# Lizards > Rhacodactylus Geckos >  Gargoyle Gecko Cage Size

## ballin

Can one adult gargy live in an 12 long by 12 wide by 18 high?

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## mlededee

Yes, but just one. Any more and you will need to go bigger.

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## ballin

okay, thanks. what temperature should they be kept at during the day and at night?

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## ballin

> Yes, but just one. Any more and you will need to go bigger.


Okay, thanks. What temperature should they be kept at during the day and at night?

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## Mettle

I would definitely have to disagree. A 12x12x18 enclosure is too small for an adult gargoyle gecko. You need at least an 18x18x18 in my opinion. (I assume we're talking about Exo Terra and Zoomed Terrariums here.) Gargoyle geckos get quite large, easily over 50 grams. 

Average room temps are fine for gargoyle geckos. You can provide a basking spot for them if you want (some gargs will use it unlike cresties) but make sure it's a low wattage bulb. A 15w aquarium incandescent bulb would likely be more than enough.

Cheers.

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## mlededee

Some people do like to give their rhacs more space and that's fine. An adult will pretty much use as much space as you will give it. The only time you need to be concerned about the size of the enclosure being too big is for hatchlings and younger juvies--they do need something smaller so that they do not have trouble finding food. So for instance, I would not start a hatchling in an enclosure that large--start with a kritter keeper or something similar and move it up into a large enclosure when it is big enough for it. 

Temps should be between about 68-78 degrees, but at the lower temperatures they do tend to eat less and be less active.

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## Mettle

> Some people do like to give their rhacs more space and that's fine. An adult will pretty much use as much space as you will give it.


I'm sorry, but this information/advice/characterization is pretty horrible... It's like saying you can keep your ball python in a tub that's half the size it should be or that we can lock our dogs in the bathrooms all day. Most rhac keepers I know - unless they are commercially breeding - tend to offer their adult gargs a lot more than a measily little 12x12x18. There's a big difference between survival and thriving though. So I guess if you only want it to survive, then sure, cramp it up in a 12x12x18. If you want it to thrive then put it in something larger.

I put baby cresteds, in pairs, in 12x12x12s and never have had issues with them finding their food. And I know someone that got a fairly small gargoyle gecko back at an expo in February and put him straight into a 12x12x18 without issue as well. A lot of people tend to baby their rhacs a lot more than they should be... I know a couple breeders that have large set-ups (around 60 gals in one case) naturally planted and with water features and they grow out their babies in that without losing any.

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## Zoe

> Some people do like to give their rhacs more space and that's fine. An adult will pretty much use as much space as you will give it. The only time you need to be concerned about the size of the enclosure being too big is for hatchlings and younger juvies--they do need something smaller so that they do not have trouble finding food. So for instance, I would not start a hatchling in an enclosure that large--start with a kritter keeper or something similar and move it up into a large enclosure when it is big enough for it.


Hi,

I am sorry but that simply is not true.  Have you seen a healthy adult gargoyle gecko? 12 x 12 x 18 is *not* suitable for an adult gargoyle gecko.  If you want to cram a garg in there, it will probably survive, but it's hardly adequate space. Yes- they will use as much space as you give them, but that does not mean that you can put them into a cage as small as you want and they will be healthy.  There is a certain minimum space for an adult garg and that is 18 x 18 x 18 - if you want go bigger, by all means, but do not go smaller.  I have a juvi that is about 25-30% of his adult weight in a 12 x 12 x 18, and he'll be ready for an upgrade in a couple months.

Hatchlings and young geckos do not need to coddled nearly as much as most people do.  I, too, keep my hatchling pairs in 12 cubes for the first few months, and I have yet to have one starve to death on me  :Roll Eyes (Sarcastic): .  The only issue with large tank, really, is poor visibility.  I have heard of geckos pop up with minor injuries that were not observed earlier because the tank is so big and heavily planted - but that doesn't apply unless we're talking about really huge tanks.  Another issue is providing enough cover, but that's just common sense.

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## ballin

> I'm sorry, but this information/advice/characterization is pretty horrible... It's like saying you can keep your ball python in a tub that's half the size it should be or that we can lock our dogs in the bathrooms all day. Most rhac keepers I know - unless they are commercially breeding - tend to offer their adult gargs a lot more than a measily little 12x12x18. There's a big difference between survival and thriving though. So I guess if you only want it to survive, then sure, cramp it up in a 12x12x18. If you want it to thrive then put it in something larger.
> 
> I put baby cresteds, in pairs, in 12x12x12s and never have had issues with them finding their food. And I know someone that got a fairly small gargoyle gecko back at an expo in February and put him straight into a 12x12x18 without issue as well. A lot of people tend to baby their rhacs a lot more than they should be... I know a couple breeders that have large set-ups (around 60 gals in one case) naturally planted and with water features and they grow out their babies in that without losing any.


okay thanks, and for feeding gargys. how often do you use baby food/crested gecko diet and how often do you feed crickets?

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## STORMS

Here this caresheet should help  :Wink:

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## mlededee

Ok, well I am not going to argue as this is another one of those things with rhacs that I have seen people argue to the death about on other forums. I don't have as much experience with gargoyles as I do other rhacs and I don't mind admitting that, so if others here have experience keeping large numbers of gargs successfully then you can take their advice over mine. 

As for hatchlings--I have raised hundreds of hatchlings and my very best results have been with using kritter keepers and smaller enclosures for them until they are larger. I don't feel that is coddling--that is just me doing what has worked very well for me (and also for many others), and therefore that is what I recommend. I do feel that hatchlings need to be tended to more so than adults and to deny them that could lead to problems (one quick example--a hatchling will dehydrate much faster than an adult and needs higher humidity to help with frequent sheds, therefore you need to take more time to see that they are misted daily and have fresh water, whereas adults do not require as much misting and tending to in that respect).

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## mlededee

> Here this caresheet should help


I just looked at that caresheet and the information in it is completely wrong. Please do not use that as a guide at all--I am going to have it removed ASAP.

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