Crested Gecko Basic Care Guide
Housing and Habitat
Hatchlings to four month old crested geckos can be housed in 10 gallon aquariums or similar plastic keepers. In some cases, young geckos housed in large cages will not eat well. To avoid that I recommend that geckos less than 12 weeks old be housed in cages no larger than a 10 gallon aquarium. A juvie the weight of 10gs and adult sized (45g) crested geckos should be housed in a 20 gallon tall aquarium or larger.
Weight chart for appropriate enclosures:
1 gram to 10 grams12x12x18 exo terra, 10-15 gallon aquarium or equivalent plastic bin.
11 grams and up 18x18x24 exo terra, 20-29 gallon aquarium or equivalent plastic bin.
Types of habitats
With crested geckos you can make any type of enclosure work, be it converted Rubbermaid bins, fish aquariums, pvc enclosures or reptile specific terrariums. Here are some examples of what you can do and what can be well within your budget and your gecko will love it either way!
Aquarium adult conversion | Aquarium hatchling conversion
Plastic Rubbermaid bin | All access bin | Hatchling bins
TEMPERATURE, HEATING, AND LIGHTING
Exo terra | PVC arboreal | Custom
Temperatures for crested geckos should be maintained between 70 and 78 degrees for most of the year. At temperatures of 82 degrees or warmer, crested geckos will become stressed, which could lead to illness or death. Cresteds can tolerate night time temperature drops down into the mid 60's but it is not necessary to provide this type of night time drop. A two month cooling period is recommended to allow breeding crested geckos time to rest. During this period temperatures should be kept at 65 to 70 degrees.
Lighting is most easily achieved with the use of fluorescent lights placed directly on the cage top. This will facilitate both the requirements of the geckos and any live plants within the enclosure should you choose to have them. It is unnecessary to use UVB lighting for crested geckos.
Humidity
Crested geckos do require moderate humidity. In most cases this can be accomplished by misting the cage once or twice a day. A good hygrometer or thermometer/hygrometer combo meter is a valuable tool. Ideally the humidity level should not drop below 50%. Crested geckos should get several hours of higher humidity (80-100%) every day to ensure that they shed properly. Misting heavily once or twice a day will achieve the required higher humidity levels. It is very important to allow the cage to dry to normal humidity levels in between mistings. If the cage is wet and humid all of the time, problems with shedding and bacterial infections can arise.
HUMIDITY TIME LIMIT
Morning: 60%-70%
Day: 50%
Night: 80%-100%
Dietary care
Crested Geckos can be fed the Powdered Crested Gecko Foods along with crickets or other insects. Offer Pangea Fruit Mix Complete Diet 2-3 times per week and insects 2-4 times per month.
Gut loading feeders.
This process is to feed your bugs quality food such as fresh veggies, fruits or quality commercial diets to ensure your gecko is getting healthy and more nutritious feeders. Just like us we do best with quality fed and raised foods! The best insects to feed are either feeder roaches like Dubias, redrunners and crickets. Make sure to take out any uneaten bugs to re-gutload them.
Watering.
Crested geckos typically drink water droplets from the sides of their enclosure and from any plants or cage accessories. This is one of the reasons it is important to mist your geckos daily. It is also recommended that a small dish of clean water is present in the enclosure at all times.
Handling your Crested Gecko
Crested Geckos are among the most handleable of all lizards. They tolerate moderate to heavy handling even when they are relatively young, however you should not handle geckos that are less than two weeks old, or geckos that have recently been purchased or moved. There is a recommended one to two week acclimation period for newly acquired geckos which allows them to settle in and get used to their new surroundings. Once they are settled in, you can introduce your gecko to handling a little at a time. Five minutes of handling per day for the first few weeks is sufficient to allow your gecko to become used to you and to become less jumpy. Once they are comfortable with you, you can begin to handle them more. We recommend no more than 15 to 20 minutes of handling per day so as not to stress the gecko too much.
​
If your gecko is jumpy or flighty you can use what's called the "hand walking" method. To do this you simply hold one hand out directly in front of the gecko and allow him to hop, walk, or jump to the extended hand, then you immediately place your free hand out in front again, and so on. Young geckos and newly acquired geckos typically need to be hand walked for several sessions before you can expect them to calm down.
Tail Loss
Crested Geckos can drop their tails if handled improperly, however most cresteds are reluctant to drop their tails unless the tail is pinched or squeezed somehow. Most tail loss occurs from aggressive cage mates or from accidentally closing the tail in a screen top or door. Careful handling does not usually result in tail loss. Tail loss is a normal defense mechanism and is not a medical emergency. The gecko will recover quickly and does not require any special care. Crested geckos are one of the few geckos that will not regenerate a new tail.
Sexing your crested gecko
WIP