Handling and Behavior

The short version

• Give a new gecko 3–4 weeks to settle, and make sure it is eating before you handle it [4].
• Juveniles are jumpy and bite; adults are among the calmest geckos you can keep [4][5].
• Keep sessions short and low over a soft surface, and never hold the tail [4][10].
• A dropped tail grows back [4][6].
• Never house gargoyles together, or with any other gecko [2][4][6][7].

Settling in

Give a new gargoyle 3–4 weeks to settle and confirm that it is eating before any handling [4]. Use that time to check temperatures, humidity and weight, and to learn its normal routine.

Temperament

• Juveniles are flighty and bite readily, from babies up to subadults. A bite is a startling pinch, but it is not dangerous [4][5].
• Adults seldom bite. Most are calm, and many are happy to sit on a hand [4][5].
• Wait for size. Hold off on regular handling until your gecko is at least 3 in (7.5 cm) from snout to vent [4].

How to handle your gecko

• Approach from the side, never from above [10].
• Let it walk onto an open hand rather than grabbing it [10].
• Keep it short. Start with sessions of a few minutes and build up slowly [6][10].
• Stay low over a bed or couch, because gargoyles will leap [4][10].
• Never grab or hold the tail. It will come off.

Tail loss

A gargoyle can drop its tail when grabbed or stressed. This is not an emergency. Keep the stump clean and keep your gecko on paper towel for about a week. Gargoyles regrow their tails, unlike crested geckos [3][4][6]. Keepers report that regrowth takes a few months (keeper experience, not proven). Apart from a difference in the scales, a regrown tail usually ends up looking much like the original [4].

Daily rhythm and behavior

• Night-active. Gargoyles sleep by day and come out in the evening, so evening is feeding and watching time.
• Climbs, but less nimbly than a crested gecko. Gargoyles spend most of their time off the ground, but their toe pads are less developed, so they are steady rather than expert climbers [5]. Many keepers see them on mid-level branches and cork more often than at the very top; this is keeper experience, not proven.
• Color changes. Gargoyles look darker and richer ("fired up") at times, and paler ("fired down") at others, depending on mood, temperature and time of day. This is normal.

Always keep gargoyles alone

This is the most important rule for this species, and the most common way keepers lose an animal.

• Gargoyles bite cage mates. Males fight, especially around females, and gargoyles are known for biting off each other's tails [4][6]. Toes can be lost the same way. Keepers are advised not to house gargoyles together at any age [7]. Breeding males rarely keep their original tail [13].
• They eat smaller lizards. In the wild, gargoyles regularly eat other lizards, including geckos and skinks [2]. Never house a gargoyle with a crested gecko or any smaller lizard.
• Babies too. Hatchlings and juveniles must be housed separately to prevent injury [4][6].
• Tails regrow; toes do not. A missing toe is permanent.

The only time two gargoyles should share an enclosure is a short, supervised breeding introduction. See the Breeding chapter.

Brumation and winter

Gargoyles do not need brumation. Nights can drop to the low 70s°F (21–23°C), and in winter they tolerate night drops into the 60s°F (16–20°C) [4]. Keep feeding as normal. Some breeders give a short winter cool-down before the breeding season; that is covered in the Breeding chapter.