Habitat for a House Gecko

Housing house geckos is simple. They require only a few special dictates, such as the right temperature, a day-night light cycle, the right space and proper humidity levels. In the wild, house geckos are tropical rain forest creatures and can often be found living around people's houses. They love sticks to climb on and leaves and trees to dart around and be at home in.

  1. The Aquarium

    • Most people use glass or acrylic aquariums. Your house gecko's aquarium should be at least 10 gallons. For more than one house gecko, you'll want to get a larger aquarium. The bigger an aquarium you can get, the better.

    Leaves, Branches and Substrate

    • Fill your house gecko's aquarium with lots of sticks and leaves, as they love to climb and hide. If you have more than one house gecko, increase the amount of sticks and leaves.

      Substrate is the ground in your house gecko's aquarium. Mulch bark, coconut fiber and sterilized potting soil help keep humidity levels right, but newspaper and Astro-turf can be used as well.

    Lighting

    • House geckos are nocturnal, but need a 12-hour light cycle to imitate a normal day. They don't need full-spectrum UVB lighting. During daylight hours they should have a temperature from 75 to 89 degrees F. Night temperatures should range between 70 and 75 percent. You can check the temperature with a thermometer or infrared temperature gun. Give your house gecko a basking area where he can lounge and a cooler area for him to regain his body temperature after basking.

    Humidity

    • Because house geckos are from tropical rain forests, it's important to keep their humidity levels comfortable for them. Humidity levels should be at 60 to 70 percent. You can do this by regularly misting with dechlorinated water, with the proper substrate, or by partially covering the roof of the aquarium. If you see droplets on the side of the aquarium, then the humidity most likely is too high.

    Food

    • House geckos are carnivores, or meat eaters. You can feed your house gecko small insects like mosquitoes, flies, silk worms, crickets or insect larvae. Mealworms are also good sources of nutrition. Wax worms and butter worms are also an option. It is good to dust food every third feeding with a calcium/vitamin supplement.

    Upkeep

    • Be sure to give your house gecko fresh water in a small dish each day. Newspaper and Astro-turf should be refreshed, and other substrates should be spot cleaned. You can disinfect with a 5-percent bleach mixture. Rinse the enclosure thoroughly after each disinfection.