The Panther Gecko

Here is a caresheet on a cute and small gecko, good for begginer gecko owners, the Panther Gecko.

 

 

 



HABITAT:  The Panther Gecko (also known as the Madagascar Ground Gecko) is native to the island of Madagascar dwelling on the leaf littered forest floor.  The Panther Gecko stays fairly small (6 inches) so a tank larger than 10 gallons is not needed for a single but bigger is needed for multiple(no more than one male).  Even though Panther Geckos do have toe pads the rarely climb the sides of the tank, but a screen is highly recommended so you don't lose your gecko.  Orchid bark is a very good substrate because it helps keep humidity at the right level and it's to big for them to swallow, stopping impaction.  There should always be at least one leafy spot in the tank and a hide on each side of the tank.

 

 

 

 

HEATING, LIGHTING AND HUMIDITY:  Panther Geckos are nocturnal so no UV lighting is required.  There should always be a warm side and a cool side in the tank.  The warm side should stay at about 85 degrees Fahrenheit and the cool side should be at about 75 degrees Fahrenheit.  And at night the whole tank can drop to 75 degrees Fahrenheit.  The humidity should stay between 50-70%, this can be achieved by misting the tank twice a day.

 

 

 

 

FOOD AND WATER:  The Panther Geckos diet consists mainly of crickets but a small treat of mealworms will usually not be turned down.  There should always be some sort of water dish a dehydrated gecko is not good.

 

 

 

 

SEXING:  Males have predominant bulges at the base of their tail and are generally longer and bulkier than females.

 

 

                                            Sorry but I don't have an image here for you.

 

 

 

Below are some pictures a Panther Gecko and an ideal setup.

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 FUN FACTS:  The Panther Gecko has many different names:  The Pictus Gecko, The Ocelot Gecko, The Madagascar Ground Gecko,  Malagasy Fat Tailed Gecko and The Panther Gecko. 

 

 

 

 

Gecko Toe Pads

Geckos toes are not suction cups or sticky like tape. Geckos actually have microscopic hairs on their lamellae called Setae and those hairs split into even smaller hairs called Spatulae that touch the surface and engage intermolecular van der Waals forces. Together, the 6.5 million setae on a 50-gram gecko generate enough force to support the weight of two people.

Below are some pictures, a definition of van der Waals forces and some other facts about geckos toes.

Van der Waals force is the sum of the attractive or repulsive forces between molecules (or between parts of the same molecule) other than those due to covalent bonds, the hydrogen bonds, or the electrostatic interaction of ions with one another or with neutral molecules.  The term includes:

• Force between two permanent dipoles (Keesom force)
• Force between a permanent dipole and a corresponding induced dipole (Debye force)
• Force between two instantaneously induced dipoles (London dispersion force).

 

 

·         Geckos adhere to just about any surface, wet or dry, smooth or rough, hard or soft.

·         Gecko adhesion is unique in that it is self-cleaning during repeated use.

·         Gecko adhesion can be mechanically switched on and off. Sliding against a surface uncurls the seta to engage the adhesive. By relaxing sliding tension, the adhesive can be released.

·         Geckos detach their toes by hyperextending their toes as shown below.