At night, Mediterranean geckos hide in cracks, crevices, or caves during the daytime hours. Attracted to outdoor lighting sources such as streetlights or lights in gardens, they will gather around them attracted insects enticed by their glow.
These hardy reptiles have become an invasive species across thousands of miles from their native homes, making them easy to care for as pets. A varied diet is key to their success!
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Insects
House geckos feed on insects for sustenance, often found near light sources at night waiting for moths or other flying creatures to pass them by.
Crickets, mealworms, waxworms and superworms are the ideal insect staples. All four can be purchased from online retailers or pet-stores; waxworms provide calcium while being high in fat content so should only be fed alongside other staples.
Before feeding them to your lizard, ensure all insects have been gut-loaded by feeding them a richer diet for 24 hours prior to offering them as food for him or her. Insects that have already been gut-loaded can often be purchased preloaded at reptile stores.
Mealworms
The Mediterranean house gecko is an insectivore, refusing to consume any plant-based foods in captivity or the wild. They feed on moths, crickets, grasshoppers, isopods, flies and roaches found throughout nature; while in captivity they should receive a diet consisting of various insect species as a good diet plan for reptiles.
As it’s essential to provide your pet with variety, it is best to gut load all prey items before feeding them to your lizard in order to maximize the nutrients provided to him or her. This way will give him or her optimal nourishment!
Most people can keep one or two Mediterranean house geckos in a 20-gallon enclosure without issue; if breeding them however, you will require much larger enclosures with separate male and female enclosures so they do not fight with each other.
Fruits
If you own a Mediterranean house gecko, it is vital that they receive a variety of foods to remain healthy and fit. While fruits and vegetables will help, their diet should include insects.
Before feeding insects to your gecko, dust them with a vitamin and mineral supplement containing no phosphorus. Do this at least once weekly for adults and three times every week for growing geckos.
The Mediterranean House Gecko (MHG) is a small lizard with sticky toe pads and large, lidless eyes with vertical pupils that can live up to nine years in captivity when kept properly. They can often be purchased at pet stores or breeders.
Vegetables
The Mediterranean house gecko (Hemidactylus turcicus) is a small, nocturnal reptile found throughout human habitats and often around homes. These species possess sticky toe pads, triangular heads with large lidless eyes, bumpy skin and tapered tails; commonly found around residential properties.
Lizards can become extremely docile if fed correctly. A 20-gallon terrarium should provide the minimum space necessary to house one, though for groups of three or more lizards a larger tank would be recommended.
They can be found in many habitats, but tend to prefer hiding under stones and cracks during the daytime. At dusk they become active again as they hunt insects; when threatened they become aggressive and may fight other males over territory.
Seafood
These lizards hunt from dusk until dawn by slowly creeping up on prey or darting along walls and ceilings to catch insects attracted by lights.
Captive lizards exhibit a friendly disposition and make great pets for beginners. They can eat a range of foods such as fruits, vegetables, mealworms and crickets while enjoying moist substrates like additive-free cypress mulch or orchid bark as well as sphagnum moss or leaf litter for sustenance.
Maintain the humidity at around 60 to 75% and mist their habitat with water droplets daily, before offering their prey a vitamin and mineral supplement as food. As for adults, three or four feeding sessions weekly is ideal.
