Elegant dune gecko

Elegant dune gecko

(Stenodactylus sthenodactylus) 

Dwarf sand geckos are a pleasure to care for in captivity as they are easy to maintain and interesting to watch.

Also known as dwarf sand geckos and short-fingered geckos, these geckos have a white bellies while their backs display beige and brown colors

Max size They reach a maximum size of 2-3", males are small and slender compared to females

Day temperature provide a daytime temperature of 24-29C with the basking area at around 35C.

Night temperature night time temperature should drop to around 19-24C this can be achieved with night lamps or heat mats if needed

Humidity 40-50%

Lighting crepuscular species still require lighting to help the animals biorythm and using low level UVB will help with their day and night cycle as well as providing any UVB they may or may not need (a very debated topic within the hobby)

Housing Due to their small size up to 3 adult geckos can be housed in a 30x30x30cm enclosure, with larger sized enclosures housing more animals. Male and females of this species can be housed together with no issues, provided enough space and food are provided.

Dune geckos are largely terrestrial and love digging. Sand, such as Leo life, is the ideal substrate for this species. As long as the animals are kept healthy and temperatures are correct, impaction is not a risk. The substrate should be spot cleaned once a week.

This species is nocturnal and will hide under cork bark and driftwood etc, Make sure that any items placed on the substrate are light; these geckos will dig under everything. If heavier items are used like slate, then they must be supported by the bottom of the enclosure instead of just the sand to avoid collapse over a digging animal.

Diet Dune geckos are insectivores and thrive on a diet such as crickets, small meal worms, small cockroaches, wax worms and small locusts with calcium powder lightly dusted.

A shallow water dish can be provided but is not necessary with consistent misting. This species should be heavily misted once or twice a week, with the goal of providing droplets of water on the walls of the enclosure from which the geckos will drink. The enclosure should have enough ventilation such that it dries out within a few hours of misting

Handling the dune gecko should not be handled too often as it stresses them and can cause severe health problem. They sometimes appear to be slow but can be extremely fast. Unlike other geckos they can not climb up smooth surfaces.

Lifespan Up to 7 years

Sexing  Elegant dune geckos can be sexed fairly easily as males will have visible bulges at the base of their tail and females will not

Breeding males and females can be housed together. A brumation period in the winter is recommended to incite breeding. Females will lay two eggs in the substrate every 2-3 weeks, which can be carefully removed and incubated. Eggs will hatch within 60-80 days

Russell McRae