Hemidactylus frenatus (Tjitjak or Asian house gecko)

Origin: Tropical areas of South-East Asia, the tjitjak is a settler of tropical areas around the world
Length: 14 cm (including tail)
Age: at least 5 years
The Asian house gecko is a fun animal to watch when active. Like many other geckos, it can walk upside down on the ceiling without falling and moves very quickly. These animals are masters of escape, which is why a terrarium that can be closed well is very important for keeping these animals. They are also called "tjiktjak" or "tjitjak" because of the loud noises they can make. Today, Asian house geckos are found all over the world due to the spread of humans from harbors to warmer oceans such as Hawaii, Australia, Florida and Africa.

Grooming
Experience: Novice / intermediate reptile keeper
Food: Insects (mainly crickets, curly flies and Buffalo worms)
Feeding adult: Administer a number of food animals every other day
Feed young: Small sized crickets every day
Water bowl: Yes
Change water: Daily

Nutrition
Asian house geckos mainly eat animal foods such as crickets, curly flies and Buffalo worms. This diet can optionally be supplemented with mealworms or wax moths. The food should be smaller than the gecko's head. The food animals that you give to your gecko should first be fed with specially available food or, for example, cat food or fish food. In this way, the nutritional value of the food animals is optimal. Alternate the food so that the house gecko gets all the nutrients it needs.

Asian house geckos also need extra calcium and vitamins. You can give this by always dusting the food animals with so-called calcium and vitamin preparation for reptiles. Fresh drinking water must always be available.

Water
Sometimes the geckos do not drink from the drinking bowl, so make sure that there is also spray water on plants and other furnishing elements in the enclosure, so that they can also drink from it.

Cleaning It is important to properly clean the terrarium. Therefore, remove uneaten food animals every day and remove feces before feeding the gecko again. Replace the bedding once a month or a few times a year and then immediately clean the rest of the terrarium (including the furnishings). If you use cleaning products, it is important to rinse everything well afterwards. Always wash your hands carefully after coming into contact with the animals or the terrarium, as reptiles can transmit salmonella.

Handling
The Asian house gecko is very fast and is therefore more difficult to handle in contrast to, for example, an eyelash gecko. If you do lift the gecko, be careful never to grab it by the tail, as it will repel it. The skin of the Asian house gecko is very sensitive.

Housing
Minimum enclosure size for this animal: 30 * 30 * 40 cm
Day temperature: 25-30oC
Night temperature: 18-21oC
Hours of light: 11-14 hours of UV light
Humidity: 50-60% during the day and 80-90% at night
Ground cover: Cocopeat, non-fertilized garden soil, beech chips, kitchen roll, newspapers

Design
Choose a terrarium for your gecko that is taller than it is wide. For a pair of Asian house geckos you need a terrarium of at least 50 * 40 * 50. Male geckos can be aggressive with each other so never put them together. If you take a larger group, take one male with several females. A larger terrarium with a larger group is of course necessary.

Make sure the terrarium has no gaps, because these geckos are really good at escaping and they can flatten themselves very much. The Asian house gecko likes moisture. Therefore, choose a ground cover that retains moisture (examples of this can be found at "Show ground cover"). To achieve this high humidity, the terrarium must be sprayed regularly. Decorate the terrarium with climbing branches, flat stones and hiding places in the form of bark or plants. A container filled with moist vermiculite or peat moss (sphagnum) is useful to help the animals molt.

The residence must offer different temperatures. There should be both warmer and colder areas for the animals to choose. Although the Asian house gecko is a nocturnal animal, a UV-b lamp must be installed. In this way the animals can build up enough calcium in their body. Without this relief, they can get very sick. Use incandescent, energy-saving or daylight bulbs and leave the light on for twelve hours a day. Also provide a shallow drinking bowl that the geckos cannot drown in. To be on the safe side, you can place some small stones in the drinking bowl to reduce this risk.

Behaviour
Diet: Carnivore
Lifestyle: Twilight and night active

Character
Asian house geckos are very active once it gets dark. They can also be housed in groups and will therefore exhibit a different kind of behavior (some, for example, territorial).
Points of attention
Asian house geckos are masters of escape, so make sure that your terrarium / enclosure does not provide any opportunities for the gecko to escape.

Costs and Purchase
Legislation: You do not need CITES or transfer papers to own this gecko. One-off costs: This includes the costs for the accommodation, lighting, heating, water bowl, plants and other decoration. All together this can cost a few hundred euros. The final amount depends on the quality and size of the products.
Fixed costs: Fixed costs include the costs for the feed, this is a few tens of euros per year.
Unexpected costs: Costs have been incurred when your gecko accidentally falls ill or your equipment breaks down.