Gold Dust Day Gecko Care Sheet

Gold Dust Day Gecko (Phelsuma laticauda)

Difficulty: Moderate

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Gold dust day geckos are relatively hardy species of day gecko, particularly when acquired captive-bred. Learn how to keep them as a pet at ReptiFiles!

Welcome to the ReptiFiles Gold Dust Day Gecko Care Sheet! This care sheet was written by a professional reptile husbandry specialist, compiled based on reputable sources such as scientific research papers, natural history data, and the experiences of longtime keepers and breeders of this species. You can find a list of these sources at the bottom of this page.

ReptiFiles care materials contain a variety of links to helpful resources and trusted products, some of which are affiliate links. I rely heavily on affiliate revenue to maintain ReptiFiles.com and further my research. For more information on why I use affiliate links, click here.

Gold dust day geckos (Phelsuma laticauda) are a diurnal, omnivorous type of arboreal gecko primarily native to Madagascar and nearby islands. It has also been introduced to Hawaii and other areas of suitable climate. They prefer tropical forest for habitat, and as a strictly arboreal species, they spend most of their lives up off the ground.

Gold dust day geckos generally grow 3.9-5.1″ / 10-13cm long, and like most day geckos, are popular because of their vibrant colors. They have a bright green to yellow-green base color with yellow speckling on the neck, bright blue around the eyes, and three rounded reddish markings toward the tail. Their bodies have a sharply tapered snout, round lidless eyes, sticky toe pads, a slightly flattened tail, and delicate velvety skin.

Gold dust day geckos are relatively hardy species of day gecko, particularly when acquired captive-bred. When you pay attention to providing appropriate gold dust day gecko care, you may expect a lifespan of up to 15 years.

Gold Dust Day Gecko Shopping List

These are products I personally recommend for setting up a functional gold dust day gecko terrarium. Some of the links in this care sheet are paid links — if you’d like to know why ReptiFiles uses paid links, visit this page.

Gold Dust Day Gecko Enclosure Size

Gold dust day geckos need an enclosure that is large enough to give them adequate opportunity to explore, hunt, and generally exercise natural behaviors. They are also arboreal, which means that they need a terrarium that provides a generous amount of climbing space. Considering that gold dust day geckos can grow up to 5″/13cm long, the minimum recommended enclosure size for a single gold dust day gecko is 12”L x 12”W x 18”H / 30 x 30 x 45 cm or similar. Providing larger than the minimum requirement is strongly recommended.

ReptiFiles recommends the following enclosures for gold dust day geckos:

Can multiple gold dust day geckos be housed in the same enclosure?

Day geckos have been historically housed together successfully in breeding pairs or small breeding groups of one male and multiple females. However, if you don’t intend to breed day geckos, then it’s best practice to keep only one or a group of strictly females.

To house multiple day geckos together, the size of the enclosure needs to be proportionately increased so the geckos can get away from each other as needed.

Lighting & UVB for Gold Dust Day Geckos

Gold dust day geckos are diurnal, which means that they are primarily active during the day.  This means that they need access to a basking area, are exposed to direct UVB during the day, and have relatively poor night vision.

13 hours of light should be provided per day during summer, and 11 hours of light per day should be provided during winter in order to encourage healthy hormonal cycling, with gradual adjustments in-between.

UVB Lighting

Gold dust day geckos require UVB lighting as part of their setup in order to survive and produce their best color. UVB lighting can be tricky, because in order to get the right strength of UVB (measured by UV Index, or UVI), distance must be considered.

As a rough estimate, to provide appropriate UVB to a gold dust day gecko, you will need one of the following lamps, depending on the enclosure’s height:

For best results, coil UVB bulbs should be mounted horizontally in a reflective fixtures such as the Zoo Med Naturalistic Hood or Exo Terra Compact Top. Tube UVB bulbs should be mounted in highly reflective, reptile-specific fixtures (ex: Zoo Med Reptisun T8 Terrarium Hood, Arcadia ProT5), not hardware store fixtures.

UVB bulbs must be replaced every 6-12 months (per manufacturer instructions) in order to remain effective.

(These recommendations are approximations. It is strongly recommended to use a Solarmeter 6.5 to determine the best placement to achieve a UVI of 3.0-4.0 in the basking area at the top of the enclosure.)

General Illumination

For diurnal species, it’s also best practice to provide bright light with a color temperature of around 6500K in addition to UVB and heat lamps. Gold dust day geckos with access to bright lighting are likely to be more active, have better appetites, and display better color.

The Arcadia Jungle Dawn LED Bar and Bio Dude Glow & Grow are both excellent lamps for this purpose. You will need one long enough to span at least half of the enclosure.

Gold Dust Day Gecko Temperature Requirements

Humans are warm-blooded, which means that our body temperature is automatically regulated. Gold dust day geckos, however, are cold-blooded, and they need to move between areas of different temperatures in order to regulate their body temperature. In the wild, gold dust day geckos warm up by basking in a warm patch of sunlight. In captivity, sunlight can be replicated with a white incandescent heat lamp.

  • Basking area temperature: 90°F (32°C)
  • General temperatures: 82-89°F (28-32°C)
  • Nighttime temperature: 70-77°F (21-25°C)

Generally speaking, it doesn’t take much to achieve such a low basking temperature, especially considering that gold dust day geckos are arboreal and will likely bask quite close to the heat lamp. One very low wattage incandescent bulb such as the 35w Zoo Med Nano Halogen Heat Lamp or 25w Exo Terra Daytime Heat Lamp should be plenty, but results will vary based on your room temperature. If you notice that the basking area is too warm, dial down the heat down with a lamp dimmer or switch to a lower wattage bulb. If your basking area is too cool, you will need a higher wattage bulb.

Warning: Day geckos are known to climb upside-down on the mesh on top of their enclosure, which makes them susceptible to burns. To prevent this from happening, use a lamp stand to suspend the lamp over the enclosure, such as the Exo Terra Light Bracket.

The basking area should be a vine or branch directly under the heat lamp. Because your gecko is arboreal and will be living in a tall enclosure, the warmest temperatures will be at the top (near the heat lamp), and the coolest temperatures will be toward the bottom. You will need vines, branches, and foliage at all levels to allow for proper thermoregulation.

To track basking temperature, use a digital probe thermometer, with the probe zip-tied to the basking surface under the heat source. Most reptile-brand digital probe thermometers function well.

Gold Dust Day Gecko Humidity Requirements

Gold dust day geckos do best in a moderate- to high-humidity environment, with an average humidity of 40-70% as measured by a digital probe hygrometer with the probe placed in the middle of the enclosure. Humidity levels that are consistently too high or low can cause health problems for your gecko. However, it is natural for humidity to be lower in the warm area and higher in the cool area. It is also normal and healthy for humidity levels to rise at night and fall during the day.

To raise the humidity in your gecko’s enclosure (and provide an extra source of drinking water), use a pump-style pressure sprayer such as the Exo Terra Mister to wet down the enclosure every morning, and evening if necessary.

Gold Dust Day Gecko Substrate Options

Because gold dust day geckos are arboreal (tree-dwelling), they don’t spend much time on the ground. Although it’s not necessary to use bedding for them, it’s very useful for helping to stabilize humidity. It also acts as a cushion if they fall from their perch, which may happen while they are hunting.

It’s best to use a moisture-retentive substrate that is similar to the soil in a gold dust day gecko’s natural habitat. Here are some reliable options:

Only 2″ / 10cm should be needed, unless you are planting the plants directly into the substrate. For best results, add a generous layer of leaf litter on top.

Feces and urates should be removed daily, and contaminated substrate should be scooped out and replaced. Substrate should be completely replaced once every 3-4 months, depending on your needs.

Decorating Your Gold Dust Day Gecko Terrarium

Decorations play a vital role in your gecko’s enclosure as environmental enrichment. Enrichment items encourage exercise, stimulate your pet’s natural instincts, and help promote overall wellbeing. And, of course, they make the enclosure look nicer! Without décor, your terrarium is just a glass box with dirt and a feeding ledge. Just because day geckos can climb up glass doesn’t mean they shouldn’t have other climbing materials available. They also need places to hide that are not on the ground.

Here are some ideas to get you started:

  • branches
  • cork hollows
  • vines
  • live plants (ex: dracaena, sanseveria, pothos, philodendron, bromelia)
  • magnetic ledges

Arrange these items in a way that encourages your gecko to climb and explore, and provides areas of both light and shade. Artificial plants are best avoided with day geckos.

Feeding Your Gold Dust Day Gecko

Gold dust day geckos are omnivores, which means that they need a balanced diet of both plant- and animal-based foods to get the nutrition that they need. In the wild, they eat mostly insects, flower nectar, and fruit juice. As pets, this diet can be re-created with a balance of meal replacement powder and live insects.

How often gold dust day geckos need to eat depends on age:

  • Juveniles (0-6 months) — insects daily, CGD every other day
  • Subadults and Adults (>6 months) — insects 2x/week, CGD 1x/week

Crested gecko diet (CGD) must be offered via a wall-mounted feeding ledge, not placed on the ground. Personally I prefer magnetic mounts to suction cups.

Best crested gecko diet powders: Pangea, Repashy, Black Panther Zoological, Leapin’ Leachie, Zoo Med, Lugarti

Best feeder insects for gold dust day geckos: crickets, red head roaches, grasshoppers/locusts, flightless fruit flies, small hornworms, silkworms

The key to providing a healthy, balanced diet for your pet is VARIETY. Provide as varied of a diet as you possibly can, and you will be rewarded with a healthier pet that always looks forward to mealtime. I prefer to use a rotation of at least 3 different kinds/flavors of CGD.

Supplements

Crested gecko diet is already fortified and balanced with a variety of vitamins and minerals. However, feeder insects need to be “dusted” with a light coating of calcium powder before every feeding to balance the calcium-phosphorus ratio.

There are many options, but Arcadia CalciumPro Mg or Miner-All Outdoor are both solid calcium supplements. For best results, use as directed by the label.

Drinking Water

Although your gecko will get drinking water from daily mistings, it’s best to always keep a bowl of clean water available on the feeding ledge. This bowl should be scrubbed out with veterinary disinfectant such as Rescue or F10SC weekly for good hygiene.

Handling Your Gold Dust Day Gecko

Gold dust day geckos are too small, fast, and delicate to be handled safely. If you want to try interacting with your gecko, I recommend limiting interactions to offering insect prey by hand/soft-tipped feeding tongs or putting a dab of CGD on your finger for them to lick. 

However, wait at least 2 weeks for the gecko to settle into its new home before trying to introduce yourself.

References

Baines, F. M., Chattell, J., Dale, J., Garrick, D., Gill, I., Goetz, M., Skelton, T., & Swatman, M. (2016). How much UVB does my reptile need? The UV-Tool, a guide to the selection of UV lighting for reptiles and amphibians in captivity. Journal of Zoo and Aquarium Research, 1, 56. https://doi.org/10.19227/jzar.v4i1.150

Gold Dust Day Gecko (Phelsuma laticauda). (n.d.). INaturalist. Retrieved December 30, 2021, from https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/34050-Phelsuma-laticauda

General Care. (2017). Phelsuma Farm. https://www.daygeckos.co.uk/general-care/

McKeown, S. (1993). The General Care and Maintenance of Day Geckos. Advanced Vivarium Systems.

Medium UV Species. (n.d.). Arcadia Reptile. Retrieved December 27, 2021, from https://www.arcadiareptile.com/lighting/medium-uv-species/

Rundquist, E. M. (1995). Day Geckos. T.F.H. Publications.

The ReptiFiles Gold Dust Day Gecko Care Sheet is a simplified care summary, not a full ReptiFiles care guide. While I have done my best to ensure that the information contained is accurate, due to time constraints, the research behind ReptiFiles care sheets is not as thorough as the research involved with my full-length care guides. I strongly encourage readers to do their own research from high-quality, reputable sources outside of just this care sheet as part of preparing for your new pet reptile.