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Care in Captivity What we doGeneral InfoWe have read many different articles and talked to many different people about the care of fat-tailed geckos. Each person has their own opinion for what works for them. For substrate, it seems to be the consensus that what ever you use, from sand to moss to paper towels and newspaper, the gecko's will do just fine. Sand can be ingested and clog the intestines, so if you use sand, try to use the Bone-Aid Calci-sand, as it is calcium based and 100% digestible. The tank should have a warm spot and a cool zone. Use under tank heating pads and a heat lamp to keep the tank between 75 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit {68 degrees on the low side and 90 on the high side}. There should a "sweat box", a plastic container that is kept very humid inside, to give them a place to shed their skin and lay eggs. You should also have a hiding place in the cool zone. A dark hiding place will allow your fat-tail to relax and sleep during the day. The tank should be kept clean and a water dish should be available even though the fat-tail will lick the moisture off the sides of the "sweat box". They need full day and night cycles, although it is not necessary for them to have a full spectrum lighting.
{home of Gex, Berger, & Sticky}
What we doWhen we first got our fat-tails, we used plain terrarium moss for the substrate in the tank. We then realized that they were going under the moss and laying directly on the glass bottom. Then, I took some peat moss (available at any nursery), wetted it and created a solid bottom, completely covering the glass bottom. We then put the terrarium moss over the peat moss. That worked great. After a few friends used the Calci-Sand for their fat-tail's, they gave us the thumbs up for it and gave it rave reviews. Now (as seen above), we have put a 1" layer of the calcium sand in the tank. Creating a bunker type set-up for the "sweat box" and a nice hill next to the hollow log. We have placed the terrarium moss on top of the "sweat box" for a few reasons. One, to hide the sweat box a little. Two, to allow a mossy area for the fat-tails to go and rest. There is a water dish in the back right corner. The tank is a 20 gallon, long fish tank. We have 2 heat pads under it, and a heat lamp over it. In the evening the lamp goes off, lowering the temperature at night. The tank stays around 74º F. at night and 78º F. during the day. In the summer time, the temperature rises about 8º in the evening and daytime. The "sweat box" has a higher temperature, as it is enclosed and humid. We think it is up to 10º higher than the rest of the tank. We have found that the fat-tail gecko "poops" in the same spot in the tank. They will find a spot and use it regularly for their "bathroom". With the calcium sand, it is very easy to clean the "poop" left by them. |
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