SpeciesGold dust day gecko
Gold dust day gecko
Phelsuma laticauda
The most approachable of the day geckos: bright green with golden dusting, active by day and constantly visible in a planted tank. It still cannot be handled: Its skin tears at the slightest grip.
- Group
- Gecko
- Level
- Beginner
- Origin
- Madagascar
Where the species comes from
- World region
- Madagascar
- Countries
- Northern Madagascar and the Comoros (Mayotte), introduced to Hawaii
- Habitat
- Banana plants, palms and house walls near the coast
The app does not yet hold an origin entry for this species. The distribution given here comes from the specialist literature.
The natural habitat is the yardstick for how you furnish an enclosure. Knowing where an animal comes from is knowing why it needs heat zones, hides and a particular humidity.
Husbandry at a glance
The same details appear in the animal’s profile inside the app.
- Enclosure
- Height before floor area, densely planted.
- Temperature
- Basking spot at 32 °C, ambient 26–28 °C, 20–22 °C at night.
- Humidity
- 60–80 %, mist in the morning, let it dry during the day.
- Lighting
- Strong UV-B: Day geckos absolutely need it. Twelve hours.
- Substrate
- Coco humus with moss.
- Furnishings
- Vertical bamboo tubes and cork tubes, broad-leaved plants. The bamboo is both sleeping place and egg-laying site.
- Water
- Droplets from leaves; plus a small dish.
- Feeding
- Insects two to three times a week, plus fruit puree and nectar. Keep calcium available at all times.
- Behaviour
- Diurnal, very agile, defends its territory firmly.
- Handling
- Do not handle. The skin tears when gripped and heals with scars.
- Cohabitation
- A pair. Two males fight until injury, and so do females among themselves.
- Health
- Calcium deficiency in females from frequent egg-laying: Offer a calcium source at all times.
- Seasonal cycle
- No winter rest: Madagascar and the Comoros. From May to September, a drier phase of eight to ten weeks with a night-time drop to 18–20 °C and shorter lighting. This break is important in day geckos, because otherwise the females lay eggs continuously and use up their calcium reserves.
- Safety
- No permit required. All Phelsuma species are CITES-protected.
Legal position in Switzerland
No permit foreseen
No permit required. The species does not belong to any of the groups listed in Art. 89 of the Swiss Animal Welfare Ordinance
No certificate of competence foreseen
No proof of competence required. It is only demanded for the animals named in Art. 89 of the Ordinance
Species protection applies
CITES Appendix II: Import and transfer only with papers. When buying, ask for proof of origin and captive breeding
Minimum enclosure dimensions
Annex 2, table 5 of the Animal Welfare Ordinance does not prescribe centimetres but multiples of body length. For this species, item 32 (Diurnal geckos): floor area 6 × 6 body lengths, height 8 body lengths. The floor area applies to at most two animals; each further animal requires an additional 2 × 2 body lengths.
For this group, body length means the snout-vent length, without the tail. The largest animal in the enclosure is what counts. The enclosure may not be smaller even if fewer animals live in it than the table names.
| Snout-vent length | At least |
|---|---|
| 4 cm | 24 × 24 × 32 cm |
| 5 cm | 30 × 30 × 40 cm |
| 6 cm | 36 × 36 × 48 cm |
Animals may temporarily be kept in smaller enclosures: for quarantine, for the treatment of illness and injury, for acclimatisation, for breeding and rearing, and for winter or cold dormancy or aestivation (preliminary remark D on reptiles).
This is the legal lower limit, not a recommendation. An enclosure that meets exactly these dimensions is permitted, but not good for that reason. The details under “Husbandry at a glance” describe how the enclosure should be furnished, not how small it may be.
What the enclosure must provide
Provide species-appropriate heat and light zones, UV-B where needed, suitable substrate, retreats, climbing or digging options, water and natural rest periods.
Paperwork
Keep the purchase contract and proof of origin. Use the scientific name to check CITES and import status reliably.
These details are a guide, not legal advice. Binding information comes from the cantonal veterinary office; the text of the ordinance is what counts. More on the legal position
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