Madagascar felzuma, or day gecko: description, conditions, photo

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Madagascar felzuma is a reptile from the gecko family, the genus Felzum. It is gaining more and more popularity as a pet due to its exotic appearance and relative unpretentiousness in content. In addition, the day gecko, as it is also called, has a compact size and does not require an overly large terrarium. This means that you can keep it in small apartments. The article will talk about the features of the Madagascar green felsum, the content of this exotic animal at home.

Appearance

Madagascar felzuma has a very elegant color - juicy green or light green (on the abdomen - a little lighter). A characteristic feature of the species is red or red-brown spots and stripes on the body. Red stripes stretch to the eyes from the nostrils. On the inside of the eyes are also edged with red stripes. There may also be a few spots between the eyes -small or larger. On the body they merge into transverse stripes. As you can see, the day gecko, the photo of which is presented below, is a rather bright and beautiful animal.

The size of the Madagascar felsum is 28-30.5 centimeters in length. The males of this species are larger.

Distribution in nature, habitat conditions

The distribution area of the reptile, as its name implies, is the island of Madagascar, namely its eastern part. The day gecko also lives on nearby smaller islands. Inhabits moist forests or shrubs. In choosing a place of residence, these reptiles of residence are constant: having mastered the territory, they prefer not to leave it. Hollows, spaces under tree roots and crevices between stones inhabit. They spend most of their time in the trees. They rarely descend to the ground.

Unlike most nocturnal geckos, the day gecko, as its name implies, is active during daylight hours.

Content Features

Contain the Madagascar felsum at home, like other types of reptiles, in terrariums. Better if it is vertical. Geckos have a special structure of fingers, thanks to which they perfectly climb walls, including smooth ones. Therefore, the terrarium must be covered from above.

For this animal (or pair), a terrarium with dimensions of 120 x 45 x 120 centimeters will suffice. The terrarium should have a fairly thick layer of soil and a significant amount of plants.near the back wall, better - with hard leaves (sansevier, aroid, various ferns, etc.).

It should be noted that two males should never be kept in a terrarium. This will sooner or later end with the death of one of them. Geckos are territorial animals and aggressively guard their living space. You should also not plant two females with one male, and young animals must be kept separately from adults.

Choosing a seat

The place for the terrarium should be chosen bright (but not under direct sunlight) and protected from drafts. Otherwise, there are no special wishes.

Lighting

This factor is extremely important for the Madagascar felzuma. Bright diffused light is a guarantee of not only the activity of geckos, but also the good growth of plants in the terrarium. The length of daylight hours in the natural habitat of these reptiles is at least 10-11 hours, and it must be provided throughout the year using fluorescent lamps. The gecko also needs ultraviolet light, which a UV lamp will provide. With a lack of ultraviolet rays, your pet will grow worse. Molting and digestion processes will be disturbed, and rickets will develop over time.

Temperature conditions

The temperature in the terrarium is of great importance, as it determines the activity of reptiles, how actively they feed and reproduce. In daylight, it should not be lower than 27-29 degrees Celsius, and in the dark (after turning off the lighting devices) -22-24 degrees.

A good solution would be a combination of heat and light sources. In this case, a certain part of the terrarium will purposefully warm up. In these places, you need to place branches and pieces of wood so that the geckos can climb on them and warm themselves.

The terrarium should have both cold areas and shaded areas so that the reptile can cool down. Heating appliances must be installed carefully and carefully. They must be protected so that the day gecko cannot get burned.

Providing moisture

In nature, Madagascar felsums live in humid forests. Therefore, the level of humidity in the terrarium is very important for them, because unsuitable indicators can also cause he alth problems. It should be at least 50-60%. Provide it by spraying 1-2 times a day. Detains moisture primarily a layer of soil at the bottom. In the terrarium, it should be at least 5-7 centimeters. For it, you can use sphagnum moss, peat, coconut chips. In addition, in the terrarium, as mentioned above, there should be a lot of plants. They will also help retain moisture, and the felsums will be able to lick the droplets from their leaves. This is how they get it naturally.

Food

The diet of geckos should be as close to natural as possible. The ratio of animal and vegetable feed should be approximately as follows: 30-40% plant food and 60-70% animal food. The first type is provided by fruits: bananas, peaches, apples, pears, mangoes, apricots. Citrus fruits are not recommended. Fruits must be fresh, without signs of rot. Before feeding, they are cut into small pieces. You can introduce infant formula, cereals (without sugar), yogurts, juices into the diet.

Animal food in the diet of geckos in nature is represented by small vertebrates and insects. At home, banana and brownie crickets, cockroaches, flies, mealworms, and butterflies are suitable. Felsums should also receive special mineral supplements, which should be purchased at pet stores. You can roll pieces of food in them before offering it to pets. If it is not possible to purchase supplements, you can take crushed shells.

With regard to the frequency of feeding and the amount of food, it must be understood that at home, day geckos move much less than in nature, so excessive feeding is very harmful for them, as it can cause obesity. Growing young are fed daily, and adult geckos are fed two to three times a week, alternating plant and animal feed. If after a few hours any part of the food remains uneaten, it must be thrown away.

Reproduction

Reproductive age in Madagascar felsum begins at the age of 10-12 months. They usually mate in winter. It takes 4-6 weeks before the eggs are laid. Often there are two, sometimes one. Experts recommend removing the eggs from the terrarium and transferring them to the cage. A box with a substrate is placed in it, in which the eggs are placed. From above, the box is covered with a damp cloth, and then with a lid. The temperature in the gardenshould be 25-30 degrees Celsius, humidity - 70-90%. At a temperature of 28 degrees and above, young geckos will be born in 60-65 days, about 25 degrees - after 79 days. Sometimes, having hatched, they are in no hurry to leave the shell and remain in it for up to a day.

Young animals are transferred to a separate aquarium, where they maintain the appropriate temperature and humidity level. They are fed with small crickets and fruit flies, fruits, not forgetting about mineral supplements.

With good care, Madagascar green felsums can live up to ten years in captivity.