Origin
The african clawed Gecko (Holodactylus africanus) belongs to the class Reptilia, family Gekkonidae.
It is an animal found in the wild in Africa, specifically in Tanzania, Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia and probably with time it has spread to 1-2 neighboring countries. It can be found in steppe zones and humid areas.
It can also be found under the names: African Clawed Gecko, Boettger's strong-clawed gecko, African Whole-toed Gecko.
Feeding African Gecko with claws
When it comes to food, most gecko breeders know that it consumes food less than the distance between the eyes, but sometimes it stubbornly or when it is hungry it will try to swallow even larger prey.
It generally feeds on small insects. In captivity it is usually fed on Chicks of crickets, flour worms or other similar insects.
Because they are not in their natural environment and cannot escape from all normal conditions, captive-bred specimens must be dusted in a white powder containing calcium and vitamins. This powder can be purchased at specialty stores.
Features African claw Gecko
African Gecko has a special color, a special color of several shades of Brown. It can be seen on its body several dings of different colors of coffee color, yellowish, etc.The Belly and is light cream-yellow in color.
The legs end with long, thin claws used for digging. The tail is small and thick, chunky. Its length at maturity is about 10cm. As small as he is energetic, he is generally sociable but fearful.
It is not an animal that can be easily seen fromwhen it spends a lot of time in the ground digging galleries. It is a nocturnal animal. The only reason it comes to the surface is to look for prey to feed.
If you are or want to become a breeder or just got an african gecko it is good to know something about their life. Even though it is not difficult to raise them, these animals are not like fish to put them in a bowl of water to feed them twice a day.
Considering the small size the advantage is that there is no need for a Large Terrarium, and unlike other gecko species the terrarium must have the longest side horizontally.
I mentioned above that it is an animal that lives underground and not a climbing one. My recommendation is that the terrarium should be at least 50x50x35. Even if they can be grown in smaller terrariums it is good to be a little generous for a correct physical development.
Imagine what it would be like to live with your family in a studio for a lifetime without going outside and what it would be like to have a house where you can even go out into the yard.
The substrate is good to be made of several types of material. Coconut or sand can be two options and from place to place you can insert pieces of Cork or soft wood to strengthen the galleries.
Because it is an animal that likes to dig and make tunnels the substrate should be thicker, minimum 15cm. The larger the substrate, the happier it is. If you have been generous with the space you can keep several specimens of the same species provided that there is only one male in the group.
The temperature should be between 25-30 degrees celsius day, night can drop 4-5 degrees. In colder periods when temperatures drop the terrarium can be heated with a light bulb or a heatpad.
Attention, the heatpad should not cover the entire bottom of the aquarium, so that the gecko can choose between the warmer area and the colder area. It can be purchased from specialty stores, more precisely almost any petshop and can be found under the name UTH (under tank heater).
Apart from temperature, humidity is as important as air for geckos. Many species of geckos are dependent on high humidity. If the humidity is low below a certain level the animal will die sooner or later. For african geckos the average humidity is 80%.
The device that measures humidity is called a hygrometer. So the substrate must be moist, and in the terrarium it is good to be a source of water for the little one. To keep the humidity you can spray water 2-3 times a day with the help of a banal sprayer.
Breeding African clawed Gecko
The african Gecko can be successfully reproduced in captivity. It reaches maturity and can mate at the age of 15-18 months.
Physically it can mate even earlier but it is not recommended possible because of incomplete development. Adult males have about 40 grams, and females slightly more 40-45g. females at first will have 3-4 deposits per year.
One male can successfully mate with 6 females. In a short time the female will gain weight. The eggs must be moved to the incubator carefully. The sex of babies can be determined by temperature.
At a higher temperature, most males will come out, and at a lower temperature, most females.
If you put the eggs in the incubator it is recommended to open it once a week to ventilate and eliminate possible condensation.
At the end of the breeding season, it is best to separate the males from the females.
When babies hatch they become active shortly after. At first you can only offer them water with a soaked towel by swabbing their mouth.
After the first Moult they can be fed with small insects.
