African fat-tailed gecko
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| iAfrican Fat-tailed Gecko | ||||||||||||||||
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| Hemitheconyx caudicinctus Duméril, 1851 |
Hemitheconyx caudicinctus, commonly known as the African Fat-tailed Gecko, is a nocturnal, ground-dwelling gecko.
The Fat-tailed gecko is from the subfamily Eublepharinae. Members of this subfamily include the leopard gecko of Pakistan. This subfamily has clearly different characteristics from other geckos. They are terrestrial, nocturnal, have moveable eyelids, have vertical pupils, and no adhesive lamellae (sticky feet).
The Fat-tailed gecko is found in West Africa, from Senegal to Cameroon. Their habitat is dry and arid, although they will spend most of their time in a dark, humid hiding place.
The Fat-tailed gecko will grow to be 6 to 10 inches. Females being 6 to 8 inches, and males being 8 to 10 inches. They will live 15 to 20 years. The normal coloring is brown and tan stripes, with a possible thin white stripe along the length of the back. The under belly is pale pink or off-white.
The Fat-tailed gecko is equipped with the natural defense of being able to lose their tails when attacked by a predator. The tail is also where they store their fat, an important energy reserve. If the tail is lost the new tail will look more similar to the head (fat and stubby), and may not match the coloration patterns of the body of the gecko.
Calcium is a very important part of the Fat-tail's diet. The primary source of their diet is crickets. Various sources show fat-tails can be fed as little as 3 times a week and as often as once a day. But everyone agrees that the crickets that are being fed to the fat-tails need to be calcium rich. This can be done by feeding the crickets calcium rich food or coating them with a calcium powder. Pinky mice, mealworms and wax worms can be also offered occasionally.
