While most of us like dogs and cats as our pet companions, other amazing animals can make our lives meaningful. One such adorable pet is the African fat-tailed gecko.

As the name suggests, these animals are mostly found in West Africa, around regions of Senegal and Nigeria, and extending to parts of Central Africa. They usually like spending time in dark and humid hiding spaces.

In this article, we provide a comprehensive fact-filled account of various aspects relating to these wonderful creatures, including their characteristics and behaviors, details of their enclosures, heating and lighting needs, diet and water requirements, common health problems, their causes, symptoms, and treatment, and more.

Let’s get started.

African Fat-tailed Gecko - Characteristics and Behaviors

Size

With a large head and stronger feet, African fat-tailed geckos exhibit a perfect body. The young ones are about 2 inches and gradually grow to 9 inches. Usually, the male geckos are larger with a broader head.

Life span

If the fat-tailed gecko is cared for well, it can survive 15-20 years as a pet.

Color

Usually, fat-tailed geckos have pale brown or tan skin covered with dark brown and tan stripes. Some have a thin white stripe on the back.

Eyelids

African fat-tailed geckos are one of the few geckos species with eyelids. These help them keep their eyes clean in dusty surroundings.

Behaviors and Temperament of African Fat-tailed Gecko

African fat-tailed geckos are somewhat shy yet human-friendly creatures. Over time, they can be tamed through regular contact. However, you must be aware of certain facts regarding this.

You must never constrain or try holding your gecko by its tail. As a part of their defense mechanism, the gecko detaches its tail. In such time, a new one regenerates but generally has a different appearance from the original one.

The tail is a vital part of their body as it serves multiple purposes. First, it stores fat and energy, allowing them to go several days without food. Second, they can easily drop their tail, which helps them protect against predators.

African fat-tailed gecko - Care Sheet

Check out the key guidelines to help take the best care of your African fat-tailed gecko.

Gecko Enclosures

When considering buying an gecko enclosure for your African fat-tailed gecko, the first point to remember is to ensure the right temperature gradient in the place. That said, a minimum size of 3x2x1.5 ft for the gecko cage with glass sliding doors and sufficiently large vents will be perfect. It’s important to note that fat-tailed gecko survives best in warm environments, so even a wooden vivarium will suffice well.

Ensure that all this heating and humidity goes from one side of the enclosure, and the other side serves as a great spot for your reptile pet to bask.

Yet another point is while you can house multiple female geckos with a single male, it’s not advisable to keep multiple male geckos in one enclosure as they will fight over the territory. This can lead to serious fighting, causing injury to them.

Reptile Heating needs

African fat-tailed geckos that live outside in forests absorb heat at 90 degrees Fahrenheit. In the case of your pet, it’s ideal to maintain this temperature in one-third of the enclosure while the remaining section can be kept at around 70 degrees Fahrenheit. You can use a basking lamp to achieve this. Place the bulb or lamp in the center area of the enclosure on the ceiling.

Remember, your African fat-tailed gecko can reach the ceiling, so it's important to keep the lamp surrounded by a guard. The baking lamp should be kept on for 10-12 hours a day.

Fat-tailed geckos are nocturnal, so you must keep the enclosure completely dark at night with the lamp switched off. That way, you can offer your pet a comfortable and happy night cycle.

In the case of wild geckos, they still will receive warmth at night from the heat radiated from rocks and bushes. To give your pet the same level of heat, you may use a device like a heating pad or heat mat. This mat releases the heat needed for the gecko and offers it a warmer surface on which to rest.

A thermostat that comes with the mat lets you keep the temperature under control. This ensures that the heat mat is automatically off during the daytime and starts radiating heat only at night when the temperature falls below 80 degrees Fahrenheit.

While thermostats do a wonderful job, you can always keep thermometers at either end. Both simple dial and digital probe thermometers will serve the purpose well.

Lighting needs

Your African fat-tailed gecko needs sufficient light in its enclosure to stay healthy. As these animals aren’t full-time basking species, there’s a need for a UVB light source. Nevertheless, a 2%-7% UVB light covering a small part of the cage will help your pet. UV tubes come in two sizes - T8 and T5.

While T8 lamps must be replaced every 6 months, T5 lamps last for nearly 12 months. In any case, make sure you mount the lamp on the ceiling, nearer to the warm end. This ensures an appropriate UV gradient and the right temperature gradient exist, making it a comfortable habitat for your reptile pal.

Decoration

The African fat-tailed gecko loves an environment with relatively low humidity and lots of branches and leaves to climb on. To create a more natural habitat, use a soil or clay mix. In contrast, you can offer a bio-active surface through soil rich in nutrients and some clay, with little sand.

Another interesting fact about your fat-tailed gecko is that it enjoys basking in both light emitted from basking lamps and light radiating from warm objects. Use rocks like slates to produce the desired effect or put artificial objects as decorations that can absorb and radiate the heat well.

You can decorate the enclosure either completely with artificial caves or partially with tall plants, bushes, or other similar structures.

Cleaning of the African fat-tailed gecko’s habitat

Maintaining a clean and properly disinfected habitat is a must for the healthy growth of your reptile friend.

As a rule of thumb, at least one spot must be cleaned every day, and the entire enclosure must be thoroughly cleaned once every four weeks.

Guidelines to ensuring a well-cleaned habitat for the fat-tailed gecko

• Clean the bedding or change it out a couple of times a year.
• Before cleaning, always remove all decorations, other objects, and your reptile pet from the enclosure.
• Next, spray a reptile-friendly disinfectant over the entire area and leave it as such for as long as specified in the instructions printed on the disinfectant packaging.
• After the time has passed, take a paper towel and wipe off the surfaces well.
• For other objects like decorations, you can use the same procedure with a minor variation—spray the disinfectant, set the objects aside for the instructed time, rinse them well with clean water, and allow them to dry.
• Once done, put the decorations and other objects back in the enclosure.
• It’s advised to perform the cleaning procedure during that time so that your African fat-tailed gecko gets some warmth before you switch off the basking lamp by night.
• Ensure you use a substrate like a paper towel or newspaper for cleaning.
• Never use sand as a substrate, as it might affect your pet’s digestion if it tries to consume it.

Diet  and water requirements

Besides an amazing habitat and sufficient heating and lighting, the most important elements contributing to your pet’s growth are nutritious food and fresh water.

African fat-tailed geckos are fond of worms, grubs, and crickets. The most recommended diet is to gut-load them with brown crickets. If your gecko doesn’t like them, offer a mix of black crickets and locusts. Besides, you can provide them with mealworms, silkworms, waxworms, and pinkie mice.

Points to keep in mind regarding your pet’s food requirements

• Geckos under 4 months must be given five crickets a day.
• Juveniles and adults must be fed with nine crickets three times a week.
• Provide mealworms or cockroaches only to mature geckos (12-18 months)
• Crickets can be left to roam in the enclosure.
• Mealworms must be kept in shallow containers or plates.
• Make sure the crickets are of the proper size and don’t affect your pet's swallowing process.
• Provide pinkie mice, silkworms, or waxworms only as supplements, as they are rich in fat.
• Ensure you gut-load the insects with items like baby cereals, dandelions, or leafy greens.
• Dust the food items with calcium powder in each feed and a vitamin supplement every week.

Always place sufficient fresh, cool water in a small or medium-sized dish in the enclosure. Sometimes, the gecko may drink, while at other times, it may bathe in cool water, as that helps to shed its skin. Further, the dish must be placed on the cooler side of the enclosure and ensure that the water doesn’t evaporate quickly.

Common health problems found in African fat-tailed gecko

To ensure your reptile pal is in pink health, just check out for these signals:

• Clear eyes
• Slender, muscular body
• Passes firm stools with a white urate
• Moves actively around the enclosure and when you hold it
• Looks alert
• Eats well
• Exhibits straight limbs and spine

Health issues, precautions and treatment of your fat-tailed gecko

Disease: Metabolic bone disease

Symptoms: rubbery bones, crippling deformities

Cause: Deficiency of calcium or Vitamin D3

Prevention: Ensure the enclosure receives good sunlight or UVB light. Include calcium powder and vitamin supplements in your pet’s food.

Treatment: Consult a vet.

Disease: Parasites

Symptoms: smelly feces, weight loss, bloated belly

Cause: Increase in parasites in their body

Treatment: Consult a vet. Keep the fat-tailed gecko’s environment disinfected.

Disease: Wounds/Injuries

Symptoms: Deep cuts and scratches on their body

Cause: Usually happens when two or more geckos are housed together. They fight, bite, and get injured.

Treatment: Consult a vet if the wound doesn’t heal.

Wrapping Up

African fat-tailed gecko is an adorable pet that can help you de-stress. However, you need to take proper care of your reptile pal to ensure it grows into a healthy adult. We hope the guidelines and facts outlined in the article will serve as a complete handbook, making sure you enjoy a great time while nurturing your gecko pet.