African Fat Tailed Gecko Care
Housing: A 10-20 gallon terrarium with a screen lid will be suitable housing for one male or female. Females and males should not be housed together as the male will attempt to breed her continuously even to the point of injury or even death. Two males should never be housed together as they are highly territorial and will fight. A small group of similarly sized females can be housed together comfortably in a 40-gallon enclosure with enough hides and feedings monitored. It is not recommended to house more than one gecko per enclosure.
Substrate: Paper towels, tile, reptile carpet, and newspaper work as a suitable substrate. Sand and calcium sand should never be used as a substrate as it can cause irreversible damage such as impaction which then leads to death. Tiles would be great for those who wish to have a more naturalistic enclosure and paper towels make cleaning up super easy. I find that many Facebook groups discuss fantastic designs for enclosures.
Heating: An under-tank heat mat that covers ⅓ of the enclosure is the best source for heating. The heat mat must also be hooked up to a thermostat to ensure the gecko does not get burned and to regulate the temperature. The thermostat should be set at around 90-93 and this can be ensured with a temperature gun. Belly heat is necessary for digesting their food. Lighting is not necessary. Simply having natural light fill the room for 12 hours each day is sufficient.
Shelter: The gecko’s terrarium should have a minimum of three hides. One moist, cool, and one top of the heat mat. Logs cut in half, rocky houses, and plastic houses are some of the many possibilities to offer shelter for the warm and cool side. For the moist hide, you can use a mason jar, meal prep container with a hole cut out, etc. The moist hide can be filled with coconut fiber or paper towels. A hide with humidity set at 50-70 percent must be provided! Occasional misting to the enclosure is highly encouraged as they need more humidity than the common Leopard Gecko. Always keep an eye out for stuck shed on the gecko’s toes. This can be swiftly treated with a shallow warm bath and rubbing the dead skin off with a Q-tip. Keep in mind that Leopard Geckos self-regulate their temperature so extra heating is not needed.
Diet: African Fat Tailed Geckos are strictly insectivores and prefer their prey to be live whether it is in an escape-proof dish, held with tongs, or set loose for the gecko to hunt. Some of the main staples for diet include mealworms, crickets, super worms, and dubia roaches. African Fat Tailed Geckos tend to prefer crickets over other feeders. Always gut load your insects with cricket diet, vegetables, and/or leafy greens so that they are more nutritious for the gecko. Waxworms, butter worms, and hornworms should only be used as a treat and never a staple. These treat feeders should also never be used to bring a sickly gecko back to health. Carnivore care and a staple diet along with a vet visit is the best way to help a gecko that needs to put on weight.
Vitamins: Calcium with D3 should be available in the enclosure at all times along with a reptile multivitamin. Crickets can also be dusted with a multivitamin. These should never be skipped for Leopard Geckos are very prone to metabolic bone disease which can lead to death.
Water: Always keep a small dish of fresh dechlorinated water in the enclosure at all times.