Defining Characteristics: 

• Nocturnal
• Easy to Care For
• Easy to Breed
• Interesting Colors and Pattern
• Visually Sexed Female (not guaranteed)

Name: Goniurosaurus hainanensis. Commonly known as the Chinese Cave Gecko, this easy to keep and breed species is also sometimes called the Hainan cave gecko.

Benefits from buying at Josh's Frogs:

• Exclusively fed on gutloaded dubia roaches - this means thicker tails and healthier animals.
• Cave geckos are 2 months or older. They are very robust for their age.
• CB from CB parents, from genetically diverse and colorful bloodlines.
• Bred by experienced herpetoculturists with a combined experience of over 10 years with the genus.
• Live arrival and health guarantee unsurpassed in the reptile industry.

Recommended Terrarium Size: A 10 gallon tank or 18x18x12 Exo Terra Glass Terrarium is suitable for 1-2 adults, but there’s nothing wrong with providing extra space. Josh's Frogs Coco Select works great as a substrate. Coco Fiber or a mix of sand and peat moss will work as well. Provide cork or other similar hides to make your gecko feel at home. Provide cork or other similar hides to make your gecko feel at home.

Looking for live plants to spice up your build? Check out our Chinese Cave Gecko Vivarium Plant Kit!

Temperature: Chinese Cave Geckos like it cooler - ideally, keep your geckos between 65 to 75F. They can tolerate temperatures up to 80F on occasion. Do not let your Chinese Cave Geckos get excessively warm, as high temps can quickly be lethal.

Humidity: Chinese cave geckos like it humid. Provide a water bowl, and mist frequently enough to maintain humidity between 55-65%. Substrate can be allowed to just dry out between mistings, and should not be bone dry or soaking wet.

Size: Adult Chinese Cave Geckos measure up to about 8.5 inches. At hatching, they measure approximately 3 inches. Juveniles sold by Josh's Frogs will be 2 months old or older.

Age: Chinese Cave Geckos can live for a pretty long time with proper care. Exact oldest age is unknown, but easily exceeds 10 years. These animals are 5+ months of age.

Feeding: Chinese Cave geckos are insectivores, and thrive on a staple diet of dubia roaches or crickets. Waxworms, black soldier fly larvae, butterworms, and the occasional mealworm make a great treat. At Josh’s Frogs, all of our Chinese Cave Geckos are fed exclusively dubia roaches gutloaded on our Roach Rations diet and thrive! All feeder insects should be dusted with a vitamin/mineral supplement, and fed using an escape proof bowl. A well fed gecko will have a fat tail. This fat reserve functions as a nutrient source during lean times.

Sexing: Sexing Chinese Cave geckos is fairly straightforward - males have visible bulges at the base of their tail. Animals are typically sexable by 5-6 months of age. These animals appear to be visually female.

Color/Pattern: These attractive geckos have a black/purple base color, with orange/yellow/white bands that crisscross their body. Most notable are their red eyes. Young animals tend to be more heavily banded. The bands become narrower and shift towards more yellow/white with age.

Social Behavior: Chinese Cave Geckos are fine housed alone. As juveniles, they can be housed in groups, but this may result in the occasional geckos losing its tail (no worries - it grows back!). Adults can be housed in groups, but no more than one male should be housed per enclosure.

Breeding: Breeding mature Chinese Cave Geckos is easy. Breeding season runs from February through September. Females will lay 2 eggs every 30-45 days during this period. The animals should be cooled from October through January. Males may be removed to give the females a break.

Natural Range: Chinese Cave Geckos are native to the Chinese Islands of Hainan and Cat Ba.

History in the Hobby: Chinese Cave Geckos have been available hit and miss since at least the 1990s. They've recently had a resurgence in popularity, as more and more people realize how easy and rewarding it is to care for these awesome geckos.

Links of Interest:

Chinese Cave Gecko Caresheet - a good basic care sheet for the Hainan Cave Gecko

GeckoTime - a great interview style care sheet on Cave Geckos 

Still not sure if Chinese Cave Geckos from Josh's Frogs are the right geckos for you? Read the reviews below and see what other customers are saying!