The Gold Dust Day Gecko, a native to Madagascar, sometimes
referred to as the Madagascar Day Gecko, does well in a tropical climate.
Unlike most geckos, it is a diurnal animal, active during the day. They are territorial
animals; males are especially aggressive towards other males.
These geckos
are very colorful, usually bright green or a yellowish green. Halfway down
their backs, they have three red teardrop markings. A blue shade is present
around the eyes with bright gold markings on the back and neck. They feed on
various insects and other invertebrates and are capable of eating other smaller
lizards. They also eat soft, sweet fruit as well as pollen and nectar from
flowers. But they don’t bite humans.
Although
these geckos will come into the house, probably looking for food, they are an
arboreal species, spending most of their time in trees. If exclusion is
desired, treat them as you would mice, rats and cockroaches; make sure to
screen all windows, doors, ventilation passages and any small openings into the
house.
Another
species of gecko is the House Gecko, residing with humans in homes rather than
in the wilderness. Being aggressive, this pale brown gecko drives other species away from
the house. They are primarily nocturnal.
There are
over 900 species of geckos worldwide, but only seven or eight reside in
Hawai`i. Geckos are the only lizards who are able to make sounds, other than
hissing. Feeding on cockroaches,
mosquitoes, ants, termites and moths, geckos are beneficial to home owners.
It has been thought that geckos are able to run up and down walls and
ceilings due to tiny suction cups on their toe pads. However, recently scientists found that
geckos have a network of tiny hairs and pads on their feet. With millions of hairs on each foot, the
combined attraction of the weak electrical forces allow the gecko to stick to
virtually any surface, even polished glass.
