High Color Chinese Cave Gecko (Captive Bred) - Goniurosaurus hainanensis (Female)

Defining Characteristics:

Striking red eyes
Exceptionally BRIGHT colors and patterns
Nocturnal
Semi-arboreal
Visually sexed female (not guaranteed)

Name: Goniurosaurus hainanensis, the Chinese Cave Gecko, named for the areas to which they're native.

Benefits from buying at Josh's Frogs:

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 Enclosure Size & Setup: The guideline for enclosure size for primarily terrestrial gecko species is 6x3x3 SVL (what the heck does this mean?), so the minimum enclosure size for a single adult Chinese Cave Gecko is a 24x18x18 glass enclosure, however bigger is always better! A minimum of 36x18x18 is recommended for housing a pair. Females can be kept in pairs, while males should be kept solitary to avoid conflict. Males and females should be kept separate unless intended for breeding.

A tropical bioactive setup is strongly recommended for this species. A mixture of 60% ABG and 40% Coco Select works well to closely mimic their natural habitat, while mixing in sphagnum moss and leaf litter will help provide nutrients that plants and microfauna need to thrive. Substrate should be at least 2-3 inches deep, and a generous layer of leaf litter should also be added on top of the substrate. Isopods (such as dwarf whites, Dairy Cows or Powder Blues), springtails, and live tropical plants can be used to create a beautiful and bioactive tropical enclosure!

Cave geckos are a mainly terrestrial species but are also avid climbers, so they will need different kinds of shade/hiding opportunities available as well as climbing materials to encourage exercise and exploration. Cork flats, live tropical plants, and leaf litter work well as hides and will help your gecko feel safe and secure. Low climbing materials like rocks, cork branches, and cork tubes will encourage your gecko to climb and explore as well as promote their overall health and well being. Any climbing materials should be supported by the bottom of the enclosure instead of the substrate.

Temperature (°F) & Lighting: Because reptiles are cold blooded, they need a range of temperatures within their enclosure so they can regulate their own body temperature as needed. Areas of heat speed up their metabolism and promote activities like digestion and healing. Cool areas slow the metabolism and promote activities like rest and energy conservation.

Chinese Cave Geckos should be kept at ambient temperatures of 72-77°. A basking spot of 80-82° should be maintained during the day. In the wild, Cave Geckos warm up by finding a warm burrow or under a piece of fallen wood that has been warmed by the sun. Using an overhead heat source such as the Zoo Med Nano Halogen Heat Lamp used in conjunction with the Zoo Med Nano Dome Lamp Fixture placed over a hide works well to mimic how they would find heat in the wild. Heat rocks should not be used as they run the risk of burning your gecko.

Great care should be taken to prevent the enclosure from getting too hot as Chinese Cave Geckos are very vulnerable to heat stress, and consistent ambient temperatures above 82 degrees can be fatal. Ambient temperatures should be monitored with two digital thermometers placed on either end of the enclosure, and the basking spot should be monitored with an infrared temperature monitor. Heat sources should be turned off at night to facilitate natural nighttime temperature drops to around 68-72° and benefit your gecko’s overall health and well being.

UV lighting is strongly recommended. Not only will they synthesize D₃ from ambient UVB radiation and incidental exposure, but they will also use the UVA wavelengths visible to all reptiles to properly inform basking behavior and circadian rhythm. UV lighting should be focused on their basking site and feature Ferguson zone 1 levels of UV radiation. Animals should also be provided opportunities to escape from UV exposure throughout the rest of their enclosure.

Humidity: Chinese Cave Geckos are a tropical species and require an ambient humidity of 50-90%, with levels leaning towards the lower side during the day and to the higher side overnight. Great care should be taken to ensure ambient humidity doesn’t drop below 60% for extended periods of time, as this can prove fatal. Ambient humidity can be monitored with a digital hygrometer.

This species should be misted once in the morning and once in the evening, possibly once in the middle of the day, with the goal of raising humidity and providing droplets of water on the walls of the enclosure from which the geckos may drink, as well as maintaining proper moisture levels in the substrate. To make things easier, a Mist King can be installed as an alternative to hand misting. The enclosure should have enough ventilation so that the surface dries within a few hours of misting. A fogger or humidifier can be helpful in maintaining higher humidity during the nighttime.

Providing a humid microclimate in the form of a humid hide is important to facilitate shedding, and this is easily done by creating an enclosed space containing moist sphagnum moss, or wetting down substrate underneath a hide. One or more humid hides should be provided in the middle and/or cooler sides of the enclosure at all times. A shallow water dish is recommended.

Size: Adult Chinese Cave Geckos are typically 8-9 inches long, with hatchlings measuring about 3 inches.

Age: Chinese Cave Geckos can live 10-12+ years with proper husbandry. These animals are 5+ months of age.

Feeding: Chinese Cave Geckos are insectivores and will thrive on a varied diet of feeder insects. Caves can handle feeder insects around an inch, with juveniles favoring smaller prey items, and slowly favoring larger prey items as they age. Caves should be kept on a staple rotation of crickets, dubia roaches, and discoid roaches. Mealworms, hornworms, silkworms and black soldier fly larvae make excellent treats, but should only be offered occasionally.

All feeder insects should be gutloaded and dusted with vitamin/mineral supplements; we recommend Repashy Calcium Plus LoD when provided proper UV lighting, but if not, Repashy Calcium Plus should be provided to account for the lack of natural vitamin D₃ generation.

Sexing: Sexing Chinese Cave geckos is fairly straightforward—males will exhibit conspicuous hemipenal 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: Josh's Frogs recommends housing Chinese Cave Geckos separately. Pairs can be maintained successfully with large, specialized setups, but within a small setup, it’s best to keep them alone, although a pair of adult females can successfully be housed together within at least a 36x18x18 enclosure with multiple hides. No more than one male should be housed per enclosure.

Always keep an eye on animals housed in groups, and separate if necessary.

Chinese Cave Geckos are nocturnal and are typically more of a display animal, but can be acclimated to taking food from feeding tongs or even fingers!.

Breeding: Breeding season runs from February through September. Females will typically lay 2 eggs every 30-45 days during this period. The animals should be cooled from October through January, and males should be removed during this time to give the females a break.

Natural Range: Chinese Cave Geckos are native to rainforests in the Hainan Island in China. They are typically found in rock formations and caves near bodies of moving water.

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 rewarding it is to care for these awesome geckos.

Links of Interest:

Josh's Frogs