Gold Dust Day Gecko

Origin and Habitat: Northern Madagascar (and introduced to Hawaii). Typical inhabitants of coconut palms, banana trees, agave, and similar plants with wide smooth leaves, in hot, humid climates.

Morphology: Small size, about 4.5-5 inches (11-13 cm). It has an insane livery: green or yellowish studded with microscopic golden specks. On the lower back, there are often three elongated teardrop-shaped red bands. The eyes have no movable eyelids (they lick them to clean them) and are surrounded by a bright blue ring.

Behavior: Like all Phelsuma, it is a visual bullet. Extremely shy but very curious, it will tend to hide by scooting around to the opposite side of the bamboo stalk or tree trunk it is on to avoid being seen frontally. Totally unsuited for handling due to their extremely fragile skin (which sloughs off as an anti-predator mechanism) and their incredible flight speed.

Terrarium: Vertical glass terrarium (minimum 18x18x24 inches). They prefer smooth surfaces. The ideal setup includes abundant bamboo (vertical and diagonal), live broad-leaved plants (like Sansevieria or Bromeliads) on which to hunt and sleep, hiding among the leaf axils. The substrate can be coco fiber to maintain humidity.

Lighting and Temps: Strictly require UVB exposure (5.0 or 6%) to metabolize calcium and keep colors bright. A basking spotlight must provide a localized basking zone at 86-90°F (30-32°C) in the upper part of the terrarium, leaving the bottom at room temperature (72-77°F / 22-25°C). A slight nighttime drop (down to 68°F / 20°C) is beneficial.

Humidity and Water: Tropical environments with 60-80% humidity. They rarely recognize standing water in bowls. They must be hydrated exclusively by heavily misting the enclosure 1 or 2 times a day, allowing the gecko to actively lap droplets from walls and leaves.

Diet: In the forest they consume insects, nectar, pollen, and sap. Indoors, the perfect diet relies on complete powdered crested gecko diets (Pangea, Repashy) mixed with water, offered every other day, combined with live micro-prey (fruit flies, micro-crickets, small roaches) heavily dusted with calcium with D3.