Scientific Name: Rhacodactylus auriculatus
      Location: Native to the islands of New Caledonia,
            only found on the southern third of Grand Terre.
      Life span: 15 - 20 years with proper care
      Size: 8-10 inches, around 45-60+ grams
      Food: Gargoyle Geckos are Omnivores, They should
            be fed Crested Gecko Diet (CGD) along with
            dusted large feeder insects every once in a while.
      Temperature: 65F - 82F
      Humidity: 50% - 90%
      Housing: 20 gal long tank for 1-2 adults, 40 gal long
            for 2-3 adults
      Lighting: No UV light is required for gargoyle geckos because they are nocturnal, but it
           doesn't hurt
      Temperament: Very docile, easy to care for and hold

     Gargoyle gecko care is almost identical to crested gecko care so a lot of the information here is the same as crested gecko care. Gargoyle geckos are found on the island of New Caledonia, located off the coast of New Zealand, east of Australia. They were once thought to be extinct like crested geckos until found at the southern tip of the country in 1994 and brought back to the United States. Gargoyle geckos are very robust large geckos that are very docile and easy to care for making them great pets for beginners and advanced keepers alike. Gargoyle geckos are semi-arboreal and are found low on the forest floor and in shrubby areas near the forest. They can climb very well but can't stick to glass like crested geckos. Gargoyle geckos, like all other geckos, do not have eye-lids and will lick their eyes to clean them and keep them moist. They are omnivores that eat nectar and fruits but are sometimes reluctant to eat insects, gargoyles prefer very large insects and even pinky mice or roaches suit them better than small crickets. They are nocturnal and the temperatures that they can tolerate are much lower than one usually associated with reptiles.

      Gargoyle geckos are identical to cresteds and like the same temperatures that we are comfortable in, between 65F-80F. They can handle temperatures in the low sixties and even high fifties for limited periods of time if allowed to warm up to the mid-seventies during the day. They cannot tolerate heat over 85F for very long and take this into consideration when placing your terrarium in your house. High temperatures stress them greatly, and they can die if exposed to temperatures over 90F for even a short period of time.

      Always provide clean, fresh water dish in their enclosure. Many people find this unnecessary but I find it essential. Your gecko should always have somewhere to take a drink if needed and as water evaporates out of the dish it helps the humidity of the tank. Do not use soft water. Use distilled or reverse-osmosis water for misting to avoid etching of the glass/plastic and to avoid unsightly watermarks all over your cage. If you have good clean well water, use that for their drinking water. If your water is particularly bad, use a few drops of zoo-med's repti-safe water conditioner for their drinking water and for the water you mix food with. Mist the enclosure well about once per day. Mist heavily but you don't want the cages sodden; mold is deadly and can arise fast, it must not be tolerated and removed immediately.

                            

      Please keep your geckos feeding on Repashy Crested Gecko Diet (CGD) it is the best food for them and is available at a number of sources listed on the Repashy web site. ABSOLUTELY NO BABY FOOD! I can't stress this enough, baby food is full of sugars and crap that is no good for your gecko. It will lead to your gecko having metabolic bone disease and end up killing your gecko in a slow deforming horrible fashion. All of my geckos have been raised from day one on CGD, and after a short period of adjustment in their new home should resume feeding normally. If they seem to be taking a long time or you don't see them passing feces (if they are going to the bathroom, they are feeding...) then tap a few drops onto the sides of their mouth and watch them lick it up. Don't let yourself be lured into hand feeding all the time though, they need to learn to search and eat for themselves.

     Insects - If you feed insects, please only offer a maximum of once per week and only as a supplement to the CGD. Dust the crickets with CGD, miner-all or calcium (lightly, and not too much D3). Large adult crickets, roaches and even pinky mice are recommended for feeding and gargoyle geckos are many times reluctant to eat insects especially smaller ones. Do not feed mealworms since their exoskeleton is tough and it may cause impaction and other digestive problems which can be fatal.

      When feeding insects, Don't use substrate with natural bark, peat, or other large particle type substrates since they may ingest some along with the insect they are trying to eat and become impacted. It's advised to use a separate cage with a safe substrate to feed your geckos insects in the event that you don't have a suitable substrate. Paper towel, coconut fiber panels, fern tree panels and bed-a-beast/eco-earth etc. are all good, safe substrates which I use in my enclosures.

     Never house different sized geckos together. Babies should be separated into their own cages after 2-3 months of age to avoid tail-loss and other injuries. Once they become adults at about 40 grams, females may be housed together in a large- enclosure, although occasionally you may witness personality conflicts. A 20 gallon long tank is perfect for housing an adult gecko or two. A 40-gallon breeder tank is perfect for a breeding trio. Males must never be housed together. They are territorial and may fight to the death. Animals in captivity should never be placed in such an unfair situation. I consider that to be cruel, inhumane and simply unnecessary.

     Stress can be an issue with gargoyle geckos but they are generally very hardy. Excessive handling is stressful to them, although a few minutes a day is just fine for them. I recommend an enclosed, carpeted area, the gecko can be readily recaptured in the event that it jumps away and keeps going. I use the hand over hand "hand treadmill" method to give them the sense that they're going somewhere. Just remember that these pets are not cuddle-bunnies and don't over-do it. Gargoyle geckos can be a bit aggressive and some individuals habitually eat tails and nip at others. These individuals must be separated and housed alone. Gargoyle geckos will grow their tails back and like most geckos use this as a defense mechanism.

      Cats are natural predators of geckos and must be kept away from any temptation. A cat springing onto a gecko's cage may pierce the gecko with its claws should the gecko be clinging to the top screen of its cage. Cats can pull the screen top off of a cage, or rip the screen if motivated and will torture the defenseless gecko to death if allowed to. If you have cats (as I do) I suggest a cat-free room where all your crested geckos and other reptiles can be completely isolated and the door must be left shut at all times.

      If you have any concern about your animal's behavior being abnormal, feel free to contact me immediately. I would rather spend an hour reassuring you that the behavior is either normal or trouble-shooting and what the problem might be, then to find out later that it died because you didn't realize anything was wrong. All geckos are very secretive about showing that they aren't quite right, (it's a survival tactic that can work against them in captivity), and may times when you finally realize something is really wrong, it is too late.
      I recommend spending time reading the posts on the Pangea Reptile forum which has an excellent search feature that allows you to choose a topic and read what others have contributed over time. You can learn everything you want to in this way; join the forum yourself and post questions and participate in discussions. I also highly recommend buying the book considered the "gecko bible": Rhacodactylus: A Complete Guide to Their Selection and Care, by Philippe be Vosjoli, Frank Fast, and Allen Repashy. 290 pages, 250 color photos. $39.95 Published by Advanced Visions Inc. before it goes out of print.

      Feel free to call or email me about any concern or question that comes to mind. I love hearing that my youngsters are doing well and I especially like seeing pictures of them as they grow. If you ever decide that you no longer want the gecko you got from me, I will be more than happy to take it back. Don't hesitate to email me if your child bores of it or it no longer fits into your family.

Questions, Concerns, Comments
email me at

or PM me on Pangea Reptile Forums @ RIKennedy

A big thank you to my friend Terri the Lizard Lady for allowing me liberal use of her care sheet in making this