Gargoyle Geckos
Named for the bony bumps over its head, and from the same New Caledonian forests as the crested. Unlike the crested, it grows a dropped tail back.
Photo by GaryWells06, CC BY 2.0
Overview
The gargoyle gecko comes from the southern third of Grande Terre in New Caledonia, in scrub and forest clearings, and it is named for the bony projections above its ear openings that give the head its shape. Adults average six to seven inches with the largest around eight.
It is the close relative of the crested gecko and is kept the same way, with one useful difference: a gargoyle gecko drops its tail readily when stressed, and unlike the crested gecko it grows it back.
Temperament
Steady, semi arboreal and nocturnal, and generally a little more robust in the hand than a crested gecko. They tolerate handling well once used to it and are less inclined to launch themselves off a hand.
They are also more predatory than their relatives. Gargoyle geckos will take other small geckos, including their own species, so housing is one adult per enclosure unless a pair is being deliberately bred and watched.
Care and grooming
A prepared fruit based diet is the staple, complete on its own, with crickets and mealworms two or three times a week and calcium supplementation.
72 to 80 F and 60 to 75 percent humidity, with a nightly misting. Like the crested gecko they come from a mild island climate rather than a tropical one, so the failure mode in a warm house is overheating rather than being too cold.
Living and exercise
18 by 18 by 24 inches, tall and planted, with cork bark, vines and broad leaved plants through the middle height.
About fifteen years is the expected lifespan, so this is a fifteen year animal in a container that fits on a shelf. Low level UVB is not required and there is reasonable evidence it helps, which is the same position as its relatives.
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