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Can I keep it?

DifficultyBeginnerAdult size20–25 cmwhen adultLifespan15–20 yearsSpace90×45×45 cmminimum statedActivityCrepuscularFeeding2 daysInsects (crickets, dubia, BSF…TemperamentVery docile, calm (calmer than leopard gecko)Night22–25 °CUVBnot strictly required…
Check your setup against this sheet
I keep one 123 plants usable with this species

Setup

The numbers

Thermal gradient

152025303540 °C
24–27°Cool side
32°Warm side
22–25°Night

Day: a real gradient, 32°C warm against 24–27°C cool, so the animal chooses. Night: 22–25°C.

Why

Same scale on every sheet here, so two species compare by eye.

The sheet stateswarm ~32 °C (90 °F) / cool 24-27 °C (75-80 °F) / night 22-25 °C (72-77 °F)

Humidity

70–80%Target RH

The sheet statesWet season 70-80% / dry season ~50%

UVB

Not needed for this species

Stated in the sheet, not inferred.

The sheet statesnot strictly required (nocturnal) if a high-D3 calcium supplement is given, but recommended for best health outcomes

Part of this is not on the page we cite. We opened it on 10 Aug 2026 and some of the degrees above are not stated there. The values above may still be right, but we cannot show you where they came from, and nobody here has checked them against a second source. Anything about a sick animal goes to a qualified exotic vet, not to a page. reptifiles.com

14:00
Day

Drag the sun. African Fat-tailed Gecko is Crepuscular, so what it is doing changes with the light. The sheet states a night temperature, and the rail follows it.

Enclosure and conditions

Enclosure

substrate32 °Cwater70–80 % RH90 cm45 cm
warm sidewatersubstrate
50100150200 cm
90 × 45 × 45 cmWidth × depth × height
41dm² of floor
Hides: not in our dataUVB: not in our data

Drawn from the stated numbers. Only what the sheet states is drawn inside.

Why

The rectangle carries the exact width-to-height ratio of the figures above it, and the ruler under it places that width on the 0–250 cm scale every sheet here shares, so two species still compare at a glance. Nothing is added that the sheet does not name: a lamp drawn on a sheet that never mentions one would be invented equipment. What the sheet leaves out is listed rather than left blank, because an empty tank reads as « none needed ».

The sheet states90 × 45 × 45 cm

Humid hide
Humid hide 85–100% on cool side — essential
Substrate
Coco / soil (holds some moisture)
Water
Small dish

What your climate adds

This sheet states a range to hold. Your local climate decides how much work holding it is. Pick the nearest city: nothing is sent anywhere, the choice stays in this browser.

What it needs

Enclosure at least 90 × 45 × 45 cmbecause Enclosure — 90 × 45 × 45 cm
A heat sourcebecause Temperature — warm ~32 °C (90 °F) / cool 24-27 °C (75-80 °F) / night 22-25 °C (72-77 °F)
A thermostat to regulate itbecause Temperature — warm ~32 °C (90 °F) / cool 24-27 °C (75-80 °F) / night 22-25 °C (72-77 °F)
A thermometerbecause Temperature — warm ~32 °C (90 °F) / cool 24-27 °C (75-80 °F) / night 22-25 °C (72-77 °F)
A way to check the night figurebecause Temperature — warm ~32 °C (90 °F) / cool 24-27 °C (75-80 °F) / night 22-25 °C (72-77 °F)
A hygrometerbecause Humidity — Wet season 70–80% / dry season ~50%
No UVB: the sheet states none is neededbecause UVB — not strictly required (nocturnal) if a high-D3 calcium supplement is given, but recommended for best health outcomes

Every line above is deduced from a value this sheet states, and names which one. Nothing here is a general recommendation.

  • Terrarium 90×45×45
  • Heat mat + thermostat
  • Low UVB
  • 3 hides incl. humid
  • Coco substrate
  • Calcium + D3
  • Feeders + hygro/thermo

Food

Diet

Feeding rhythm

Juvenile
every 1 d
Adult
every 1.8–2.3 d
16Meals in 28 days · adult

Twenty-eight days, one row. Each band is a meal window. This sheet states a figure for each age, so each age has its row.

Why

The windows widen as they go because the interval is a range: four meals after a 10–14 day cycle land anywhere between day 40 and day 56. A young animal's row is drawn only where the sheet gives one: working it out by dividing the adult interval would be inventing a ration.

The sheet statesInsects (crickets, dubia, BSF larvae) · 3–4×/week

Staple
Insects (crickets, dubia, BSF larvae)
Prey size
≤ space between the eyes
Juveniles
Daily
Adults
3–4×/week
Calcium
Dust most feeds; D3/multivit weekly

Daily life

Behaviour and handling

HandlingVery tolerant and calm
TailDrops if grabbed (regrows differently)
CohabitationSolo; never 2 males
DefenseRarely bites
ChildrenGreat, supervised

Health

Common health problems

Metabolic bone disease
Signsweak/bent limbs
Preventcalcium + D3 (+ low UVB)
Impaction
Signsloose substrate
Preventfirm/appropriate substrate
Dysecdysis
Signsstuck shed
Preventhumid hide is essential

When to see a vet

This is not veterinary advice. If red flags appear, consult a qualified exotic (herp) veterinarian. Quarantine new arrivals 30–90 days.

Red flags

  • open-mouth breathing
  • months of weight loss
  • stargazing
  • persistent regurgitation

The species

Identity

Adult size

True scale, against a 1.75 m person

1.75 m20–25 cm

Logarithmic, the same axis on every sheet

1520100400 cm
20–25 cmNose to tail, adult

The size the sheet states for a grown animal.

Why

Two drawings, because they answer two questions. The silhouette is at true scale against a 1.75 m person: it says how big this animal actually is, which no number does for someone who has never seen one. The bar under it is logarithmic and shared by every sheet here, so a 2 cm isopod and a 4 m python both stay readable on the same axis and two species can be compared at a glance.

Family / Order
Eublepharidae / Squamata
Origin
Adult size
20–25 cm
Lifespan (captivity)
15–20 yrs
Activity
Crepuscular / nocturnal; terrestrial
Temperament
Very docile, calm (calmer than leopard gecko)

Morphs

8 morphs, with how each one is inherited.

No known risk8colour and pattern only
Amelanistic (Albino)RecessiveSuper form: —
Caramel / GhostRecessiveSuper form: —
OreoRecessiveSuper form: —
Stripe / AberrantLine-bredSuper form: —
TangerineLine-bredSuper form: —
White-outCo-dominantSuper form: —
Zero / PatternlessRecessiveSuper form: —
ZuluLine-bredLocality-basedSuper form: —

How common this animal is

197,408Live individuals in declared US trade filings

NOT a measure of how many are kept. These filings count animals shipped for any purpose, including the food trade and laboratory supply, and they are United States records only. The three largest volumes in the source belong to a food frog, a bait species and the standard laboratory amphibian.

US Fish and Wildlife Service LEMIS declared wildlife import and export records, as compiled in the received dataset

Reproduction

Life course

Day 0Hatch
0.8–1 yrSexual maturity
15–20 yrLifespan in care
50–70 dIncubation
2 eggs, several clutchesClutch
15 yrMinimum commitment
~14 yrReproductive window

Read from the lifespan and maturity the sheet states, for animals in care and not in the wild.

Why

The minimum commitment is the low end of that lifespan, and the reproductive window is what is left after maturity: both are subtractions on stated figures, not figures of their own.

Sexual maturity
~9–12 months
Sexing
♂ preanal pores + hemipenal bulges
Clutch
2 eggs, several clutches
Incubation
~50–70 days; temperature sets sex

Good to know

  • Stores fat in its tail like a leopard gecko: but needs more humidity.
  • A humid hide is non-negotiable for healthy sheds.
  • Calmer, more laid-back disposition than the leopard gecko.
  • Stores fat in its tail like a leopard gecko — but needs more humidity.
Terrestrial · warm · humidFrom the sheet: warm end 32°C, humidity 70–80%

The way of life is written in this sheet, word for word. The climate words summarise the two figures above them, they do not add to them.

National law is not global, and we hold no national wildlife law for any country, Thailand included. Check your own authority before buying or selling.

Questions & sources

Common questions

Like a leopard gecko?

Similar, but more humidity-loving and even calmer.

Do they need a humid hide?

Yes: essential.

Handleable?

Yes: one of the calmest geckos.

Going deeper

Research dossier: read at the source, not yet cross-checked by our team. Every figure links to the page it was read on.

In the wild

Natural history extra

Northwest ghana field study

Study period
1979-1981
Sample size
24
Activity
23 of 24 specimens were found during nocturnal searching; one was dug from a burrow by day.
Climate
Single rainy season roughly April-September; dry-season Harmattan; field paper reports broad daily temperature ranges.
Male combat
Paper cites captive observations of violent male combat resulting in death.

Field literaturethebhs.org

Development

Hatchling mass g about
4
Sex growth
Growth similar until roughly 350 days, then males diverge larger and develop male-specific pores.

Secondary academic summaryanimaldiversity.org

Wild ecology evidence

Northwest ghana capture conditions

Source period
1980-1981 observations in published 2008 field paper
Measured captures
20
Pattern
Animals were observed active at night across both very dry and rainy-season conditions; body temperatures, when measured, generally tracked air/substrate context.

Air temp c range

22.2-31.7

Relative humidity percent range

17-95

Field literaturethebhs.org

Wild size mass

Largest measured

Total length mm
196
Snout vent length mm
141
Tail length mm
55
Mass g
56.2

Smallest probable hatchling

Total length mm
60
Snout vent length mm
48
Tail length mm
12
Mass g
2.13

Captive hatchling reference from cited literature

Mass g range

1.2-2.5

Total length cm range

6.3-7

Field literaturethebhs.org

Habitat selection

Finding
Most captures in the Wa study were in open savanna and away from rock outcrops; the author inferred sheltering in holes/burrows.

Field literaturethebhs.org

Growth and body condition

Biology

Native range
West Africa, Senegal to northern Cameroon
Habitat
dry Sahel and dry/moist savannah; rock crevices/leaf litter
Adult length
about 8-10 in in current husbandry guidance
Captive lifespan years
15-20 typical

Single source verifiedreptifiles.com

Growth

Rule
Weight records are observations/practices, not universal healthy targets.

Adult mass observation

Range g
40-90
Average g
50
Context
Animal Diversity Web species summary

Observational summaryanimaldiversity.org

Breeding practice observations

Sex
male
Minimum age months
7
Minimum weight g
40
Context
breeder practice

Breeder practicereptilesmagazine.com

Sex
female
Minimum age months
8
Minimum weight g
45
Context
breeder practice; productive females in that colony reported 45-55 g

Breeder practicereptilesmagazine.com

Telling males from females

Sex

Dimorphism
males average larger than females

Male markers

  • enlarged preanal pores
  • more bulbous tail base in sexually mature males

Veterinary sexing

Earliest reported age
about 1 month
Note
Sexing ability is distinct from sexual maturity; do not use early visual sexing as breeding readiness.

Male markers

  • more massive head/neck
  • prominent V-shaped preanal pores

Veterinary institutionalchuv.umontreal.ca

Single source verifiedanimaldiversity.org

Health and welfare

Health and biosecurity

Eublepharid gecko adenovirus

Finding
A disease outbreak involving fat-tail geckos included wasting, high mortality, lymphoplasmacytic enteritis with intranuclear inclusions, and pancreatitis; an eublepharid gecko adenovirus was detected.

Veterinary outbreak reportpmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Systemic mastocytosis

Finding
First reported mast-cell neoplasia in geckos was described in a 3-year-old female AFT with sudden lethargy/death and multisystem disease.

Veterinary case reportpubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Preventive veterinary

Routine exam
Annual physical examination recommended by Université de Montréal CHUV.

Veterinary institutionalchuv.umontreal.ca

Breeding

Reproduction intelligence

Breeding season

Value
approximately November-March in summarized literature

Secondary academic summaryanimaldiversity.org

Maturity

Female days
250-300 average reported
Male days
300-350 average reported

Secondary academic summaryanimaldiversity.org

Clutch

Eggs per clutch
1-3 summarized range; older captive reports commonly 1-2
Maximum clutches
up to five in a breeding season in ADW summary; older captive literature cited five batches of two eggs in ~6 months and another husbandry source up to eight clutches/year

Mixed secondary and historical captiveanimaldiversity.org thebhs.org

Field female record

Female mass g
10.8
Total length mm
126
Capture date
1981-03-28
Egg laid date
1981-04-16
Egg mass g
1.8
Outcome
failed to hatch
Use
Natural-history observation only; not a recommended breeding weight.

Egg dimensions cm

2.3-1.2

Field observationthebhs.org

Hatchling social stress

Finding
ADW summarizes captive observations that hatchlings may be intimidated by older/adult geckos, with reduced feeding/stress when forced into proximity.

Secondary academic summaryanimaldiversity.org

Temperature sex determination

Low incubation c
24-28 → predominantly female in summarized experimental literature
Mixed incubation c
29-30.5 → roughly mixed sexes
Higher incubation c
31-32 → mostly male
Caveat
Use as species-level reproductive biology, not a guaranteed sexing calculator for an individual egg.

Secondary academic summaryanimaldiversity.org

Sexual dimorphism

Finding
Males become larger than females after roughly 350 days and develop male-specific pores; larger males may have greater reproductive success in summarized literature.

Secondary academic summaryanimaldiversity.org

Breeder protocol

Readiness

Caveat
Single breeder colony practice/observation, not universal biological threshold.

Male

Min age months
7
Min weight g
40

Female

Min age months
8
Min weight g
45

Season

Natural reference
November-March
Breeder observed
Most breeding October-May, often starting December-January
Cooling optional
yes
Cooling duration weeks
4-6
Caveat
Breeder protocol; cooling is described as helpful but not necessary.

Laying

Typical eggs per clutch
2
Occasional small female clutch
1
Clutches per year
3-5 typical in this breeder colony
Egg length in
1-1.5

Female nutrition

Protocol
Feed breeding females heavily/as much as they will take during breeding season; supplement prey with vitamins and calcium at every feeding.

Hatchling

Mean hatch weight g
4
Length in
2.5-3
First feeding
A couple of days after hatching in this breeder protocol
Adult housing transition weight g
15

Incubation

Female biased f
83-85
Male biased f
88-89
Female biased high f
>90 reported
Caveat
Historical breeder protocol; use scientific TSD sources for canonical sex-determination modeling.

Incubation days female range

55-70

Incubation days male range

43-48

Breeder practicereptilesmagazine.com

Postlay gap

Finding
Current sources provide breeding-season feeding/calcium practice but no robust controlled post-lay recovery protocol specific to AFT.
Housing through life

Life stage enclosure evidence

Unresolved
Modern dimensional minimum for hatchlings/juveniles remains insufficiently established. Do not downscale adult size by formula.

Adult

Minimum in

L
36
W
18
H
16

Approximate cm

L
91
W
46
H
41

Specialist husbandryreptifiles.com

Breeder growout

Hatchlings
Breeder article used Vision hatchling rack systems or shoebox-size containers.
Transition weight g
15
Transition
At 15 g, that breeder moved animals to subadult/adult housing.
Caveat
This is breeder workflow evidence, not a universal minimum enclosure prescription. KEEPR may use 15 g as a historical grow-out transition signal only.

Breeder practicereptilesmagazine.com

Veterinary length based rule

Use
Useful individualized geometry rule when actual body length is known, especially before adulthood. It does not override KEEPR's larger adopted adult floor-space standard.

Rule

Enclosure length
2-3 × animal total length
Enclosure depth
1-1.5 × animal total length
Enclosure height
1.5-2 × animal total length

Veterinary institutionalchuv.umontreal.ca

Genetics and morphs

Genetics

Canonical status
audit_required

Current repo findings

Trait
Amelanistic
Repo inheritance
recessive
Trait
Oreo
Repo inheritance
recessive
Trait
White Out
Repo inheritance
codominant
Trait
Zero / Patternless
Repo inheritance
recessive
Trait
Caramel / Ghost
Repo inheritance
recessive combined label
Trait
Tangerine
Repo inheritance
polygenic
Trait
Stripe / Aberrant
Repo inheritance
polygenic
Trait
Zulu
Repo inheritance
polygenic/locality-based

Evidence conflicts

Topic
Stinger / Zero / Patternless
Finding
2012 specialist morph guide describes Patternless as recessive, Super Stinger and Super Zero as recessive/allelic with Patternless, while the visible Stinger/Zero phenotype had historically been interpreted as a possible heterozygous marker and was still described as not fully proven.

Historical specialistgeckotime.com

Topic
White Out
Finding
2012 specialist guide records White Out as co-dominant and Super White Out as lethal, reporting hatchlings dying within hours.

Historical specialistgeckotime.com

Topic
Ghost / Caramel / Amel female issues
Finding
MorphMarket community records repeatedly report female infertility for Ghost and Caramel, and disputed/line-dependent reproductive or combo issues for Amel.

Community consensus signalcommunity.morphmarket.com

Morph history 2012 snapshot

Source date
2012-12-04
Caveat
Historical hobby classifications are preserved as a dated snapshot, not automatically promoted to current canonical genetics.

Traits

Trait
Stripe
Inheritance reported
dominant
Trait
Albino/Amel
Inheritance reported
recessive
Trait
Caramel Albino
Inheritance reported
recessive
Trait
Patternless
Inheritance reported
recessive
Trait
Ghost
Inheritance reported
recessive
Trait
Anery/Oreo
Inheritance reported
recessive
Trait
Zulu
Inheritance reported
recessive
Trait
Super Stinger
Inheritance reported
recessive and allelic with Patternless
Trait
Super Zero
Inheritance reported
recessive and allelic with Patternless
Trait
White Out
Inheritance reported
co-dominant in historical hobby terminology
Trait
Super White Out
Inheritance reported
historically reported lethal
Trait
Aberrant/Jungle
Inheritance reported
polygenic / line bred
Trait
Starburst
Inheritance reported
polygenic / line bred
Trait
Granite
Inheritance reported
polygenic / line bred

geckotime.com

Current specialist reconciliation 2026

Measured at
2026-09-27

Findings

Topic
Zero / Stinger / Stripe
Current model
Zero is modeled as Stinger plus Stripe rather than an independent gene.

Current specialist model

Topic
Super White Out
Current model
Excluded as a viable parent; offspring calculations mark the super state non-viable.

Current specialist consensus

Topic
Ghost / Caramel females
Current model
Visual females are widely reported infertile, but proven fertile exceptions exist.

Current specialist consensus

Topic
possible het labels
Current model
66%/33% possible het probabilities are used heavily in the AFT market.

ryangstudio.com

Wild-caught or captive-bred

Trade history

Wild collection history

Period
2008 literature snapshot
Fact
Popular in pet trade and sometimes captive bred, but significantly large numbers were also taken from the wild; impact was unassessed and the paper noted no CITES quotas at that time.

Field literaturethebhs.org

Period
2013 IUCN assessment
Fact
International pet-trade exploitation was recorded particularly in Ghana, Togo and Benin; collection may pose a local threat.

Iucndoi.org

Captive morph transition

Period
about 2006-2012
Fact
Specialist retrospective described rapid new morph/genetics development; by 2012 White Out, Oreo, Zulu, Patternless, Ghost and other projects were documented.

Breeder industry historygeckotime.com

Period
2008 breeder recollection
Fact
One breeder reported becoming interested while working at a reptile breeder/wholesaler that had just received an imported group.

Breeder industry historygeckotime.com

Period
2017 breeder retrospective

Breeder industry opiniongeckotime.com

Genetics trade risks

Trait
Ghost
Issue
Visual female infertility is widely reported in specialist breeder/community records but is not yet established here with primary genetics/veterinary evidence.

community.morphmarket.com

Trait
Caramel/Amel lines
Issue
Female fertility/egg-laying problems are reported in specialist breeder discussions; likely line/trait dependent and not ready for canonical advice.

community.morphmarket.com

Trait
White Out
Issue
Super White Out non-viability has been reported for years in specialist sources.

Specialist historicalgeckotime.com

Togo export context

Finding
Peer-reviewed review identifies Togo as a major hub for intercontinental live African reptile exports and lists H. caudicinctus among species with constant international demand.
Implication
Export country can be a trade hub rather than precise wild origin; provenance/locality claims require stronger evidence.

Academic trade reviewsciencedirect.com

Back to the Atlas My keep

https://keepr.pet/husbandry/en/hemitheconyx-caudicinctus

Others in this group

Leopard GeckoEublepharis maculariusCrested GeckoCorrelophus ciliatusGargoyle GeckoRhacodactylus auriculatusTokay GeckoGekko geckoGolden geckoGekko badeniiLeachieRhacodactylus leachianusChahoua gecko (mossy prehensile-tail)Mniarogekko chahouaGold Dust DayPhelsuma laticauda

What this sheet states

100%
TemperatureHumidityEnclosure sizeActivityOriginDietSourcesUVB

Every field this product runs on is stated here. That is not a claim that the values are right: it says what the sheet states, not whether it is true. Whether a human has read it is the badge at the top of this page.

UVB is measured but does not count: it is absent from 420 of 678 sheets, and on most of them that is not a gap, since a nocturnal snake's sheet has no reason to state a UV index. Counting it would call the library incomplete without cause.