Paroedura
pictus Gecko
Make sure a shallow dish with water is
available at all times. Feeding consists of a main diet of crickets coated with
a vitamin and calcium supplement. Some of the best supplements on the market
are Rep-Cal (calcium and vitamin D) and Nekton-Rep (vitamin). At feeding time,
use Rep-Cal as a major component for vitamin and mineral supplementation. Two
to three times a month use Nekton-Rep as an additional vitamin supplement -
shaking this mixture back and forth to coat the crickets before feeding.
Crickets may be found at your local pet store but are about $1.30/dozen. I
would suggest ordering your crickets from a supplier (such as Fluker Farms
1-800-735-8537). You can order from this supplier at a cost of $13.50/1,000.
The crickets may be kept in a tall trash can with a screen top and fed baby
chicken starter mash as a diet. Water should also be made available by an
inverted water dish, also available from most suppliers at a cost of $5.00. The
crickets have a life span of about six to eight weeks so its best not to order
anymore than you will use in two to three weeks. Pictus hatchlings should be
fed 1/8 inch crickets and adults should be fed 3/4 inch crickets. Mealworms may
be fed once a month. Feeding should take place three to four times a week. A
hatchling will usually eat two to three crickets at one feeding. An adult will
usually eat between five to seven crickets at one feeding..
Daytime temperature should be around 85
degrees F and may cool to 75 degrees F at night. The daytime temperature may be
achieved with a spotlight, such as a fifty watt grow bulb. Make sure it is not
possible for your animal to come into contact with the bulb as this will cause
burns. A small part of the substrate should be heated from 85-88 degrees F. You
may heat the substrate using heat strips or a heating pad made specifically for
reptile cages, which are available at most pet stores. You want to purchase
these heat strips or pads to place under the tank so they do not come into
direct contact with your animal. Do not use heat rocks as these can get to hot
and may burn your animal. Remember these lizards are ectothermic (require heat
from outside sources).
Mating takes place in the early hours of
the night. Unlike other geckos this species can breed year round.
It has happened that females have laid themselves to death. This can be
prevented by separating the sexes after three or four cluches, allowing the
female to build up her strength again.
Keep a closed plastic container inside
the cage with an opening large enough for the Pictus to go in and out. This
plastic container will act as a hide box as well as an egg laying site for the
females. Keep about two-three inches of coarse vermiculite (commonly found at
garden stores) inside the container. Mist the inside of the container
occasionally to keep the vermiculite damp but not wet. The eggs can become
damaged by to much moisture or by becoming to dry. The female will lay her eggs
inside the plastic container.
The eggs are hard shelled and can be removed for incubation. I would suggest
you pick up the eggs with a spoon as they are very delicate and may crumble if
you try picking them up with your fingers. Place the eggs inside a plastic
container with dampened vermiculite and cover the container with a lid and
place it into the incubator. Incubation temperature for the Pictus eggs is
around 83 degrees F. Check the container every few days to make sure the
vermiculite maintains moisture and to let fresh air into the container.
Incubation time for this species is right around sixty days. Make sure you
check the containers often when its close to hatching time and remove
hatchlings as soon as they have hatched.
Unlike other gecko species the Pictus are
not temperature sexed. The young however, are easily sexed within about six
weeks after birth. The males will have a very obvious swollen tailbase. The
hatchlings will not feed until they have had their first shed, which usually
takes about five days after hatching. The first couple of times the hatchling
Pictus sheds it is a good idea to mist them and keep them moist during shedding
as they can easily die in their shed. A substrate which I like to use is
Canadian sphagnum peat moss. Peat moss makes a good substrate because it is a
natural substance which is totally digestible, maintains moisture and naturally
absorbs odor. Mix the peat moss with water and rub the two between your hands
until the peat moss has absorbed all the moisture. Firmly pack the peat moss in
the bottom of the cage and let it dry in the sun or under a heat lamp for a
couple of hours until all moisture has evaporated. The peat moss will dry to a
hard surface.