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Yellow-headed Dwarf Gecko
Lygodactylus picturatus
A small diurnal dwarf gecko from East Africa, males feature bright yellow heads and bluish bodies. It is highly active, arboreal, and thrives in vertical terrariums with thin branches.
Class:Squamata
Order:Squamata
Family:Gekkonidae
Genus:Lygodactylus
Species:Lygodactylus picturatus
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Environment
Terrestrial
Humidity
50 - 70 %
Day temperature
25 - 28 °C
Ambient temperature
24 °C
Night temperature
18 - 22 °C
Basking spot
32 - 35 °C
Adult size
4.25 cm
Minimum enclosure
>= 30 L
UVB
Basso
Species description
Geographical Origin and Habitat: Native to East Africa, inhabiting wooded savannas, dry open forests, and frequently human structures like fences or stone walls. It is a diurnal, arboreal gecko that prefers sunny tree trunks.
Taxonomy and Genetics: A dwarf gecko reaching 8-9 cm in total length. The body is greyish-blue or light brown, but adult males feature a striking bright yellow or mustard-orange head. The toes are equipped with adhesive pads that allow them to scale vertical glass and smooth branches.
Behavior and Habits: Highly active and strictly diurnal. Males display complex territorial and courtship behaviors, performing rapid head-bobbing and body-waving displays to attract females and ward off rivals along the branches.
Morphology: Sexual dimorphism is distinct: only adult males display the bright yellow or orange head and a yellow belly. Females and juveniles remain a dull, cryptically colored greyish-brown to blend with tree bark.
Care, breeding and tankmates
Terrarium Setup: Requires a vertically oriented terrarium (minimum 30x30x45 cm for a pair). Furnish with thin climbing branches, vines, bamboo stalks, and live plants to simulate dense arboreal cover.
Lighting and Heating: Requires hot spots. Keep ambient temperatures at 25-28°C, with a localized basking spot reaching 32-35°C. High-quality 5% or 10% UVB lighting is essential for proper vitamin D3 synthesis and overall health.
Humidity and Hydration: Moderate humidity around 50-60% is sufficient. Provide two brief daily mistings (morning and evening) to allow the geckos to lick water droplets from leaves and enclosure walls.
Feeding and Supplementation: Omnivorous. Feed on fruit flies (Drosophila), pinhead crickets, and commercial powdered crested gecko fruit diets. Dust live insects with calcium and vitamin D3 supplements 2-3 times a week.
Compatibility: Males are highly territorial and must never be housed together. They can be safely kept as a male-female pair or in a small harem (one male and two females). Do not overcrowd.
Health and Common Diseases: Wild-caught specimens frequently suffer from severe dehydration, high parasite loads, and stress. Always choose captive-bred (CB) animals. Calcium deficiencies can occur without proper UVB lighting and supplements.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Native to East Africa, inhabiting wooded savannas, dry open forests, and frequently human structures like fences or stone walls. It is a diurnal, arboreal gecko that prefers sunny tree trunks.
Origin
Africa and Madagascar
Reptile profile
- Diet
- No verified data available
- Life expectancy
- No verified data available
- Adult size
- 4.25 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 4.25 cm. The ReptTraits v1.2 source reports a maximum adult measurement of 4.25 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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