Australian Velvet gecko (Oeodura monilis)

Velvets may be kept in pairs or solo. Males should not be housed together. If you house males with females, be prepared for breeding and egg-laying. A 10-gallon enclosure is a good minimum size for adults.

Rocks, fake plants, and logs for basking and hiding are preferred enclosure furniture. Make sure ample cave space is available, both on the warm side and cool side of the enclosure. Substrate choices can include bed-a-beast (coconut fiber), peat moss, sand, and cypress mulch (many people mix and match these materials). We prefer mostly coconut fiber.

A range in temperature is much appreciated by Velvets so they may thermoregulate. Temperatures may range from 88 degrees F down to 70s at nighttime. We suggest overhead bulbs for heating. Place the heat source on one side of the tank only. Red or black bulbs are nice for viewing nocturnal geckos. Don't use heat rocks.

Make sure a shallow water dish is available inside the cage at all times. We also suggest misting the enclosure at least 4-5 times per week. Make sure the substrate is never saturated.

Crickets make up the majority of the Velvets’ diet. Hatchlings should be fed 1 to 2 week old crickets. Adults can handle adult crickets. Mealworms and small superworms may also be offered to juvi and adult Velvets. Be sure you acquire your crickets from a clean source and feed them fresh food (you may use "gutload" if you like) and water. Do no feed moldy food to you crickets (this can cause serious disease)!

Be sure to supplement the diet with calcium and D3 and vitamins. We suggest a 1.3 ratio of herptivite to repcal calcium with D3. Place crickets in a tall cup, add the supplements and shake to coat crickets. Do this every other day for young geckos and then taper off to once or twice a week for adults (especially reduce the vitamin supplements). Make sure to offer more calcium to gravid females.