Improving Gargoyle Gecko Care With Natural History

The Gargoyle Gecko is less like the Crested Gecko than one might think. Today, we look at the natural history of the gargoyle gecko and apply our findings to our captive husbandry. This is not a complete care guide, but simply another resource to help supplement your gecko care.
Some extra food for thought I forgot to include! The body shape of a gargoyle gecko is more rounded and visually integrates with smaller branches better than the square and flattened shape of a crested gecko body which appears to be better suited to squeezing into tighter spaces. I think this is natural selection creating the best-shaped gecko for the terrain they experience in nature.
Instagram: @collegetropicals
Article used: www.proquest.com/openview/c5f...

[@dacisky]

Nice to finally see someone talking about gargoyles and not discuss breeding them or morphs. Keep it up.

[@gekkotaculture]

Thank you! More of these to come for other animals! Probably gonna do an update video eventually for how the gargs are doing setup like this

[@rfishrfish4242]

This is the smartest mullet head I’ve ever listen to. I can’t believe it nice mullet you seem to have a nice trailer to.

[@gekkotaculture]

Appreciate it hahaha

[@caitlin4759]

This is the exact kind of education we need in reptile keeping and exactly what I've been searching for and struggled to find. Would love to see more!

[@leafystreet]

great stuff. Ive been trying to push heat for gargs for a while now. Mine openly basking under UVB most of the day even when given tons of areas to hide

[@gekkotaculture]

Exactly and thank you! I love pushing the idea of being your own reptile researcher and doing what you notice works despite the care sheets

[@TomySTS]

Hello, just got my gargoyle a few days ago and in the most part of the day he sits on the highest point on the branch and not moving for 8-12 hours and his color is fired down always, is this normal?

[@axxotics]

I’m starting my research on gargoyles specifically and I’m so glad to find this video! I always base my husbandry off of natural history so this was amazing info to find

[@experiencednoob8400]

honestly very informative and much needed for these guys!

[@Wolfkisses101]

This is exactly the kind of info I’ve been searching for! Would absolutely love to see more in-depth natural history videos

[@ryangottlieb5197]

Love the video man! Looking forward to following your channel and implementation of a scholarly approach to husbandry

[@ninacerda7983]

I love this, thank you for sharing your research it's very helpful

[@Lizards4life1234]

Awesome vid please do more this one was so good 🙏

[@alexandrap7219]

Very cool take on advancing husbandry! Gargs for the win!

[@pereztube2]

Well done bro, and good luck with your studies!

[@LukeMcGuireoides]

Oh, I can't tell I'm gonna loooove this channel. I hope to see more intellectual type of material like this. I love the New Caledonian geckos, too. I just got my first reptile, a crestie, and built a bioactive enclosure. Unfortunately the gecko I got turned out to be a lot smaller than I thought, so it's gonna be a long time till I can pop it in.

[@gekkotaculture]

Yeah that can happen! For young ones I do like keeping them in smaller enclosures temporarily so I can make sure they have an easy time finding food. Get some mass on them and get em started strong before vivarium life👍

[@goodscentsnosework488]

Thank you!!! I finally found someone that knows, understands, and delivers the actual science behind their care and husbandry! It’s like searching for a needle in a haystack. I’ve watched countless videos of people just repeating the same mediocre and oftentimes outdated information.

[@LukeMcGuireoides]

Ultramafic areas have tons of serpentine rock and most plants find it hard to grow, or cannot grow, in the caustic soil, hence gargs not dwelling in trees or canopies but shrubs and stuff. I learned that from Crime Pays but Botany Doesn't. He's botanized in New Caledonia. Joey particularly loves ultramafic habitats. They're quite rare. Plus New Caledonia is botanically and biologically exceptional in just about every way. Incredible habitats

[@LukeMcGuireoides]

This habitat would have the gargoyles consuming a very different diet than cresties and leachies.

[@gekkotaculture]

Exactly! Thanks for the in depth comments luke love having conversations like this, I feel like most people know how to keep animals alive but don't often know exactly what ecological niche they fill so I'm hoping to pass along that info at least pertaining to the animals I personally keep!

[@jdamelines]

Great video!!!

[@liamcolotti6824]

I actually found a crested gecko diet pack that has bugs mixed in with the fruit.

[@seraswa]

I like this a lot! It would be really interesting to see a video like this for cresties.

[@gekkotaculture]

It's in the works, just want to do it right!

[@mossykiwibird9920]

I’m currently designing my gargoyle gecko vivarium, but I definitely need to change things up quite a bit.

[@drowsyreptiles]

Eye opening. I can’t wait to learn what you are doing with your Aussie pythons

[@gekkotaculture]

Appreciate it!

[@seannightingale4603]

Awesome video!

[@gekkotaculture]

Thanks!

[@mweitz1213]

Cool vid! Keep going!

[@gekkotaculture]

Thanks, will do!

[@ethan-hv5by]

great video! Glad somone made this. People need to do this with all species. Especially looking at habitats for desert species like Bearded dragons. Just because its a similar species doesn't mean its the same. like with these guys and Cresties or beardies and other similiar species.

[@ajtheghostblood]

Need more ppl with your ideology in the reptile space

[@zuckfan169]

Im getting a gargoyle this weekend at a reptile expo near me. Do you have any tips for what I should look out for when buying the animal? I have a bioactive terrarium set up at home for a month now with live plants. Im trying to get the temperature and humidity right. I have some trouble getting the humidity above 50%, but I guess I have to spray some more water during the day. Any tips on how many times I should mist the space? Overall great video, very informative! I subbed ;)

[@TheIauren]

Great video ! Have you ever researched Chahouas ? It's pretty difficult to find more in depth info like mating behaviour and stuff, hope you continue making videos !

[@gekkotaculture]

Not yet! One of my good friends is working with a handful right now, I'm hoping to get a start into chahouas once his eggs finish cooking, but I plan on doing this style of video with all my animals so it's in the works!

[@gekkotaculture]

Not yet! One of my good friends is working with a handful right now, I'm hoping to get a start into chahouas once his eggs finish cooking, but I plan on doing this style of video with all my animals so it's in the works! Thanks for the comment!

[@melaniekaycraig]

Thanks for the info

[@gekkotaculture]

Fosho!

[@liamcolotti6824]

This would also mean that they experience a bit less humidity no? Less tree cover and large leaves to trap humidity.

[@pamhouweling7141]

PleSe do one for cresty's please as an adult seeing younger generations approach to their cresty's setups. They are not suitable. And please address the dangers of them jumping to flat edged feeders. Too many dying from internal bleeding. Feeding ledges should be ar rhe end of a wider branch for comfort of feeding to get them feeding enough at a time.

[@UmamiPapi]

It would be a good idea to set them up with a larger isopod that they can prey on. Dairy cows are widely suggested for them and fit that bill.

[@lizards.n.sht.]

What did you say the substrate was??

[@jacalynhill7132]

Good video - very informative. If you could make it louder that might help. I had it on full volume and it wasn't quite as loud as I would have preferred.

[@gekkotaculture]

Thank you! I'll try and figure out the audio better on my end for the future!

[@LukeMcGuireoides]

He must've fixed it because it's is loud and clear here

[@nibblesful]

Is there any reason my gargoyle eats solidly for a week and then other weeks he will eat very little to nothing, it may just be my little geck but i do wonder. also after watching this i must get my garg onto insects, i tried alot when i first got him and he wouldnt have any but it is clearly very important

[@gekkotaculture]

My gargs definitely go on cycles every now and then ive noticed, as long as their weight holds steady or increases I dont worry about it too much, but a trick you can do that I use with my baby cresties that arent on food yet is Ill hold and crush a cricket with a pair of tongs so its inards spill out (gross ik haha) and have them lick it, them tasting the bugs usually gets them taking the cricket right from the tongs then and there.

[@arthurxws]

What if I got pinkies for my gargoyle gecko? I think they would be an excellent source of protein if given infrequently.

[@gekkotaculture]

I dont see why it wouldnt hurt to do once, just good to keep in mind their digestive tract isnt geared super heavily towards rodents so an excess may cause some issues you know?

[@arthurxws]

@@gekkotaculture Thank you for your reply ! I thought about including rodents in the gecko's diet because I thought they would be an excellent substitute for the other small types of gecko that gargoyles feed on in nature, but obviously it's not a good idea. However it would be beautiful if you made similar videos for other species too!

[@zachg8289]

THE JUMP RANDOMLY HAHAHA….pause…turn around…pick up gecko and put on shoulder. Carry-on!

[@jordandavila2324]

👍🏽👍🏽👌🏽👌🏽

[@markwilkie3677]

Did you say Jock or Doc Thompson? Jock is Scottish for John.

[@markwilkie3677]

Regards from Scotland btw!

[@gekkotaculture]

No way!! I meant to say jack Thomson... you outed my real name tho I happen to be part Scottish 😂

[@user-pr8ky7ck4h]

Small voice