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ReptileTerrestrialIntermediate
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Gold Dust Day Gecko
Phelsuma laticauda
A living gem dusted with gold. This small and incredibly fast diurnal gecko features a brilliant lime green covered with a characteristic "gold dust" on the neck and shoulders, with three red teardrop stripes on the lower back and bright blue eyelids.
Class:Squamata
Order:Squamata
Family:Gekkonidae
Genus:Phelsuma
Species:Phelsuma laticauda
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Environment
Terrestrial
Humidity
60 - 80 %
Day temperature
30 - 32 °C
Ambient temperature
30 - 32 °C
Night temperature
20 °C
Basking spot
30 - 32 °C
Adult size
6.5 cm
Minimum enclosure
>= 80 L
UVB
Low - Medium
Species description
Geographical Origin and Habitat: Native to northern Madagascar, and successfully introduced to other tropical areas like the Hawaiian Islands. It inhabits warm, humid habitats, commonly found on coconut palms, banana trees, and broad-leaved plants.
Taxonomy and Genetics: Belongs to the Gekkonidae family. The Gold Dust Day Gecko (*Phelsuma laticauda*) is characterized by a bright green body covered with gold-colored specks on the neck and shoulders, red stripes on the face, and blue eye rings.
Behavior and Habits: Active, diurnal, and highly alert. It displays strong territorial behavior and exceptional climbing agility. If threatened, it will quickly dart to the opposite side of a branch to avoid detection.
Morphology: Small-sized geckos, reaching 11-13 cm in length. Equipped with specialized adhesive toe pads. Males are distinguished by prominent femoral pores on the underside of their hind limbs and larger swelling at the tail base.
Care, breeding and tankmates
Terrarium Setup: A vertically oriented glass terrarium (minimum 45x45x60 cm) is required. Decorate with smooth vertical and diagonal bamboo poles and live plants (like Sansevieria or Bromeliads) to provide climbing surfaces and hiding spots.
Lighting and Heating: A high-quality UVB light source (5% or 6%) is mandatory for calcium metabolism. Provide a basking spot of 30-32°C in the upper area, keeping the lower area around 22-25°C. A night drop to 20°C is recommended.
Humidity and Hydration: Maintain relative humidity between 60% and 80%. Mist the enclosure once or twice daily; day geckos rarely drink standing water and rely on licking water droplets from leaves and glass.
Feeding and Supplementation: Omnivorous diet. Provide commercial crested gecko meal replacement powders mixed with water every other day, supplemented with live micro-insects dusted with calcium and vitamin D3.
Compatibility: Highly territorial. Keep individually or in male-female pairs. Never house multiple males together, and monitor females closely for signs of stress or aggression.
Health and Common Diseases: Lack of proper UVB or calcium leads to metabolic bone disease. They have extremely fragile skin that tears easily under pressure as a defense mechanism; handling should be avoided. Tail autotomy can occur under stress.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Native to northern Madagascar, and successfully introduced to other tropical areas like the Hawaiian Islands. It inhabits warm, humid habitats, commonly found on coconut palms, banana trees, and broad-leaved plants.
Origin
Cosmopolitan or introducedAfrica and MadagascarTropical oceans and reefs
Reptile profile
- Diet
- No verified data available
- Life expectancy
- No verified data available
- Adult size
- 6.5 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 6.5 cm. The ReptTraits v1.2 source reports a maximum adult measurement of 6.5 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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