Aqua Gecko!

[Haligren]

My gecko, Fafnir, seems to actually really like water. Although I have yet to see him drink from his water dish (and this might have something to do with it) he does something really funny when I mist him with water. I don't do this very often as I've read that too much humidity is bad for the little guys but when I do he arches his back, closes his eyes, and sticks his little tail straight up in the air! He reminds me of a cat getting its back scratched! When I get my camera back from my brother-in-law I'll be sure to take pictures as it's just so funny!

But I'm just wondering as to the etiquette regarding geckos and their exposure to humidity. I have moss in both of my hides, warm and cool, and mist them both occasionally. Should I just be misting one? (Sorry for all the questions over the passed few days. Even though I take care of geckos and all kinds of reptiles at work I'm very new to actually owning one. I know about their basic needs but their behaviors are unfamiliar to me.)

 

[thestack510]

I would only mist one, so that he doesn't always have to be exposed to high humidity and he has the option to go elsewhere to escape it. That's just my opinion.

 

[Haligren]

Makes sense. Which one should I mist though? The one on the heat side or the one on the cool side? Or should I provide a third one for this? I've seen some people on here have three hides.

 

[Retribution Reptiles]

well i have 3 hides in all my tanks, warm, cool, and moist, the moist typically has some sort of moss in it to retain moisture.

 

[AntMan612]

I recall a recent poll that resulted in around 60% of leopard geckos preferring their moist hide on the warm side. I'm too lazy to search for it right now.

 

[Baoh]

I recall a recent poll that resulted in around 60% of leopard geckos preferring their moist hide on the warm side. I'm too lazy to search for it right now.

Mine do. All of them.

 

[Lena]

Actually, from my experience, the arch and tail-in-the-air is a sign of discomfort! That usually means I'm going to get growled at when my geckos don't like what I'm doing.

 

[Haligren]

Actually, from my experience, the arch and tail-in-the-air is a sign of discomfort! That usually means I'm going to get growled at when my geckos don't like what I'm doing.

Oh. o_o That's too bad. It's so cute when he does it! I'll refrain from misting him directly then.

I'll also look into getting another hide strictly for humidity.

I don't think my gecko likes me very much. :\ I've been trying to handle him a bit recently by letting my hand sit in the tank and waiting for him to crawl over it. Sometimes I'll try to gently but actively pick him up. He tries to get away but is fine when I get him on my hand. Recently he's taken to staying hid all the time though and is even defecating in his hide. :\ So yeah. I guess misting him and trying to handle him period is a bad idea.