hi! i was thinking about getting a gargoyle gecko and i had a few questions if u dont mind answering?? what kind of substrate do u use? what kind of food do they eat and how often? and whats the best way to set up their habitat? thank u so much!!
First off, GREAT CHOICE! I’m glad you’re asking questions and doing research ahead of time! Gargs are wonderful pets and a lot of fun. They’re also quite easy to look after!So, there’s a few schools of thought on how to keep them. Either way works but I think the way I do it works really nicely because it’s so easy to keep a bioactive vivarium humid. But I’m getting ahead of myself! I use ABG and leaf litter. ABG is a mixture of a bunch of stuff made by a company called Josh’s Frogs- it’s a wonderful mixture for keeping live plants alive and it’s perfectly safe to use. Leaf litter is just dried leaves. In addition, I have springtails and isopods in the soil to help keep things clean- but if that all sounds overwhelming, substrates like paper towels are also perfectly fine. I’ve also had a good experience with Exo Terra’s moss mats, and I also know of people who use other kinds of soil mixes in naturalistic/bioactive enclosures.
As far as setting up a cage goes, you can use a glass vivarium like I’ve got or you can use a plastic tub. Just make sure that there’s lots of vertical space. Tall is better than short! If you want to use a tub, here’s a DIY guide for that. It’s a crestie tub but their care is basically the same. I use an 18*24 Exo Terra cage and it’s got a good balance of cover and open space. One of the most important concerns is humidity- plastic tubs are better at holding that in than glass tanks are, but you can make either one work. You need both horizontal and vertical perches- they’re not super good at sticking to glass, so some cork flats against some of the walls are loved. Cork tubes make great perches too! So does bamboo! You also need plants. Either real or fake, plant cover makes them feel very secure. A magnetic feeding ledge is also a great idea- it’s one of the easiest ways to feed them. And then what do they eat? Smoothies, mostly. What you do is you buy a powder and mix it with water in a little cup. I really like the Pangea brand. They’ve recently come out with one that has insect protein in it and everybody seems to really love it! Gargs also do really well with some live insects in their diet. I give Egg dubia roaches or super worms at least once a week, sometimes more. I feed her with tongs- she’s very good about taking what I offer!
If you’ve got any other questions, let me know! I’m also going to point you in the direction of Gargoyle Queen- her care sheet is really good and goes over some of the common medical issues.
