Turpan wonder gecko

About the species

The species belongs to the genus Teratoscincus, known as wonder geckos or frog-eyed geckos. The eyes are large and lidless, with a vertical pupil, and give the animal its frog-like expression. The scales on the body and tail are large, thin and overlap like roof tiles. When the gecko feels threatened, it arches its back and waves its tail from side to side so that the scales rattle.

Jacques von Bedriaga described the species in 1906 and named it after the Russian explorer Vsevolod Roborovsky. At times it has been lumped together with both Teratoscincus scincus and Teratoscincus przewalskii, but genetic and morphological studies have shown that it is a species in its own right. Teratoscincus toksunicus is regarded as a synonym. The genus belongs to the family Sphaerodactylidae.

Adults measure 7.5-9.4 cm from snout to vent, and the herpetocultural literature gives the total length as 15-17 cm. Males have a slightly broader head than females. Adults are predominantly orange with irregular dark blotches on the upper side and paler flanks and belly. Juveniles have thin dark crossbands, which fade with age. Young animals can curl the tail forward over the back like a scorpion, and everything suggests that they mimic venomous scorpions living in the same place. There are no reliable weight figures.

This is the wonder gecko that is most often offered for sale, and it is bred regularly. It is nervous and tolerates handling poorly, so it is best observed rather than handled. The tail can be shed and regrows as a more rounded stump.

Care

The enclosure

A pair needs an enclosure of at least 90 × 45 × 45 cm (length × width × height). A single animal can manage in 60 × 40 × 40 cm, but bigger is always better, because the gecko is active and walks around a great deal at night. Floor area matters more than height, as it lives on the ground.

Use a layer of washed play sand mixed with clay or desert soil, 10-15 cm thick, so the animal can dig burrows that hold their shape. The deep sand also protects the fragile eggs. Furnish with several hides made of cork tubes, flat stones and bark, at least one in the warm end and one in the cool end. Stones should sit directly on the floor of the enclosure and not on top of the sand, so that they do not tumble down onto the animal when it digs.

The enclosure should have good ventilation and a dry substrate. Place the water bowl and any feeding dishes on a flat stone so that sand does not get in.

Temperature

The gecko needs a clear temperature gradient with 26-30 °C by day and a hot spot of 32-35 °C under a heat lamp or above a heat mat. At night the temperature may fall to 17-20 °C or ordinary room temperature.

There are only a few documented figures for this particular species. The figures are based on the recommendations of experienced keepers for the species (about 27-28 °C by day and 35 °C locally) and on experience with the closely related Teratoscincus scincus. Use a thermostat and a digital thermometer at both ends.

In the wild the species hibernates from October to March. In the enclosure, use a cool period of about two months at around 15 °C, with the heat lamp switched off. Only animals in good condition should be allowed to brumate.

Humidity and water

The species comes from one of the driest parts of China and should be kept dry, at 20-40 % humidity. Do not mist the whole enclosure. A small damp hide with slightly moist sphagnum helps the animal to shed and gives it somewhere to seek moisture.

Always provide a shallow bowl of fresh water, changed regularly. Constantly damp sand causes skin problems and fungal infections, so the sand should be dry most of the time. The eggs must also be kept dry; see the section on incubation.

Lighting and UVB

The species is nocturnal and does well without UVB as long as the food is dusted with vitamin D3. Some keepers nevertheless provide a weak UVB tube in the warm end, so that the UV index is at most about 1-2 where the animal can reach, with hides and shade alongside. This has not been studied for the species, and UVB is therefore listed as optional.

Use a day length of about 12 hours in summer and 10 hours in winter, controlled by a timer. At night the enclosure should be dark. If night-time heat is needed, use a ceramic heater or a heat mat, not coloured light.

Feeding

In the enclosure the gecko feeds on insects. Offer a varied diet of live food: crickets, locusts, dubia roaches and the occasional mealworm. Waxworms are treats and should make up only a small part of the diet. The insects should be smaller than the distance between the animal's eyes.

Adults are fed every second or third day, juveniles daily. The species easily becomes overweight, so keep an eye on its weight and the girth of the tail base. Dust the insects with calcium at most feeds and with a vitamin powder containing D3 once a week. If the animal has UVB, less D3 can be given.

In the wild the species also eats fruit, especially capers. It has not been shown that fruit is necessary in captivity, but you can try offering a little ripe fruit or fruit puree to the geckos for variety.

Behaviour and handling

The gecko is shy and nervous and lies hidden in its burrow by day. Many animals never become truly tame, and handling stresses them and can make them shed the tail. Pick them up only when necessary, and then low over a soft surface. Never grab the tail.

In the wild the animals live mostly alone, but a male and a female are occasionally found in the same burrow. In the enclosure they are kept singly or in pairs. Never keep two males together. Adults may eat juveniles, so the young need their own tub. Watch for bites and injuries, and separate the pair if unrest arises or one animal loses weight.

Breeding

Sexual maturity and sexing

Males are recognised by the broader head and by the two bulges at the base of the tail, where the hemipenes sit. There are no reliable figures for when the species reaches sexual maturity. Do not start breeding the animals until they are fully grown and in good condition. Females that are too small or thin easily lose calcium and can be harmed by egg-laying.

Mating

The winter rest is the key to breeding, and animals without a cool period rarely breed. Keepers use about two months at around 15 °C with shorter days, and the animals are not fed during that period. Afterwards raise the temperature and day length over a couple of weeks, and feed generously.

Pairs and small groups can work, and a pair that gets on well can stay together. Experience with the species is based on relatively few breeders, so be prepared to experiment.

Egg-laying and clutches

The female lays one or two hard-shelled but very fragile eggs at a time, and up to four clutches a year. She buries the eggs in dry sand, preferably under bushes in the wild. Give her an area of loose sand 10-15 cm deep in the warm end, so that the eggs are not crushed when she moves about.

Give the female plenty of calcium and insects during the season, and stop breeding if she loses weight.

Incubation

The eggs must be incubated on a dry substrate. A damp substrate kills the embryos. Place them in dry sand in a ventilated box without turning them. Some breeders place a small cup of water in the box, but outside the substrate and without contact with the eggs, so that the air does not become completely dry.

At 28 °C the eggs hatch after about 90 days. The figures for the species are few, so expect 70-110 days depending on temperature. For the closely related Teratoscincus scincus, breeders report 90-110 days at just under 28 °C. It is not known whether temperature determines sex. Wait a long time before discarding an egg.

Rearing the young

The young are small and nervous. Keep them singly in a small faunarium with dry sand, a hide, a small damp hide and a shallow water bowl, at the same temperatures as the adults. Give them small crickets or other small insects dusted with calcium daily, and keep an eye on their weight.

Some juveniles are difficult to get started feeding. There are no reliable figures for growth, so watch the body shape. Move them to a larger enclosure with deep sand as they grow.

Health and common mistakes

There is almost no veterinary literature on this particular species, so the advice is based on experience with the genus and other desert geckos. The typical problems are:

• Too much moisture, which causes fungal and skin infections and poor sheds. Keep the sand dry with only one small damp hide.
• Obesity from too many fatty insects such as mealworms and waxworms. Vary the diet, and keep an eye on the girth of the tail base.
• Lack of calcium and vitamin D3, especially in breeding females and young animals. This causes soft bones and tremors. Dust the food.
• Sand swallowed along with the food. Preferably offer the insects in a smooth dish.
• Tail lost after handling or fights. It regrows, but becomes more rounded.
• Winter rest for animals that are thin or ill. Only healthy animals in good condition should be allowed to brumate.

Seek a vet with experience in reptiles if the animal loses weight, does not eat for several weeks, or has swellings, skin sores or laboured breathing.