Geckos are soft, gentle and intelligent creatures that make great pets.
They’re straightforward to look after with just a few simple routines to follow:
Make sure your gecko has enough space in its tank (a 20-gallon tank is acceptable for one adult gecko).
Feed them once a day or every two days, depending on what they eat.
Put some fresh water in the tank each day, and you’ll be set!
Geckos are fascinating animals that can live up to 15 years if cared for properly.
If you still have questions about these beautiful creatures, this blog post will give you ten facts about geckos as pets UK.
Ten gecko facts you need to know
1) Geckos can change colour, which they do by changing their skin cells.
They can also switch to match the colour of any surface they are on – geckos are masters of camouflage!
2) If geckos are handled often and not introduced to heat, they may not want to eat.
Geckos should never be housed with other geckos if they don’t get along or if one is aggressive.
3) Gecko pets make great companions for people with allergies as they only need feeding fruit once a week.
Geckos are small and easy to handle, which also makes them ideal for children.
4) A gecko’s nails can grow up to 2 inches.
Geckos are nocturnal hunters meaning they sleep during the day and come out at night.
5) Geckos have big toe pads, which means they can easily walk on smooth surfaces like ceilings or glass with ease.
Gecko pets make great escape artists, so they must be kept in an escape-proof tank.
6) Geckos shed their skin every few weeks, geckos don’t need a specific diet, but they do need fruit such as chopped apples or bananas once a week so they can have enough vitamin C.
7) If you have more than one gecko in the tank, make sure to house them separately when feeding – geckos should not be housed with other geckos that are incompatible.
Gecko pets should also be kept away from other animals and children since geckos may bite.
8 ) Geckos will eat anything small enough to get their jaws around (i.e. crickets, mealworms or even smaller lizards).
Gecko pet care also includes making sure your gecko has everything it needs to thrive – geckos need fresh water, a tank with enough space and a hiding place.
9) Geckos are nocturnal animals which means they sleep all day and come out at night to hunt food.
Gecko pets will shed their skin every two weeks or so, depending on the species of gecko.
Gecko pet care also includes ensuring your gecko is getting enough vitamin C through fruit like bananas or apples.
10) If kept inside, geckos can live up to 15 years.
If you still have questions about geckos as pets UK, please ask us in the comments section below!
Geckos are the second most popular pet in the UK.
Since 2005, the popularity of gecko has been slowly increasing.
The UK pet survey in 2013 showed that they were the second most popular pet species in the country.
Ownership of exotic pets is generally frowned upon in the UK, so this is quite an unusual thing to occur.
Despite having been recorded as being used by humans for thousands of years, we still know very little about them and how they communicate with other geckos.
They are thought to use several different scent-based communication methods, from body odour and smell through pheromones (chemicals produced by a species), to leave chemical messages between each other that can be detected over great distances.
Odours can communicate different things, such as mating readiness or territoriality; like when you tell someone you are pissed off at them by using bad language!
Gecko’s case is linked to sex drive but not necessarily the size/number of sex organs!
The researchers at Oxford University wanted to test if females could communicate their sex drive to other female geckos to prevent conflict and competition for resources.
This is because when breeding, females compete for food with each other. Food can be scarce in the wild.
Therefore, the number of eggs a female can produce may drop if she does not get enough food, which will impact her offspring too, who will not receive as many nutrients.
The scientists wanted to see how this was achieved by looking at pheromones – chemicals released from the skin that convey information about specific qualities (in this case, sex drive) or identity; think about it like scent marking your territory.
They’re fairly easy to care for.
A gecko is an easy pet to care for. They don’t need a lot of attention or grooming.
Geckos are also not expensive, and they last a long time.
Some of the more significant types could live over ten years.
They need a place to sleep, and they don’t need any special toys.
Little crickets are one of their favourite treats.
The only real work you’ll need to do is provide food and water for your pet gecko each day.
They can drink from a surface like a countertop or a window seal.
It’s best not to give them fresh fruits and vegetables, though, as these may cause an upset stomach if ingested too quickly.
Try giving them seedless grapes instead, or pieces of fruit that have been peeled into thin slices with seeds removed first (like melon).
They will eat dog food, especially puppy chow, in small amounts occasionally.
The dog food contains fat which helps a gecko’s skin and bones.
They need a place to sleep at night so they can hide away from predators and other animals.
They don’t always like to have company, though, as most are solitary creatures by nature.
So you can put them in their special tank or build a box for them out of wood or plastic if they want to be alone at night.
This way, you won’t disturb them when you clean their cage during the day, and they will enjoy some privacy while sleeping too.
Geckos come in different colours, shapes and sizes… not just one kind.
There are more than 1,000 types of geckos around the world today! The lizards can be found in warm climates all over the globe.
Most of them share a few common features. They are small, with smooth skin and move unusually when compared to other lizards.
No matter what type of gecko you choose as a pet, they’re fairly easy to take care of.
You’ll find that their personalities tend to be quite independent, though.
They come in many different shapes and sizes.
Geckos come in many different shapes and sizes, but there are only about 20 species of geckos worldwide.
They are found in diverse habitats, from deserts to rainforests.
All geckos have several details that are distinctive to their species.
Geckos may be considered harmless animals, but they do have predators such as large spiders and birds.
They also lose their skin every three weeks, so geckos need a moist environment at all times so they can keep their skin moistened.
Many species do this by living on the water.
Gecko feet are also very unique compared to other types of animals.
They have sticky pads that allow them to cling onto the ceiling and walls when they are moving around, while many other animals cannot move around like that.
On the bottom of their feet, there is a set of claws that stick out of the bottom.
They have scales on top as well, so if one were trying to grab a gecko, it would be tough because the gecko’s scales will slip away from your hand.
Geckos have sticky feet.
Geckos have sticky feet that allow them to climb up walls and even hang upside down from ceilings.
Geckos are the largest group of lizards.
They live in warm climates and eat insects, worms, and sometimes other small lizards.
Their sticky feet help them to stay on narrow branches, rocks, or the walls of caves.
They have millions of tiny hair-like projections called setae that cover their soles.
These microscopic bristles are about four times finer than a human’s hair.
They are so small that they can’t even be seen with the naked eye. However, each bristle has its adhesive cup at the end, which allows it to stick to most surfaces and enables geckos to climb up walls and hang upside down from ceilings without using their hands!
Only one appendage is needed for clinging onto a surface, but two work better (you don’t usually see feet used as hand substitutes).
Geckos live in warm climates where insects are abundant.
They are nocturnal and will hunt at night.
Geckos do not bite humans, and most species of geckos found in Australia are not poisonous.
Geckos are one of the few animals that can drop their tail when being hunted by a predator or caught by a human.
The tail will continue to wiggle after being separated from its body, which distracts the attacker/predator while the gecko runs away!
This is called autotomous regeneration because the tail can regenerate into a new one within three months…one for each day – cool, huh?
Most lizards can also grow back missing tails, but it takes longer for them to do so (6-9 months).
Conclusion
Geckos are the second most popular pet in the UK.
They’re fairly easy to care for and come in many different shapes, sizes, colours and patterns.
Some gecko facts you need to know include their sticky feet, which is how they climb up walls without getting caught on objects or surfaces like ceilings!
If you want a new type of pet to keep at home, then consider these little lizards as an option.
