In today's busy world, many people are drawn to pets that are easy to care for and don't require much living space. The smiling little "miniature dinosaurs," known as geckos, have become popular companions for this reason. If you're considering keeping a gecko, here are some essential things you need to know:

What Do Fat-Tailed Geckos Eat?

Fat-tailed geckos primarily eat insects. You can feed them live crickets, mealworms, superworms, and small roaches. The key is to ensure the size of the prey is not larger than the gecko's head, with the ideal size being about 1/2 to 2/3 of the gecko's head. This helps prevent the gecko from choking or struggling with its food.

Can Fat-Tailed Geckos Be Fed Commercial Feed?

Fat-tailed geckos can be trained to eat commercial feed. While their diet typically consists of crickets, superworms, mealworms, and small roaches, introducing a variety of food sources, including commercial feed, can be beneficial for their health.

To train a gecko to eat commercial feed, you can start by grinding the feed into a powder and coating it onto their usual food, like crickets or other insects. After doing this five or six times, you can try offering the feed alone using feeding tongs to see if the gecko will accept it. This method helps them gradually become accustomed to the new food.

Yes, it can. Fat-tailed geckos have thick tails that can regenerate if lost. When a gecko feels threatened or its tail is under pressure, it may drop its tail as a defense mechanism. It takes about 25 days for the tail to grow back, but the regenerated tail will look different from the original one—it will be shorter and may have a different color. The new tail is made of cartilage instead of bone and lacks nerves, so it won’t have the same sensation as the original tail.

Geckos are ectothermic animals, meaning their metabolism and digestion are influenced by external temperatures. It is possible to keep geckos in an air-conditioned room, but it’s essential to provide a suitable heating area to maintain their required temperature.

Using a device like a thermostat-controlled heating pad, such as the "Constant Temperature Master", can create a proper warm spot for the gecko. As long as you ensure they have access to a reliable heat source, using air conditioning in the room is perfectly fine.

Male fat-tailed geckos can become aggressive during their breeding season and may exhibit behaviors such as chasing and biting other geckos.

While mixing young fat-tailed geckos is generally manageable, aggression and territorial behavior often arise as they mature. Therefore, it is generally not recommended to keep multiple fat-tailed geckos together. Keeping them separately helps reduce the risk of injury from aggression and prevents the spread of diseases between individuals.