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African Fat-Tailed Gecko - Caramel Albino
Hemitheconyx caudicinctus
A T-positive albinism strain. Unlike the fluorescent orange of standard albinos, the Caramel morph retains subtle dark pigments, showing warm toasted cream and caramel tones.
Class:Squamata
Order:Squamata
Family:Eublepharidae
Genus:Hemitheconyx
Species:Hemitheconyx caudicinctus*
* Caramel Albino
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Environment
Terrestrial
Humidity
50 - 70 %
Day temperature
30 - 32 °C
Ambient temperature
26 °C
Night temperature
22 - 24 °C
Basking spot
32 °C
Adult size
16 cm
Minimum enclosure
>= 60 L
UVB
Non necessario / Basso
Species description
Geographical Origin and Habitat: Native to the dry savannas, arid riverbeds, and open woodlands of West Africa, spanning countries such as Senegal, Nigeria, and Togo. Unlike the rock-dwelling leopard gecko, they live in warm, humid microhabitats, sheltering during the day inside abandoned termite mounds or deep underground burrows to escape the sun.
Taxonomy and Genetics: Belongs to the family Eublepharidae. The 'Amelanistic' (or Albino) morph is a recessive genetic trait that completely removes melanin, replacing the dark bands with orange, peach, or light brown. They possess functional eyelids and lack adhesive pads.
Behavior and Habits: Extremely docile, calm, and slow-moving. They are crepuscular and nocturnal, spending the day resting and emerging at night to hunt. They have a strong digging instinct, using their snout and limbs to excavate shallow retreats in damp soil.
Morphology: A stocky reptile growing up to 18-22 cm in length. They are characterized by a large, rounded head and a thick, bulbous tail that stores fat and water. Males are heavier, with wider heads, visible preanal pores, and prominent hemipenal bulges at the tail base.
Care, breeding and tankmates
Terrarium Setup: Provide a horizontal terrarium (minimum 90x45x45 cm for an adult). A deep, burrowing substrate (8-10 cm) composed of a damp soil and coconut fiber mix is essential. Include multiple hiding places, especially a humid hide filled with damp sphagnum moss to assist with shedding.
Lighting and Heating: Provide a thermal gradient with a warm side of 30-32°C and a cool side of 24°C, dropping to 22-24°C at night. Heat can be provided using a thermostat-controlled heat mat or overhead halogen lamp. Provide low-intensity UVB lighting (5% UVB) to support vitamin D3 synthesis.
Humidity and Hydration: Maintain ambient humidity at 50-65%. Spray the warm hide and substrate regularly to keep the lower layers damp. Provide a shallow dish with fresh, clean water at all times.
Feeding and Supplementation: Strictly insectivorous. They feed primarily on live crickets, dubia roaches, and mealworms. Dust prey items with pure calcium powder at every feeding, and add calcium with D3 and multivitamins once or twice a week.
Compatibility: Best housed individually. Males are strictly territorial and must never be housed together. A single male may be kept with multiple females in a large enclosure, but separate housing is recommended.
Health and Common Diseases: Prone to dysecdysis (incomplete shedding), which can lead to toe necrosis if humidity is too low. Metabolic bone disease (MBD) can occur without proper calcium and UVB supplementation. They may drop their tail (autotomy) if grabbed.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Native to the dry savannas, arid riverbeds, and open woodlands of West Africa, spanning countries such as Senegal, Nigeria, and Togo. Unlike the rock-dwelling leopard gecko, they live in warm, humid microhabitats, sheltering during the day inside abandoned termite mounds or deep underground burrows to escape the sun.
Origin
Selective breeding and cultivarsAfrica and Madagascar
Reptile profile
- Diet
- No verified data available
- Life expectancy
- No verified data available
- Adult size
- 16 cm
- Lifestyle/Microhabitat
- No verified data available
- Activity cycle
- No verified data available
- Sociality
- No verified data available
- Reproduction
- No verified data available
- Handling tolerance
- No verified data available
- Brumation
- No verified data available
- Molting
- No verified data available
The catalog's scalar value is 16 cm. The ReptTraits v1.2 source reports a maximum adult measurement of 16 cm for this species, recorded as snout–vent length (SVL). These figures are not interchangeable: the first is the profile's editorial reference, whereas the second is a published maximum under a specific measurement convention; differences among sources can reflect sex, population, life stage and measuring method.
Image gallery
Licensed images linked to the species or, when marked, to the closest representative taxon.
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