Gekko smithii
The Smith’s or “giant” green eyed gecko is a close relative of the iconic tokay gecko (Gekko gecko). Found across Southeast Asia and reaching up to 35cm in length, these impressive lizards are reasonably straightforward to care for.
Like many arboreal geckos in the Gekko genus, green-eyed geckos will usually occupy a small territory. This makes them very well suited to a large, arboreal terrarium that they can call their own. A 90 x 45 x 90cm glass terrarium, with plenty of cork bark hides and a warm (22-28℃) and humid (+70%) environment will work perfectly for this species. Real plants should be added to provide shelter and help maintain humidity, however, these should be sturdy enough to not get displaced by the large-bodied geckos.
Green-eyed geckos can be territorial and given their large size, can deliver an unpleasant bite. They are also extremely agile and therefore, handling should be kept to a minimum. For the more experienced keeper, training these intelligent reptiles to tong-feed can be a rewarding task.
Green-eyed geckos are insectivorous and will feed on a variety of flying insects. They will typically perch in an area that attracts plenty of bugs and opportunistically strike at prey. Therefore, a varied diet is an excellent form of enrichment. Where some species may be picky with their prey, trying a wide range of feeder insects is encouraged for green-eyed geckos. Allowing worms and caterpillars to metamorphose before feeding them to the gecko, will encourage geckos to chase silk moths or black soldier flies across their terrarium. This prey should be gut loaded and dusted with multivitamins as often as possible.