Giant day geckos are fast and agile reptiles that enjoy being active. Although often shy around people, giant day geckos may bite if handled roughly.
Day geckos kept in captivity require a diet consisting of both plant- and insect-based food sources, with insects such as crickets, locusts and waxworms feeding up to five times weekly. Before each feeding session with insects be sure to gut load and dust all insects with reptiVite/calcium powder for best results.
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Insects
Giant day geckos are opportunistic feeders in the wild and will consume insects, fruit and small lizards when available. When kept as pets in captivity they readily accept commercially bred crickets, waxworms, mealworms and roaches as food options; for optimal health it is advised that Repashy Superfoods be added into their diet in order to provide carotenoids and vitamin A which these lizards struggle to synthesize themselves.
These reptiles should be misted daily with water to maintain high humidity in their enclosure and to monitor conditions within their habitat. A digital hygrometer and thermometer may help provide useful insight.
Madagascar-born giant day geckos are tropical species, so they should be exposed to warm temperatures and plenty of sunlight when possible. This will increase appetite and shedding, as well as aid their absorption of essential vitamins. As these diurnal arboreal creatures tend to sleep during the daytime hours, their tank should feature foliage and branches for them to rest on during their diurnal wanderings; additionally consider providing them with a basking area so they can soak up some sunrays at this time of day.
Fruit
Giant day geckos are both insectivores and frugivores, commonly feeding on crickets or dubia roaches as well as commercial meal replacement powders (MRPs) made specifically for them – these powders are called MRPs or meal replacement powders and may be available from many suppliers for different animals.
Starting your gecko’s diet off right is key for its long-term wellbeing, but you must add vegetables and multivitamin supplements as part of its new regimen. High calcium and vitamin A powder should also be sprinkled onto insects before feeding them to your day gecko as commercially raised food often lacks these vital elements.
Vegetables offer plenty of nutrition with less sugar than fruits do. Acorn squash, pumpkin, mushrooms, bell peppers, prickly pear leaves and hibiscus flowers are among some of the top vegetables for day geckos, along with spinach, kale, dandelion greens and alfalfa leaves – these all make delicious snacks for day geckos!
Vegetables
Integrating vegetables into the daily gecko’s diet is an effective way to give them all of the essential vitamins and minerals they require, which may otherwise be missing from a diet of insects alone. You should add vegetables such as kale, turnip greens, mustard greens or spinach once or twice weekly for maximum effect.
Remember when purchasing any reptile you are making an important commitment – usually 8-12 years. For this reason we advise all reptile enthusiasts to purchase captive-bred animals. Wild-caught day geckos not only risk extinction in their native Madagascar habitat but they may also harbor diseases that can be transmitted easily within your care environment.
Giant day geckos thrive in captivity when housed in a warm and tropical environment. Diurnal in nature, these geckos require access to UVB lighting for basking. A humid hide should also be provided along with substrate that retains moisture (cypress mulch, sphagnum moss, jungle mix or eco-earth will work great), daily misting should also be performed on their enclosure to maintain higher humidity and provide water droplets from which the gecko can drink.
MRPs
Giant day geckos are known to be opportunistic feeders in their natural environments and will consume insects, fruit and small reptiles when provided food sources such as insects or fruits. Captive caretaker can easily provide prey such as crickets, dubia roaches, waxworms or mealworms in addition to an appropriate frugivore diet mix.
As day geckos are arboreal species, an ideal setup includes branches and large bamboo sticks as well as live or artificial plants for their habitat. Daily misting should ensure adequate humidity levels.
Day geckos should preferably be housed as individuals or pairs to prevent males becoming aggressive towards each other and females rejecting advances from males. When housing pairs together, both should be of similar size in order to prevent bullying and fighting between them; when housing two at once it would also be wise to provide plenty of hiding spots, greenery, climbing space and climbing opportunities in order to foster health and happiness for them both.
