The Gargoyle Gecko is native to New Caledonia. This is a chain of islands located over 3,000km off the eastern coast of Australia. The bumps on their heads give the appearance of horns. This resembles the horns on a Gargoyle, hence their name.
The islands of New Caledonia, which is home to the Gargoyle Gecko, is also home to other popular species of lizard such as the Crested Gecko and the New Caledonia Giant Gecko.
Gargoyle Gecko Taxonomy
The scientific name for the Gargoyle Gecko is Rhacodactylus auriculatus. This species of lizard belongs to the sub-order Gekkota, or Geckos. This order consists of well over 1,000 species.
There classification can be broken down much further. They belong to the Rhacodactylus genus of the Diplodactylidae family. This is a family of lizards native to Australia, New Zealand and other surrounding islands.
The Rhacodactylus genus only consists of four lizards. These are all native to the island chains that make up New Caledonia. Additional species were included in this genus but have recently been removed and placed elsewhere. This included the famous Crested Gecko.
The 4 species that remain part of the Rhacodactylus genus are:
- Gargoyle Gecko, (Rhacodactylus auriculatus).
- New Caledonia Giant Gecko, (Rhacodactylus leachianus).
- Greater Rough-Snouted Giant Gecko, (Rhacodactylus trachyrhynchus).
- Lesser Rough-Snouted Giant Gecko, (Rhacodactylus trachycephalus).
Description
The most distinctive characteristic of a Gargoyle Gecko is the ‘horns’ on its head. This is often described as resembling the ears or the horns of a gargoyle. In fact, its scientific name ‘auriculatus’ means ears in Latin.
They have a prehensile tail that can regenerate if it is lost along with small toe pads. In terms of colouration, they can vary greatly from shades of grey, brown, white, yellow, orange, and red.
Their pattern can vary greatly but generally consists of stripes, bands, and mottling than can run the length of the lizard. They are the smallest species of Rhacodactylus Gecko, growing to lengths of about 7-8 inches.
Feeding a Gargoyle Gecko
Like the Crested Gecko, a Gargoyle Gecko feeds primarily on a varied diet of fruit and insects in the wild. Their diet should consist primarily of fruit mix. Commercially available Crested Gecko Fruit mix is perfect for these lizards. This mixture comes in powder form and can be mixed with water and offered in a small plastic feeding cup.
You can offer the fruit mix daily. Make up a batch at night and leave it in the lizard’s cage. Uneaten mixture should be removed and discarded the following morning.
You should supplement their diet with the occasional feeding of insects. These can be offered once a week. You can vary the insects you offer. Gargoyle Geckos will often accept Crickets. Some of these lizards will refuse to eat insects.
If this is the case, feed them a permanent diet of Fruit mixture. This should be supplemented with the appropriate calcium/vitamin supplements to ensure the lizard is getting all the nutrients they need.
A clean water bowl is vital at all times as these lizards can dehydrate quickly. They will also drink water droplets from the cage walls or branches after misting.
Gargoyle Gecko Housing
These lizards are primarily an arboreal species so height is an important factor when it comes to their enclosure. They will also spend time on the floor so you will also need to give them an adequate amount of floor space.
A single adult Gargoyle Gecko can be housed in a 12”x12”x18” enclosure. A pair will need to be given more space, we recommend at least an 18”x18”x 24” enclosure for a pair.
It is not recommended to house a group of juveniles in the same enclosure. These lizards can be very territorial and they may fight, especially as they begin to mature. You should also never keep two adult males in the same tank.
Females have also been known to show aggression towards other females so it is recommended to keep these lizards in a pair, with one male and one female in each tank. If you choose to keep a trio, you need to ensure there is enough space for the lizards to feel secure and monitor their behaviour carefully.
Height is an important factor in a Gargoyle Gecko enclosure. They should have plenty of items to climb on such as plants, branches, cork bark etc.
Light and Heat
As the Gargoyle Gecko comes from a subtropical region, they should be kept at temperatures of around 75F. These lizards live in dense jungle where the shade prevents it from getting too warm.
While they can tolerate higher temperatures for small periods of time, they should never be kept above 85F. Similar to other species found in the region, if the Gargoyle Gecko is kept at excessively warm temperatures it could die.
Like the Crested Gecko, it isn’t always necessary to have a heat source for these lizards. If you have a reptile room that is being kept warm from other heat lamps or you live in a warm climate, you may not need any additional heat.
As these lizards live in the dense jungle of New Caledonia, they do not require any special lighting such as UVB. Their UV index of the sun does not penetrate through the large canopy of the rainforest meaning they do not receive large quantities of UV in the wild.
If you do choose to include lighting in your enclosure, ensure to turn it off at night. This is to ensure that the lizards are subjected to a proper day/night cycle.
Gargoyle Gecko Substrate
These lizards like high humidity. The substrate that you choose can play an important role to ensure that the humidity is correct. Humidity plays an important role in making sure that these geckos are hydrated and able to shed their skin properly.
You should aim for a humidity level of around 60-70%. This can be achieved by misting the cage daily. If you live in an area with low humidity, you may need to mist more frequently.
Substrates that are good for maintaining high levels of humidity include Eco Earth and Coco Fibre. These substrates are great for live plants also which would be very beneficial for a Gargoyle Gecko.
Handling a Gargoyle Gecko
You should refrain from handling a new Gargoyle Gecko until it has had time to acclimatise to its new surroundings. This is to reduce unnecessary stress and ensure the animal settles in and eats well.
Handling sessions should remain short. Try to aim for no more than five minutes as this causes stress in the animal. These lizards can be very flighty, especially babies. Keep in mind that juvenile Gargoyle Geckos are known to bite when startled or scared. This tendency usually fades as they mature but this is only when handled regularly.
Gargoyle Gecko Breeding
The first step to successful breeding is to ensure that you have a male and female. This can be a little trickier than sexing Crested Geckos, as both the male and female can have a slight bulge at the base of the tail. However, this bulge is noticeably larger in males.
Once a pair of Gargoyle Geckos are kept together they will usually readily breed as long as they are healthy and their environment is correct. In captivity, these Geckos can breed year round but it is important to remove the male for a couple of months each year to give the female a rest.
Females will lay 2 eggs every 30-45 days. If you are using a ‘digging’ substrate such as Coco Fiber in your enclosure, the eggs will be deposited here. If not, you will need to provide a nesting box with a damp substrate in order for her to lay her eggs.