Coeonyx geckos are not common in captivity, and their captive care requirements are not well known. Their natural history is actually fairly well studied compared to other geckos in the hobby, and their captive care needs are modest. This article will outline their taxonomy and natural history, and also give very basic husbandry guidelines informed by their natural history, by published research, and by my own experiences keeping these species.
Taxonomy and native range:
The genus Coleonyx currently contains nine species in two habitat groups.
In the arid group:
Coleonyx brevis, the Texas Banded Gecko. The species name means ‘short’, and refers to the snout. Found in New Mexico, Texas, and Mexico.
C. switaki, the Barefoot gecko. Named for the herpetologist Karl H. Switak. Has a very small range in extreme southern California (where it is protected) into Baja.
C. gypsicolus, Name apparently means ‘inhabits gypsum’, a mineral common in its native range. Found only on Isla San Marcos, MX, which has an area of only 11 square miles.
C. fasciatus, Name means ‘band’, and refers to the fact that this species keeps the bold juvenile bands into adulthood. Known from a few widely separated locations in western Mexico.
C. variegatus, the Western Banded Gecko. Name means ‘of many colors’. Found in southern California, Nevada, Arizona, into mainland Mexico and through Baja. Current valid subspecies are C.v. abbotti, C.v. sonoriensis, and C.v. variegatus (other previous subspecies are subsumed under ssp variegatus).
map © Gary Nafis
In the forest group:
Coleonyx elegans. This is the original type species (the first species described in the genus). The genus name derives from the Greek for ‘sheathed claw’; the species name means ‘elegant’, Found in the lowlands of the Yucatan peninsula of Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras.
C. nemoralis. Name is Latin for ‘of the woods’. Described in 2022, from a former subspecies of C. elegans
C. reticulatus. The name means ‘net-like’. Found only in extreme southern Texas (where it is protected), adjoining areas and two disjunct areas in Mexico.
C. mitratus, the Central American Banded Gecko. From the Latin ‘wearing a headband’, referring to the white band on the back of the head. Found from Honduras and Guatemala south into Panama. Captive stocks are said to likely come from Nicaragua. This is the basal species (the oldest species from which the others in the genus diverged).
In the forest group:
Coleonyx elegans. This is the original type species (the first species described in the genus). The genus name derives from the Greek for ‘sheathed claw’; the species name means ‘elegant’, Found in the lowlands of the Yucatan peninsula of Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras.
C. nemoralis. Name is Latin for ‘of the woods’. Described in 2022, from a former subspecies of C. elegans
C. reticulatus. The name means ‘net-like’. Found only in extreme southern Texas (where it is protected), adjoining areas and two disjunct areas in Mexico.
C. mitratus, the Central American Banded Gecko. From the Latin ‘wearing a headband’, referring to the white band on the back of the head. Found from Honduras and Guatemala south into Panama. Captive stocks are said to likely come from Nicaragua. This is the basal species (the oldest species from which the others in the genus diverged).
Distribution of Coleonyx mitratus.
Midtgaard, Rune. RepFocus - A Survey of the Reptiles of the World. www.repfocus.dk
© Rune Midtgaard
Midtgaard, Rune. RepFocus - A Survey of the Reptiles of the World. www.repfocus.dk
© Rune Midtgaard
Presence in the hobby trade:
Of these the only species in captivity are mitratus, brevis, variegatus, and elegans, The first three of those species are in captivity through legal collection and trade, though oddly the two US native species (brevis and variegatus) are rarely kept.
C. mitratus is routinely exported from the wild, apparently legally, and these wild collected specimens are available for sale in the US hobby market.
C. brevis is legally collectable in and exportable from Texas; wild caught specimens are available in the US market, though very rarely. Brevis is legal for collection in and sale from New Mexico with a commercial collection permit, per the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish.
C. variegatus is legally collectable in Nevada for personal use (bag and possession limit of 2 specimens), and apparently can be legally exported from the state, per Nevada Department of Wildlife. C. variegatus is legal for collection in and sale from New Mexico with a commercial collection permit, per the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish. This species can be collected and possessed in California (possession limit 2) but cannot be sold, and cannot be exported from the state for any purpose, per current Native Reptile Captive Propagation Laws and Regulations. Unfortunately, I have encountered sellers of C. variegatus that were recently illegally exported from California, or descendants of such animals (which because of their lineage history are also illegal).
C. elegans has been imported to the US from Germany since 2004 (USFWS, personal communication); this is long after the cessation of regular reptile exports from Mexico around 1990. According to archived classified ads and blog posts, elegans was very rare in the US until after 2011 or so, and remains uncommon currently — not an unusual situation for species whose existence in the trade is likely less than legitimate. It seems likely that no C. elegans in the US hobby are of legal origin.
Most natural history and physiological research has been published on the three legally collected species, and so these are the species I will mostly focus on in the next section.
Natural history:
The general habitats of the arid group species are similar, and are noted in published accounts as follows:
C. brevis — rocky hills in holes under rocks
C. fasciatus — thorn forests in mountain foothills (Grismer 1990)
C. switaki — rocky scrub areas, hibernates in winter (CalHerps).
C. variegatus — rocky to sand dunes (Klauber 1945); rocky sage and chaparral (CalHerps)
Rainfall in the wild ranges of these species is very low. While the annual rainfall at the type location for C. brevis (Bexar County, Texas) is 30 inches, this extreme eastern edge of the species’ range is by far the wettest habitat they encounter; most of their range receives half that or less. Rainfall of 12 inches or less annually is typical for C. variegatus habitat.
Temperatures in these habitats is extreme, as is the apparent temperature tolerance of the arid group species. Klauber (1945) reports collecting specimens in temperatures as high as 90F and lower than 60F “out in the heavy winds which often sweep across the desert on spring nights”. Based on collection data, Klauber concludes that the optimum environmental temperature for C. variegatus activity in the wild is between 80F and 84F.
Daily activity patterns in the wild are studied for C. brevis and C. variegatus. Variegatus is strongly nocturnal; according to Kingsbury (1989), “Nightfall appears to be the most important determinant for the onset of activity. In the field, lizards were never found earlier than thirty minutes after sunset”
Klauber (1945), in a discussion about a year of study during which he observed almost 600 wild specimens, notes “I have never encountered one in full daylight except on one occasion when no place of concealment was available. This was on a tiny island in Lake Mead […] which was about to be inundated for the first time by the rising water of the dam. There were two geckos in plain sight; one was shedding in a peculiar fashion—possibly burned by the sun.”
Likewise, Cooper (1985) reports strictly nocturnal surface activity. Cooper mentions other studies’ findings of diurnal activity, and notes them to be (a) subsurface activity (under shelter), and (b) artifacts of study conditions (e.g. avoidance behavior toward artificial light).
Such diurnal subsurface activity has been reported for C. brevis, which according to Dial (1978) thermoregulates diurnally under rocks heated by the sun.
The habitats of the forest group species might diverge a little more from each other:
elegans — in caves, rotten logs and stumps, and typically only in the wet season
(Klauber 1945)
mitratus — in leaf litter in palm scrub; also in anthills (Klauber 1945); primarily in lowland moist to dry forests both intact and disturbed, typically in leaf litter (Sunyer, et al, 2017). Wilson and Townsend (2006) report that mitratus is widespread but infrequently noted in premontane wet forest and lowland moist forest.
While some mitratus collection locales have routinely extreme daily high temperatures (for example, 90F at collection altitudes in San Pedro, Honduras) others do not (San Jose, Costa Rica, with an average daily high of 74-78F), and many are in the middle of these high temperatures (for example, the interestingly isolated population on Utila Island, Honduras, which has daily highs of 77-84F).
.
Whether the forest group species ever experience these daily high temperatures may be doubted, since like the arid group species, C. mitratus is strongly nocturnal. A 2017 report on new localities (Sunyer, et al) details 12 captures, none of which were before 8:45 PM. Also, these species’ microhabitats — caves, anthills, leaf litter — can be expected to remain much cooler than daily ambient high temperatures.
Captive care:
As for very many herp species, most online care sheets for Coleonyx (which are usually restricted to C. mitratus, as this is the most widely kept species) are not written by experienced knowledgable keepers and contain a great deal of low quality information.
I will restrict my comments on captive care to the three species that are known to have been legally collected: C. brevis, C. variegatus, and C. mitratus. In this genus, these species should be the only choices of responsible keepers. Mitratus is frequently available captive bred, and these specimens should always be the first choice of keepers; wild collected specimens are frequently in bad condition and should not be expected to thrive to nearly the degree as captive bred animals. Variegatus is sometimes available as captive bred. Brevis is occasionally bred in captivity, but is rarely available even as wild collected. Whatever the provenance, seeking out specimens from legitimate breeders and not from chain stores or big online sellers is recommended. Note that many local herp shops too often sell wild collected animals as ‘captive bred’.
All three species are best kept as singletons or as sexed pairs. Males are said to be completely incompatible with one another, and I have found that at least in C. mitratus, female on female stress, though not common, can occur with or without a male present.
Coleonyx — at least C. brevis, variegatus, elegans, and mitratus — have sex chromosomes and so cannot be incubated to produce the desired sex of offspring (as in, say, Eublepharis macularius, leopard geckos) (Keating, et al 2022). So, young animals may not be able to be sexed at the time of purchase and should be housed together only very cautiously.
All species do well on appropriately sized mealworms, with occasional crickets or other prey species for enrichment. A staple diet of crickets is likely fine as well, though the challenges of regular food availability and the risk of uneaten crickets stressing or injuring the geckos might make this a less desirable option. Younger Coleonyx specimens, as well as all ages of C. brevis, also accept rice flour beetle (Tribolium confusum) larvae. Larger geckos (adult mitratus) could be offered dubia roach nymphs. Phoenix worms (black soldier fly larvae) would likely be a good occasional prey item, though their palatability seems to be very limited for many geckos.
All prey items should be dusted with a quality complete supplement such as Repashy Calcium Plus at every feeding; recommendations to supplement calcium regularly and a “multivitamin” occasionally are not at all based on good evidence. ‘Gutloading’ can be valuable in improving the nutritional profile of insect feeders but only when a quality powdered gutload product is used; fresh fruits and vegetables do not constitute a gutload diet. (Allen and Oftedal, 1989; Divers and Stahl; Finke, et al, 2004; Finke, et al, 2005)
Arid group housing:
The arid group species are easily kept in small terrestrially oriented enclosures. I have found that 130 - 150 sq inches of surface seems sufficient to allow for adequate if minimal choices of terrain and gradients of temperature and moisture for a sexed pair — this corresponds to the footprint of a 5 gallon fish tank, or a 12 x 12 ExoTerra enclosure. A slightly larger enclosure — 10 gallon fish tank or 18 x 18 ExoTerra — would give even more options for the geckos and make the keeper’s designing tasks easier.
Sand or a sand/peat mix is suitable substrate as it is easily spot cleaned, and in breeding pairs should not be so deep that the geckos are able to hide their eggs from the keeper. Numerous secure areas for hiding and subsurface activity should be provided. I prefer to use multiple cork flats to replicate the microhabitats under rocks; the light weight of the cork compared to natural stone reduces injury risk to the geckos. A moist hide or other moist area should be provided to give some option for moisture regulation, though I’ve found these species to be as likely as not to reserve the moist hide as a defecation zone.
C. brevis inhabits slightly moister habitats than does variegatus (and as I’ll mention a bit later, loses moisture through its skin a little more readily) — this implies that brevis might reasonably be kept a little more moist than variegatus. I’ve not seen a difference in moisture needs in captivity between these two species, but that could be due to small sample size or other factors.
Like with virtually all herptiles, natural materials should be used in landscaping the enclosure whenever possible. Not only do herps very strongly tend to use natural enclosure elements preferentially to plastic ones, but their textures are much more conducive to use as they’re easier to climb. Natural materials can also be expected to be more enriching, since they’re often variable in shape, texture and other characteristics.
As completely nocturnal animals, the arid group Coleonyx neither need nor should be provided UVB. Since substrate is best kept shallow and dry, a so-called “bioactive” methodology is not appropriate for these species. Live plants, while attractive to the keeper, are not going to provide benefit to these species and so are best omitted from the enclosure so to focus on the needs of the geckos.
Below is a very minimalistic breeding enclosure for the arid group species. The blue topped container is a moist hide containing damp sphagnum.
Of these the only species in captivity are mitratus, brevis, variegatus, and elegans, The first three of those species are in captivity through legal collection and trade, though oddly the two US native species (brevis and variegatus) are rarely kept.
C. mitratus is routinely exported from the wild, apparently legally, and these wild collected specimens are available for sale in the US hobby market.
C. brevis is legally collectable in and exportable from Texas; wild caught specimens are available in the US market, though very rarely. Brevis is legal for collection in and sale from New Mexico with a commercial collection permit, per the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish.
C. variegatus is legally collectable in Nevada for personal use (bag and possession limit of 2 specimens), and apparently can be legally exported from the state, per Nevada Department of Wildlife. C. variegatus is legal for collection in and sale from New Mexico with a commercial collection permit, per the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish. This species can be collected and possessed in California (possession limit 2) but cannot be sold, and cannot be exported from the state for any purpose, per current Native Reptile Captive Propagation Laws and Regulations. Unfortunately, I have encountered sellers of C. variegatus that were recently illegally exported from California, or descendants of such animals (which because of their lineage history are also illegal).
C. elegans has been imported to the US from Germany since 2004 (USFWS, personal communication); this is long after the cessation of regular reptile exports from Mexico around 1990. According to archived classified ads and blog posts, elegans was very rare in the US until after 2011 or so, and remains uncommon currently — not an unusual situation for species whose existence in the trade is likely less than legitimate. It seems likely that no C. elegans in the US hobby are of legal origin.
Most natural history and physiological research has been published on the three legally collected species, and so these are the species I will mostly focus on in the next section.
Natural history:
The general habitats of the arid group species are similar, and are noted in published accounts as follows:
C. brevis — rocky hills in holes under rocks
C. fasciatus — thorn forests in mountain foothills (Grismer 1990)
C. switaki — rocky scrub areas, hibernates in winter (CalHerps).
C. variegatus — rocky to sand dunes (Klauber 1945); rocky sage and chaparral (CalHerps)
Rainfall in the wild ranges of these species is very low. While the annual rainfall at the type location for C. brevis (Bexar County, Texas) is 30 inches, this extreme eastern edge of the species’ range is by far the wettest habitat they encounter; most of their range receives half that or less. Rainfall of 12 inches or less annually is typical for C. variegatus habitat.
Temperatures in these habitats is extreme, as is the apparent temperature tolerance of the arid group species. Klauber (1945) reports collecting specimens in temperatures as high as 90F and lower than 60F “out in the heavy winds which often sweep across the desert on spring nights”. Based on collection data, Klauber concludes that the optimum environmental temperature for C. variegatus activity in the wild is between 80F and 84F.
Daily activity patterns in the wild are studied for C. brevis and C. variegatus. Variegatus is strongly nocturnal; according to Kingsbury (1989), “Nightfall appears to be the most important determinant for the onset of activity. In the field, lizards were never found earlier than thirty minutes after sunset”
Klauber (1945), in a discussion about a year of study during which he observed almost 600 wild specimens, notes “I have never encountered one in full daylight except on one occasion when no place of concealment was available. This was on a tiny island in Lake Mead […] which was about to be inundated for the first time by the rising water of the dam. There were two geckos in plain sight; one was shedding in a peculiar fashion—possibly burned by the sun.”
Likewise, Cooper (1985) reports strictly nocturnal surface activity. Cooper mentions other studies’ findings of diurnal activity, and notes them to be (a) subsurface activity (under shelter), and (b) artifacts of study conditions (e.g. avoidance behavior toward artificial light).
Such diurnal subsurface activity has been reported for C. brevis, which according to Dial (1978) thermoregulates diurnally under rocks heated by the sun.
The habitats of the forest group species might diverge a little more from each other:
elegans — in caves, rotten logs and stumps, and typically only in the wet season
(Klauber 1945)
mitratus — in leaf litter in palm scrub; also in anthills (Klauber 1945); primarily in lowland moist to dry forests both intact and disturbed, typically in leaf litter (Sunyer, et al, 2017). Wilson and Townsend (2006) report that mitratus is widespread but infrequently noted in premontane wet forest and lowland moist forest.
While some mitratus collection locales have routinely extreme daily high temperatures (for example, 90F at collection altitudes in San Pedro, Honduras) others do not (San Jose, Costa Rica, with an average daily high of 74-78F), and many are in the middle of these high temperatures (for example, the interestingly isolated population on Utila Island, Honduras, which has daily highs of 77-84F).
.
Whether the forest group species ever experience these daily high temperatures may be doubted, since like the arid group species, C. mitratus is strongly nocturnal. A 2017 report on new localities (Sunyer, et al) details 12 captures, none of which were before 8:45 PM. Also, these species’ microhabitats — caves, anthills, leaf litter — can be expected to remain much cooler than daily ambient high temperatures.
Captive care:
As for very many herp species, most online care sheets for Coleonyx (which are usually restricted to C. mitratus, as this is the most widely kept species) are not written by experienced knowledgable keepers and contain a great deal of low quality information.
I will restrict my comments on captive care to the three species that are known to have been legally collected: C. brevis, C. variegatus, and C. mitratus. In this genus, these species should be the only choices of responsible keepers. Mitratus is frequently available captive bred, and these specimens should always be the first choice of keepers; wild collected specimens are frequently in bad condition and should not be expected to thrive to nearly the degree as captive bred animals. Variegatus is sometimes available as captive bred. Brevis is occasionally bred in captivity, but is rarely available even as wild collected. Whatever the provenance, seeking out specimens from legitimate breeders and not from chain stores or big online sellers is recommended. Note that many local herp shops too often sell wild collected animals as ‘captive bred’.
All three species are best kept as singletons or as sexed pairs. Males are said to be completely incompatible with one another, and I have found that at least in C. mitratus, female on female stress, though not common, can occur with or without a male present.
Coleonyx — at least C. brevis, variegatus, elegans, and mitratus — have sex chromosomes and so cannot be incubated to produce the desired sex of offspring (as in, say, Eublepharis macularius, leopard geckos) (Keating, et al 2022). So, young animals may not be able to be sexed at the time of purchase and should be housed together only very cautiously.
All species do well on appropriately sized mealworms, with occasional crickets or other prey species for enrichment. A staple diet of crickets is likely fine as well, though the challenges of regular food availability and the risk of uneaten crickets stressing or injuring the geckos might make this a less desirable option. Younger Coleonyx specimens, as well as all ages of C. brevis, also accept rice flour beetle (Tribolium confusum) larvae. Larger geckos (adult mitratus) could be offered dubia roach nymphs. Phoenix worms (black soldier fly larvae) would likely be a good occasional prey item, though their palatability seems to be very limited for many geckos.
All prey items should be dusted with a quality complete supplement such as Repashy Calcium Plus at every feeding; recommendations to supplement calcium regularly and a “multivitamin” occasionally are not at all based on good evidence. ‘Gutloading’ can be valuable in improving the nutritional profile of insect feeders but only when a quality powdered gutload product is used; fresh fruits and vegetables do not constitute a gutload diet. (Allen and Oftedal, 1989; Divers and Stahl; Finke, et al, 2004; Finke, et al, 2005)
Arid group housing:
The arid group species are easily kept in small terrestrially oriented enclosures. I have found that 130 - 150 sq inches of surface seems sufficient to allow for adequate if minimal choices of terrain and gradients of temperature and moisture for a sexed pair — this corresponds to the footprint of a 5 gallon fish tank, or a 12 x 12 ExoTerra enclosure. A slightly larger enclosure — 10 gallon fish tank or 18 x 18 ExoTerra — would give even more options for the geckos and make the keeper’s designing tasks easier.
Sand or a sand/peat mix is suitable substrate as it is easily spot cleaned, and in breeding pairs should not be so deep that the geckos are able to hide their eggs from the keeper. Numerous secure areas for hiding and subsurface activity should be provided. I prefer to use multiple cork flats to replicate the microhabitats under rocks; the light weight of the cork compared to natural stone reduces injury risk to the geckos. A moist hide or other moist area should be provided to give some option for moisture regulation, though I’ve found these species to be as likely as not to reserve the moist hide as a defecation zone.
C. brevis inhabits slightly moister habitats than does variegatus (and as I’ll mention a bit later, loses moisture through its skin a little more readily) — this implies that brevis might reasonably be kept a little more moist than variegatus. I’ve not seen a difference in moisture needs in captivity between these two species, but that could be due to small sample size or other factors.
Like with virtually all herptiles, natural materials should be used in landscaping the enclosure whenever possible. Not only do herps very strongly tend to use natural enclosure elements preferentially to plastic ones, but their textures are much more conducive to use as they’re easier to climb. Natural materials can also be expected to be more enriching, since they’re often variable in shape, texture and other characteristics.
As completely nocturnal animals, the arid group Coleonyx neither need nor should be provided UVB. Since substrate is best kept shallow and dry, a so-called “bioactive” methodology is not appropriate for these species. Live plants, while attractive to the keeper, are not going to provide benefit to these species and so are best omitted from the enclosure so to focus on the needs of the geckos.
Below is a very minimalistic breeding enclosure for the arid group species. The blue topped container is a moist hide containing damp sphagnum.
Here is a photo of another (slightly better outfitted) arid group enclosure. It is a 5 gallon aquarium (128 sq inches); fish tank enclosures sometimes require both heat tape underneath and overhead heat (an incandescent light), since they do not hold heat well:
Mitratus housing:
Mitratus are easily kept in a small terrestrially oriented enclosure. I keep sexed pairs in tub-style enclosures with ~ 150 sq inches of footprint, which should be considered the lower limit for long term housing of these larger Coleonyx species. Though somewhat larger enclosures would certainly be beneficial, glass enclosures — especially those with screen tops — make maintaining temperatures and moisture levels challenging. PVC or other plastic enclosures with a solid top would likely be a workable option, as they hold heat and moisture well. Aquariums and ExoTerra-style enclosures should be the last option for keeping mitratus.
I have found a peat-based substrate to be suitable, and I personally prefer Zilla Jungle Mix (likely other similar brands are equally suitable). Coco fiber should be avoided, as it seems to be much more of a compaction risk when ingested compared to other materials.The substrate should be kept moist at all times, though a gradient of quite moist on one end of the enclosure and just barely damp on the other gives a range of options for the geckos to chose from. Relative humidity does not necessarily need to be measured but should be high; this mimics the conditions under leaf litter and near moist forest floor. Moisture is usually best maintained by limiting — but not eliminating — ventilation.
Below is a minimalistic breeding enclosure for mitratus. The bowl of mealworms is suspended off the substrate in order to keep the mealworms from becoming too damp and dying. There is a selection of cover, and the geckos often lay eggs in the substrate inside the cork round.
Mitratus are easily kept in a small terrestrially oriented enclosure. I keep sexed pairs in tub-style enclosures with ~ 150 sq inches of footprint, which should be considered the lower limit for long term housing of these larger Coleonyx species. Though somewhat larger enclosures would certainly be beneficial, glass enclosures — especially those with screen tops — make maintaining temperatures and moisture levels challenging. PVC or other plastic enclosures with a solid top would likely be a workable option, as they hold heat and moisture well. Aquariums and ExoTerra-style enclosures should be the last option for keeping mitratus.
I have found a peat-based substrate to be suitable, and I personally prefer Zilla Jungle Mix (likely other similar brands are equally suitable). Coco fiber should be avoided, as it seems to be much more of a compaction risk when ingested compared to other materials.The substrate should be kept moist at all times, though a gradient of quite moist on one end of the enclosure and just barely damp on the other gives a range of options for the geckos to chose from. Relative humidity does not necessarily need to be measured but should be high; this mimics the conditions under leaf litter and near moist forest floor. Moisture is usually best maintained by limiting — but not eliminating — ventilation.
Below is a minimalistic breeding enclosure for mitratus. The bowl of mealworms is suspended off the substrate in order to keep the mealworms from becoming too damp and dying. There is a selection of cover, and the geckos often lay eggs in the substrate inside the cork round.
Temperatures for mitratus should be moderate. Angilletta, et al 1999 found that the preferred body temperature of mitratus is 25C (77F) in the morning, 28C (83F) in the evening. I don’t know of any reason that a daily temperature variation would be valuable, but if desired this is easily achieved by using a thermostat with a night drop function, such as Spyder Robotic’s Herpstat (this is a thermostat brand that I recommend strongly above all others for all herp species).
When designing the enclosure and its heat source, great care should be taken to ensure that moisture will remain in the enclosure, as mitratus are especially prone to dehydration. This element of their care should not be underestimated, as it seems to be a prime factor in their premature deaths. A heat pad or heat tape under 1/3 - 1/2 of the enclosure, set to provide a temperature in the hiding spots in that zone somewhere in the low to mid 80s F, is a good way to regulate temperatures without increasing moisture loss from the enclosure. Heat lamps are not likely to be a suitable heating option for mitratus in most enclosures, since they will dry the enclosure excessively (through increased evaporation). Siting the enclosure in a room that is warm room temperature (low 70s F) will yield a suitable temperature gradient.
To give a point of reference for the moisture needs of C. mitratus, Hlubeň et al (2021) tested mitratus and a few other familiar gecko species to determine their relative rates of evaporation. Per gram of body mass, C. mitratus loses water to the air through evaporation at almost three times the rate of brevis, five times the rate of variegatus, and almost six times the rate of leopard geckos (Eublepharis macularius). Coleonyx mitratus even loses water through evaporation more quickly than the cave gecko Goniurosaurus luii — roughly 60% more.
Mitratus might be potential candidates for so-called “bioactive” enclosures, but this should be considered advanced care, and attempted only after extensive experience with the species (ideally with multiple specimens and at least through one full life cycle). Mitratus would tolerate the high moisture levels inherent to a functional “bioactive” enclosure, and they do accept some isopod species as prey — e.g. Porcellionides pruinosus — though larger and better armored isopod species such as Armadillidium maculatum are not so readily accepted. But “bioactive” designs make egg collection very difficult (both because of the depth of substrate and the fact that in my experience isopods will eat eggs), and complicate proper heat gradients. “Bioactive” housing has no effects that would be expected to improve the quality of life nor ultimate success with mitratus, and so with this species “bioactive” enclosures should be considered a design that is for the keeper’s enjoyment only.
Regardless of enclosure design, mitratus neither need nor benefit from UVB, which should not be provided.
When designing the enclosure and its heat source, great care should be taken to ensure that moisture will remain in the enclosure, as mitratus are especially prone to dehydration. This element of their care should not be underestimated, as it seems to be a prime factor in their premature deaths. A heat pad or heat tape under 1/3 - 1/2 of the enclosure, set to provide a temperature in the hiding spots in that zone somewhere in the low to mid 80s F, is a good way to regulate temperatures without increasing moisture loss from the enclosure. Heat lamps are not likely to be a suitable heating option for mitratus in most enclosures, since they will dry the enclosure excessively (through increased evaporation). Siting the enclosure in a room that is warm room temperature (low 70s F) will yield a suitable temperature gradient.
To give a point of reference for the moisture needs of C. mitratus, Hlubeň et al (2021) tested mitratus and a few other familiar gecko species to determine their relative rates of evaporation. Per gram of body mass, C. mitratus loses water to the air through evaporation at almost three times the rate of brevis, five times the rate of variegatus, and almost six times the rate of leopard geckos (Eublepharis macularius). Coleonyx mitratus even loses water through evaporation more quickly than the cave gecko Goniurosaurus luii — roughly 60% more.
Mitratus might be potential candidates for so-called “bioactive” enclosures, but this should be considered advanced care, and attempted only after extensive experience with the species (ideally with multiple specimens and at least through one full life cycle). Mitratus would tolerate the high moisture levels inherent to a functional “bioactive” enclosure, and they do accept some isopod species as prey — e.g. Porcellionides pruinosus — though larger and better armored isopod species such as Armadillidium maculatum are not so readily accepted. But “bioactive” designs make egg collection very difficult (both because of the depth of substrate and the fact that in my experience isopods will eat eggs), and complicate proper heat gradients. “Bioactive” housing has no effects that would be expected to improve the quality of life nor ultimate success with mitratus, and so with this species “bioactive” enclosures should be considered a design that is for the keeper’s enjoyment only.
Regardless of enclosure design, mitratus neither need nor benefit from UVB, which should not be provided.
References
Allen and Oftedal, 1989, “Dietary Manipulation of the Calcium Content of Feed Crickets” Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine, 20 (1).
Native Reptile Captive Propagation Laws and Regulations: https://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=35207
CalHerps. Gary Nafis, californiaherps.com
Cooper, William; Caffrey, Carolee; Vitt, Laurie J. 1985. “Diel Activity Patterns in the Banded Gecko, Coleonyx variegatus.” Journal of Herpetology, Vol 19, No 2, pp 308-311.
Dial, 1978. “The Thermal Ecology of Two Sympatric, Nocturnal Coleonyx (Lacertilia: Gekkonidae)” Herpetologica, 34 (2), 194-201.
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© John Zillmer, 2025. Photos by the author unless otherwise noted. No reproduction of any part of this document is permitted.