The Cold Blooded News

The Newsletter of the Colorado Herpetological Society

Volume 28, Number 7; July, 2001

Viper Gecko Teratolepis fasciata

by "Arizona Gecko"

Reprinted from the Toledo Herpetological Society Newsletter, Vol.12, No.5, May 2001

One of the lesser known geckos native to Pakistan is Teratolepis fasciata, also known as the Viper gecko. A very prolific and hardy captive, it is quite possible that Viper geckos are going to be rated among the top five best pet reptiles. With their small size and basic care requirements. They can be maintained by beginner hobbyists.

Appearance
Their appearance is unlike most other geckos. Their colors are earth toned greys and browns in somewhat of a barred pattern which aid in camouflage in their natural sand and rock habitat. Fine soft scalation covers their body with much larger, fish-like scales covering their very large tails (shaped like a vipers head). They remain rather slender through out their life, unless gravid of course. Being purely terrestrial, their feet lack adhesive pads. Instead they have thick flexible semi clawed toes, for digging and navigating fine sand. With a full grown size of four to five inches they are rather small in size. As with most lidless geckos they employ their tongue to clean dust and debris from their eyes. Sex is distinguished by the typical hemipenal bulges of the male and lack thereof on females, and are usually sexable at four to five months in age.

Housing
Housing viper geckos is like [that of] most other arid desert dwelling reptiles, whether it is [in] a naturalistic vivarium set up or the most simplistic breeding enclosure. They are very prolific in captivity as long as certain housing requirements are met. As adults they do well in either Calci-sand or a mixture of calcium carbonate combined with play sand at a depth of around two inches. The most digging they will do is during nesting. Deep sand is not a requirement. Hatchlings however don't fare well on sand. Keep hatchlings on either paper towels or pure calcium carbonate. We suggest on a daily basis lightly mist one corner of the enclosure to raise humidity. Do not include a moist hide box during nesting season she may possibly bury her eggs in the wet sand; causing her eggs to spoil. After breeding season it is a good idea to moisten the sand in one of the corners. Give them plenty of hide spots, they really seem fond of large bark chunks, rocks and/or inverted clay pots. A fresh supply of water should always be available, even though we have never witnessed them drinking from a dish, [providing one] is a safe practice!

Temperatures and Lighting
During summer keep lighting at 14 hours on and 10 hours off -- during winter 9 hours on and 15 hours off. Viper Geckos like it a little hotter than most with summer temps around 95-97 degrees on the hot side, and around 85 degrees on the cool side with a 10 degree night drop. Heating the enclosure by use of either a heat pad or heat lamp is best. Always be sure to use an adjustable thermostat with any heating devices. Winter temps should be much cooler, as is [found in] their natural habitats: around 70 degrees daytime on the hot side, dropping into middle 60's at night. Cool them from December first until January fifteenth by unplugging any heat devices. Let the temperatures fall to around 60-65 degrees and cut back on the food. Some breeders cut all food off for this time. It is also wise never to use heat rocks with any geckos as they can cause serious thermal burns. Always think safety first for your animals!

Diet and Health
Viper geckos diets are like any insectivore's; they thrive on a variety of insects. The staple of their diet should be crickets, as they are the most readily consumed of all insects. Other insects such as; waxworms, small beetles and flies will also be consumed with eagerness. Always be sure to heavily dust all prey with a calcium and vitamin powder. We use Mineral 0 for indoor animals and rotate with Rep-cal between feedings. Viper geckos have a very high calcium requirement. It is also a good idea to mix calcium powder in with the substrate. When they ingest sand, they also benefit from the calcium in the sand. Always have a trained vet do a fecal exam on all newly acquired viper geckos. If possible avoid wild caught viper geckos as they usually have a high amount of parasites internally and externally. Always quarantine new animals!

Breeding
Simulating natural light cycles is vital to proper breeding success, as is a proper cooling. Breeding viper geckos is pretty straight forward. Like many temperate species they do require a short cooling period. Many breeders don't agree with this. However, if they require it in nature then why not in captivity! First, start with a mature pair. Females should be at least 15 - 18 months old, males will breed at around 10-12 months. After cooling( see above for times) introduce the male into the females cage give them privacy and enough time to explore. After around a week chances are 99.9% they have successfully bred. Start watching her activities she will start digging and looking for a nesting spot. She should show bulges at around 25-30 days and should lay her first clutch. Clutches will consist of two eggs every 14 days expect around 10-12 clutches if she is kept warm and healthy. She will usually lay her eggs under something in a cooler spot. It is a good idea to line the bottom of her cage with Saran Wrap, the eggs will stick when laid on the bottom. Incubate the eggs on either dry sand or dry paper towels at 82-85 degrees with 30-50% humidity. Hatching time is around 60 days. Hatchlings require the same care as adults except for the substrate. They should be kept on pure calcium carbonate. Hatchlings should be fed newborn crickets and fruit flies.