This endearing nocturnal species comes from Australia, with a distribution ranging through New South Wales, Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia and Victoria. Its native habitat ranges from arid to semi-arid hummocky grassland to shrublands and woodlands.
Appearance
The appearance of this species is somewhat variable, as factors such as temperature and mood can affect the colouring displayed by any given individual. Generally, tessellated geckos range from cream with beige mottling to brown with deep chocolate markings. However, a rarer red form, which displays an almost rust-like colouration, also exists. Although this species is diminutive, they definitely make up for this in terms of personality! This is a very inquisitive, active species, which takes a keen interest in all that's going on around it.
Photograph top left shows an adult female tessellated gecko, while the one top right shows and adult male. A detail showing the distinctive veining in the eye of this species is shown in the lower left image. To illustrate the fluctuation in colouring that is apparent in the species, the lower right photograph shows the same male 'fired up'.
Size
These geckos are very small, with adults measuring up to about 70mm in length and weighing only 3g or so.
Sexing
Males can be easily distinguished from females as they possess a clear hemipenile bulge and pre-anal pores. As with male eastern spiny-tailed geckos, male tessellated geckos also display a cluster of very prominent cloacal spurs, which are much larger than those of the females.
The uppermost photographs are of the underside of adult tessellated geckos. The male, on the left, shows a hemipenile bulge and pre-anal pores; the cloacal spurs can also be seen at the top of the hemipenile bulge. In contrast, the photograph of the female gecko on the right shows the absence of these features. The lower set of images show the side view of the same geckos. The large hemipenile bulge and the prominent cloacal spurs are clearly visible in the male (right), but are absent from the female (left).
Care requirements
Tessellated geckos are quite hardy and their husbandry requirements straightforward, making them one of the easiest gecko species to care for.
Housing
This species can be housed as individual geckos, as a male: female pair or in groups consisting of one male to multiple females. However, if a pair or group are to be housed together, I would always recommend splitting the male from the female(s) over the winter period in order to give the female(s) the opportunity to recuperate from breeding and to enable them to be in optimum condition for the next breeding season. It is therefore highly advisable to have a second enclosure available (this can, indeed, become essential should one of the animals need to be segregated due to illness).
Enclosure
This is a terrestrial gecko, so emphasis should be placed on the floor area of the enclosure rather than its height. Due to the small size of the species, enclosures do not have to be very large; 45cm x 30cm x 20cm is perfectly adequate for a single gecko, while 60cm x 30cm x 30cm will accommodate a male: female pair.
Temperature
Tessellated geckos, like all reptiles, require a range of temperatures in order to allow them to thermoregulate properly. For this reason, I use a heat mat that extends under approximately half of the enclosure; temperatures measured on top of the substrate directly over the heat mat should be approximately 30°C (86°F), while the rest of the enclosure is at room temperature (normally around 24°C (75°F)). If these geckos are being kept with a view to breeding them, then it's advisable to allow the geckos a period of cooling over the winter months (end of November to beginning of January), when temperatures are allowed to fall to 20°C (70°F), as this will condition the female for breeding. As always when an artificial heat source is provided, the heat mat must be controlled by an appropriate thermostat.
Humidity
As tessellated geckos come from arid to semi-arid areas, it's not necessary to spray the enclosure to provide additional humidity as long as a moist hide is provided to facilitate shedding.
Lighting
Being a nocturnal species, tessellated geckos do not have any specific requirements regarding artificial light, such as UV. However, they do require sufficient light to establish a day-night cycle; light from a window would be sufficient in a normal room.
Substrate
For naturalistic enclosures, a substrate replicating that found in the natural environment can be made by mixing equal measures of eco earth and sand, over which a thin layer of leaves can be scattered (the leaves provide cover under which a gecko can dart if it's disturbed unexpectedly). I also include several thin, flat pieces of slate, which can have further pieces stacked on top of them to provide further crevices for hiding. The underlying pieces should be buried so that they are in direct contact with the floor of the enclosure (to prevent the gecko being crushed should they dig underneath and dislodge the rock), while the uppmost pieces must be well-secured to prevent them from moving.
Decor
A series of small hides should also be provided (these can be made from upturned plant saucers, small pieces of cork bark or mopani wood). One of the hides should contain sphagnum moss, eco earth or something similar, which will retain moisture when sprayed lightly every day with water; the provision of this 'humid hide' will assist the gecko shedding.
Feeding
Tessellated geckos are extremely voracious insectivores and will happily take a variety of feeders, including small crickets (1st instar), hatchling locusts, dubia cockroach nymphs, small phoenix worms (nutri grubs) and the occasional mini-mealworm. Mine are offered 10 to 15 feeder insects two to three times a week.
Water
A small bowl of water should be available to these geckos at all times.
Supplements
All feeders should be gutloaded before being offered to the gecko; they also need to be dusted with either pure calcium powder (twice per week) or with a calcium balancer with vitamin D3, such as Nutrobal (once per week).
Further reading
Unfortunately, there isn't that much information readily available for this species. The best care information can be found on Dr Dan Brown's website
A brief section providing general information on the husbandry of the Diplodactylus genus can also be found in: Henkel, F. W., & Schmidt, W., 1995. Geckoes: Biology, Husbandry and Reproduction. Translated from German by John Hackworth. Malabar, Florida: Krieger Publishing Company.
