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March 6th, 2010 admin No comments

reptile terrarium

Fun With Geckos

There is a growing fondness among children and adults alike to care for Geckos as a household pet. Geckos are a rare breed of ground dwelling, nocturnal lizards commonly found in the more humid regions of the world. These reptiles have colorful, patterned bodies which serve as an aesthetic turn on to pet lovers, while the lack of eyelids of most of its species only contributes to its appeal. Distinctive to this family of lizards is an interesting set of toe pads which could efficiently saunter over smooth surfaces.

There are over 15 know species of Geckos, but the Leopard gecko and Crested gecko are favorite household pets. The preference over these creatures as pets is due to its fair size; in addition to an inherent hygienic nature observed in the handling of its feces that makes them manageable as pets. Apart from that, geckos are quite domesticated and typically non-aggressive, being toothless; which makes them safe to handle and play with. Pet shops normally have a handful of geckos readily for sale at very affordable prices and this only helps advance its growing popularity among pet lovers.

Anyone interested in rearing this pet can ideally start with a pair of geckos. The owner will simply need to purchase a 15 gallon tank which would serve as a terrarium or cage. To simulate the lizard's natural Habitat, improvised logs can be outfitted into the terrarium to provide a hiding place and climbing nook. Geckos, being nocturnal would thrive well in a dimly lit environment and the use of an incandescent bulb will help achieve such a condition. Geckos are insectivores and therefore feed on worms and crickets. Adult geckos can be gut fed every other day while young geckos would need daily nourishment.

Geckos are generally easy to breed. Some species have hermaphrodites and need not copulate to produce juveniles. However in breeding any gecko species, the pet owner should observe the practice of pairing only one male gecko for every group of female geckos. Moreover, it is recommended that females and males be made to interact rarely and only for the purpose of mating. There are also findings that the gender of juveniles can be controlled during incubation under the right temperature. This assumption however remains unsupported as of the moment.

The popularity of geckos as a household pet is supported by the circulation of literature related to the care and maintenance of these pets. Richard and Patricia Bartlett authored a complete owner's manual for Gecko pet lovers which can be purchased online. On the other hand, should you be interested in rearing the Leopard Gecko species, you can check out retpile guidebooks or articles for this purpose.

About the Author

Renske Buursma, pet store owner with lots of helpful articles and a free newsletter about pet care at
http://yourhealthypetsonline.com