Gargoyle Gecko Care Sheet

Scientific name

Rhacodactylus auriculatus

Adult size

Total length runs about 8-10 in (20-25 cm), and the snout-to-vent part of that is 4-4.5 in. Adults weigh roughly 45-65 g, depending on sex and line.

Lifespan

With good care, expect 15-20 years.

Enclosure

Gargoyles live in trees, though they are not always strong climbers. Offer height and also usable floor space, and fit sturdy branches set at an angle.

Hatchlings under about 12 g go in a 12x12x12 in enclosure. Juveniles and adults need at least 18x18x36 in (45x45x90 cm), and bigger is better. Furnish it with cork bark, foliage, leaf litter and a shallow water dish.

Use paper towel as substrate for hatchlings and during quarantine. Larger geckos do well on a 2-4 in layer of soil and coco fiber mix with leaf litter over a drainage layer. Do not use cypress or bark chips, pine, cedar or reptile carpet.

Never keep males together, and never mix sizes or species, because gargoyles eat smaller lizards, smaller gargoyles included. Two females can share only if they are similar in size, go in at the same time and have at least double the volume. Groups often see tails nipped.

Temperature

Daytime ambient air should sit at 75-82°F (24-28°C). You can add an optional basking spot of about 84°F (29°C) high up, plus a cooler zone at 72-74°F (22-23°C). Nights run 68-77°F (20-25°C), and winter nights down to the mid-60s°F (about 18°C) are tolerated. Air must never go above 86°F (30°C) or below 65°F (18°C).

Humidity

Aim for a baseline of 50-70%. Spray generously in the evening, which pushes humidity to 80-100%, and add a light misting in the morning. Then let the enclosure dry back to roughly 50% so mold does not grow. Keep a shallow water dish in place.

UVB

UVB is recommended but not strictly needed for survival, particularly when the diet supplies D3. Target a UVI of 1.0-2.0 at the highest perch (Ferguson Zone 1), checked with a Solarmeter 6.5, and give plenty of shade.

Use a low-output linear tube over mesh, such as an Arcadia ShadeDweller 7% (12 in) mounted 8-12 in (20-30 cm) away, or a ShadeDweller Max 2.5% (24 in) at 6-9 in (15-23 cm). Nothing, glass or plastic, should sit between bulb and gecko. When UVB is in use, dust insects with calcium that has no D3.

Lighting

Provide roughly 12 hours of light daily and complete darkness at night. Do not use colored night bulbs (blue, red or black). How day length should change by season is not well documented for this species.

Heating

Many setups need no added heat when the room already holds the target range. When heat is required, put a low-wattage white incandescent or halogen bulb (start near 25 W) above one side of the mesh top, run through a thermostat or dimmer, and leave the other side unheated.

For hatchlings, place a small heat mat under one side on a proportional thermostat, keep the enclosure at or below 85°F (29°C), and turn it off at night. Read temperatures with a digital probe thermometer and an infrared temp gun rather than stick-on dials.

Diet

Gargoyles are omnivores and rely on insects and meat more than crested geckos do. The staple is a complete crested gecko diet (CGD), mixed at 2-3 parts water to 1 part powder. Brands include Repashy Crested Gecko Diet (Classic, Grubs 'N' Fruit and other flavors), Pangea, Black Panther Zoological, Zoo Med, Lugarti, Blue River and Arcadia (Arcadia only with UVB). Rotate among at least 3 flavors or brands.

Hatchlings and juveniles get CGD daily and insects every other day. Adults get CGD every other day and insects about 2 times weekly. Missing 2-4 feedings a month helps prevent obesity.

Insects must be no bigger than the gap between the eyes: dubia or discoid roaches, crickets, BSFL, silkworms and captive-bred hornworms, with waxworms as treats. Pinky mice are optional, no more than twice a month.

Avoid baby food, wild-caught hornworms, oversized prey, frequent fruit and diet brands not named here.

Supplements

Complete crested gecko diets already hold calcium, vitamin D3 and vitamin A (the Repashy label lists all three), so add no powders to them.

Dust insects with calcium at each insect feeding. When UVB is provided, choose calcium WITHOUT D3, e.g. Repashy SuperCal NoD, Zoo Med Repti Calcium without D3 or Miner-All Outdoor. With no UVB, choose calcium WITH D3, e.g. Repashy SuperCal MeD, Zoo Med Repti Calcium with D3 or Miner-All Indoor. Never put D3 calcium on top of UVB.

When the complete diet is the staple, a separate multivitamin is unnecessary. Gut-load insects for 2-3 days before feeding, using Repashy SuperLoad, Mazuri Better Bug or Arcadia InsectFuel, for example. Arcadia's gecko diets are made for use with UVB, so do not feed them without it.

Shedding

Gargoyles shed while growing and normally eat the old skin. Signs are duller, grayish color with less appetite and activity. Look at the toes and tail tip for stuck shed, which can squeeze and cost a gecko its digits or tail tip.

To fix it, raise humidity to 80-100% until shedding is finished, or use a humid box for 10-20 minutes (a small tub with a damp, lukewarm paper towel or sphagnum). Then loosen the skin gently with a cotton swab, repeating daily. Take the gecko to a reptile vet if stuck shed keeps coming back or a toe turns swollen or dark.

Handling

Leave a new gecko alone for about 2 weeks (some keepers say 3-4) and until it eats regularly. Then begin with about 5 min every other day, sitting low over a soft surface, work up to 15 min and stay under about 20 min a day.

Young geckos bite more readily, though bites are usually superficial, while adults are generally calm. A grabbed tail can drop. Unlike the crested gecko, this species regrows it, though the new tail looks different.

Brumation

This species does not need a true brumation. Practices vary on a winter cool-down, and the cautious choice is to keep winter nights at or above 65°F (18°C), the commonly advised minimum.

Health signs to watch

Weigh weekly, since sudden weight loss often points to illness. Watch for metabolic bone disease (soft or kinked jaw, spine or limbs, weak grip), floppy tail syndrome, dehydration, mites, internal parasites, stuck shed on toes or tail, and obesity. Losing the tail is not an emergency.

See a reptile vet for appetite loss across several feedings, weight loss, lethargy, trouble climbing or gripping, an inflamed or infected tail stump, or mites that persist.

Welfare

Gargoyles are often aggressive toward cagemates. A dominant animal can injure or kill a smaller one, and dropped tails are usually eaten. Raise young ones individually.