Those small, white, round objects stuck to your wall are almost certainly house gecko eggs. Common house geckos lay hard-shelled eggs in pairs, often gluing them directly to walls, ceilings, and other vertical surfaces in warm, sheltered spots around your home. Unlike most reptile eggs, gecko eggs have a rigid shell that adheres firmly to surfaces, which is why they seem cemented in place rather than sitting loosely in a nest.
What House Gecko Eggs Look Like
House gecko eggs are roughly the size of a small pea or a Tic Tac, usually between 8 and 12 millimeters across. They’re white or off-white with a hard, slightly chalky shell. This hard shell is unusual among reptiles, where most species lay soft, leathery eggs. The rigid casing makes gecko eggs more resistant to moisture loss and helps them survive even if they’re jostled or exposed to air.
You’ll almost always find them in pairs. Females lay exactly two eggs per clutch, and they often return to the same spot repeatedly. Over time, you might notice several pairs clustered in one area, sometimes with older, darker shells alongside fresh white ones. If an egg looks slightly translucent or yellowish, it may be infertile or beginning to develop. A fully dried-out, collapsed shell means a hatchling has already emerged.
Where Geckos Prefer to Lay Eggs Indoors
Geckos choose spots that are warm, dark, and undisturbed. Walls behind furniture, picture frames, and curtains are common locations. They also favor the backs of kitchen appliances, inside wardrobes, behind bookshelves, on ceiling corners, and in storage lofts. Shoe racks with rarely worn shoes, cabinets under sinks with slight moisture, and gaps around window frames are all popular nesting sites.
The common thread is minimal human activity. Any space you don’t clean or move things around in regularly becomes an attractive nesting spot. Geckos also gravitate toward areas with nearby insect activity, since bugs are their food source, so eggs near a kitchen or bathroom light fixture aren’t unusual.
How Long Eggs Take to Hatch
Incubation depends heavily on temperature. In a warm indoor environment (around 80 to 88°F), gecko eggs typically hatch in 6 to 8 weeks. At cooler temperatures, closer to 75°F, hatching can take 11 to 13 weeks. Higher temperatures speed things up, with some eggs hatching in as few as 4 to 5 weeks in very warm conditions.
If you’ve found eggs that are bright white and intact, they could be anywhere in that timeline. There’s no reliable way to tell how far along they are just by looking at them, though holding a small flashlight behind the egg in a dark room sometimes reveals a shadow or veining inside a fertile, developing egg.
How Many Eggs to Expect
Each clutch is two eggs, but females don’t stop at one clutch. Mediterranean house geckos breed from April through August, and females continue producing eggs throughout the entire season. A single female can lay multiple clutches during that window, potentially depositing up to four clutches in quick succession. That means one gecko in your home could be responsible for 4 to 8 eggs over a few months, and if multiple females are present, numbers add up quickly.
Should You Remove Them?
If you don’t want geckos breeding indoors, removing the eggs is straightforward but requires some care. Because the eggs are glued to the surface, you’ll need to gently pry them off with a thin, flat tool like a butter knife or a plastic scraper. The hard shell usually pops free without breaking. Wipe down the surface afterward to remove any residue.
Keep in mind that finding eggs means at least one adult gecko is living and breeding in your home. Removing the eggs addresses the immediate issue but won’t stop the cycle. The female will simply lay again in the same spot or a nearby one. If you’re seeing eggs repeatedly, the adults and the conditions attracting them need attention too.
Preventing Geckos From Nesting on Your Walls
The most effective approach combines reducing hiding spots with cutting off their food supply. Geckos stay where insects are plentiful, so managing bug populations around lights, kitchens, and bathrooms removes their main reason for being there.
- Seal entry points. Check for cracks around windows, doors, pipes, and wall openings. Even small gaps are enough for a gecko to squeeze through.
- Reduce clutter. Move furniture slightly away from walls during cleaning. Remove piles of newspapers, magazines, and boxes that create dark, undisturbed pockets.
- Fix moisture problems. Repair leaky pipes under sinks and in bathrooms. Geckos are drawn to damp, warm environments, and so are the insects they eat.
- Improve lighting and airflow. Geckos avoid bright, well-ventilated spaces. Occasionally opening cabinet doors, adding light to dark storage areas, and improving ventilation in basements and lofts makes those spaces less appealing.
- Clean regularly behind things. Pull appliances away from the wall periodically. Dust behind picture frames. Check curtain rods and window frames. Inspect wardrobes and shoe racks. These routine checks disrupt the quiet, undisturbed conditions geckos need for nesting.
- Use mild repellents. Naphthalene balls placed in wardrobes and storage areas can discourage geckos from settling in.
When Eggs Keep Appearing
If you’re finding new clutches regularly despite cleaning and sealing efforts, you likely have an established population. Multiple females breeding throughout the warm months can produce a steady stream of eggs, and geckos are persistent about returning to proven nesting sites. In that case, professional pest control can locate nest sources, safely remove eggs, and apply treatments that discourage further breeding. This is especially worth considering if geckos are getting into food storage areas or leaving droppings in places that are difficult to keep clean.