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Goniurosaurus hainanensis

Helioptile, Umbreon, and Bruce Wayne

G hainanensis are secretive geckos that live on China's Hainan Island. It is more commonly referred to as the "Chinese Cave Gecko". Endemic populations have faced a decline in recent years due to the impact of the pet trade. Fortunately, this decline has drastically slowed, as current keepers have found that these animals are simple to breed in captivity. All of our cave geckos are captive bred, and we welcomed our gecko's first clutch in November 2023! There are multiple species of Chinese cave gecko, but G hainanensis is the most commonly found species in today's pet trade.

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Helioptile is our female CCG, and the mother of our first CCG hatchlings. Like all cave geckos, Heli prefers to be left alone. Unlike most cave geckos, she is surprisingly tolerant of handling on the rare occasion that it happens. Helly was bred by Secret Lab Geckos in 2022. She is named for the black-and-yellow Pokemon character.

Umbreon is the father of our first cave gecko clutch. He was bred by Star Dust Scales in 2022. Umbreon is a gorgeous male who sports very thick, bold yellow dorsal stripes. He is an expert at avoiding human contact, though he settles nicely once he is in hand. Like his mate, he was named for a certain black-and-yellow Pokemon character.

Above: G hainanensis hatchlings have bolder colors  than adults.
Below: Heli stalks crickets while trying to ignore the camera above her.
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Bruce Wayne was our first cave gecko. He came to us from Josh's Frogs in 2019. He was bred by Star Dust Scales in 2022. Umbreon is a gorgeous male who sports very thick, bold yellow dorsal stripes. He is an expert at avoiding human contact, though he settles nicely once he is in hand. Bruce is the darkest cave gecko we have come into contact with, so he is named for the Dark Knight. Cave geckos' spots and stripes fade with age. Bruce never lightened or developed strips. We hope to find an equally dark female to pair him with.

Our Dark Knight never developed spots, and his thin yellow banding dramatically faded over time.

Interested in keeping a Chinese cave gecko? Below are general parameters for making your gecko comfortable. For more information, Extant Relatives recommends Reptifile's detailed care sheets.

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Life Span20+ years

Cage Size: Minimum 24" x 18" x 18" (High rather than wide)

Animal Size: 8.5-9"

Day/Night Hours: 12/12 

Active times: Most active at night

Day temps: 70F

Hot Spot: 85F

Night temps: 65 F

Daytime humidity: 50%

Nighttime humidity: 90%

UVB: Low

Substrate: Organic topsoil or coconut fiber (or mix)

Diet: Meal Replacement Powders with insects for enrichment.

Decor: Terrestrial - branches, cork tubes, rock and wood hides, plants.

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Heli shows off the beautiful red eyes characteristic of G hainanensis.

Our setup: ExRe houses CCGs individually in 10 gal/gecko minimum, horizontally-oriented enclosure. These arboreal reptiles spend most of their time holed up in a favorite humid hide or exploring areas hidden from prying eyes. Their enclosure floor consists of cocofiber substrate, a soaking/drinking bowl, and an isopod clean-up crew. Their enclsoures are heavily misted 2-4 times per week, depending on the season, to ensure humidity does not drop below 50%. Temperatures range from 70F at one side of the enclosure to 85F at the other. They use the full range of their enclosures to regulate their temperature and hydration. A single puck light provides enough light for their plants and their day/night cycle. We do not use UVB with our cave geckos, though they are closely monitored and receive Vitamin D supplementation. ExRe's cave geckos eat a staple diet of 6 medium-large crickets, gut-loaded and vitamin- and -mineral- dusted, with a rotating selection of dubia roaches, mealworms, waxworms, or silkworms offered once per week.

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