CENTRAL AMERICAN BANDED GECKO

Quick Care Guide

Scientific Name: Coleonyx mitratus
Adult Size: 12–18 cm
Lifespan: 8–15 years
Activity: Nocturnal • Terrestrial

📏 Size

• Adults usually reach around 12–18 cm, including the tail.

• Males are often slimmer, with visible bulges at the base of the tail.

🏠 Housing

• A minimum enclosure of around 60 × 40 × 40 cm is recommended for one adult.

• Provide a secure lid, plenty of ground space and multiple hides.

• Use a suitable substrate that retains some moisture and allows natural digging.

• Include cork bark, leaf litter and a humid hide.

• Keep singly unless experienced with group housing; never house males together.

🌡️ Temperature

• Basking spot: 32–35°C.

• Warm area: 26–29°C.

• Cool area: 22–25°C.

• Night: around 18–22°C.

• Use a thermostat with any heat source and provide a temperature gradient.

💡 Lighting

• Provide a regular 10–12-hour day/night cycle.

• Low-level UVB, around 2–5%, is beneficial when correctly positioned.

• Avoid bright lighting throughout the enclosure, as this species is mainly nocturnal.

• Provide shaded hides where the gecko can retreat.

💧 Humidity

• Aim for approximately 50–70%, with local increases in the humid hide.

• Lightly mist as needed and keep the humid hide slightly damp.

• Avoid permanently wet substrate and ensure good ventilation.

🍽️ Food

• Feed a varied diet of live insects, including crickets, small locusts, roaches and appropriately sized worms.

• Juveniles should generally eat daily; adults around 3–4 times weekly, adjusted to body condition.

• Gut-load feeder insects and dust them with suitable calcium and vitamin supplements.

• Avoid oversized prey and remove uneaten insects.

💧 Water

• Provide a shallow dish of fresh water at all times.

• Replace dirty water daily.

• Occasional light misting can provide drinking droplets and support hydration.

🐍 Shedding

• Provide a humid hide to help the gecko shed successfully.

• Check toes and the tip of the tail for retained skin.

• Never pull stuck shed off forcibly; seek reptile-veterinary advice if it is constricting a toe or causing injury.

🤲 Handling

• Allow the gecko time to settle into its new enclosure.

• Handle gently and only when necessary.

• Support the whole body and never grab the tail, which can be dropped when the animal is frightened.

• Minimise handling during the day, when the gecko is resting.

❤️ Health

• Healthy geckos should have clear eyes, a good body condition and regular appetite.

• Watch for weight loss, lethargy, abnormal faeces, breathing difficulties or repeated shedding problems.

• Correct temperatures, UVB and calcium supplementation help prevent metabolic bone disease.

• Consult a reptile-experienced vet if symptoms persist.

🧹 Cleaning

• Remove faeces and uneaten food promptly.

• Clean the water dish regularly.

• Replace soiled substrate as required and disinfect enclosure furnishings safely.

• Keep hides clean while maintaining a suitable humid retreat.

✅ Before You Bring Your Animal Home

☐ Secure enclosure set up
☐ Warm and cool areas temperature-checked
☐ Thermostatically controlled heating installed
☐ Multiple hides and a humid hide provided
☐ Shallow water dish ready
☐ Live feeder insects and supplements available
☐ Day/night lighting cycle established

⚠️ Important Bits

• A shy, ground-dwelling gecko that is most active after dark.

• Provide plenty of hides to help it feel secure.

• Never allow the humid hide or substrate to become waterlogged.

• Avoid housing males together due to territorial aggression.

• Tail loss can occur if the gecko is frightened or restrained.

• Always wash your hands after handling reptiles or cleaning their enclosure.