- Home
- InchByInch Art
- Rhacodactylus Geckos
-
Other Herps
- Malaysian Bowfingered Gecko (Cyrtodactylus elok)
- Leopard Gecko (Eublepharus macularius)
- Smooth Knob tailed gecko (Nephrurus levis levis)
- Frog eye Gecko (Teratoscincus przewalskii)
- Green Arboreal alligator lizard (Abronia graminea)
- Bauer's Chameleon Gecko (Eurydactylodes agricolae)
- Pygmy Panther Gecko(Paroedura androyensis)
- Japanese Cave Gecko (Goniurosaurus orientalis)
- Waxy Monkey Tree Frog (Phyllomedusa sauvagei)
- Spider Gecko (Agamura persica)
- Helmeted Gecko (Tarentola chazalia)
- Thick-tailed gecko (Nephrurus milii)
- Web-footed gecko (Pachydactylus rangei)
- Chelonians
- Habitats and Vivaria
- Herpin'
- Blog
- Videos
- Links
- Contact
Thick-tailed gecko (Nephrurus milii) Care Sheet
The Thick Tailed Gecko (aka. Barking Gecko) is a medium-sized nocturnal gecko native to Australia. Once recognized as a member of the Genus Underwoodisaurus it has since been reclassified as Nephrurus. They are terrestrial, though known to enjoy climbing rocks and exploring all they can reach of their enclosures. They also have an interesting behavior that gave them the name sake of Barking Gecko. If frightened or disturbed they will stand tall and make a sharp high barking sound and wave their tail while lunging toward their perceived aggressor.
Life Span: Known to live up to 15 years in captivity, however the peak of their breeding happens around 5 years, and 10 is considered an old animal.
Size: Typically females are a little larger than males. Females can be as large as 5.5 inches, where a male will typically not be larger than 5 inches. Weight for this species varies greatly based on what locale you have and how well they have been cared for. In general it seems most people have females in the 20-25 gram range as adults, and males will be 15-20 grams. Though some people reported theirs got as large as 30 grams for either sex.
Appearance: These geckos have a medium build with a very widely varied coloration. Their skin is smooth with small tubercles all over their backs and legs, with some larger ones on their tail. They can and will change colors from a light to dark phase throughout the day. The southern form, which are more commonly kept in captivity and are the local we are discussing, have a thicker band of lighter color (generally white or yellow) around their neck and lighter spots on their tubercles all over their bodies. They have been specifically bred to be “normal” (dark brown with yellow or white spotting), “light or hypo” (tan to cream base with yellow or white spotting), and “ultra-light or super-hypo” (gold, orange, or light pink base with white spotting). While they are in a genus commonly referred to as “knob-tailed geckos” they do not in fact have a knob at the end of their tails like the n. amyae, or any of the n. levis. Their tails are thick and wide at the base and make an almost heart-like shape, but the bottom point of the “heart” is elongated and pointy instead of ending with a knob like other members of the genus.
Captive Care:
Cage: An adult trio can be comfortably housed in a 30 gallon long tank. Since they are primarily terrestrial a greater amount of floor space is preferable. They cannot climb smooth surfaces so a secure lid is not required unless there is something textured (such as a rock-like back wall) for them to climb.
Décor: In the wild these animals like to hide at the base of scrub plants and under rocks. They have not shown a preference for the size of rock, but do have a clear preference for pre-made tunnels and cave-like places they can wedge their bodies to feel safe. A specific study was done on a large group taken from the wild in Australia to see exactly what kind of burrows and crevasses the species preferred (can be read here http://csgsinc.net/assets/Shah_et_al_2004_[retreat%20site%20selection]_Austral_Ecology.pdf). To sum up this study they prefer warm, narrow, horizontally oriented, protected shelters. These can be provided in the forms of pre-made tunnels, light weight or fake rocks, or other cage décor. In our vivarium we chose to carve out four tunnels from a foam block that were no more than half an inch wider than the adult females (as they were the largest of the group). Two of the tunnels are located above an under-tank heat pad, the other have no heat pad but are below a basking light that is on during the day. So far the females use the longest length heat pad tunnel and the shortest length basking tunnel the most frequently. We believe they prefer these due to their placement in the tank relative to other cage furniture such as a flat slate rock and the back rock wall. A cactus, fake rocks (or real if carefully placed so they won’t crush the animals), thick branches, and tunnels are all extra items you can add to your cage for the milii to enjoy.
Temperature: Night time 80* F ambient, basking light may be shut off, daytime up to 85*F ambient, basking light provided can go up to 90*F to allow the animals to thermo-regulate themselves. Do not let night temperature to drop below 66*F unless preparing for brumation. Winter temperatures range from 52 at night and no more than 64 during the day. These temperatures will safely put the animal into brumation where they will spend most of their time sleeping and hiding, only coming out for the occasional drink. They are not fed during this time, and it should last approximately 2 months before you gradually bring the temperature back up. Babies and juveniles should NOT be brumated.
Light: These are nocturnal geckos that do not require light, but it may be provided for aesthetic purposes or a basking spot. The alternative to a basking light is a under-tank heat pad.
Substrate: While these geckos are not actually known to burrow completely on their own, they do like to kick sand around and partially excavate the tunnels and crevasses that they hide in. We provide 1” of calcium-based sand substrate that is ingestible and easily kicked around by the animals.
Water: Mist lightly every 2 days at night, they will come out and drink the droplets.
Feeding: We suggest offering as varied of a diet as possible and making sure all insects are fed a solid helping of high-value vegetables like carrots, kale, and bok choy. Our animals readily feed on crickets, meal worms, Turkistan roaches, dubia roaches, and wax worms. We also powder Calcium with D3 vitamins on every other feeding.
Breeding: Their first year brumation may not be necessary, and no animal that is thin or weak should be bred as it is very taxing and could cause health issues and even death if tried when the animals are not prepared. Once the animals have been fully taken out of brumation they should be well fed and given ample supplemented calcium w/ D3 to provide them with the needed calcium for egg production. When your animals look fat and healthy you may introduce your males and females. It may take up to two weeks for the male to begin breeding, but some will start right away. You will want to provide a dark, moist nest box for the females to lay their eggs in to make them easier to remove for incubation. A mix of moistened 50/50 sand and coir substrate is recommended 2” deep inside the nest box. Courting behavior involves females lowering their bodies and lifting their tails, and males biting at the tail all the way up to the female’s neck. Approximately two weeks after mating the female should be noticeably gravid and will lay anywhere from 4-8 weeks after mating occurred. Once the eggs have been laid (clutches of 2 eggs at a time, up to 6 clutches per season) you will remove them from the nest box and incubate them at 82*F. The eggs will hatch in 6-8 weeks after laying. Hatchlings can be kept similarly to adults as far as water needs and temperature but should be kept on paper towel in smaller enclosures and offered smaller size-appropriate prey items. It may take up to 6 months before the juveniles are sexable.
Life Span: Known to live up to 15 years in captivity, however the peak of their breeding happens around 5 years, and 10 is considered an old animal.
Size: Typically females are a little larger than males. Females can be as large as 5.5 inches, where a male will typically not be larger than 5 inches. Weight for this species varies greatly based on what locale you have and how well they have been cared for. In general it seems most people have females in the 20-25 gram range as adults, and males will be 15-20 grams. Though some people reported theirs got as large as 30 grams for either sex.
Appearance: These geckos have a medium build with a very widely varied coloration. Their skin is smooth with small tubercles all over their backs and legs, with some larger ones on their tail. They can and will change colors from a light to dark phase throughout the day. The southern form, which are more commonly kept in captivity and are the local we are discussing, have a thicker band of lighter color (generally white or yellow) around their neck and lighter spots on their tubercles all over their bodies. They have been specifically bred to be “normal” (dark brown with yellow or white spotting), “light or hypo” (tan to cream base with yellow or white spotting), and “ultra-light or super-hypo” (gold, orange, or light pink base with white spotting). While they are in a genus commonly referred to as “knob-tailed geckos” they do not in fact have a knob at the end of their tails like the n. amyae, or any of the n. levis. Their tails are thick and wide at the base and make an almost heart-like shape, but the bottom point of the “heart” is elongated and pointy instead of ending with a knob like other members of the genus.
Captive Care:
Cage: An adult trio can be comfortably housed in a 30 gallon long tank. Since they are primarily terrestrial a greater amount of floor space is preferable. They cannot climb smooth surfaces so a secure lid is not required unless there is something textured (such as a rock-like back wall) for them to climb.
Décor: In the wild these animals like to hide at the base of scrub plants and under rocks. They have not shown a preference for the size of rock, but do have a clear preference for pre-made tunnels and cave-like places they can wedge their bodies to feel safe. A specific study was done on a large group taken from the wild in Australia to see exactly what kind of burrows and crevasses the species preferred (can be read here http://csgsinc.net/assets/Shah_et_al_2004_[retreat%20site%20selection]_Austral_Ecology.pdf). To sum up this study they prefer warm, narrow, horizontally oriented, protected shelters. These can be provided in the forms of pre-made tunnels, light weight or fake rocks, or other cage décor. In our vivarium we chose to carve out four tunnels from a foam block that were no more than half an inch wider than the adult females (as they were the largest of the group). Two of the tunnels are located above an under-tank heat pad, the other have no heat pad but are below a basking light that is on during the day. So far the females use the longest length heat pad tunnel and the shortest length basking tunnel the most frequently. We believe they prefer these due to their placement in the tank relative to other cage furniture such as a flat slate rock and the back rock wall. A cactus, fake rocks (or real if carefully placed so they won’t crush the animals), thick branches, and tunnels are all extra items you can add to your cage for the milii to enjoy.
Temperature: Night time 80* F ambient, basking light may be shut off, daytime up to 85*F ambient, basking light provided can go up to 90*F to allow the animals to thermo-regulate themselves. Do not let night temperature to drop below 66*F unless preparing for brumation. Winter temperatures range from 52 at night and no more than 64 during the day. These temperatures will safely put the animal into brumation where they will spend most of their time sleeping and hiding, only coming out for the occasional drink. They are not fed during this time, and it should last approximately 2 months before you gradually bring the temperature back up. Babies and juveniles should NOT be brumated.
Light: These are nocturnal geckos that do not require light, but it may be provided for aesthetic purposes or a basking spot. The alternative to a basking light is a under-tank heat pad.
Substrate: While these geckos are not actually known to burrow completely on their own, they do like to kick sand around and partially excavate the tunnels and crevasses that they hide in. We provide 1” of calcium-based sand substrate that is ingestible and easily kicked around by the animals.
Water: Mist lightly every 2 days at night, they will come out and drink the droplets.
Feeding: We suggest offering as varied of a diet as possible and making sure all insects are fed a solid helping of high-value vegetables like carrots, kale, and bok choy. Our animals readily feed on crickets, meal worms, Turkistan roaches, dubia roaches, and wax worms. We also powder Calcium with D3 vitamins on every other feeding.
Breeding: Their first year brumation may not be necessary, and no animal that is thin or weak should be bred as it is very taxing and could cause health issues and even death if tried when the animals are not prepared. Once the animals have been fully taken out of brumation they should be well fed and given ample supplemented calcium w/ D3 to provide them with the needed calcium for egg production. When your animals look fat and healthy you may introduce your males and females. It may take up to two weeks for the male to begin breeding, but some will start right away. You will want to provide a dark, moist nest box for the females to lay their eggs in to make them easier to remove for incubation. A mix of moistened 50/50 sand and coir substrate is recommended 2” deep inside the nest box. Courting behavior involves females lowering their bodies and lifting their tails, and males biting at the tail all the way up to the female’s neck. Approximately two weeks after mating the female should be noticeably gravid and will lay anywhere from 4-8 weeks after mating occurred. Once the eggs have been laid (clutches of 2 eggs at a time, up to 6 clutches per season) you will remove them from the nest box and incubate them at 82*F. The eggs will hatch in 6-8 weeks after laying. Hatchlings can be kept similarly to adults as far as water needs and temperature but should be kept on paper towel in smaller enclosures and offered smaller size-appropriate prey items. It may take up to 6 months before the juveniles are sexable.