Common barking gecko (Ptenopus garrulus)

Short answers

Common barking gecko: How big does the enclosure need to be?

60×40×40 cm.

Common barking gecko: What temperature does it need?

Daytime 25–30 °C, basking spot 36 °C, at night 16–20 °C.

Common barking gecko: Does it need UVB lighting?

UVB: Recommended, low-output UVB (2–5%).

Common barking gecko: How long do they live?

Life expectancy: 6–10 years.

Common barking gecko: Is it suitable for beginners?

Rather not – it is considered an intermediate species (difficulty: Intermediate).

Climate

Daytime temperature

25–30 °C

Night temperature

16–20 °C

Basking spot

36 °C

Humidity

25–40 %

UVB

Recommended, low-output UVB (2–5%)

Enclosure

Minimum size

60×40×40 cm

Substrate

Very deep, compactable sand (15–25 cm) for burrowing

Feeding

Food

House crickets, crickets, termites, mealworm larvae

Feeding interval

2–3×/week

Key facts

Adult size

8–11 cm total length

Life expectancy

6–10 years

Origin

Namibia, Botswana, South Africa – sandy desert

Protection status

Not listed under CITES

Brumation

A cooler dry spell of 8–10 weeks

Cohabitation

A pair or 1.2 in a sufficiently large enclosure with deep substrate. Two males do not work together: each defends its own burrow and calls from its entrance, and males react aggressively to a neighbour's call. So it is about burrow and calling site, not about a basking spot. Females tolerate each other but need enough floor space for each to dig its own burrow.

Notes

It digs deep burrows and calls loudly in the evening from the entrance, barking – one of the few genuinely "vocal" gecko species. The sand has to be deep and compactable, or the burrows collapse.

Do you keep this species?

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Related species

• Arabian short-fingered gecko (Stenodactylus arabicus) – Beginner with some knowledge
• Bastard's big-headed gecko (Paroedura bastardi) – Beginner
• Boettger's wall gecko (Tarentola boettgeri) – Beginner
• Bibron's thick-toed gecko (Pachydactylus bibronii) – Beginner
• Elegant gecko (Stenodactylus stenodactylus) – Beginner to intermediate
• Fan-fingered gecko (Ptyodactylus hasselquistii) – Intermediate
• Eastern Canary gecko (Tarentola angustimentalis) – Beginner with some knowledge
• Spotted thick-toed gecko (Pachydactylus maculatus) – Beginner with some knowledge

All species in the care wiki →

What you need to start

To keep Common barking gecko (Ptenopus garrulus) you typically need: a suitable enclosure (60×40×40 cm), substrate (Very deep, compactable sand (15–25 cm) for burrowing), a heat source with a thermostat, UVB lighting, thermometer and hygrometer, a water dish and hides. You will find equipment in the Reptoria marketplace.