Electric Blue Gecko Buy
Collecting this beautiful gecko from the wild is prohibited, making captive-bred individuals the only ones that are legally available in the hobby. Luckily, captive-bred L. williamsi are relatively hardy and prolific as long as the captive care needs described in this article are met.
electric blue gecko buy
Lygodactylus williamsi is a smaller species of gecko, with a total length of about 31/2 inches. It exhibits pronounced sexual dimorphism (meaning the sexes look different), and dominant adult males display the brilliant blue color for which this species is famous. Adult females are typically a greenish, coppery color, or sometimes aqua. Adult males will almost always have a jet black throat region. Females tend to lack black coloration on their throats, or they may display only minimal black striping. Both sexes often have black striping around the eyes and snout, and this is often more pronounced in adult males. Juveniles all look the same regardless of sex, exhibiting the same greenish coloration of the adult females.
Ironically, one of the most challenging aspects of breeding electric blue geckos is determining their gender. Only sexually mature, dominant males display the vivid blue color. This means that if two males are kept together, the subordinate one will remain colored like a female.
Being small in size, electric blue geckos have modest housing requirements. I keep my breeding pairs in 16-inch-cubes. I also house geckos in 19-inch-tall, 16-inch-deep and16-inch-long enclosures. I house single male/female pairs together; multiple males, as well as females, may get territorial and chase each other when kept together.
The tops are mostly screening, to allow for ventilation as well as penetration of UVB light and heat from the lamps placed over it. I have heard of many L. williamsi keepers who tried to keep these geckos as you would dart frogs, and the animals always eventually died. The sides of the enclosures feature ventilation holes to aid in the chimney effect which increases fresh air flow into the terraria.
While PVC enclosure such as these are the type I prefer to use, the more commonly available front-opening glass terrariums found for sale in many pet stores are also well suited for keeping electric blue geckos.
Lygodactylus williamsi are arboreal and need perches to move throughout their environment. I cut dried bamboo to the exact lengths I need and position the sections in the enclosure with some horizontal, vertical and diagonal, and at different heights. By doing this, you will allow the geckos to choose the exact temperature in which they wish to be at any given time.
To provide your geckos with adequate humidity and drinking water you will need some way to mist the terrarium (a water bowl is not recommended). This can be as easy and cheap as a hand mister or as complex as an automated misting system. If you only have one or two terrariums you could get away with hand misting, but I think an automated misting system is one of the best investments you can make.
One crucial aspect to consider prior to breeding is the health of the female. Female electric blue geckos often will produce a pair of eggs every two to three weeks, and this fast pace puts a huge strain on their bodies. The key is to keep your geckos in peak health from the beginning. This means maintaining them at a proper weight and ensuring the females get enough calcium.
You may be tempted to leave the eggs where they are laid to hatch, but doing so may result in problems. First, once the eggs hatch, the young will often be quickly eaten by their parents! Eggs left in the terrarium are also subject to the environmental conditions at the particular spot in which they were laid. This is a problem because L. williamsi are subject to TSD (temperature sex determination), and eggs are often laid high up in the terrarium where temperatures are warmer. This is why there are so many more male electric blue geckos available for purchase than females.
As mentioned, the sex of electric blue geckos is determined by the temperature at which the eggs are incubated. Average daily temperatures of 70 to 76 degrees will produce females, 78 to 81 degrees results in both males and females, and temperatures of 83 degrees and above will yield males. These are not meant to be constant temperatures, but rather day time averages.
As long as the breeding females have been well taken care of and the eggs incubated correctly, rearing of the hatchlings is not too difficult. I keep them exactly like the adults, except in slightly smaller enclosures. Just be sure that there are no gaps through which they can escape, as hatchling electric blue geckos give new meaning to the word small!
Of all the reptiles I have kept and bred, I am most passionate about these little geckos. They are some of the most beautiful, behaviorally interesting, and initially challenging animals that I have worked with. Due to their limited range and low numbers in the wild, these critically endangered living jewels deserve our attention in the hobby.
Luckily, when properly cared for L. williamsi can be highly prolific in captivity. Everything about these geckos is fast paced, allowing the new keeper to go from novice to breeder in a short amount of time. I do hope that my experiences and the care regimen provided in this article will prove useful to new keepers and that the beautiful electric blue gecko becomes further well established in herpetoculture.
PLEASE NOTE: Electric Blue Day Geckos are not a beginner-friendly gecko; whereas many other geckos are hardy against errors in the way of temperature and humidity, Electric Blues are not as forgiving, and will perish if not provided the proper conditions! We cannot stress enough the importance of using a digital thermometer and hygrometer to keep an eye on temperature and humidity, as well as an infrared thermometer to occasionally check the basking temperature. Electric Blue Day Geckos require both a humid and well-ventilated enclosure, along with UV lighting and a proper localized basking spot!
Recommended Enclosure Size: A single animal can be kept in a 12x12x18 enclosure. Pairs have been successfully kept and bred in this size enclosure, but can also be kept in an 18x18x24 glass enclosure. A bioactive setup with live plants is strongly recommended for this species; BioBedding is recommended to maintain live plants, springtails, and isopods. These arboreal geckos should be provided ample vertical and horizontal climbing material in the form of cork bark, branches, or bamboo.
Temperature: Keep electric blue day geckos between 75-80 F. A basking spot of around 90-95 F should be provided. Temperature should be monitored with a digital thermometer. Night temperatures should not fall below 70 F. Electric blue day geckos should also be provided with a 5.0 or similar strength UVB light.
Humidity: Electric blue day geckos should be provided a humid setup between 60-70%. Maintaining a well-ventilated setup while retaining elevated humidity is important to successfully maintaining this species. Plants can be added to help stabilize higher humidity as well as provide humid microclimates. Ambient humidity should be monitored with a digital hygrometer. Electric blue day geckos should be misted daily to provide dew on enclosure walls and cage items from which they can drink. A water dish can be provided but is not necessary with regular misting; a water dish will not replace the need to regularly mist the enclosure.
Sexing:Electric blue day geckos can show color differentiation about as early as 5-6 months. However, this method of sexing can be unreliable, as stressed or submissive males will exhibit the same coloration as females or juveniles. The best way to sex electric blue day geckos is by their femoral pores, found between their hind legs. Compared to females, males exhibit strong and very visible femoral pores. Males also exhibit fully dark-colored throats.
Color/Pattern:Males have an incredible blue to turquoise color over their entire body. Juveniles and females exhibit shades of olive green, brown, or copper. Both males and females have black markings around their face, but only males display stark black on their throat.
Social Behavior: This day gecko species is best housed as a pair or solo. Provided ample space as well as multiple basking and feeding locations, multiple females may be housed together with a single male.
Breeding:Electric blue day geckos are prolific during the breeding season, with females laying 2 eggs once every 3-4 weeks. Like other Lygodactylus geckos, these geckos are egg-gluers and will adhere their eggs to a surface; once glued, they cannot be safely removed without damaging the egg. We have successfully used egg laying tubes with this species to allow for the safe removal and incubation of eggs.
Electric blue geckos have stout bodies with a short pointy snout, large feet with sticky toe pads, and a plump tapered tail. True to their common name, male electric blue geckos demonstrate vibrant blue coloring with an orange underside and feet. Submissive males and females are more drab, their coloring a mixture of earthy green, orange, and sometimes blue. All have black striping on their heads.
Electric blue geckos are critically endangered in the wild, and somewhat hard to find in captivity because captive-bred individuals are in high demand. Their size and husbandry considerations make them intermediate-level pet reptiles.
Yes! Electric blue geckos require UVB lighting for their survival. UVB lighting helps provide a clear day/night cycle, provides all of the vitamin D that your pet needs, supports the immune system, facilitates better digestion, and provides other benefits.
Electric blue geckos benefit from plant grow lights as part of their environment as well. Add a 6500K LED or T5 HO fluorescent grow lamp to provide extra illumination, as well as help any live plants in the terrarium to thrive.This extra illumination will encourage your gecko to be more active and show off its best colors! 041b061a72