Day Gecko Setup

Grandis Day Gecko Enclosure. The bottom half is an aquarium inside a custom wood frame with double-glass and insulation. (A friend of mine built this). The top-part is my custom extension to enlarge the setup without losing the original tank, which I like very much.

I replaced the one light with a ceramic heat bulb that is on all the time, except when the thermostat turns it off, and added a ReptiSun 5.0 fluorescent bulb to provide better lighting since my day geckos do not get to go outdoors. This rather pleases them!

The original substrate was newspaper or paper towels. This worked well to make visible any droppings. However, I had to use a system of double floors (chasing the geckos to the upper half of the enclosure) every time I needed to clean the cage, which was about once a week. While hygenic, this substrate is relatively unsightly and unnatural, and it does not hold any humidity.

At a friend's house I saw more natural gecko vivaria. Inspired by his setups I replaced the paper substrate with cocos fiber. I planted the plants directly into the substrate. I water the substrate once a week and then let it dry out a bit to prevent mold. I "garden" about once a week, to mix up the soil and move any droppings into the soil which fertilizes the plants. (The geckos rarely walk on the substrate.)This makes cleaning very quick and simple, and the humidity stays higher. (I live in CA and we low humidity here.) I mist from twice a day to every other day, depending on weather.

My pair of day geckos is fed on "Gecko Gourmet" powder, water, and crickets that are fed on fruits and veggies for a couple of days and then dusted with calcium or a multi-vitamin. Every so often, I offer fruit baby food as a treat.