Introduction

Crested Geckos are a great reptile for your beginner intermediate keeper. They are not like leopard geckos as they require humidity and places to climb. They stay a lot smaller then some of your other geckos. The one thing that we find really cool about these lizards is they can climb anything. They will climb up the glass screen even a wall when they are outside of there tank. They also are really great jumpers, there legs act like wings and help them glide.

Caging

When it comes to caging this species it is important to know that they require a lot of climbing areas. As well they require a great deal of humidity. When caging Crested Geckos you do not need a lot of room. If you are housing just one – two of them you can get by with a 10 gallon tank. If you want to give a much bigger area then please do so. A 10 gallon tanks is the minimum space for this lizard. The best size for an adult crested gecko is a 29 gallon enclosure.

One thing to keep in mind when keeping this species is not to keep two males in the same tank. Unlike other lizards they tend to fight more frequently. To tell the difference between males and females is relatively simple. Males usually have a bulge at the start of there tail, females do not have this bulge at all. Keep in mind they need to be around 5 – 9 months old.

Substrate

What to use for substrate on geckos can be very challenging. This is because everyone has there own opinions. We will give you a few choices for your crested gecko. The following bedding’s can be used:

  • Bed a Beast
  • Eco Earth
  • Live Moss
  • Forest Floor
  • Bark
  • Organic Potting Soil
Do not use any products that contain cedar, pine, fertilizers, or pesticides

Lighting

Like other geckos the crested gecko is nocturnal meaning they do not require uv lighting which is a benefit as it cuts down on cost for maintaining this species. However you can still give them florescent lighting which will give them a day cycle and if you have live plants inside the enclosure then you will defiantly need a source of uv to make sure you keep your plants alive.

Heating

This is a benefit to any and all reptiles as they are cold blooded. Keeping the heat up will insure proper digestion, keep humidity up, and to help the overall health of the gecko. There are a variety of sources of heating up a reptile cage. Let’s go ahead and look at some of those.

  • Ceramic Heat Emitter – No visible light. Rises the ambient temperature
  • Under Tank Heater – Heats up the area around the element
  • Basking Spot Lamp – Visible light and will give a general high temperature area.

As you can see this is just a small selection but is what we thought would work the best. The Ceramic Heat Emitter is great in conjunction with a spot lamp as it will raise the overall temperature of the cage and when using the spot lamp with it will give your reptile a place to bask in. The under tank heater is ok when needing to boost the humidity up in the enclosure. If you decided to use the spot lamp by itself then you want to make sure you keep it on one side or the other not in the middle, same thing with the ceramic heat emitter.

Feeding

Crested geckos eat insects and some fruits. There are also ready made commercial diets that are great to. When choosing a prey item always make sure to give them the proper size insect as to big might not fit down the throat and to small make your wallet empty much quicker. The best way to know what size insect is to ask your reptile specialist as no two stores offer the same size or same size but is named differently.

You can feed a crested gecko crickets, meal worms, wax worms, super worms, roaches, butter worms, etc. As well you can feed them different types of fruit such as apple, mango, pear, etc. Most of the time it is easier to just give them Gerber Baby Food. Some of the commercial diets are even better as it has everything they need for a smaller cost. Never give your reptile outside insects at all or ants. As well make sure to dust your bugs and food with calcium dust.

Water & Humidity

Supply a source of water is very important to insure an overall healthy reptile. Most crested geckos do not drink from a dish but instead off of there decor. So misting every day is a very important thing to do.

Keeping the humidity up is always a major importance to help prevent infections and to help proper sheds. The humidity should be around 70% – 80%. To make sure these are your levels get some humidity gauges and places them around the middle to bottom of the cage. If you are experiencing low humidity then please make sure the gauges are near the bottom and not the top. If this is not the case then you can cover part of the tank with plexi glass, wet towel or even a saran wrap. You can also use a fogger or a bowl of water with a basking bulb over it ensuring the water is not too deep and does not get hot.