Kim Howell's Dwarf Gecko (Lygodactylus kimhowelli)

Kim Howell's Dwarf Gecko Lygodactylus kimhowelli
Name	Kim Howell's Dwarf Gecko
Name Lat.	Lygodactylus kimhowelli
Family	Geckos
Family lat.	Gekkonidae
Order	Scaled Reptiles
Order lat.	Squamata
Origin	Africa
Habitat	Forests
Diet	Insects, fruits
Humidity	60-80 %
Behavior	♂ territorial
Keeping	Individual, pair, harem
Care Level	Moderate
Reproduction	Oviparous
Housing	Semi-humid terrarium
Life Span	5 years
Protection	No
Metric Units
Size	9 cm
Temperature	26-28 °C
Temperature Local	35-40 °C
Housing Size	40 x 40 x 60 cm
US Units
Size	3.5"
Temperature	79-82 °F
Temperature Local	95-104 °F
Housing Size	15" x 15" x 25"

Distribution and habitat

The diurnal striped dwarf geckos occur exclusively (endemically) in a small area in northeastern Tanzania, between the border with Kenya and the port city of Tanga in Tanzania. There they live in the coastal forests on trees and palms and near settlements.

Maintenance

Minimum dimensions for the terrarium, according to the size and number of animals

1-2 animals

6KRL x 6KRL x 8KRL (L x W x H)

Head-torso length (KRL) is measured on the largest animal. For each additional animal, increase the footprint by 15%. A terrarium of e.g. 40 x 40 x 60 cm is recommended, which should be placed in a quiet and vibration-free place.

You need a terrarium with partly vertical climbing branches (bamboo) and branch hollows as well as plants, like Ficus, Bromeliads, Sindapsus etc. (hiding and shadow places), structured back and side walls (e.g. cork covering), a substrate of forest soil-peat mixture and a water basin (waterfall). The substrate should always be kept slightly moist. Several times a day the inside of the terrarium should be finely sprayed with water (humidity), but a rain or mist system is better.

Temp. day: 26-28 °C

Temp. night: 20-24 °C

Temp. local: up to 40 °C

Humidity: 60-80

Thermostatically controlled floor heating is recommended. Lighting duration must be 12-14 hrs depending on the season. They need high light intensity and daily UV irradiation as well as sunny places with radiant heat.

Diet

The food supply consists of live insects, such as crickets, house crickets, grasshoppers, cockroaches, zophobas and mealybug larvae, alternatively special ready-made food for geckos or insectivorous reptiles can be offered, supplemented with some fruit pulp and sweet fruits (e.g. bananas, papaya). Wax moths should rarely be fed in very small amounts due to their large fat content. Young animals should be offered food daily, adults 4-5 times a week. Regular addition of minerals and vitamins (dusting of feed) is important. Drinking water must always be available, but is preferably taken in drop form from leaves or furnishings. A regular and varied diet promotes health and prevents deficiency symptoms.

Reproduction and breeding

The male is intensely colored, has a thickened tail root and clearly visible preanal pores. Non-dominant males are suppressed and do not develop beautiful coloration.

The female sticks her hard-shelled eggs (2 pieces) to the decoration. The incubation period is 85-100 days at a temperature of 26 °C. Small insects such as fruit flies and micro crickets are suitable as initial food for the young. The life expectancy can be 5 years.

Important

They must not be held by their tails, which they can shed in case of danger. In most cases, no complete regeneration takes place.

Adult males are territorial and incompatible with each other. However, they can be kept in a group, one male with 2-3 females.

They are sun-loving and require appropriate basking sites

For the resting phase, shorten the lighting duration by 2-3 hours and lower the temperature by 3-4 °C for about two months.

With fruit and honey water as food for the feeders, their quality can be upgraded.

The terrarium must have good ventilation without drafts and meet the species specific needs. Measuring devices such as thermometers, hygrometers, etc. are necessary. The lighting has to correspond to the species-specific day-night rhythm and has to be placed in such a way that the animals cannot injure themselves. The terrarium should be locked in such a way that neither unauthorized persons can open it nor the animals can escape. Contamination must be removed regularly.

Further literature can be found in your pet store.

References

Text: petdata; Image: petdata

BMELV (1997): Tierschutzgutachten - Mindestanforderungen an die Haltung von Reptilien; BEATE RÖLL (2006): Zwerggeckos Lygodactylus, Natur und Tier-Verlag

• Gemäß § 21 Abs. 5 Tierschutzgesetz idgF