Australian Barking Gecko | Curious Creatures

Australian Barking Gecko Care

This document is for guidance only and should not be used as the sole source of information. New information is being developed regularly. It is recommended to find multiple sources of information before buying a pet.

CARE OVERVIEW

Common Name: Australian Barking Gecko

Scientific Name: Underwoodisaurus milii

Native to: Southern Australia

Size: 3-5 inches

Life span: 10-15 years

Difficulty Level: Intermediate

General appearance: They are members of the Gekkonidae– or Gecko family. Thick-tailed geckos are communal lizards native to Southern Australia. They are terrestrial geckos, or ground dwelling, from varied areas from wet coastal areas, leaf-covered forests, dry woodlands, to arid scrubland consisting of hard-pack sandy soil. They live in sheltered crevices in rocks or under loose bark at bases of trees. Thick-tailed geckos are “nocturnal,” hunting for food at night, and are generally less active during the day.

Enclosure: Barking Geckos are a smaller mid-sized gecko. We recommend a 10 gallon tank for babies and juveniles. A 20 gallon tank would be great for 1 to 3 adult geckos.

We like to put hatchlings in tubs, it makes the gecko feel safe, but you can also cover three sides of a tank to achieve the exact same effect. These geckos are best kept singularly when younger. If you do decide to try to cohab your geckos, be sure it's either a pair or two females. Males will fight and should never be kept together. When cohabbing, you want to keep an eye on both geckos. If you notice injury or weight loss in either gecko, separate immediately.

Heating and Lighting: Barking Geckos cannot tolerate the high temperatures that some other terrestrial geckos do. The ideal high temperatures are around 80-86 degrees on the hot side. The cool side should remain at room temp around 68-74 degrees.

Substrate: For hatchling geckos we use paper towels or butch paper. For our adults we recommend a mixture of peat moss, dirt and play sand. DO NOT USE CALCIUM SAND. We recommend removing any feces and stirring up your bedding once a week to make sure no mold growth occurs in your enclosure. These geckos also do great in bioactive enclosures.

Humidity:Barking Geckos require 50-60% humidity. We simply spray their tank lightly in the morning.

Handling: Barking Geckos are somewhat flighty and shy. They are not super quick but will not enjoy being handled frequently. Australian Barking Geckos will tolerate mild handling. When you must handle your gecko, keep your hands low and move slowly. Always handle your gecko with care, and never grab it by the tail. We usually wont handle our breeding adults, as we do not want to stress them out.

Diet: Barking Geckos will eat a variety of bugs including: crickets, dubia roaches and black soldier fly larvae. We dust all prey items in Calcium D3 twice a week feeding. Barking Geckos are nocturnal so you will most likely not witness them eating their insects. We usually give the geckos about 8-10 insects every 2-3 days.

A water bowl should be always accessible.

Maintenance: Spot clean the cage as needed. Full cage clean every 6 months or so. Water blows should be changed if dirty and washed thoroughly once to twice a week.