Daily life and changing needs
Refresh water, check surface and air temperatures, remove waste.
Observe foraging and burrow use without digging the animal out.
Review weight, sheds, substrate stability and ventilation.
Life stages
| Stage | What changes |
|---|---|
| Hatchling | House separately in secure, covered quarters; offer small insects and accessible water. |
| Juvenile | Increase digging space and prey variety while recording growth and shedding. |
| Adult | Maintain a dry surface, stable burrows and thermal escape; handle only when needed. |
| Breeding female | Provide a suitable lay area, adequate calcium and recovery time between clutches. |
These are starting decisions for healthy captive animals. Adjust to measured conditions, body condition and veterinary advice. Hatchling, juvenile and adult ages vary by individual.
A burrow is part of the enclosure
Provide at least about 90 × 60 × 60 cm for one adult as the larger of the UK specialist recommendations reviewed, with deep, cohesive, diggable substrate, cork and secure burrow entrances. Support heavy stones on the base before adding loose substrate, so excavation cannot collapse them. The keeper should be able to observe without repeatedly uncovering the gecko. House singly by default. [Reptile Centre] [Josh’s Frogs] [FBH 2023]
The Reptile Centre describes about 32 °C at a warm surface and a cooler end around 21 °C. Another specialist gives a hotter local spot near 35 °C. These descriptions use different positions and are not a mandate to heat the whole enclosure: start with a measured warm surface near 30–32 °C, a cooler shaded retreat and behaviour-led adjustment. Control and guard heat; use digital probes for air and an infrared thermometer for surfaces. Offer daylight, darkness at night and, if UVB is provided, a low measurable route with full shade. [Reptile Centre] [Josh’s Frogs] [RVC lighting]
Keep exposed substrate dry and well ventilated, with a slightly moist hidden pocket for choice and shedding. Published ambient humidity targets disagree. Brief droplets should dry after use; condensation and stale substrate signal a problem. [Reptile Centre] [Josh’s Frogs]
Insects, supplements and drinking
Rotate appropriately sized gut-loaded crickets, roaches, locusts and soft-bodied insects. Hatchlings take much smaller prey, and adults should be fed to condition rather than a fixed count. Lightly dust with calcium, add a suitable multivitamin and account for UVB when choosing D₃. Remove missed feeders. [Josh’s Frogs]
Provide a shallow fresh water dish, even though one published care sheet says it is optional with regular misting. A few evening droplets offer another drinking opportunity, but do not soak the whole enclosure. Record drinking, urates and shed quality. [Josh’s Frogs] [Reptile Centre]
Observe without constant handling
Hatchlings need individual secure housing and a first-shed/first-feed log; juveniles need room to dig and steady growth without obesity. Adults can be energetic at night yet invisible by day. Skin and tail are delicate, so avoid gripping and never pull an animal from a burrow. Let the animal enter a container for necessary moves. [Reptile Centre] [Josh’s Frogs]
Breeding and the next generation
Keeper reports describe paired eggs and repeated spring/summer clutches after seasonal change. That is descriptive captive experience, not a reason to cool an animal without a health and weight review. Provide a stable, private lay zone, monitor recovery, and seek a reptile vet if the female strains or remains swollen and inactive. [Josh’s Frogs] [Merck]
For any eggs, note the position before transfer, avoid rolling, and use a species-specific incubation protocol checked against egg-level readings. Published hatch times depend on temperature and moisture; do not promise a date. Prepare tiny insects and separate hatchling housing before the first pip. See the incubation field guide. [Josh’s Frogs] [2025 review] [Illinois Vet 2025]
A useful log
Record local temperatures, dry and moist zones, diet, calcium/D₃ products, weight, shed and clutch dates. Investigate a drop in weight, injured skin, persistent eye closure, abnormal breathing or suspected egg retention with a reptile vet. [Merck]
Read the underlying guidance
Sources have different dates and purposes. Published numbers are reference points, and reproductive ranges describe what has been observed. The specialist ReptiFiles pages contain paid links; YoGecko receives no referral income from them.
- Reptile Centre: frog-eyed gecko careUK specialist care; check temperature against measured positions
- Josh’s Frogs: Teratoscincus scincus careKeeper guidance; small enclosures and no water dish are not adopted here
- Federation of British Herpetologists: enclosure size code2023; welfare-focused minimums
- Royal Veterinary College: reptile heating and lightingReviewed December 2024
- Moisture effects in egg-laying reptiles: systematic reviewMeta-analysis of 37 studies across 28 species, 2025
- University of Illinois veterinary clinic: reptile eggs and hatchlings2025 turtle case; general handling principle, not squamate settings
- Merck Veterinary Manual: reproductive diseasesClinical assessment of egg retention and follicular disease
Reviewed 28 September 2026. This page is an independent synthesis, not a veterinary diagnosis or an official IHS, FBH, RVC or RRK care sheet.