that's going to cost you a whole heck of a lot more than five bucks.

 

[edie]

And people don't realize that that $5 anole needs ten gallons of space and a UV light, a varied diet, reptile vitamins, a heating pad for night-time warmth when the UV light is off...and that's going to cost you a whole heck of a lot more than five bucks.

yep, and a little kid isn't going to do that. i hate when my relatives buy their children pets that they can't take care of. i try to let them know about it but they never seem concerned about the animals health

i remember when i was in 4th grade i was camping and one of my friends brothers caught a lizard and was going to keep it and i cried because he was going to have it live in a shoebox and i knew it would die!
all ended well though, his parents saw me cry and they made him let it go

 

[Thaedion]

Okay I picked this little beast up from my aunts today, her idea and my idea of the (GEICO) gecko are two completely different things I was thinking specific, she generality. See the below pics.

Anyhow does any ones have an idea what I now have in my charge? It is 9cm / 3.5" long. Definitely not green.

They have it housed in a 10gal tank, with a 60watt incandescent light, crushed walnut shell sub, shallow water dish, and feeding it crix.

Please help me out here, and a very appreciative Thank You. Thaedion :worship: :worship: :worship:

 

[reptist]

that is a patternless/lucistic leopard gecko, real ez to care for, dont need full spectrum lighting, I'd use an under tank heater under half the tank and a incandessant bulb prob 60 wt for daytime use, feed crix or mealworms, looks looks a female too, find a male and you'll be in buis. real ez to breed also, 20+ yr lifespan and they make super pets, congratts!!!! B.

 

[Thaedion]

Thanks 'Reptist'

I'll know where to go from now.

Thanks all who had input for me.

Thaedion

 

[Mushroom Spore]

They have it housed in a 10gal tank, with a 60watt incandescent light, crushed walnut shell sub, shallow water dish, and feeding it crix.

Seconding "female patternless leopard gecko." Excellent find! Okay, first get rid of the light and get an undertank heater set up. Get rid of the walnut shells, those are sharp and if the leo eats it (as they often do) it could die. Buy some sheets of reptile carpet, or use those slabs of rock someone had in the other leo thread, or paper towels or newspaper. Give it a little shallow dish of calcium powder at all times. Get another hide, so you can have one on the warmer (88F) end and one on the cooler (80ish) end. Get a third box to serve as the humid hide, or it'll shed badly and lose toes:

"# Use a 6" wide plastic container for a hide box. Fill the container with moist peat moss or Vermiculite and cut a 1 1/2" diameter hole in the lid or side to serve as an entrance for your pet.
# Mist the hide box medium daily. This aids in skin shedding, which they eat."

Crickets are fine, mealworms are fine, silkworms are fine. Waxworms are fine ONLY as a tasty treat, as they're very fatty (but if yours ever loses its tail or gets weak in some other way, they're good to keep the weight on). The internet suggests four food items a day, NO BIGGER than the distance between the leo's eyes. If something isn't eaten after a while, you should probably take it back out--crickets tend to gnaw on pets if left alive too long.

She looks very healthy, nice fat tail. Is she missing any fingers or toes?

 

[Thaedion]

Thanks for the info 'Mushroom Spore'

I got the calcium today, and will change out the sub tomorrow (I'm at work now) and add the heat mat and humidity box too.

They had nearly 1 & 1/2 doz crix in there... I took all but a few out (fed them to my scorpions )

I looked and she had all her toes

 

[Natemass]

get rid of the wal nut shells ive heard of it causing impaction problems and a buddy of mine lost 2 bearded dragons to this

 

[AneesasMuse]

Amazing Leopard Gecko! ...and not even a little bit "green"

 

[GartenSpinnen]

That is a beautiful gecko, very nice looking. Whatever you use for substrate dont use sand! When i got my first gecko the petstore told me to use sand and i ended up losing my little guy .