Detailed Explanation of Key Points in Gecko Rearing and Management Experience

Large and small geckos should be reared separately. Generally, when the body length reaches about 90 mm, they can be placed into the large gecko room for rearing. If geckos that are too small are reared in the same room as large geckos, they are easily swallowed. At a temperature of 18—20°C, geckos begin to move and feed. Geckos come out at night to move and prey on larvae. After dark in the evening, geckos enter the activity area along crevices in the roof. At this time, turn on the black-light insect-attracting lamp, and insects with phototaxis will fly toward the light and fall into the activity area, where the geckos can prey on them. A 20-watt black-light insect-attracting lamp can attract insects within a range of more than 200 m, and in one night can attract tens of thousands of insects, weighing more than 500 grams. These insects are enough to feed more than 400 geckos. If there is insufficient feed, silkworms, castor silkworms, cockroaches, ground beetles, and similar items can be supplemented. Geckos have poor cold tolerance and are not heat-resistant either. Generally, the temperature for survival needs to be above 8°C, above 15°C for activity, above 17—18°C for feeding, and around 22—32°C for them to be most active. Because individuals differ in physical strength, their cold tolerance also varies.

Strong individuals will not die even at a room temperature of 5°C, while weak individuals can be frozen to death at 10-13°C, and young geckos have even poorer cold tolerance and generally cannot endure temperatures below 13°C. Therefore, in winter and early spring when temperature changes are relatively sharp, cold-proofing and warmth-keeping work should be done well. At this time, close doors and windows tightly so that cold wind cannot enter; burlap pieces can be hung where geckos rest, and if necessary, a charcoal brazier can be burned to raise the temperature so as to keep the room temperature no lower than 13°C. At such a temperature, geckos will not be frozen to death. It is not until Awakening of Insects or Spring Equinox that geckos begin to move again. If the room temperature in winter is raised above 20°C, silkworm larvae, cockroaches, ground beetles, and similar items can be fed. If no feed is given, geckos will consume their body nutrients, will quickly become thin, and their cold resistance will decrease accordingly, making them prone to death. Small geckos have weak cold resistance, and special attention should be paid in management. In summer, when the room temperature rises above 32°C, in addition to sprinkling water to cool down and adding shading equipment, drinking utensils should also be added in the rearing room to supply drinking water, or combined with cooling, water can be sprayed on the geckos' bodies. In hot weather, geckos like a humid environment. At this time, the indoor relative humidity is best kept between 70—90%. If the relative humidity drops below 50%, water should be sprinkled indoors to increase humidity. In addition to the above work, the indoor sanitation should also be cleaned frequently, drinking utensils washed, drinking water changed, and whether there are holes or cracks in the room checked; check whether the geckos are healthy. Those found to be sick should be isolated promptly. Generally, sick geckos mainly show poor foot adhesion and prefer to stay alone in bright places or low places.