Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Asian House Gecko
Asian House Geckos first appeared in Brisbane in the early 1980s, probably arriving in shipping containers from South-East Asia. Now, in the evenings one can't fail to hear the distinctive 'chuck chuck chuck' call of the Asian House Gecko as it lies in wait for some unsuspecting insect drawn to the light of a window.
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6 comments:
I wish I had something like that here to eat all the wasps and spiders.
Instead all we have is weasels who chew on car electrical wires.
I've noticed a reduction in the number of moths and mosquitoes over the past few years. Every night as I'm brushing my teeth I watch a gecko on the outside of the bathroom window darting back and forth gobbling up moths drawn to the light. These little guys appear to have insatiable appetites.
The experts are still analysing the impact they may be having on our local environment. Although they're an introduced species they are kind of cute; unlike the cane toad which is much easier to despise and more obvious in it's destructive effect on native species.
Weasels! Occasionally we have a news story here of deadly snakes being found in the engine bays of cars.
I've definitely noticed a decrease in moths over the years as the geckos have taken over, and so far I think that's a good thing. Moths are stupid creatures that put crap all over you when you try to squash them so it's much better that they get eaten by geckos. One flew into my ear once and got stuck there - gimme a break!
As for the effect on the environment - well there was nothing eating the moths before the geckos, and if there was they were doing such a rotten job they deserve to have their food taken from them.
I thought one of the main predators of moths were spiders. At least I always noticed lots of spider webs around windows where moths were drawn to the lights at night. Come to think of it, I haven't noticed as many spiders (and their webs) around in the last few years. Maybe the geckos are eating them as well?
Maybe we can ship some geckos to Fraser in Germany to eat all the wasps and spiders ;-)
Today I found a tiny one of these on my kitchen floor. I live in Alberta, Canada. It's October so it's getting below the freezing point here at nights now and snow is maybe a week away. Definately not something that one expects to find in their home here! Anyway, I've put him in a little tuperware container with lots of hole, a little water dish and a branch of the plant I just bought which I think he came in on. Any idea how to care for one of these? Let it go here means certain death I think and I don't have the heart.
Anyway, just thought I'd ask.
Thanks:)
Thanks for your comment. Try this link for tips on care of house geckos http://www.house-gecko.com/
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