I’ve had my Gargoyle Gecko, Renfield, for about 2 years now, and I’ve always noticed that during the colder days he sleeps up in the false branches and vines I have set up for him. Alternatively, during the hot days that plague Wisconsin over the summer, he tends to run off to his hide on the ground to sleep.
It seems to me that his position is dependent on temperature, and humidity.
He also hasn’t been fired up in 1.5 weeks after I had to move him elsewhere for a few days while I went on vacation. Renfield has always been one to stress easily, so I’m assuming that’s the case. He calms down after a little while.
Any Gecko owners around these forums? Have you experienced similar things?
And YES, I did post on some reptile forums as well.
I had an iguana for thirteen years. Got her when she was about six weeks old. She was hand trained when I got her.
As she grew older, I increased the size of her tank. Her final enclosure was a 60 gallon aquarium with a large upper addition for climbing. The front was a clear plexiglass sliding door, the top was screened, but the two sides and the back were solid plywood.
Once I moved her into that new environment, she literally freaked out and I couldnt calm her down. I finally figured she was feeling trapped due to the unopen space. I cut the two sides and the back open and screened them in. Upon returning her, Iggy (of course, huh?) to the remodeled and more open space, she became her old self again (at that point she must have been about two years old). She just felt trapped and needed to be able to look around.
I hope this input helps. Sure do miss her. She was a wonderful companion. Used to take her camping every year. Yosemite, Big Sur…everywhere.
They are wonderful little companions. They make for some great photos, too.
Unfortunately Renfield turned out to be a male. I would like to have multiple gecko friends, and one day I will, but I can’t house two males together and a female would be put under stress if I merge it with a female too soon, plus I don’t want to risk the production of offspring.
If I was going to get more geckos I would go for two adult females which I could house together in a nice, large tank.
Also, how did you manage to take it camping? This peaks my curiosity.
We had a travel trailer and we kept a small aquarium for her to stay in. Throughout the day we could take her outside on a leash and she was able to warm up in the sun.
In the evenings, I would heat up a large first aide gel pack in hot water. It had a soft cover that the pack was able to slip into. Placing this in her aquarium, she was able to keep her belly warm which is critical for an iguana. Throughout the night, I would reheat the pad for her.
It was a bit of work, but there was no one home to care for her. Plus, when the tourists saw her, they all wanted pictures taken with her. She was quite the celebrity in Yosemite. It was also great fun to watch her swim in the river. Diving low and coming up to lay in the warm sand. A great friend to have around on a vacation or any time.
That’s brilliant. Sounds like a bit of work, but it clearly wasn’t too much. Personally I couldn’t trust myself to take a reptile out camping with me, but to each their own.
People who don’t own reptiles never really understand the small but certain friendship one can develop with their pet.
