Last night I found the first gecko of this summer in my bathroom. I was so happy to see him (her? it?) that I took a picture on my phone – but he was so small, it did not come out well under electric light. So I decided to make a drawing – in this case, a lot larger that life-size, as he was only 3cm long. The ones we get here are very small, and a lot more elegant than in my drawing. The babies are translucent!
House geckos are considered good luck by most people, and they’re useful to have around, since they feed on mosquitos and other insects. In the winter they hibernate, and when summer comes, they show up on the walls or on the ceiling, sometimes emitting a high-pitched squeak, almost like the faint chirping of a bird.
Geckos have adhesive toe pads enabling them to scurry with ease along walls and ceilings. Looking at this little fella’s toes reminded me of Gollum – Tolkien must have been inspired by some similar creature.
Fantastic drawing. I’ve always thought these wee things creepy, but after your post, I’m rather more enthused towards them. ❤
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Not creepy at all, cute and efficient!
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We don’t have them here, but I think they’re cute now. 🙂
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They would be far more welcome in my home than the spiders that are currently invading every room! Nice picture.
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Thanks!
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Adore them. Had one in a night light once. They go in the post box too. Never thought about the Gollum thing though! Excellent concept. Lovely drawing.
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Thank you!
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Oh, I love geckos! We used to have them in our house in Australia, as well as a lovely blue-tongue lizard who lived under our back deck. Almost like having little dragons in the house 😉
And your drawing is absolutely beautiful, love it!
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Thanks! I’m glad everyone seems to appreciate my gecko!
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So very cute! I love lizards of any type. Your painting is terrific…I think it’s plenty elegant!
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Thank you!
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Very cute. I didn’t know they were helpful.
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Nice drawing 🙂
Ours have shown up already too , we have one that “hunts” on the outside of our basement windows and give us a show at night 🙂 It’s intriguing how they can just be there for so long plastered to the window (their bellies are a shimmering white) perfectly immobile and then move so fast as soon as they see a mosquito or something approaching .
Turtle Hugs
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Yes, they’re amazing little things!
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Terrific drawing, better than a photo. When I was in Fiji, at night the geckos (they were pink) would become so heavy with eating on the ceiling that they would drop off onto the floor with the weight!
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How funny! Were they quite big?
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Maybe 3-6 inches…
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Fabulous drawing,!
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How very sweet. They are harmless and omens of good things to come. Best of luck!
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Awww I love this!! Such a wonderful sketch! Beautifully done! 😍
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Thank you, Charlie! You were the inspiration.
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Awww…thanks!! 😊
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Beautiful rendering of a gecko. We have them in the house year round, since we live in the tropics. Perhaps fewer in the winter, but still there… They are everywhere, and range from tiny (2cm) to full size (8 or 9cm). They do a good job of keeping the biting insects down, but are also quite loud. My main complaint is the amount of gecko poop they leave behind!
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I suppose with the bigger ones it’s not so funny! 8 cm is quite large. Here we mostly get the smaller ones indoors
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Once they’re in the house, there’s not much to endanger them, so they grow quite large!
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Wonderful drawing! I know many people are afraid of them but I think they’re charming. Of course, they don’t live around here ~ I have to travel to Florida to see them.
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Well, they’re harmless, but then, so are cockroaches, and I would definitely not consider them charming! I would not have the same reaction to a cockroach in my bathroom!
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Me neither!
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Lovely! My brother has geckos living in his house in Brisbane, but on visits I’ve only heard them, not seen them. There is a variety of native geckos here in New Zealand, but they’re outdoorsy types who don’t seem interested in taking up residence in houses.
Just as well, because they have full legal protection and can only be kept “in captivity” if you have a permit. A gecko in my bathroom could get me into trouble.
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Apparently there are some 1500 species of gecko worldwide. All different colors too…
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Wow. What a lovely drawing. I thought it was a photo at first.
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I LOVE geckos. They are very common all year around in Hawaii. They lay very cute little eggs too…..FL
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Absolutely love your drawing and also Kate Chiconi’s story since I too live Down Under, tho’ more than a 1500 kms south of her. Not too many geckos here and I am not certain I would love their vocal abilities . . . but as far as blue-tongued lizards are concerned: no shortage! No particular attraction there either but we just look at one another when we meet gardening and quietly part ways . . .
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Close encounters of the third kind…😲
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Good drawing
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So amazing! I’m dying of love, I find them so cute and loveable! I would love to have them too!
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I think you can get the non-threatened ones as pets, and keep them in a terrarium… Of course, it’s not as cool as having them ‘wild’ on your walls…
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I like them wild better. I think they would be sad just in a terrarium!
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I’ve been introduced to geckos via holidays in the tropics. They freaked me out at first but I soon came to love them, especially as they rid the place of a good many insects. It’s the annoying habit they have of detaching their tails. That still freaks me out.
Your drawing is fabulous.
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Thank you! They detach the tails if you try and catch them…
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It’s a lovely drawing and I’ll take your word for it that they’re useful to have around, but I’m not sure I’d want one in the house.
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You don’t HAVE to have one – it’s not a law😊
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A great drawing, we saw plenty of these in Saudi!
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I’ve always liked geckos. I don’t like mosquitoes much, so I guess my enemy’s enemy… 🙂
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😆
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Great drawing! We saw plenty of Gecko’s in Samoa they made a weird clicking noise.
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Thanks!
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He is beautiful.
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Thank you!
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Love that sketch. People should draw more geckos, I find myself saying that at least once a week. And now I have a reason 😉
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Quite right. I must proceed with portraits of the rest of his family.
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I love geckos, I cant imagine living in ahouse without them.
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Me too!!!
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We have many species where I live but these are my favourites https://nickswildlife.org/2017/02/22/ten-terrific-tokay-facts/
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