Rhacodactylus auriculatus
Gargoyle gecko
An arboreal enclosure with cork, branches, and cover.
Legal status
- Check local rules
Rhacodactylus auriculatus is not recorded here as listed in the CITES Appendices. No EU wildlife-trade annex was verified for this species, so the annex field is empty. It is not marked on the EU list of invasive alien species and it is not marked as venomous. National and regional rules can still restrict keeping. Check local rules before you keep, move, or rehome an animal. This record is not a permit and not legal advice.
Official sourceNot legal advice. Rules differ by country, and sometimes by region. Check the law that applies to you.
- Temperature
- 22–26°C
- UVB
- Ferguson zone 1. About 0.1–0.7. A strong basking lamp is not used.
- Humidity
- 60–80%
- Minimum enclosure
- About 45 × 45 × 60 cm, taller if you have the room
- Adult size
- About 15–20 cm including the tail.
- Lifespan
- Often 15–20 years.
- Difficulty
- beginner
Diet and feeding
A commercial crested-gecko diet most nights, plus a few insects for adults. Fresh diet most nights. Insects once or twice a week for adults.
Substrate
Paper, or a planted soil mix if the drainage is real.
Health
Dehydration, stuck shed on the toes, and metabolic bone disease if the diet is only fruit baby food.
Handling
They jump. Handle low over a soft surface, and do not pull the tail.
Husbandry ranges are general guidance for captive care, not a veterinary prescription or a permit. Confirm the gradient with your own thermometers. UV zones follow Baines et al., Journal of Zoo and Aquarium Research 4(1), 2016, https://www.jzar.org/jzar/article/view/150. Legal fields use the source link on this species and stay empty when an annex was not verified.