Keeping and Breeding the Chinese Cave Gecko (Goniurosaurus luii & G. lichtenfelderi hainanensis) By Shawn Thomas From the time I first saw a photo of one of these little guys I was fascinated. I quickly found that Information regarding their care was as elusive as these little jewels are. Chinese Cave Geckos are a Farley new and uncommon gecko amongst reptile enthusiasts today. Relatively unknown until about 1996 when G. luii was imported from the Hainan island information was difficult to find about cave geckos. Chinese Cave Geckos, G luii and G. hainanensis come from the exotic reaches of the South China Sea. G. Luii’s native range is the Hainan Island located in the Gulf of Tonkin and G. Hainanensis from the adjacent mainland China. Care for both of these species is very similar. Although I don’t recommend it you can find wild caught imports from time to time via the pet trade .These can be quite sensitive and may succumb to stress and parasites. I always recommend taking any wild caught import to a vet to have them checked over for internal parasites. Always buy captive bred when possible. Not only are you buying a potentially healthier animal, you are reducing the amount of animals taken from the wild. The look: With a body structure similar to that of a Leopard Gecko, Chinese Cave Geckos stand out in a crowd of its eublepharid gecko family. With its red eyes, blackish grey to almost purplish blue body and yellow stripes Chinese cave geckos are atop of unique and fascinating eublepharid  geckos with babies averaging about 2 inches at birth and adults measuring in at about 8-9 inches. Habitat: Coming from a much cooler climate than other eublepharids, Chinese Cave Geckos prefer temperatures between 75-82f. They can handle drops in the 65f range and highs in the 85f but such prolonged temperatures should be avoided. Keeping my breeding colony between 75-78f I have had much success with these geckos. To achieves these temps during the cooler winter months I use an under tank heat pad connected to a thermostat. During the summer months I simply turn it off to avoid accidental over heating. Humidity is a must for Chinese cave geckos. Native to rocky forests and scrub land areas these geckos require a humidity level of between 60-80%. If this drops to low your geckos will most likely develop shedding problem. The use of commercial substrates such as forest floor, Coco bedding (plantation soil, bed a beast etc.) should be used as well as moistened moss and a med. Sized shallow water bowl. Chinese gave geckos should have access to fresh clean water at all times. Being a very shy gecko, Chinese cave geckos will benefit from a well decorated terrarium that has many hide spots. Housing your geckos can be a fun and rewarding task. They can be set up very simply with some coco bedding, moss, and a water dish. Or you can make a wonderful decorative environment with different woods, live plants, and decorative or live moss. Remember when using any kind of plant from a garden center you should first purge it of any fertilizers and pesticides before placing it in your geckos cage. This can be done by washing off the leaves of your plants and doing a series of watering letting the plant completely drain to remove unwanted fertilizer. The use of silk or plastic plants can make a very attractive environment as well. Many pet and reptile specialty shops carry a wide variety of terrarium decor for every hobbyist’s tastes. Feeding: Feeding time for Chinese geckos is a relatively simple task. Mine readily accept gut loaded crickets. I dust mine with a calcium powder containing D3 and multivitamin occasionally to provide them with the necessary nutrients.   Do this sparingly.  They will also accept other food items like feeder mealworms, small king mealworms, wax worms, and Phoenix worms. Always feed appropriate sized food with the insect being not larger than the width of your geckos head. Breeding: I start my breeding process in February. I begin by first making sure all my geckos are healthy enough to breed. I then pair my males up with a female leaving him with her for approx 2-3 weeks checking them daily to make sure they are both getting along. I choose to use 1-1 to avoid the added stress of harem breeding (1 male to 5 females). I then remove the male placing him either with another female or to his enclosure. Eggs will become visible in approx 12-15 days. You will also see slight bulging on her sides. In a total of 20-30 days your female should begin laying her eggs. Eggs are usually laid in pars. I use 8qt and 15 qt containers during breeding season as housing. They are very easy to lift up and look underneath to find the location of your eggs. If you are using a terrarium carefully sift through the soil to reveal the eggs. After you have pulled the eggs from the enclosure it is time to incubate them. A small deli cup filled with moistened vermiculite works very well for incubating your eggs. Place the eggs in the moistened vermiculite. To moisten the vermiculite wet it down and squeeze all the water from it until just a few beads of water come out. Then place it in your deli cup.  After your vermiculite is ready go ahead and place your eggs in the cup. Using a sharpie put a dot on the top of your eggs. This helps identify which end is up in case the eggs get shuffled around. Once you place your eggs in their position they must remain that way for the duration of the incubation. An incubation Temp of 78-80 degrees should be used. With this range incubation can last between 55-80 days. I set my eggs on a shelf and check them every few days to make sure the humidity level in container is maintained. If you notice any indenting you can lightly mist your eggs or dribble (carefully) some water onto the vermiculite around the eggs. The use of a hovabator can be beneficial as well. It will help to maintain the proper temperature and humidity levels. I always use and external thermostat to control my incubators setting them to the proper temp allowing the controller to operate the incubator. I also like to place a cup of water in the incubator to help maintain humidity levels. Hatching:   Young Chinese Cave Geckos are very fast. When checking the deli cup of eggs, exhibit care as these little guys might shoot right out of the cup onto the floor. Now that you have your babies it is time to set them up. I use a shoe box rack system opting to use moistened paper towels as a substrate along with providing a small water dish and a hide for them. You may however set them as you would an adult. Feeding is the same as an adult with the exception of food size. I start mine out on 2wk old crickets and small Phoenix Worms. Although being shy the Chinese Cave Gecko makes a wonderful addition to any gecko collection.