Gold dust day geckos are a fantastic reptile species for beginners looking for their first pet reptile. At just 4-5 inches from nose to tail tip, these charming reptiles boast vibrant colors and textures that make them highly visual creatures to observe.
However, these lizards require very specific habitat conditions and should only be handled by experienced owners. An important aspect of their care includes developing an appropriate diet.
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Insects
Gold Dust Day Geckos are diurnal (active during the day) animals found living in trees. When kept as captive pets, they require an enclosure with plenty of plants, branches and hiding spaces; pothos or snake plants make great choices, but artificial foliage such as silk flowers could also work if misted regularly.
In the wild, these lizards are omnivorous eaters. They eat various plant species as well as fruit and insects like pollen, nectar, juice from fruits as well as insects like crickets, mealworms, roaches, locusts and waxworms which should all be dusted with nutritional powder before feeding.
Reptiles have extremely delicate skin, so it is vital that their enclosure remains at an appropriate temperature and humidity level. An ideal terrarium should contain substrate made up of peat moss, cypress mulch or orchid bark that retains moisture in order to ensure that humidity in the enclosure stays between 60-80%.
Mashed Fruit
Gold Dust Day Geckos are predominantly insectivores but may also feed on fruits, so it’s essential that they receive both types of foods in captivity. You should feed a combination of crickets, Dobia roaches, live worms, wax worms, mealworms and locusts; or you could smash up some favorite fruits into paste form and offer this to the gecko as part of their weekly feeding. Ideally you should sprinkle their insects with vitamins and minerals such as reptile calcium powder so as to ensure they receive all their necessary nutrition.
Gold Dust Day Geckos spend much of their time perched atop trees searching for fruit and relaxing. Since these diurnal reptiles require ample perching space for fruit searching and resting purposes, the enclosure should contain ample tall trees for them to rest on and an air mister could help to increase humidity levels in their cage as these arboreal reptiles typically don’t spend much time on the ground.
Plants
Gold dust day geckos require a well-ventilated environment with humidity levels between 60 and 80%, benefitting from live plants that help regulate humidity levels in their habitat and create humid microclimates. A digital hygrometer should also be used to monitor their environment’s relative humidity levels; additional misting may be necessary twice daily in order to keep humidity at an acceptable level.
These diurnal geckos typically spend their days on treetops, where they search for fruit, rest, and hide from predators. Their unique clinging ability comes courtesy of tiny hairs connected by electrostatic forces called Van der Waals forces.
Geckos should only be kept by experienced reptile owners due to their fast escape rate from poorly designed terrariums. Furthermore, children may not be suitable as geckos can become very aggressive towards other geckos while in captivity. An 18 by 18 by 24 inch tank with mesh top is the best place for them.
Water
Gold dust day geckos are relatively straightforward reptiles to care for, although their needs do require understanding. These species of gecko thrive best in captivity when their conditions resemble that of their natural environment as much as possible – this includes having an aquarium environment which emulates this space as much as possible, and including both plant-based and protein foods in their feeding schedule.
Arboreal lizards, like their wild counterparts, are omnivorous predators that consume both insects and fruit. When kept as pets in captivity they thrive when fed gecko mix along with appropriately-sized feeder insects such as dubia roaches, hornworms, butterworms and waxworms; in addition they enjoy eating various forms of fruit that should be dusted with multivitamin and calcium powder after each meal.
Maintaining an ideal humidity level in their enclosure is critical to their wellbeing, so a hygrometer is recommended as an essential monitoring device. Live plants such as snake plants, dracaena or pothos can provide extra humidity control as well as hiding spots for reptiles to climb and hide in.
