# Asian House Geckos in captivity?



## GeckoJosh (Sep 19, 2010)

Hey guys,
Just curious to know if anyone keeps theses geckos in NSW (on license).


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## Chadleystar (Sep 19, 2010)

IF you do not have them in the Wild already DO NOT keep them in captivity. They are pests and carry disease that can infect your collections and they breed like rabbits. They starve off native speices by competing for food. If I could kill them off at my house I would, they are like the cane toad of the Gecko world I recon..... *personal opinon!!


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## GeckoJosh (Sep 19, 2010)

Thanks, I am quite aware of their impact in the wild.
I cant see how they would be a risk to my collection if they were treated as a WC reptile and quarantined appropriately (even though Im after ones kept in captivity).
As you dont actually have any usefull information regarding my original question please refrain form posting as i would like to keep this on topic.

Thanks Gex


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## Waterrat (Sep 19, 2010)

Cool down Chad, LOL
They displaced the native _Gehyra_ from urban areas but they don't survive in the bush, so they don't really compete for food outside your house. Can you list the diseases they (supposedly) carry?


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## kupper (Sep 19, 2010)

gex why don't you just catch some and put them on your books as marms :lol:


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## GeckoJosh (Sep 19, 2010)

kupper said:


> gex why don't you just catch some and put them on your books as marms :lol:


 lol


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## Pythoninfinite (Sep 19, 2010)

I'm also interested to know what diseases they carry... does being an exotic automatically make them a disease risk Chadleystar, despite them being here for many, many decades?

Nothing like the 'Cane Toad of the gecko world' either. They are probably a very good food source for many gecko eating reptiles, without the side effects... A bit of a hysterical distortion of the obvious facts Chadleystar.

I'm not putting a case either for or against either, just being objective...

Jamie.


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## Chadleystar (Sep 19, 2010)

I am sorry for my out burst I can not stand them is all but again that is a personal opinion as I stated. As Geckoman has asked that I not post any further comments of my own, I will use the following information supplied by people more in the know. Good luck with your captive collection if you go ahead with this I hope you have great success.

The Asian house gecko (_[FONT=MetaOT-NormalItalic,MetaOT-NormalItalic][FONT=MetaOT-NormalItalic,MetaOT-NormalItalic]Hemidactylus frenatus_[/FONT][/FONT]) is *native* to a large area of Asia, extending from southern India to Indonesia. 
 
"Male and female _[FONT=MetaOT-NormalItalic,MetaOT-NormalItalic][FONT=MetaOT-NormalItalic,MetaOT-NormalItalic]H. frenatus _[/FONT][/FONT]are known to eat juveniles of other gecko species as well as their own progeny (Bolger and Case, 1992)."

_"H. frenatus _[FONT=MetaOT-Normal,MetaOT-Normal][FONT=MetaOT-Normal,MetaOT-Normal]is most abundant in urban environments, often seen on the walls of houses, on windows at night and in gardens: hence the common name ‘house gecko’. However, it can survive away from buildings, albeit in generally lower numbers, in woodlands, patches of forest, on trees in open fields, rocky and forested areas, coconut palm trunks, under rotting logs, and among dense, low ground-cover such as [/FONT][/FONT]_Ipomea _[FONT=MetaOT-Normal,MetaOT-Normal][FONT=MetaOT-Normal,MetaOT-Normal]and [/FONT][/FONT]_Canavalia _[FONT=MetaOT-Normal,MetaOT-Normal][FONT=MetaOT-Normal,MetaOT-Normal](Dutton, 1980; Greer, 2006). A study in New Caledonia found [/FONT][/FONT]_H. frenatus _[FONT=MetaOT-Normal,MetaOT-Normal][FONT=MetaOT-Normal,MetaOT-Normal]in seemingly pristine forests (Watkins-Colwell, undated). "[/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=MetaOT-Normal,MetaOT-Normal][FONT=MetaOT-Normal,MetaOT-Normal][/FONT][/FONT] 
[FONT=MetaOT-Normal,MetaOT-Normal][FONT=MetaOT-Normal,MetaOT-Normal]"Parasites include apicomplexans (protozoans), cestodes (tapeworms), nematodes (round worms), pentastomes (tongue worms), and trematodes (flukes) (Greer, 2006). Pentastomid parasites have been discovered on _[FONT=MetaOT-NormalItalic,MetaOT-NormalItalic][FONT=MetaOT-NormalItalic,MetaOT-NormalItalic]H. frenatus _[/FONT][/FONT]in Australia. Pentastomes feed on the blood of their host and can affect the host’s ability to reproduce and compete (Barton, 2007).
Two species of red gecko mite (_[FONT=MetaOT-NormalItalic,MetaOT-NormalItalic][FONT=MetaOT-NormalItalic,MetaOT-NormalItalic]Geckobia bataviensis _[/FONT][/FONT]and _[FONT=MetaOT-NormalItalic,MetaOT-NormalItalic][FONT=MetaOT-NormalItalic,MetaOT-NormalItalic]G. keegani_[/FONT][/FONT]) live on the toes of _[FONT=MetaOT-NormalItalic,MetaOT-NormalItalic][FONT=MetaOT-NormalItalic,MetaOT-NormalItalic]H. frenatus _[/FONT][/FONT](Wilson, 2006). The red gecko mite (_[FONT=MetaOT-NormalItalic,MetaOT-NormalItalic][FONT=MetaOT-NormalItalic,MetaOT-NormalItalic]Geckobia bataviensis_[/FONT][/FONT]) has been found on _[FONT=MetaOT-NormalItalic,MetaOT-NormalItalic][FONT=MetaOT-NormalItalic,MetaOT-NormalItalic]H. frenatus _[/FONT][/FONT]in the Northern Territory (Arnhem Land), and also on _[FONT=MetaOT-NormalItalic,MetaOT-NormalItalic][FONT=MetaOT-NormalItalic,MetaOT-NormalItalic]H. frenatus _[/FONT][/FONT]at Wynnum, south-east Queensland (Domrow, 1991, 1992). Some species of mites carry protozoans that cause serious diseases in lizards overseas (Wilson, 2006)." 
 
[/FONT][/FONT]


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## GeckoJosh (Sep 19, 2010)

Waterrat said:


> Not really. Since they are not native, the fauna authorities have no interest in them. DPI might. If you really want them, just have them without putting anything into your books. You don't put in a goldfish or guinea pig. ???


 In NSW we have them on our reptile licensing system


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## Chadleystar (Sep 19, 2010)

Geckoman said:


> In NSW we have them on our reptile licensing system



In New South Wales, _[FONT=MetaOT-NormalItalic,MetaOT-NormalItalic][FONT=MetaOT-NormalItalic,MetaOT-NormalItalic]H. frenatus _[/FONT][/FONT]is listed as a Category 2 Non-Indigenous Animal under the Non-Indigenous Animals Regulation 1997. A Category 2 animal is a ‘species of high pest potential or of significant conservation value’ (New South Wales State Government, 2006).


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## Waterrat (Sep 19, 2010)

Chad, what you have listed are parasites, not diseases. Our native geckos may carry the same assortment of parasites.


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## Pythoninfinite (Sep 19, 2010)

Without knowing the species of apicomplexans (protozoans), cestodes (tapeworms), nematodes (round worms), pentastomes (tongue worms), and trematodes (flukes), it is an assumption that those parasites aren't endemic to Australia. They may well have been established in local species long before AHGs got here, and they are all broadly represented in wild Aussie herps.

Not for or against... just objective.

Jamie.


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## GeckoJosh (Sep 19, 2010)

Chadleystar said:


> In New South Wales, _[FONT=MetaOT-NormalItalic,MetaOT-NormalItalic][FONT=MetaOT-NormalItalic,MetaOT-NormalItalic]H. frenatus [/FONT][/FONT]_is listed as a Category 2 Non-Indigenous Animal under the Non-Indigenous Animals Regulation 1997. A Category 2 animal is a ‘species of high pest potential or of significant conservation value’ (New South Wales State Government, 2006).


 They are on our license system species number 2104 http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/resources/nature/CurrentSpeciesList.pdf
Why are you posting on this thread, are you just wanting to argue?


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## butters (Sep 19, 2010)

mmmm yum!

As said if you keep Burtons they are a godsend.

Cheers Andrew


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## Fuscus (Sep 19, 2010)

Waterrat said:


> ...s but they don't survive in the bush...


Not true. I've heard them a number of times while camping. It does appear, however, that they reach a higher population density in urban areas.
Also they do provide a meal for a number of species, I used to watch stone curlews actively hunt them when I lived at south bank


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## Bushfire (Sep 19, 2010)

Captivity wise you are probably best to follow what was written on them in Mike Swan's Keeping & Breeding Australian Lizards. Although being a hardy species they wouldn't be too hard to keep.

You are probably aware but for others reading this in NSW you do need a licence for basic reptiles to keep them. Having said that they are quite hard to obtain the 2009 holdings only have 2 licencees recorded totalling 6 animals.


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## barbed_wire_dove (Sep 19, 2010)

Anyway... Josh/Geckoman was posting because he had something to say... What was it that you were getting at Josh?


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## GeckoJosh (Sep 19, 2010)

Bushfire said:


> Captivity wise you are probably best to follow what was written on them in Mike Swan's Keeping & Breeding Australian Lizards. Although being a hardy species they wouldn't be too hard to keep.
> 
> You are probably aware but for others reading this in NSW you do need a licence for basic reptiles to keep them. Having said that they are quite hard to obtain the 2009 holdings only have 2 licencees recorded totalling 6 animals.


 Thanks Bushy, this was exactly what i was after, I wanted to know their status in captivity as I have been finding it very hard to find any on license.

Cheers Gex


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## GeckoJosh (Sep 19, 2010)

Mods can you please close this thread, Bushy has answered my question and going of his answer I seriously doubt anyone else will have anything useful to add.

Cheers Gex


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