Are Bibron Geckos Good Pets? (Or Too Viscous?)

If you are researching Bibron’s Geckos you may be wondering if they make suitable pets…

Are Bibron Geckos good pets?

Bibron’s Gecko lizards are good pets but they are more for experienced owners. Why? Because they are known for not being handled, quite fast and hard to control and can deliver a painful bite. So, not ideal for kids or novices. However, they are still good pets if you know what you are doing.

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So, now you know. But, how can you sex them? Will two males fight? How long do they typically live for? Keep reading for these answers, and much more…

How can you sex a Bibron’s gecko?

A Bibron’s Gecko.

These Bibron’s geckos are difficult to sex because they do not have any obvious physical traits. But, the male has a distinctly larger tail, larger head, and is known to be more aggressive. If it’s one lizard on its own it can be tricky.

If you have more than one, ideally a group of them, it can be a lot easy to see the size differences. But a group of them, on another hand, is quite challenging to manage.

Do Bibron’s geckos like to be handled?

These Bibron’s geckos do not like to be handled. They are not like Bearded Dragons, they are more for watching rather than being picked up and cuddled. If you are content to watch them from a distance, then they are ideal.

Will two male Bibron’s geckos get on?

Two or more male Bibron’s geckos are likely to fight. They are generally aggressive by nature. However, if you want more than one mixing one male with a couple of females should be fine.

When two males are put together they tend to compete. Especially if there is a female to fight over. So, best to keep them separated.

How long does it take for a Bibron’s Geckos eggs to hatch?

It can take 2-3 months for the Bibron’s eggs to hatch. Ideally, they will be incubated on sand that is dry. The eggs have quite hard shells but they are not that thick though.

How Long Do Bibron Gecko Lizards Live?

Like all other animals, Bibron Gecko Lizards tend to live longer in captivity as compared to the wilderness. This is due to the lack of predators as well as a carefully structured diet and environment that they do not get in the wild.

The Bibron’s Gecko has an average lifespan of about 5-8 years. Although these lizards require little in terms of care, it is still a crucial element when it comes to longevity and lifespan.

If you do provide proper care, the lifespan can even exceed 10 years. So, if you want your reptile buddy to live longer, we recommend you take extra care of it.

What do Bibron’s Geckos look like?

Although the Bibron’s Gecko may not be the most beautiful of lizards, it still is a modestly attractive one. You will find the skin to have black, grey, or brown bumps.

The skin itself is brown in color and has a rough texture due to the bumps and scales on the back. The brown color is broken by black stripes. The belly is white or brown. Although the adult has broken black lines on the back, the new hatchlings are born with more solid bands.

Adults can reach 4 to 9 inches of total length. As in most animals, the females are much shorter in length. However, you can easily distinguish between males and females by the white spots found on the backs of males.

The head is broad and the eyes may be yellow, brown, or grey. The gecko lacks eyelids and has vertical pupils. Its simple yet exotic beauty is sure to catch your attention!

Where are Bibron’s Geckos from?

The Bibron’s Gecko is a thick-toed lizard species of South African descent and is usually found in Savannahs, Steppes etcetera. They love to hide among rocky crevasses, cliffs, or other hiding places.

They can be defined as mostly arboreal as well as terrestrial since they climb trees and live on land as well. However, they are mostly found in trees. The lizards are found mostly near thatches of woods or thorns or near waterholes. The species is called a colonial species since it is found in groups as large as 20.

What is a Bibron’s Gecko Behavior Like?

The Bibron’s Gecko is found often in captivity, however, most folks tend to avoid them due to their aggressive nature. These reptiles are not afraid to bite you if you handle them poorly.

They are fairly anti-social and do not like to be picked up often. This may be due to their sensitive skin. So, if you do decide to pick them up, ensure you use both of your hands, and don’t forget to use gloves.

The species can be aggressive towards each other as well. It is best to keep the species alone or in pairs as males can often fight over dominance or another female. Females fight each other too, however, to a lesser extent.

What is a Bibron’s Gecko Diet?

The geckos are insectivores and will love to eat any type of bugs offered. In the wild, they often hunt on any type of bug they can easily overpower. However, their favorite insects are Crickets and mealworms.

So, we recommend you keep a healthy supply of these bugs at all times. However, you should also supply other bugs from time to time. You could offer canned insects as well, but, these lizards prefer to hunt and kill their own prey. You will seldom see them eating pre-killed insects.

The meal size should be 5  to 7 adult Crickets. We have noticed that they only need to eat every 3 to 4 days so, you do not have to worry about their meals quite often.

You can include other supplements as well. Calcium and Vitamin supplements are popular with most owners. However, these are not necessary. Rest assured, an insect diet can suffice for almost all nutrients they would normally need.

For water, do not use a water bowl. Instead, use a spray or a misting device that spreads water droplets on the surface of the rocks. The gecko normally hydrates itself by licking water off the rocks.

What is the best housing for a Bibron’s Gecko?

To help your gecko feel at home, ensure there are multiple hiding spots in the terrarium. These help the gecko feel more secure. The terrarium should be about 45 x 45 x 60 cm or 10 gallons and should be wide enough for an adult-sized gecko while babies can start with a 5-10 gallon tank.

This ensures they get sufficient exercise. If you wish to add more geckos, then you need to have 10 gallons more for each gecko. We recommend keeping a single male or female gecko as they are aggressive species.

Even when keeping a male and a female, the female might become egg bound over and over again. So, we recommend keeping them in a separate tank and only placing them together if you wish to breed them.

You can create lots of hiding spots by using stones and rocks. Ensure these places are accessible yet out of sight. These comfortable hiding places are necessary as the lizards are often more active during the night and love to hide during the day. However, we recommend that you glue down these places as they might shift and trap the gecko.

You can include live plants as well, however, we recommend using hardy and tough plants as the gecko, being an arboreal animal, might want to climb them. These can be Pothos Ivy, Sansevieria, and Philodendron.

You can use coarse or gravel beds for the terrarium as they provide a more rustic feel.

What are the best temperature and lighting conditions for a Bibron’s Gecko?

Geckos prefer a temperature of about 79-86 degrees F in the day while during the night time the temperature can dip to 64 degrees F. Remember, they need heat, that’s why lizards are not seen in the winter. A basking lamp should be provided to help reach the required temperatures and for lighting.

A basking lamp can help achieve temperatures greater than 90 Degrees F. You can turn the lamp off at night as these reptiles like to hunt in the dark, however, we recommend you don’t let the temperature fall below 60 degrees F.

Since these geckos are classified as ectotherms, they need an external heat source to stay alive. So, we recommend putting the basking lamp on one side of the tank. This allows your lizard to choose for itself the temperature it wants.

The photoperiod during the summers is about 12-14 hours while during the winters, it can be reduced to about 6 hours. You can achieve 40-50% humidity as well with a spray bottle or a misting device.

How easy is it to breed a Bibron’s Gecko?

These geckos are found so regularly in the wild, that it is not common practice to breed them. Most times you can find a new one right next door. However, if you do wish to breed them, the process is quite simple and easy.

All you need to do is place a male and about 3 females together in a 40-gallon tank. The temperatures during the night should be dropped to 68 degrees F. This is because nighttime is the preferred time for these reptiles to mate.

If courtship is successful, remove the male from the tank as it might continue mating with the females and cause them to become egg bound.

The females will start laying their eggs after a short period of time. The females usually lay about two clutches in a year and each clutch will have about two eggs. The eggs should be removed as quickly as possible as placed in an incubator. Incubation temperatures should be about 80-82 degrees F with about 60% of humidity. The eggs hatch about two months after they are laid.

Most often, the eggs do not make it. So, we recommend you keep trying until you get it right. Once the eggs are hatched, the new babies will be about 2 inches long and need to be cared for.

Is Bibron’s Gecko dangerous?

Well, Bibron’s gecko is relatively safe and nice. They will only bite if disturbed, grab their tail, or poked. We recommend you keep the kids away from them. These pets are best enjoyed by adults who have the patience to deal with them.

They do not like being handled or picked due to their sensitive skin. Their skin might tear if you’re not careful. So, we recommend being extra gentle and only rarely touching them or picking them up.

Otherwise, these can be one of the nicest pets to own. You can take our word on it!

Is Bibron’s Gecko ideal for beginners?

The Bibron’s Gecko is one of the easiest pets to handle. They only require feeding every 3-4 days. All you need to take care of is the temperature and humidity.

These pets do not require a lot of attention. They actually like it if you do not pay too much attention since they love hiding. You can easily have the lighting and temperature system automated in case you forget to set it at the right temperature.

These are best for beginners who wish to have a pet but do not want to shoulder too much responsibility. However, that does not mean that you leave the pet on its own. You still need to keep it hydrated and its environment suitable for it.

Conclusion:

Well, we hope that answers any questions or queries you had about these amazing reptiles. Now you can take care of them better than we did! All in all, these pets only need the slightest bit of attention and they’re good to go! No need to slave over them like the bigger pets.

This is why these pets hold a special place in our hearts. If you found the content useful, like, share, and subscribe so we can continue bringing forth such content!