What Geckos Are Legal And Illegal In Australia?

Australia has a lot of different gecko species as a part of its natural fauna. However, not all of them are legal to be kept as pets.

If you reside in Australia and want to get a pet gecko, or are planning to travel there with your pet gecko, you need to know which geckos are legal and which are illegal as pets.

In Australia, you are only permitted to keep some of the native gecko species as pets. All exotic gecko species that are not native to Australia are deemed illegal and cannot be kept as pets.

Number Of Legal Geckos In Australia

To keep a pet gecko, you need to ensure that the gecko species is native and that you have the required license to keep a pet gecko.

Two primary licenses are required for keeping pet geckos: a standard license and a specialized or advanced license.

In total, there are 57 gecko species listed on the official website of Australia that can be kept as pets.

Native Gecko Species That Require Standard License

All in all, there are 37 species of native geckos that you can keep as pets by acquiring a standard license.

1. Banded Knob Tailed Gecko
2. Beaded Gecko
3. Box Patterned Gecko
4. Broad Tailed Gecko
5. Bynoe’s Gecko
6. Centralian Knob Tailed Gecko
7. Desert Cave Gecko
8. Eastern Spiny Tailed Gecko
9. Fringe Toed Velvet Gecko
10. Golden Tailed Gecko
11. Gulf Marbled Velvet Gecko
12. Inland Marbled Velvet Gecko
13. Kristin’s Spiny-tailed Gecko
14. Lesueur’s Velvet Gecko
15. Marbled Gecko
16. Marbled Velvet Gecko
17. Moritz’s Leaf-Tailed Gecko
18. Northern Knob Tailed Gecko
19. Northern Leaf-Tailed Gecko
20. Northern Spiny-Tailed Gecko
21. Northern Spotted Velvet Gecko
22. Northern Velvet Gecko
23. Ocellated Velvet Gecko
24. Pale Knob Tailed Gecko
25. Prickly Knob Tailed Gecko
26. Robust Velvet Gecko
27. Rough-Throated Leaf-Tailed Gecko
28. Southern Leaf Tailed Gecko
29. Southern Phasmid Gecko
30. Southern Spiny-Tailed Gecko
31. Southern Spotted Velvet Gecko
32. Starred Knob-Tailed Gecko
33. Tessellated Gecko
34. Thick Tailed Gecko
35. Three Lined Knob Tailed Gecko
36. Western Shield Spiny Tailed Gecko
37. Wood Gecko

Native Gecko Species That Require Specialized or Advanced License

There are 20 native gecko species requiring specialized or advanced licenses for keeping as pets.

1. Beaked Gecko
2. Chameleon Gecko
3. Crowned Gecko
4. Desert Fat-Tailed Gecko
5. Dotted Velvet Gecko
6. Eastern Desert Fat-Tailed Gecko
7. Eastern Fat-Tailed Gecko
8. Gibber Gecko
9. Granite Belt Thick-Tailed Gecko
10. Granite Leaf-Tailed Gecko
11. Gulf Fat-Tailed Gecko
12. Helmeted Gecko
13. Jewelled Gecko
14. McDonald’s Ring-Tailed Gecko
15. Mourning Gecko
16. Northern Giant Cave Gecko
17. Ring-Tailed Gecko
18. Variable Fat-Tailed Gecko
19. Western Giant Cave Gecko
20. Western Stone Gecko

Number Of Illegal Geckos In Australia

Excluding the aforementioned 57 native species of geckos, all gecko species that are exotic to Australia are deemed illegal and cannot be kept as pets.

The following list includes 10 of the most popular pet gecko species in the US that are illegal in Australia:

1. Leopard Geckos
2. Tokay Geckos
3. Crested Geckos
4. Lined Leaf-Tailed Gecko
5. Satanic Leaf-Tailed Gecko
6. Giant Day Gecko
7. Turquoise Dwarf Gecko
8. Frog-Eyed Geckos
9. Gargoyle Geckos
10. Namib Sand Gecko

NB: You might need extra paperwork for these geckos to be considered legal.

What To Do If Your Gecko Is Illegal In Australia?

If you are planning to travel to Australia, and the species of your pet gecko is illegal there, then you cannot carry your pet gecko along with you.

If you are going for a temporary visit, you may consider keeping a pet sitter for your gecko. You could also ask your friends or family to foster your pet gecko for the duration of your trip.

If, on the other hand, you are moving to Australia permanently, then you will have to bid a permanent goodbye to your pet gecko as well.

You should then give your pet gecko to a shelter, find a foster, and take their help to find a new permanent home for your pet.

Summary

One of the most important and yet least talked about aspects of owning and traveling with a pet is the legality that surrounds it.

If you are planning to travel to, or permanently move to Australia, then you will have to check if your pet gecko is listed as a legal or an illegal gecko species there.

And if you reside in Australia and want to get a pet gecko, you need to first know which gecko species are allowed and legal.

Then you need to check and acquire the kind of license required to keep the pet gecko. Only then you will be able to get your new pet gecko home.