Speckled day gecko facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Speckled day gecko
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Family:	Gekkonidae
Genus:	Phelsuma
Species:	P. guttata
Binomial name
Phelsuma guttata Kaudern, 1922
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The speckled day gecko (scientific name: Phelsuma guttata) is a type of gecko that is active during the day. It lives in the eastern part of Madagascar. You can usually find these geckos in rainforests, living on trees. They eat insects and sweet plant nectar.

What Does the Speckled Day Gecko Look Like?

This gecko is a medium-sized lizard. It can grow to be about 13 cm (5 inches) long. Its body is slender and has a long snout. The gecko's main color is dark green.

You might see small orange spots on its back. It also has a black stripe that goes from its nose, over its eye, and past its ear. A cool feature of this gecko is the V-shaped stripes on its throat. Its sides, legs, and toes have white speckles. Some of these geckos even have blue spots on their necks! Their belly is usually grayish-white.

Where Do Speckled Day Geckos Live?

This gecko species lives in the north-east part of Madagascar, right along the coast. You can also find them on some small islands nearby.

What is Their Home Like?

Speckled day geckos usually live in rainforests. They like to stay on trees and avoid very bright sunlight. Sadly, many rainforests have been cut down. Because of this, you can now also find these geckos living on bushes and even on banana trees that people have planted.

What Do Speckled Day Geckos Eat?

These day geckos enjoy eating different kinds of insects and other small creatures without backbones. They also love to lick soft, sweet fruits, pollen, and nectar from flowers.

How Do Speckled Day Geckos Behave?

You can often find speckled day geckos living in pairs on a single tree. Young geckos, called juveniles, usually stay in the smaller bushes around the main trees.

Speckled Day Gecko Reproduction

Female speckled day geckos lay two eggs at a time. They hide their eggs on the ground under leaves or wood. Sometimes, they lay their eggs on trees under loose bark. If the temperature is around 28 °C (82 °F), the baby geckos will hatch in about 40 to 45 days. When they hatch, the young geckos are about 45 mm (1.8 inches) long.

Caring for Speckled Day Geckos in Captivity

If you keep these geckos as pets, it's best to house them in pairs in a terrarium with lots of plants. The temperature inside their home should be between 25 °C and 28 °C (77 °F and 82 °F). The air should also be quite humid, around 75%. In captivity, you can feed them insects like crickets, wax moths, fruit flies, mealworms, and houseflies.