rhacodactylus auriculatus

General Information

Gargoyle Geckos are native to the islands of New Caledonia, specifically found in the scrublands of the islands. Getting their common name from their traditional stone like appearance and horns on their heads, they also often freeze when the lights are on, like they’re truly made of stone. They are a mid sized gecko, adults ranging from 50-80 grams, and 8-9” in total length. They are a nocturnal species, meaning they will spend their whole day sleeping, and up at nighttime. A big reason they have become so popular is their handleability, they are far less flighty on average than the popular crested gecko, making them a great choice for beginner keepers.

Temperature and Humidity Needs

In New Caledonia, the summers are hot, muggy, wet, and partly cloudy; the winters are comfortable and mostly clear; and it is windy year-round. The natural temperatures of the islands are easy to replicate in a home terrarium environment, dropping down to the low-mid 60’s (F) at night, and mid 70’s to the mid 80’s during the day. These can vary seasonally, staying around 70-75 in their winter months, and 77-85 in their summer months, not so different from our home temperatures. Their hot and wet summers can be trickier to replicate, as the relative humidity is high, 60%-90% depending on rainfall and time of day, and winters where it is dry, it varies from 20%-50%. Raising relative humidity can mean using a naturalistic enclosure with substrate and live plants, and remember, wet doesn’t equate to relative humidity. 

Enclosure Size and Set Up

Due to Gargoyles being found in the scrublands instead of up in the trees, they’re considered semi-arboreal. They will utilize just as much ground space as vertical space and are most often found sleeping close to the ground in shrubs and under fallen wood. An absolute bare minimum for enclosure size for an adult would be an 18” x 18” x 18” enclosure, but bigger is always better. They need room for several cork rounds and half rounds, diagonal and vertical logs for climbing, as well as a food and water dish, and some plants for coverage. Substrate at least 2” deep, and this can consist of coco coir and/or peat moss, dried leaves and bark pieces, fir bark or coco bark pieces. These are solitary animals, and should be housed individually.

Lighting Requirements

We are big believers in providing natural light cycles for all animals, and the specific lighting requirements for your gargoyle will depend on your enclosure set up and your budget. If you have a bioactive or planted enclosure, we recommend both UV and LED lighting for the benefit of both the gecko and the plants/eco system in the enclosure. The strength of UV lighting will depend on the enclosure size, and lighting manufacturers will have guides for lighting recommendations for your enclosure size. Gargoyles are Ferguson Zone 1, meaning the have less UV needs that an animal more exposed to the sun for a longer period of time. We like to give our geckos variable photoperiods, with the lights being on for 10 hours during winter, 12 hours during spring and fall, and 14 hours during summer. They do not require heat lamps or red lights, and do not require lights at night. 

Diet, Feeding and Water Needs

Naturally, Gargoyle Geckos are opportunistic feeders leaning more towards carnivorous diet as opposed to a frugivores diet, eating insects, small lizards and invertebrates, as well as flowers, pollen, and fallen fruit. While we do use Meal Replacement Powder with gargoyles, it’s almost always the diets that contain insects as well. Additionally, we offer insects several times a week. Contrary to popular belief, New Caledonian Geckos do indeed eat insects, and some need them more than others, like Gargoyles. These feeder insects should be gut loaded appropriately and dusted with supplements.  We put their dishes in raised feeders on the ground, as they’re not as fond of climbing the glass for elevated food dishes. Contrary to yet another popular belief, they do need water dishes available, and will readily use them. Females during breeding season especially can dehydrate very easily. For supplements, it’s best practice to have 3 on hand, Calcium, Calcium w/D3, and a multivitamin, to be rotated every live insect feeding.