HISTORY:

Viper Geckos (Teratolepis fasciata) are from the Middle East and India region. They live in the rocky outcrop in the scrub land. These geckos are a small gecko species that can usually be found in small groups in the wild. They have a big carrot shaped tail that they use to store fat reserves. 

 

SIZE & LIFESPAN:

Viper Geckos are a small gecko. When they hatch out, they are smaller than a fingernail and weigh less than a grams. By the time they are full grown, they are  3-4 inches in total length and weigh between 5-7 grams. These geckos are very hardy and can live between 10 to 15 years with the proper care and set up.

 

DIET:

Viper Geckos are great eaters! They will eat a variety of bugs including: crickets, dubia roaches, and mealworms. We dust all prey items in a Calcium D3 supplement every other feeding. We also recommend placing worms or roaches in bowl to make sure the insects don't burrow into substrate. Give the gecko as many insects as it can eat in 15 minutes. We usually give the geckos about 8-10 insects each feeding. Be sure to feed the right sized insects. Baby geckos should be fed small mealworms and 1/4” crickets/dubia, whereas, adults can eat large mealworms and 3/8" crickets/dubia. Geckos should be offered food every 2-3 days during the warmer months and every 3-4 days during the wintertime.

 

HUMIDITY:

Viper Geckos need lower humidity. You want to keep the tank humidity between 30-40%. Typically your house humidity is good enough so that no additional devices are needed to raise the humidity. You will want to provide your gecko with a moist hide though. We usually put reptisoil or a mix of sphagnum moss, sand and peat moss in the moist hide. The moist hide is essential to make sure these geckos have a nice clean shed. 

 

WATER:

All geckos should be provided with a small, shallow water dish. Be sure the water dish is shallow enough so that the gecko can stand in it. If the water is too deep, there is a potential of the gecko drowning. When using water, be sure to either use spring water or tap water with dechlorinator added to it.

 

HOUSING:

Viper Geckos are a small gecko and require a 10 gallon enclosure. Viper Geckos are a communal species, so multiple geckos can be kept in an enclosure. We reccomend having 2.5 gallons per gecko, so a 10 gallon enclosure can house between 3-4 viper Geckos. 

 

BEDDING:

We reccomend either reptile sand or a sand/reptisoil mixture. Viper Geckos love to dig and do best on either of those mixtures. This species can be kept on an arid bioactive mix if you're wanting to make your enclosure bioactive. We reccomend using dwarf isopods with them. They will eat some of the isopods but typically will leave dwarf species alone. 

 

DECOR:

 Geckos should be provided with three hides, one moist (on the warm side), one on the cold side, and one on the warm side. We recommend putting either damp Reptisoil or sphagnum moss inside the moist hide to aid in shedding. We also use fabric leaves from craft stores for cover as well. Place them between hides to provide the gecko with cover so that it feels safe and secure in its habitat. Be sure to rinse off any new decor in case it has any chemical residue on it. Alongside those items, you can also provide these geckos with rocky outcrops. Be sure the rocks do not have any jagged edges. You don't want your gecko getting injured on sharp rocks. Viper Geckos will climb if given the opportunity. We recommend hammocks, bridges and coconut hides with bridges to give your gecko some good enrichment in their enclosure. 

 

HEAT & LIGHTING:

Viper Geckos need a warm and cold side in their tank. This is easily achieved by placing a heat mat or ceramic heat lamp on one side of the enclosure. Be sure any heat source is attached to a thermostat so that the heat is regulated. If you don't use a thermostat, the heat mat or lamp could easily get too hot and possibly burn your gecko. The hot spot should be around 90-92 degrees. A warm spot is essential for digestion. The cool side of the tank should be between 78-82 degrees. These geckos will self regulate their body temperature by moving between the cool and warm zones of the tank, so making sure the tank has a nice heat gradient is essential to a healthy, happy gecko. Although these geckos are nocturnal, they can benefit from a 6% UVB light if you want to provide them with one. We recommend the Arcadia shade dwellers for Viper Geckos. Be sure if you do provide the gecko with UVB, that there are enough hiding spots for the gecko to get away from the light if it wants to move away from the light source. I catch my viper Geckos coming out during the day to bask under the UVB all the time. 

 

HANDLING/TEMPERAMENT:

Viper Geckos are a bit spunky when young, but start to become more docile as they start to gain size. After your gecko has settled in, you can start handling them 2 times a week for 15 minute intervals. They geckos will get used to you very quickly and do not have a strong urge to run away from you.

 

CLEANING:

We recommend spot cleaning the cage at least once a week and doing a full bedding change and tank cleaning once a month. Every week look for poo, dead insects, shed, and food smears on the ground or glass and remove it from the enclosure. When cleaning the entire cage out, first remove all bedding and wipe down all surfaces with hot soapy water. Put the decor into a bucket with warm water & a capful of vinegar. Let it soak for 15 minutes & then rinse off the items & place them in bucket of hot water. Once the decor have soaked for 15 minutes, rinse them off again & then they are ready to go back into the tank once cleaning is complete. Then you want to be sure to disinfect the tank with either vinegar or a commercial reptile cleaning product. Once you have disinfected the tank, thoroughly rinse your tank out with hot water until it is free of any cleaning products.

 

SUPPLY LIST:

☐ 10 gallon tank

☐ Crickets, Mealworms or Dubia Roaches

☐ Calcium D3 Powder

☐ Ceramic Bowl for bugs

☐ Shallow water dish

☐ Dechlorinator

☐ Fake silk or plastic plants

☐ Moist Hide

☐ Dry Hide

☐ Reptisoil and Sand

☐ Digital Thermometer & Hygrometer

☐ Heat mat or Ceramic Heat Emitter

☐Thermostat