RIZADON the RAT I second that emotion!...or third it? Clint, if you need to borrow a specimen to film the content, check out Reptile Rapture in Monona, Wisconsin. They have a TH-cam channel and seem to be in possession of a group of PTS 😍🙏🏼
My wife learned to keep something green next to her Day Gecko cage. Every time he got loose (and he was a bit of an escape artist) he would go straight for closest green surface and this made it easy to recapture. Not sure if this behavior was unique to this little guy or for the species as a whole
@@Aiden-V2.0 not true! I had a 3 gallon bowed tank, with a lid, and my beta would jump, knock the lid off the bow tank and land on the floor. I caught him the first 2 times, the 3rd time I was asleep. I think the bow tank distorted things and made them scarier than they were.
@@Aiden-V2.0 I believe the only things that should be kept in a “fish” bowl are marimos, which are also known as moss balls(even though they’re actually a large algae).
As pretty and cute as it is I don't think it's the best pet lizard for me. Thank you for this video and all the other videos because it really helps me with my research and just reptiles I am interested in for the future.
I really love my pair of Giant Day Geckos, but I would sincerely agree with the statement that they should just not be handled at all. My male for a skin infection, and so I had to catch and inject him every two days. I shall tell you now, neither of us were having a good time. They are utterly beautiful creatures, fascinating to watch, but seriously? Set up a bioactive enclosure, as minimally interactive as possible, and then just watch them being gorgeous and awesome. The ultimate display pet.
I have a ball python and super dwarf for my reptile handling desires. But the huge bioactive enclosure with my pair of Madagascan Giant day geckos in is by far the superior visual centerpiece of my reptile collection. As Clint says, hey're more similar to tropical fish, and that's how I think of them. Beautiful to watch, but don't touch.
You can't just dump these things into massive enclosures yeah? Cos it can cause problems with them finding food and temp gradients or something. I suppose you got the people trying to keep them in as small an enclosure as possible then you got the people like me who want as big an enclosure as possible. If I could have a diy floor to ceiling enclosure that would be great!
@@jhowardsupporter They shouldn't have much issue finding food, unless you notice weight loss. Temperature gradients can be rough but just depends how much work and money you're willing to put in
Day Geckos were the first reptile I wanted when I was a kid. I remember secretly saving my lunch money (and starving everyday 😭) until I finally saved up enough to get one :) Unfortunately I didn’t consider the cost of all the equipment and the enclosure (hey I was only 12 or so), so my dream quickly dissipated. Years later, I know have a giant crimson day gecko, giant kochi day gecko, and mating pair of gold dust day geckos (plus their offspring ❤️), and they are all SO interesting to observe and interact with. Definitely not a handleable animal, but the best observational one imo 😉👍❤️❤️
Some pro tips - if a day gecko escapes out of its enclosure, it almost always goes on to climb up high on some wall, as they really hate being close to the ground. And you catch it by carefully putting some kind of a transparent box over them (we use plastic food boxes). You just see them chilling on the wall and you slowly press the box against the wall with the gecko in. And when you got them trapped like this, just insert a sheath of paper between the box and the wall and voilá, you have caught a gecko. Just be sure you don't pinch off the end of their tail or legs when you press the box against the wall. The escapes happen, but the best tip is to always keep calm, perhaps even give them some time to explore. It's not the end of the world, they really can be caught easily, you just can't use your hands, ever. When handling is considered, to be honest the handling is pretty OK, I'd give them like 2/5, but you need to know what to expect. I would suggest to never *grab* them, as they are slippery, super fast and skittish, but they can be very easily taught to climb onto your hands (if you offer some kind of a treat which they can lick off your hand, like mashed fruit for kids or honey). And if that occurs and you gradually teach them to come by themselves, it's I would say even more magical and satisfying thing than straight up grabbing a crestie or a bearded dragon. You somehow develop a relationship of mutual trust. If the gecko trusts you and climbs onto you out of its own will, it's the most special thing ever. Another point that wasn't really adressed in the video is cohabitation. Usually they are thought of as an animal that's always kept in pairs, but that can backfire, not only that you need to take care of the eggs, which WILL come (do you really want to get them out of the enclosure and break them and throw them away? or do you really want to take care of them and the eventual hatchlings?). But that's not the only problem with cohabitation, since the male is asserting his dominance by bites and chasing around and that leaves the female pretty scarred, as their skin is really delicate. The male also gets a few scratches from the chasing and the female fighting back sometimes, so I would generally advise to keep only one gecko per enclosure. Reptiles seem to be solitary animals in general. We keep a pair and it's fine, they aren't killing each other and they aren't hiding from each other, but the bites and scars are there and they also steal food from each other's mouths, which is stressful for everyone involved (save for the thief of course :) ) Also, when getting a reptile, the juvenile is usually much cheaper, but also the sex is not that easy to determine, therefore I would really advise to keep the animals separated so you avoid getting two males accidentally, because the breeders themselves don't always get the sex right. As for the enclosure, from experience - buy a front-end opening enclosure, as Clint said, but try to get one which either has two sliding doors, or two normal swing doors, as having an enclosure with one big door is really inconvenient, since you aren't really in control of what's happening, you do something with your plants for example and your gecko can easily escape or you can pinch off their tail more easily. This risk is heavily reduced by having two swing doors, so you open the one which is further from the gecko, or without the gecko chilling on it. Fun remark: a day gecko male juvenile bit me once, just out of the blue. And it was the cutest bite ever. No damage was done, he didn't even seem to mean it, as the "strike" wasn't even fast, and it was so soft, it just sort of scratched a bit with his tiny teeth (or god knows what they have) and it was the cutest thing. I'd agree with Clint's rating, but they are so utterly adorable and cute that all of the cons seem like nothing. I'd give them 4/5 with the aesthetics, personality and cuteness involved.
I’ve had my giant day gecko, Gobi, for about a month now. She’s absolutely beautiful and this video has really helped me make sure I take care of her in the right way. I had multiple green anoles before, but I had unknowingly overheated them. Informational videos like this are SO helpful when caring for reptiles, as I often notice that generalized pet stores amp up the cost over the proper care. The one near my hometown told me I needed a 100 watt on top and a heating pad on the bottom. With a situation like that, my anoles had nowhere to regulate their temp and I slowly cooked them. Thankfully, I used that as a hard-learned lesson so I could move on to more challenging animals like the day gecko.
Your video was one of the ones that made me want one of these. I now have had Raon, my high crimson giant day gecko, for about a month. He's definitely worth every penny and then some I've spent on him. I interact with him daily and he's been such a joy. He's always curious about what I'm doing and follows me in his enclosure. He readily takes food from my hand and doesn't mind when I boop his snoot. He's even a good sport about it when I have to catch him in a container for tank maintenance. He actually won't run out but because he isn't afraid of me, he can get underfoot when I'm maintaining his home. I'm working on building enough trust for him to step onto my hand and so far, he's flopped onto my hand once for a mealworm! So exciting!
went to an expo last year and impusively bought a giant day gecko because it was so beautiful (and fairly cheap). quickly learned it was a “look, dont touch” lizard, but i dont regret a thing. i was able to make a really beautiful bioactive tank that matches my geckos beauty and it’s always so nice to walk in to my room and see her peeking out at me. definitely not a starter lizard, but if you have experience with other geckos and dont mind not being able to play with it, i totally recommend them.
i had a gold dust, and that smart little SOB would hide right under the lid where he KNEW i couldn't see him.. and the SECOND i would try to open the opening at ALL to feed him he would LEAP and shoot for the door to escape.. absolutely give them 0/5 in handling.. absolutely BEAUTIFUL, but FAST as all hell and guerilla warfare to clean their enclosure..
I'm loving the bright green unique scales that the day gecko, alligator lizard, and chameleon gecko have! (I just saw a female and male pair of the alligator lizards today and they're even more amazing in person.) I can't decide between the three which one is the most rad, since they're all too dang awesome!
Sierra S. Yea, they are all my favorite in their respective categories ( Chameleon gecko in New Caledonia, Gold Dust Day geckos overall, and Abronia Graminea in every reptile)
Excellent video on giant days. I own four adults I have had since they were babies and love them very much. Definitely a great pet to watch; not for handling. My favorite giant day is a female named Ducky that will climb to my hand for her fruit cups and dubias. Cutest dang lizards ever. UVB was mentioned in the video and as a keeper of them I highly recommend it for this species in conjunction with vitamin dusting their feeders. They are much more active when they have access to UVB. :) Most care sheets dismiss it as unnecessary and I'm glad you didn't.
a beautiful interactive land fish...that description is so perfect! thank you for being so honest with all your videos, it's very refreshing and really helps people like me who are looking for info on the perfect pets in the future
They thankfully don't just do this all the time. Used to work in a exotics shelter and we had a few and none of them ever did that. They do turn a deep purple when stressed though, we had two come in like that and even then they kept their tails and all of their skin. They were sick too so really don't know how stressed they have to be to actually do this.
I got my 1st Giant Day Gecko yesterday. I did a bioactive enclosure like the one you did for your neon day geckos ( only larger). Thank you, thank you for all of your Rad information.
BooBoom Room! Well yes all reptile skin comes off from shedding, but day geckos purposely rip off there fresh skin( like ACTUAL skin, not dead shed skin) to get away, it’s called skin slough btw and is way different then shedding, it is so gross and is definitely not like any other lizard I’ve seen(if you want you could search it up to see what I’m talking about, but it is pretty nasty🤢), just wanted to inform you to what they meant by the skin coming off, have a good day😋
@@mrsloth6124 I've seen a few day geckos do it, its rrappy not good for them, and lowers there immune system dramatically. It's a last ditch resort of escape
Love this video! Thanks for making it Clint. I currently have 5 adult Grandis and 4 babies which were hatched out by me. I completely agree with everything you said in this video especially when you compared owning Phelsuma to having a fish tank. I also have said this to people many times in the past who were interested in acquiring a baby from me. There was only one fact in your video which even though it pertains to most other Day Gecko species it’s not the same for the species that was sitting there with you in the video. True, that most Day Geckos glue their eggs to a variety of things making it a difficult task to remove the eggs from the enclosure without damaging them. That said, the Giants or Grandis are the only species that does not employ this technique making egg removal so much easier. Once again though, great informative video and I’m extremely happy to find this out in the world. I will definitely be sharing this video with my Phelsuma Phanatics group on Facebook.
The smaller Madagascar "gold dust" day gecko is all over Hawaii on the Big Island, Maui and Oahu. They are even more beautiful than the giant one you feature in this video. It is an invasive species, but everyone loves the little guys. A pair of them were released by a university student in 1972 on Oahu and now they are everywhere. We sailed to Hawaii on our 1971 Columbia 43 sailboat in 2016-17 and anchored around the islands for 13 months. We caught a "gold dust" day gecko near Reeds Bay on the Big Island to help control the insects that flew over to keep us company on the boat. He left, I think he jumped overboard. They are good swimmers so I'm pretty sure he made it to shore. While on Oahu we caught another one and I put him under my hat until we got to the boat. We let him roam free and would occasionally feed him meal worms by hand. He was very personable and cute. He would show up at dinnertime and hang out on the table just watching us. Before we sailed back to the Northwest our 14-year-old grandson joined us. He took a real liking to Nephi (the gecko's name) and asked if he could keep him when we got back to Puget Sound. We said he could if he would research how to take care of him. He did and had his dad buy a habitat with the proper lights. Nephi lived for about another 20 months or so after we arrived in Olympia, Wash. In addition to "gold dust" day geckos, Hawaii has other kinds of brown geckos, anoles of several kinds, and even Jackson's Chameleons. The geckos and anoles are so common that they often jump in your grocery bags or wander into your hotel room. Any place with bamboo or other vegetation will have dozens. Wetter areas (Hilo) have more than dryer areas (Kona). Sounds like a field trip to me!
When I purchased my day gecko, I was told he had delicate skin so for that reason he is my "ornament" pet. I always wanted a terrarium...so something living in the carefully laid out enclosure is just awesome.
got myself a Crimson Giant Day Gecko today. he was kept in quite a crap enclosure prior to me taking him and man once he got in his new humid enclosure he was so much brighter in color then i thought
I'm doing research before getting my first reptile and just today found a day gecko breeder practically on my doorstep. Your channel was my first stop to see if they would be an option - thank you for making it clear that they're not right for me just yet! (Fortunately the breeder has leopards and cresteds too so I'm going to meet them next week to help me choose.)
I actually kept one of these free in my house (native species) . I found him as a baby and just let him inside and he used to eat all the bugs that would wander in. He was 7" when I moved out and I put it back outside. Miss him.
My dad had one of these when i was a kid and it got loose in his house. Nobody could catch the quick little dude. It eventually took up residence in the bathroom. Turns out my dad's bathroom was the perfect enclosure for a giant day gecko. It got misted once a day (dad would take a shower and the bathroom would fog up), dad lived in LA so the temperatures were never too low for it, plenty of UV's (he'd bask in the window), and when the little guy wanted to be left alone his favorite hide was led zepplin poster above the toilet. also in the corner of the bathroom was the where all the feeder enclusures where dad gutloaded his invertabrates to feed to the rest of the critters. Gecko would just pop in for a snack whenever it wanted.
There's a Giant Day Gecko at my local pet shop. Beautiful creature. Entertained thoughts about buying it. I'm glad this video came along. I want a lizard I can at least interact with from time to time.
Clint, you are the best. This is a very good primer for any interested novice, new to day gex. Especially, I appreciate your comments at 4:00 forward...”Every now and then you can transition them into and out of containers...” Perfect. I think the classic tropical fish model is a good model to follow: set it up nice, with the animal in mind, and if you wish, assemble the enclosure that provides an attractive display; then leave them alone (don’t disrupt the enclosure, don’t handle the animals...just like fish, right?)...look, don’t touch.
P.S.-some gex glue eggs to a surface (most of the smaller day gex, I think?) but this one is not a gluer...female glues the (two) eggs together, but the eggs will be loose and easy to remove for incubation. (This is my experience, at least).
This right here is why I come here. It's informative it's unbiased and it's brutally honest. Some videos you straight up say No don't get it at all it *will* die no sugar coating just absolute honesty because of this channel I'm going to in a month be setting up a tank for a crested gecko and getting the gecko a month after.
Yesssss!! I so badly want a beautiful interactive landfish. 😂 Best description ever. These guys have been on my dream reptile list for quite a while. Thanks for doing a video on them!
There’s a Day Gecko at this aquarium place by me and I feel scared that someone will just buy it cause it’s “cute” and that it’s just going to die because they don’t know the specific care requirements :(
Another awesome video! Thanks Clint! I would have chosen that gecko based on it's cuteness! Good to know that beauty does not always equate to ease of care😊
Was going to buy a day geko, and now I'm going to pass, they look amazing but also seem like a lot of work and also seem like they do not like being a pet very much (dont enjoy being handled or atleast tolerate being handled) thanks for all your video they are so informative and without them I would probarly make some silly decisions
We had a few of those in our exotics shelter and they really were the most interesting of all the geckos we had. Loved them all but day geckos actually enjoy some interaction with us humans. We also definitely had to pluck one from the ceiling but they really were used to us gently handling them so at least didn't try to run away. Never had one just lose his tail or some skin which I'm very thankful for. We had two that came to us all purple and stayed like this for a few days because they were that stressed out and just sick.
I have had mine for almost two years and had it as my first reptile pet. I did a months worth of research before owning one. Mines lets me handle her sometimes but not all the time. She is very tame I must say.
Glad I watched this. There’s one of these at the local pet shop that I’ve been eyeing. But.....nope. Way more work than even my parrots + everything falling off = nope.
@@ClintsReptiles oh yeah! Super worth it. Wonderful content as always, Clint. Although I must say, I don't think day geckos are right for me just yet, I just think they're probably the coolest lizards out there :)
I’ve wanted one of these since I was 5 years old! I’m happy to say your video made me get my first pet reptile! I’ve had Treecko about a month and handled him for the first time this weekend. Nerve-wracking at first but a wonderful experience!
used to have 2 with a lot of red. Such beautiful animals. They loved going in their bamboo hides, drinking from the plants (sanseveria and bromelia with strong leafs) and were always in sight. Got them from someone who could no longer keep them. But gave them to someone else after 2 years because reptiles didn't fit in my life at that time. Also hated the not being able to handle. They were super easy to care for for me.
Clint I love your videos. I love Reptiles and want to own them all, but you help me actually think my reptile purchases out all the way probably saving me well over 15% on my reptile bill.
Aww drat. I've been looking at these guys for a while now. Since I always research I came across a article that said to "not handle" them and I got really nervous because when it comes to animals, for me, almost the best part is holding and handling them. This video blasted my hopes and dreams out the window. Oh well. Guess I've either gotta look-and-not-touch or start searching for a different species.
I was at a local reptile shop picking up food for my chinese water dragon(I got her bc of ur chinese water dragon video and she’s one of the best pets I’ve ever owned) and they have 2 beautiful giant day geckos for sale along with their entire enclosure and it’s pretty cheap. The two of them have been up for sale for the past year. I’ve been debating on whether I should get them or not. This video helped out a lot!
Get them I just saved a baby from the pet store my husband and I regularly visit and has been there for months and months. Their were actually 2 in the same enclosure someone had bought one and not the other which broke my heart because they were very close to one another soooo we purchased her and we just love her. Not hard at all to take care of by no means just the only baby we own that we can't handle and that's ok
Hi Clint Day geckos are also very smart. They can figure out and solve their needs provided they have the freedom to move about. I have a clip on the heat lamp. I have the heat lamp on the wall of my bedroom by the screen window and my gecko has the freedom to be inside or outside his enclosure.....he doesn't run away from his home! He stays for the food, water and heat...... every morning he is waiting for me to turn on the light for him and he goes right up in it.....he self regulates his body temperature by moving close and then laying down farther away as he heats up. I also squirt him in the mo with water and he licks it off the wall.....! I have no mosquito bites at night anymore ❤
Monty Python ref at the very end, “Pining for the fjords.” Somehow I knew you would have some favorite Monty Python lines. Reminds me of their Crunchy Frog skit…
i have 6 of these. the father is still alive but the mother of the 5 died a while pack. pretty easy to care for and they are in great health. 1 of them was bullied out of food in their younger days so little squirt is smaller than the rest with a past problem with MTBD but hes back to as healthy as he'll get. Hes still a little wonky on his feet but hes loving life as far as i can tell.
I've got one of these little cuties and she's such a piggie. She'll eat almost anything I offer, to her, any bug is food. Instead of handling, I don't mind letting her roam around as I don't let her travel too far.
I've never kept a day gecko, but I do have a ten plus year old house gecko (Hemidactylus platyurus), and watering him is one of the most fun parts of keeping him. I dont even have a water dish anymore because it becomes feeder insect soup in a day or less, but a couple of times a day when he's out and about I give him a gentle mist from a spray bottle and he licks it off his face, then turns head-down and lets it drip down his body and bead on his nose so he can lick it up too.
I love the day geckos! By far some of my favorite species! Keeping with the trend, would LOVE to see a spotlight on the (lygodactylus williamsi) electric blue day gecko!
obviously i hope people research a lot more about any animals you talk about if they are interested in caring for one, but one thing I think you should mention in your videos are the lifespan of all these excellent guys you discuss if they are cared for properly
Especially since I have extra love for pet reptiles that have alot of information for morphs. The genetics of crested geckos is one of the biggest things that got me interested in reptiles so many years ago. So things like cresteds, day geckos, leopards, bearded dragons, ball pythongs, garters etc are some of my favorites, since learning about their genetics is so interesting.
@@ClintsReptiles of course! In fact until i had seen your videos i didnt even know how expansive the ball pythons morph selection was, despite owning some bps myself! I own quite a few cresteds, leopards and beardeds all of varying morphs though. Currently im thinking about getting a few day geckos, my selection was between that or a cuban false anole. Quick question, do you like peacock or gold dust day geckos more?
I remember living in Zanzibar for one year( a set of islands of the coast of Tanzania) and There were zanzibar day geckos that would lick nectar from the palm trees. It was so cute and beautiful.
This was a first pet i ever wanted in my life. When i was a lil kid, my mom sayed that i can have a pet. As So, everyday i got home i just read the encyklopedia looking for most interesting pet. There was a biiig picture of this guy, and i fell in love. Its now 9th year, and i still want one. Iam not sure if I will ever be able to get him, but iam pretty sure Iam not ever gonna stop wanting him...
Since childhood the giant day gecko was my favorite reptile of all, so when I was like 14 or so I got one as my first lizard... well let me tell you that it somewhat discuraged me from owning reptiles because I thought I could handle it at least somewhat... no, you can't. I'm almost 30 now and guess what I got again. Exactly, but now I have also other reptiles that you can watch tv with so they scratch my itch for handling and I feel like a kid when my day gecko jumps on my arm to grab a cricket or mealworm and it's all the "handling" I need from him/her and it's wonderful. He takes crickets out of everybodys hand and people having a blast experiencing a very flighty animal trust them at least for getting served food. I enjoy it way more now, since I respect it for what it is: the most beautiful and really fun to watch (I'm not even kidding, even the way they poop is so freaking funny to watch) display animal.
The concluding thoughts for this video make me laugh every time. Do not miss them!
@@lizardon7096 ikr i really hope he does a pink tongue skink video soon in the future
Please do Gliding Geckos next
Could you please do the satanic leaf tail gecko next
RIZADON the RAT I second that emotion!...or third it? Clint, if you need to borrow a specimen to film the content, check out Reptile Rapture in Monona, Wisconsin. They have a TH-cam channel and seem to be in possession of a group of PTS 😍🙏🏼
Can you do a video on a Brazilian rainbow boa?
Finally a reptile that can help me save 15% or more on car insurance
There you go!
NaCled Dammit, you beat me to it.
I work for GEICO and have LOTS of different geckos. I never tire of hearing this joke. (Sarcasm) lol
That's Geico
Ha ha ha 🤣😂
Fast, elusive, inquisitive (nosey), can slip out of their skin to avoid paying a claim. Perfect mascot for an insurance company.
I could've sworn you typed that this week, not 5 years ago.
My wife learned to keep something green next to her Day Gecko cage. Every time he got loose (and he was a bit of an escape artist) he would go straight for closest green surface and this made it easy to recapture. Not sure if this behavior was unique to this little guy or for the species as a whole
When Clint starts the video and the creatures in a cage i start to get worried hahaha
Not for the normal reasons here...
@@ClintsReptiles hey atleast it's not trying to devoir your hand but it may sell you some car insurance...
He’s scared its gonna sell him car insurance
@Godzilla: Comin' at Ya ahh so they are similar to how clint handles emerald skinks you kind of let them come to you
@@williamdavis9471 💀
Finally a pet that comes with free car insurance!
Just discounts...
I can't get the image of a tropical fish hopping out of an aquarium and running up the wall out of my head...
They only do that if you stick them in one of those horrible bowls.😆
@@Aiden-V2.0 not true! I had a 3 gallon bowed tank, with a lid, and my beta would jump, knock the lid off the bow tank and land on the floor. I caught him the first 2 times, the 3rd time I was asleep. I think the bow tank distorted things and made them scarier than they were.
@@Aiden-V2.0 I believe the only things that should be kept in a “fish” bowl are marimos, which are also known as moss balls(even though they’re actually a large algae).
@@peggedyourdad9560 couldn’t agree more!
@@hollyplyler9840 I’m sorry that happened to you. Betta fish are pretty prone to jumping in general. My original comment was a joke.
As pretty and cute as it is I don't think it's the best pet lizard for me. Thank you for this video and all the other videos because it really helps me with my research and just reptiles I am interested in for the future.
That is precisely why this channel exists. Thank you for making responsible and informed decisions!
You know the animal is going to have a low handleability score when it's in an enclosure instead of in Clint's hand.
Survival strategy of the Giant Day Gecko while being in danger: “FALLING APART!”
10/10 Genius!
I really love my pair of Giant Day Geckos, but I would sincerely agree with the statement that they should just not be handled at all. My male for a skin infection, and so I had to catch and inject him every two days. I shall tell you now, neither of us were having a good time. They are utterly beautiful creatures, fascinating to watch, but seriously? Set up a bioactive enclosure, as minimally interactive as possible, and then just watch them being gorgeous and awesome. The ultimate display pet.
I have a ball python and super dwarf for my reptile handling desires. But the huge bioactive enclosure with my pair of Madagascan Giant day geckos in is by far the superior visual centerpiece of my reptile collection. As Clint says, hey're more similar to tropical fish, and that's how I think of them. Beautiful to watch, but don't touch.
You can't just dump these things into massive enclosures yeah? Cos it can cause problems with them finding food and temp gradients or something. I suppose you got the people trying to keep them in as small an enclosure as possible then you got the people like me who want as big an enclosure as possible. If I could have a diy floor to ceiling enclosure that would be great!
Did they help you save 15% or more on car insurance?
@@jhowardsupporter They shouldn't have much issue finding food, unless you notice weight loss. Temperature gradients can be rough but just depends how much work and money you're willing to put in
@@floater9873 Oh I gave up on my dream of owning exotic pets. I'll just stick to the cat 😅
‘beautiful interactive land fish’ made me laugh wayyy harder than it should have 😂😂😂
They have it all, the looks, the personality, the hardiness, the intelligence. So incredibly underrated
Day Geckos were the first reptile I wanted when I was a kid. I remember secretly saving my lunch money (and starving everyday 😭) until I finally saved up enough to get one :) Unfortunately I didn’t consider the cost of all the equipment and the enclosure (hey I was only 12 or so), so my dream quickly dissipated.
Years later, I know have a giant crimson day gecko, giant kochi day gecko, and mating pair of gold dust day geckos (plus their offspring ❤️), and they are all SO interesting to observe and interact with. Definitely not a handleable animal, but the best observational one imo 😉👍❤️❤️
Is there a difference between the "Standings Day Gecko" and the "High Red Giant Madagascan Day Gecko" ?
All the starving was for nothing _:(..._
Well buddy how says dreams can't come true when time is right
Here,in mauririus,they are very invasive.there is many in my backyard
They run really fast.everyday i found at least 6 of them swimming in my pool.
Some pro tips - if a day gecko escapes out of its enclosure, it almost always goes on to climb up high on some wall, as they really hate being close to the ground. And you catch it by carefully putting some kind of a transparent box over them (we use plastic food boxes). You just see them chilling on the wall and you slowly press the box against the wall with the gecko in. And when you got them trapped like this, just insert a sheath of paper between the box and the wall and voilá, you have caught a gecko. Just be sure you don't pinch off the end of their tail or legs when you press the box against the wall.
The escapes happen, but the best tip is to always keep calm, perhaps even give them some time to explore. It's not the end of the world, they really can be caught easily, you just can't use your hands, ever.
When handling is considered, to be honest the handling is pretty OK, I'd give them like 2/5, but you need to know what to expect. I would suggest to never *grab* them, as they are slippery, super fast and skittish, but they can be very easily taught to climb onto your hands (if you offer some kind of a treat which they can lick off your hand, like mashed fruit for kids or honey). And if that occurs and you gradually teach them to come by themselves, it's I would say even more magical and satisfying thing than straight up grabbing a crestie or a bearded dragon. You somehow develop a relationship of mutual trust. If the gecko trusts you and climbs onto you out of its own will, it's the most special thing ever.
Another point that wasn't really adressed in the video is cohabitation. Usually they are thought of as an animal that's always kept in pairs, but that can backfire, not only that you need to take care of the eggs, which WILL come (do you really want to get them out of the enclosure and break them and throw them away? or do you really want to take care of them and the eventual hatchlings?). But that's not the only problem with cohabitation, since the male is asserting his dominance by bites and chasing around and that leaves the female pretty scarred, as their skin is really delicate. The male also gets a few scratches from the chasing and the female fighting back sometimes, so I would generally advise to keep only one gecko per enclosure. Reptiles seem to be solitary animals in general. We keep a pair and it's fine, they aren't killing each other and they aren't hiding from each other, but the bites and scars are there and they also steal food from each other's mouths, which is stressful for everyone involved (save for the thief of course :) )
Also, when getting a reptile, the juvenile is usually much cheaper, but also the sex is not that easy to determine, therefore I would really advise to keep the animals separated so you avoid getting two males accidentally, because the breeders themselves don't always get the sex right.
As for the enclosure, from experience - buy a front-end opening enclosure, as Clint said, but try to get one which either has two sliding doors, or two normal swing doors, as having an enclosure with one big door is really inconvenient, since you aren't really in control of what's happening, you do something with your plants for example and your gecko can easily escape or you can pinch off their tail more easily. This risk is heavily reduced by having two swing doors, so you open the one which is further from the gecko, or without the gecko chilling on it.
Fun remark: a day gecko male juvenile bit me once, just out of the blue. And it was the cutest bite ever. No damage was done, he didn't even seem to mean it, as the "strike" wasn't even fast, and it was so soft, it just sort of scratched a bit with his tiny teeth (or god knows what they have) and it was the cutest thing.
I'd agree with Clint's rating, but they are so utterly adorable and cute that all of the cons seem like nothing. I'd give them 4/5 with the aesthetics, personality and cuteness involved.
I’ve had my giant day gecko, Gobi, for about a month now. She’s absolutely beautiful and this video has really helped me make sure I take care of her in the right way. I had multiple green anoles before, but I had unknowingly overheated them. Informational videos like this are SO helpful when caring for reptiles, as I often notice that generalized pet stores amp up the cost over the proper care. The one near my hometown told me I needed a 100 watt on top and a heating pad on the bottom. With a situation like that, my anoles had nowhere to regulate their temp and I slowly cooked them.
Thankfully, I used that as a hard-learned lesson so I could move on to more challenging animals like the day gecko.
Your video was one of the ones that made me want one of these. I now have had Raon, my high crimson giant day gecko, for about a month. He's definitely worth every penny and then some I've spent on him. I interact with him daily and he's been such a joy. He's always curious about what I'm doing and follows me in his enclosure. He readily takes food from my hand and doesn't mind when I boop his snoot. He's even a good sport about it when I have to catch him in a container for tank maintenance. He actually won't run out but because he isn't afraid of me, he can get underfoot when I'm maintaining his home. I'm working on building enough trust for him to step onto my hand and so far, he's flopped onto my hand once for a mealworm! So exciting!
2:40
D'aww, he's smiling, I love him so much!
went to an expo last year and impusively bought a giant day gecko because it was so beautiful (and fairly cheap). quickly learned it was a “look, dont touch” lizard, but i dont regret a thing. i was able to make a really beautiful bioactive tank that matches my geckos beauty and it’s always so nice to walk in to my room and see her peeking out at me. definitely not a starter lizard, but if you have experience with other geckos and dont mind not being able to play with it, i totally recommend them.
*Hears Clint's "Oh, hi there!"*
*Depression instantly melts*
i had a gold dust, and that smart little SOB would hide right under the lid where he KNEW i couldn't see him.. and the SECOND i would try to open the opening at ALL to feed him he would LEAP and shoot for the door to escape.. absolutely give them 0/5 in handling.. absolutely BEAUTIFUL, but FAST as all hell and guerilla warfare to clean their enclosure..
I'm loving the bright green unique scales that the day gecko, alligator lizard, and chameleon gecko have! (I just saw a female and male pair of the alligator lizards today and they're even more amazing in person.) I can't decide between the three which one is the most rad, since they're all too dang awesome!
Sierra S. Yea, they are all my favorite in their respective categories ( Chameleon gecko in New Caledonia, Gold Dust Day geckos overall, and Abronia Graminea in every reptile)
Excellent video on giant days. I own four adults I have had since they were babies and love them very much. Definitely a great pet to watch; not for handling. My favorite giant day is a female named Ducky that will climb to my hand for her fruit cups and dubias. Cutest dang lizards ever.
UVB was mentioned in the video and as a keeper of them I highly recommend it for this species in conjunction with vitamin dusting their feeders. They are much more active when they have access to UVB. :) Most care sheets dismiss it as unnecessary and I'm glad you didn't.
Love the comment, though we do discuss UVB in the video.
@@ClintsReptiles I edited my comment I missed that somehow I'm sorry!
I blame my five year old talking over the video about how the gecko looks just like Ducky hahaha. XD
I accept your explanation :)
Fantastic comment. Thank you for sharing your experience.
@@ClintsReptiles and thank you. Keep doing what you do, Clint!
a beautiful interactive land fish...that description is so perfect! thank you for being so honest with all your videos, it's very refreshing and really helps people like me who are looking for info on the perfect pets in the future
I may be late here but I'm in the middle of a reptile video binge session and just noticed your change from MS to PhD. Congrats!
Dropping tails i now just kinda expect with geckos, dropping skin is a surprise though.
Def not an animal for a newer keeper
They thankfully don't just do this all the time.
Used to work in a exotics shelter and we had a few and none of them ever did that.
They do turn a deep purple when stressed though, we had two come in like that and even then they kept their tails and all of their skin.
They were sick too so really don't know how stressed they have to be to actually do this.
The tight shots on the skin of the gecko are just amazing!
I got my 1st Giant Day Gecko yesterday. I did a bioactive enclosure like the one you did for your neon day geckos ( only larger). Thank you, thank you for all of your Rad information.
Their skin comes off?
Wow..
Yep! I had that happen to one of mine. Sad times all round. Gorgeous though!
All reptiles skin comes off
BooBoom Room! Well yes all reptile skin comes off from shedding, but day geckos purposely rip off there fresh skin( like ACTUAL skin, not dead shed skin) to get away, it’s called skin slough btw and is way different then shedding, it is so gross and is definitely not like any other lizard I’ve seen(if you want you could search it up to see what I’m talking about, but it is pretty nasty🤢), just wanted to inform you to what they meant by the skin coming off, have a good day😋
@@mrserpent6886 this is not true lol.
@@mrsloth6124 I've seen a few day geckos do it, its rrappy not good for them, and lowers there immune system dramatically. It's a last ditch resort of escape
"They are the kings of day geckos, unless they're queens."
-Clint for powerful women 2019
Clint said respect women
@@fruitbythebecbec7165 fight for equality said the male mantis.
Someone here wants to respek wahmen
Whenever you talk about misting a reptile, it makes me think of Cassandra from Dr. Who saying “Moisturize me!”
Love this video! Thanks for making it Clint. I currently have 5 adult Grandis and 4 babies which were hatched out by me. I completely agree with everything you said in this video especially when you compared owning Phelsuma to having a fish tank. I also have said this to people many times in the past who were interested in acquiring a baby from me. There was only one fact in your video which even though it pertains to most other Day Gecko species it’s not the same for the species that was sitting there with you in the video. True, that most Day Geckos glue their eggs to a variety of things making it a difficult task to remove the eggs from the enclosure without damaging them. That said, the Giants or Grandis are the only species that does not employ this technique making egg removal so much easier. Once again though, great informative video and I’m extremely happy to find this out in the world. I will definitely be sharing this video with my Phelsuma Phanatics group on Facebook.
My day gecko takes a dump on his food dish and then freaks out when I go in to clean it
The smaller Madagascar "gold dust" day gecko is all over Hawaii on the Big Island, Maui and Oahu. They are even more beautiful than the giant one you feature in this video. It is an invasive species, but everyone loves the little guys. A pair of them were released by a university student in 1972 on Oahu and now they are everywhere. We sailed to Hawaii on our 1971 Columbia 43 sailboat in 2016-17 and anchored around the islands for 13 months. We caught a "gold dust" day gecko near Reeds Bay on the Big Island to help control the insects that flew over to keep us company on the boat. He left, I think he jumped overboard. They are good swimmers so I'm pretty sure he made it to shore.
While on Oahu we caught another one and I put him under my hat until we got to the boat. We let him roam free and would occasionally feed him meal worms by hand. He was very personable and cute. He would show up at dinnertime and hang out on the table just watching us.
Before we sailed back to the Northwest our 14-year-old grandson joined us. He took a real liking to Nephi (the gecko's name) and asked if he could keep him when we got back to Puget Sound. We said he could if he would research how to take care of him. He did and had his dad buy a habitat with the proper lights. Nephi lived for about another 20 months or so after we arrived in Olympia, Wash.
In addition to "gold dust" day geckos, Hawaii has other kinds of brown geckos, anoles of several kinds, and even Jackson's Chameleons. The geckos and anoles are so common that they often jump in your grocery bags or wander into your hotel room. Any place with bamboo or other vegetation will have dozens. Wetter areas (Hilo) have more than dryer areas (Kona).
Sounds like a field trip to me!
When I purchased my day gecko, I was told he had delicate skin so for that reason he is my "ornament" pet. I always wanted a terrarium...so something living in the carefully laid out enclosure is just awesome.
this guy can make a serial killer sound like the best pet gecko to have ngl
got myself a Crimson Giant Day Gecko today. he was kept in quite a crap enclosure prior to me taking him and man once he got in his new humid enclosure he was so much brighter in color then i thought
I'm doing research before getting my first reptile and just today found a day gecko breeder practically on my doorstep. Your channel was my first stop to see if they would be an option - thank you for making it clear that they're not right for me just yet! (Fortunately the breeder has leopards and cresteds too so I'm going to meet them next week to help me choose.)
I actually kept one of these free in my house (native species) . I found him as a baby and just let him inside and he used to eat all the bugs that would wander in. He was 7" when I moved out and I put it back outside. Miss him.
And I shall henceforth refer to geckos as "landfishes". Thank you. :)
My dad had one of these when i was a kid and it got loose in his house. Nobody could catch the quick little dude. It eventually took up residence in the bathroom. Turns out my dad's bathroom was the perfect enclosure for a giant day gecko. It got misted once a day (dad would take a shower and the bathroom would fog up), dad lived in LA so the temperatures were never too low for it, plenty of UV's (he'd bask in the window), and when the little guy wanted to be left alone his favorite hide was led zepplin poster above the toilet. also in the corner of the bathroom was the where all the feeder enclusures where dad gutloaded his invertabrates to feed to the rest of the critters. Gecko would just pop in for a snack whenever it wanted.
There's a Giant Day Gecko at my local pet shop. Beautiful creature. Entertained thoughts about buying it. I'm glad this video came along. I want a lizard I can at least interact with from time to time.
Clint, you are the best. This is a very good primer for any interested novice, new to day gex. Especially, I appreciate your comments at 4:00 forward...”Every now and then you can transition them into and out of containers...” Perfect. I think the classic tropical fish model is a good model to follow: set it up nice, with the animal in mind, and if you wish, assemble the enclosure that provides an attractive display; then leave them alone (don’t disrupt the enclosure, don’t handle the animals...just like fish, right?)...look, don’t touch.
P.S.-some gex glue eggs to a surface (most of the smaller day gex, I think?) but this one is not a gluer...female glues the (two) eggs together, but the eggs will be loose and easy to remove for incubation. (This is my experience, at least).
Yes!!! You finally did an episode on them!!!
They're are just so many cool reptiles...
This right here is why I come here. It's informative it's unbiased and it's brutally honest. Some videos you straight up say No don't get it at all it *will* die no sugar coating just absolute honesty because of this channel I'm going to in a month be setting up a tank for a crested gecko and getting the gecko a month after.
Ah yes, the gecko that sells car insurance
Finally, Clint meets the GEICO Gecko! Previously, he had encountered Mondo Gecko (leopard gecko) and Rango (chameleons).
One of the only videos I’ve seen where he doesn’t actually seem all that enthusiastic about a lizard...
Bad sign?
Yesssss!! I so badly want a beautiful interactive landfish. 😂 Best description ever. These guys have been on my dream reptile list for quite a while. Thanks for doing a video on them!
There’s a Day Gecko at this aquarium place by me and I feel scared that someone will just buy it cause it’s “cute” and that it’s just going to die because they don’t know the specific care requirements :(
I interacted with my friends day gecko on a table.
It got mad charged at me then pooped
Another awesome video! Thanks Clint! I would have chosen that gecko based on it's cuteness! Good to know that beauty does not always equate to ease of care😊
Finallyyy I have waited over a year for this!
Thank you for your patience.
Was going to buy a day geko, and now I'm going to pass, they look amazing but also seem like a lot of work and also seem like they do not like being a pet very much (dont enjoy being handled or atleast tolerate being handled) thanks for all your video they are so informative and without them I would probarly make some silly decisions
So glad we could help you with this decision. That's what this channel is here to do.
We had a few of those in our exotics shelter and they really were the most interesting of all the geckos we had.
Loved them all but day geckos actually enjoy some interaction with us humans.
We also definitely had to pluck one from the ceiling but they really were used to us gently handling them so at least didn't try to run away.
Never had one just lose his tail or some skin which I'm very thankful for.
We had two that came to us all purple and stayed like this for a few days because they were that stressed out and just sick.
I have had mine for almost two years and had it as my first reptile pet. I did a months worth of research before owning one.
Mines lets me handle her sometimes but not all the time. She is very tame I must say.
Glad I watched this. There’s one of these at the local pet shop that I’ve been eyeing. But.....nope. Way more work than even my parrots + everything falling off = nope.
I don’t know why but that pan to the geckos eye made me burst out in laughter
Love ur pfp lol
@@Alex-bj7ot I see you are an individual of culture
Yes! Finally! I've been waiting for this video ever since I found your awesome channel thank you! :D
You're welcome! I hope it was worth the wait.
@@ClintsReptiles oh yeah! Super worth it. Wonderful content as always, Clint. Although I must say, I don't think day geckos are right for me just yet, I just think they're probably the coolest lizards out there :)
I’ve wanted one of these since I was 5 years old!
I’m happy to say your video made me get my first pet reptile! I’ve had Treecko about a month and handled him for the first time this weekend. Nerve-wracking at first but a wonderful experience!
used to have 2 with a lot of red. Such beautiful animals. They loved going in their bamboo hides, drinking from the plants (sanseveria and bromelia with strong leafs) and were always in sight.
Got them from someone who could no longer keep them. But gave them to someone else after 2 years because reptiles didn't fit in my life at that time. Also hated the not being able to handle. They were super easy to care for for me.
Clint I love your videos. I love Reptiles and want to own them all, but you help me actually think my reptile purchases out all the way probably saving me well over 15% on my reptile bill.
Aww drat. I've been looking at these guys for a while now. Since I always research I came across a article that said to "not handle" them and I got really nervous because when it comes to animals, for me, almost the best part is holding and handling them. This video blasted my hopes and dreams out the window.
Oh well. Guess I've either gotta look-and-not-touch or start searching for a different species.
Abronia alligator lizards might be a good option for you!
I named my gecko Martin.
Guess why.
I was at a local reptile shop picking up food for my chinese water dragon(I got her bc of ur chinese water dragon video and she’s one of the best pets I’ve ever owned) and they have 2 beautiful giant day geckos for sale along with their entire enclosure and it’s pretty cheap. The two of them have been up for sale for the past year. I’ve been debating on whether I should get them or not. This video helped out a lot!
Get them I just saved a baby from the pet store my husband and I regularly visit and has been there for months and months. Their were actually 2 in the same enclosure someone had bought one and not the other which broke my heart because they were very close to one another soooo we purchased her and we just love her. Not hard at all to take care of by no means just the only baby we own that we can't handle and that's ok
Hurray! I've been waiting for this one!
0:32 "Long live the king." **SKREEEEOONK**
I was waiting for this!!! Thank you
You're welcome. I hope it was worth the wait.
A day gecko video, and he didn't mention their ADORABLE chirps? ARGH
Hi Clint
Day geckos are also very smart. They can figure out and solve their needs provided they have the freedom to move about.
I have a clip on the heat lamp.
I have the heat lamp on the wall of my bedroom by the screen window and my gecko has the freedom to be inside or outside his enclosure.....he doesn't run away from his home! He stays for the food, water and heat...... every morning he is waiting for me to turn on the light for him and he goes right up in it.....he self regulates his body temperature by moving close and then laying down farther away as he heats up.
I also squirt him in the mo with water and he licks it off the wall.....!
I have no mosquito bites at night anymore ❤
Monty Python ref at the very end, “Pining for the fjords.” Somehow I knew you would have some favorite Monty Python lines. Reminds me of their Crunchy Frog skit…
This is a lizard i wants to haver as a pet because he looks like a real life Yoshi
i have 6 of these. the father is still alive but the mother of the 5 died a while pack. pretty easy to care for and they are in great health. 1 of them was bullied out of food in their younger days so little squirt is smaller than the rest with a past problem with MTBD but hes back to as healthy as he'll get. Hes still a little wonky on his feet but hes loving life as far as i can tell.
If you do not have Geico Car insurance, this gecko will be stressed and drop its tail!!!
Guy sounded like he went through some trauma trying to handle the lil Geico
"No wonder they can be used to sell insurance" lol
Even he’s not handling the gecko... I’m not even gonna try
I've got one of these little cuties and she's such a piggie. She'll eat almost anything I offer, to her, any bug is food. Instead of handling, I don't mind letting her roam around as I don't let her travel too far.
I've never kept a day gecko, but I do have a ten plus year old house gecko (Hemidactylus platyurus), and watering him is one of the most fun parts of keeping him. I dont even have a water dish anymore because it becomes feeder insect soup in a day or less, but a couple of times a day when he's out and about I give him a gentle mist from a spray bottle and he licks it off his face, then turns head-down and lets it drip down his body and bead on his nose so he can lick it up too.
My favorite reptile to keep! They are so special if you really the time.
I love the day geckos! By far some of my favorite species! Keeping with the trend, would LOVE to see a spotlight on the (lygodactylus williamsi) electric blue day gecko!
Justin Courtois I would too there my favorite reptile
obviously i hope people research a lot more about any animals you talk about if they are interested in caring for one, but one thing I think you should mention in your videos are the lifespan of all these excellent guys you discuss if they are cared for properly
Ayyyy, im so happy to see this posted, day and peacock geckos are some of my favorite lizards!
Mine too!
Especially since I have extra love for pet reptiles that have alot of information for morphs. The genetics of crested geckos is one of the biggest things that got me interested in reptiles so many years ago. So things like cresteds, day geckos, leopards, bearded dragons, ball pythongs, garters etc are some of my favorites, since learning about their genetics is so interesting.
Hopefully you've seen our genetics videos.
@@ClintsReptiles of course! In fact until i had seen your videos i didnt even know how expansive the ball pythons morph selection was, despite owning some bps myself! I own quite a few cresteds, leopards and beardeds all of varying morphs though. Currently im thinking about getting a few day geckos, my selection was between that or a cuban false anole. Quick question, do you like peacock or gold dust day geckos more?
I've spent years wrestling with that question. I'm still undecided...
when I saw your video about the Argentine black-and-white Tegu I did my research and I'm getting a male black and white Tegu tomorrow
That is super exciting!
One of my favs so far.Thank you again so much for what you're doing.So cool.
I remember living in Zanzibar for one year( a set of islands of the coast of Tanzania) and There were zanzibar day geckos that would lick nectar from the palm trees. It was so cute and beautiful.
Wow I got a pet lizard and save 15% on car insurance! What a deal!
Thank you so much for posting this, been asking for it for over a month!!
This was a first pet i ever wanted in my life. When i was a lil kid, my mom sayed that i can have a pet. As So, everyday i got home i just read the encyklopedia looking for most interesting pet. There was a biiig picture of this guy, and i fell in love. Its now 9th year, and i still want one. Iam not sure if I will ever be able to get him, but iam pretty sure Iam not ever gonna stop wanting him...
Any Giant Day Gecko: "Hail to my cuteness, baby!"
Me spacing out:
Clint: Make sure you don't cook them
Me: 😳😲
Of all the facts in this video, the geico gecko being a day gecko is the one I’m most enamored with and shocked by 😱
Can you do a video on the black tail coribo plz also love what you do keep up the good work :3
I'll see what I can do.
I have to give it to them,I am looking at this gecko and all I can think about is that insurance commercial.
Another great video about yoshi
Laidlaw, that’s the coolest last name ever!
One of my beardies liked this video for me so I suppose shes a fan of day geckos
Just remember, you can't grab or restrain them or their skin will rip! 😧
3:12 Well, mine escaped and when I tried to catch him... He tried to kill my finger and left a huge wound.
Since childhood the giant day gecko was my favorite reptile of all, so when I was like 14 or so I got one as my first lizard... well let me tell you that it somewhat discuraged me from owning reptiles because I thought I could handle it at least somewhat... no, you can't. I'm almost 30 now and guess what I got again. Exactly, but now I have also other reptiles that you can watch tv with so they scratch my itch for handling and I feel like a kid when my day gecko jumps on my arm to grab a cricket or mealworm and it's all the "handling" I need from him/her and it's wonderful. He takes crickets out of everybodys hand and people having a blast experiencing a very flighty animal trust them at least for getting served food. I enjoy it way more now, since I respect it for what it is: the most beautiful and really fun to watch (I'm not even kidding, even the way they poop is so freaking funny to watch) display animal.