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weeminimoose

Cat Gecko Viv?

weeminimoose
17 years ago

I have always wanted a cat gecko, but I would never get one without doing my best to create the most beautiful vivarium I could which would also replicate their natural habitat as closely as possible.

Right now I have a wooden cage that is kind of narrow and about 3 feet tall, and I have a piece of stryofoam I thought I'd carve into a rock-type background with some channels for water to run down. I've read that cat geckos frequent places with running water, so I thought this would be a good thing to do. What do you think?

I am quiet unhappy with the limited amount of information there is on cat geckos, but there seems to be more and more and I am seeing them at reptile shows now when I never did before.

So if anyone has one or knows more about them please tell me all you know, and what your recommendations would be on building a viv suitable for them.

Also, if anyone knows of anywhere I could get a healthy one.

Thanks

Comments (6)

  • sixeachlimb
    17 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hi there-yes, aren't cat geckos amazing? I've just discovered them and would also love to find one, but I've never seen them in Vancouver, I'd have to order one specially.

    As for building a terrarium for one, there are LOTS of great ways to create a wonderful habitat, and not too expensive. I'm building my first drip wall for my fire-bellied toads, and most of the info I've found has been at these locations:

    http://www.vivariaforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=57
    http://www.dendroboard.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=85526#85526
    http://www.amphibiancare.com/frogs/articles/falsebottom.html

    Good luck! Do show us pics when it's done, eh?

  • mdahms1979
    17 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    These are not commonly offered geckos so you may have a hard time finding one. Many of the less commonly offered species are wild caught animals and can be difficult to get established if they are stressed. Wild caught herps are still very common in the trade so if you can find a captive bread animal go for it first. I would do a search for crested geckos and copy their suggestions for creating an arboreal habitat keeping in mind the preferred temps for cat geckos. Live plants, both vertical and horizontal resting spots, and if you feel like getting creative a water feature like you mentioned would make a very functional habitat for this gecko.

    I don't have any experience with cat geckos but they certianly look like worthy vivarium subjects. A good place to start looking would be the kingsnake.com classifieds.

    Here is a link that might be useful: from google search

  • iliketerrariums
    17 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I went to google and saw a couple of pics....they look kinda plain? The ones pictured were basically brown with some white markings on their tails, The hatchling had the same color as the adults? Does the fact that they are harder to get make them more desireable to herp lovers? Please dont take this post the wrong way! =) I love reptiles (just havnt kept any lately) just need to know why the interest in such a plain (colored) one?

  • iliketerrariums
    17 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thought this might help a bit =)
    Care Sheet for the Malaysian Cat Gecko ( Aeluroscalabotes felinus )

    The Malaysian Cat Gecko, Aeluroscalabotes felinus , is a medium-sized gecko from the sub-family Aeluroscalabotinae . They inhabit a range that extends through Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore , Thailand , Kalimantan , Sarawak and Sabah . There is a known sub-species endemic to Indonesia , said to inhabit Sanana of the Sula Islands . This ssp. is known as A. f. multituberculatus .

    They prefer cooler temperatures and predominately inhabit montane forests or lower elevation areas that have moving bodies of water, such as stream beds and smaller rivers. They are designed with an arboreal lifestyle in mind. Entirely nocturnal, they have small retractable claws that are opposing each other. Females are always larger in the nominate species, up to 7 inches, whereas males are typically up to 4 inches in length. They are a rich coffee-colored brown, ranging to a bold rust coloration, with some vertebral striping.

    Most specimens in captivity today are wild-caught. Some come in very thin and emaciated. Because they are a gecko that retains fat in their tails as a means of survival, this is a good indicator of health when purchasing wild-caught animals. Upon receipt, they should be housed individually in a 10-gallon tank or similar sized glass or plastic enclosure. Substrate should consist of orchid bark or similar non-toxic mulch, mixed with clean soil. Cork bark tubes or flats provide daytime hides and smaller diameter branches for climbing are always appreciated. Provide a small water dish for adults. Live (check for toxicity) or synthetic plants complete the cage furnishings. Temperatures should range between 65-82F. Relative humidity should also be close to the same range, extending on the higher side at times, up to 90% for short periods. Misting is very important to the health and well-being of these geckos , it cannot be overlooked. They will develop a myriad of health issues if their humidity requirements are not met. Handheld bottle sprayers or automated misting systems are a must. All of my tanks are furnished with a combination temperature gauge/hygrometer to measure temps and relative humidity. Set them up individually, as they are a shy and reclusive species. Housing pairs would only be for breeding purposes, and this should not be tried until the acclimation period is over( typically 4 to 6 weeks), and that will be part of another discussion.

    Feeding and watering are key, and feeding should be done every other day in very small amounts, 2-4 small food items per gecko. Vitamin supplementation should be used carefully, every third feeding at most . Early keepers had specimens that had renal problems, and water and supplementation were suspects. Use filtered or reverse osmosis (RO) type water as a means to hydrate your A. felinus . Your ability to properly hydrate your new charge will mean everything to your new gecko. If you mist daily (do not saturate), feed accordingly, provide correct temps, and use quality water, you will be granted the privilege of owning and properly caring for one of the most unique geckos to date.

    Copyright © Marcus Quesada

  • weeminimoose
    Original Author
    17 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    See, that care sheet right there is the only one I've found. I'd just like more information to back it up, even though it does seem relible.

    "They prefer cooler temperatures and predominately inhabit montane forests or lower elevation areas that have moving bodies of water, such as stream beds and smaller rivers."

    Because of that statement I though it'd be a good idea to have running water in the enclousure.

    Oh, I don't think they're plain at all! I actually saw a few for sale at the last reptile show I went to (Reptile Depot was selling them, and they were WC and kinda small.) I think they are absolutely goregous! Lighter specimens have a wonderful pale gold/dun coloration, and such huge, beautiful eyes! And of course I like their tail. They're just plain cool if you ask me.

    I just looked at kingsnake and someone is selling one for $250 which I think is crazy (unless it's captive bred.) They mostly go for around $150 for wc from what I've seen. Once and a while someone offers wc ones for about that price, but I'm afraid to buy wcs, and especially for that kinda money. I'd try it if I could find a good herp vet, but as of yet I haven't found a vet that qualifies.

  • iliketerrariums
    17 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    "Substrate should consist of orchid bark or similar non-toxic mulch, mixed with clean soil. Cork bark tubes or flats provide daytime hides and smaller diameter branches for climbing are always appreciated. Provide a small water dish for adults. Live (check for toxicity) or synthetic plants complete the cage furnishings. Temperatures should range between 65-82°F. Relative humidity should also be close to the same range, extending on the higher side at times, up to 90% for short periods. Misting is very important to the health and well-being of these geckos , it cannot be overlooked. They will develop a myriad of health issues if their humidity requirements are not met. Handheld bottle sprayers or automated misting systems are a must" I think they live around rivers a creeks for the humidity, as the care sheet mentions that they are arboreal, I would think that they get the moisture neede from the mistings, the guy mentions how important it is to mist with RO water, if you want to build some kind of water feature make sure its not to deep and remember that its probably just going to be used for humidity and decoration, besides the humidity factor I dont really see what other purpose it would serve besides decoration =) remember, deep enough water in your tank could be a drowning pool even for frogs!