Crested Gecko Care
90Crested Gecko
Rhacodactylus ciliatus
Crested Geckos are native to New Caledonia, located approximately 900 miles east of Australia. They are indigenous to the island, Grand Terre, and the Isle of Pines to the south.
Because crested geckos weren't reported being seen in their native environments, many believed they had gone extinct. In 1994, the species was found on the Isle de Pins.
Crested geckos are arboreal, and since they are nocturnal, they spend their days hiding amongst leaves and branches.
Crested Gecko Lifespan
It is assumed that crested geckos have a similarly averaged lifespan as other geckos. It is unknown for sure, as they have only been in the reptile market since 1994 when the Europeans discovered the gecko on the Isle de Pins. But, is is thought that crested geckos will live about 15-20 years.
Crested Gecko Size
As adults, crested geckos can reach 4-4.5" snout to vent, or about 8" to the tip of the tail.
Crested Geckos as Pets
Crested geckos make great beginner reptile pets. They are very docile and can be handled with care.
They are a very, very jumpy reptile. So it's best to let them jump hand to hand without any force. Limit handling baby and juvenile geckos, until they are used to you. Excessive handling will cause unnecessary stress.
If you grab the gecko suddenly by force or by the tail, you risk the gecko dropping its tail, and unlike many gecko species, crested geckos don't regrow their tails.
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Fake Plants
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Floppy Tail Syndrome
Floppy Tail Syndrome is caused by enclosures that lack climbing sources. When the gecko hands upside down on the walls of the enclosure, the tail is left flopping over it's back. This can deform the gecko's pelvis and give them a crooked appearance.
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Crested Gecko Housing
Enclosure Size:
First off NEVER house more than one male gecko together, as they are territorial and will fight, causing severe injuries and even death. One male can be housed with up to 3 females, but be prepared for mating and eggs. Or, you can house multiple females together, but do watch for any signs of bullying or stress when housing more than one gecko in an enclosure.
Crested geckos are arboreal and need an enclosure that is taller than it is long. One crested gecko can live in a 15-gallon tall aquarium (18"W x 18"D x 18"T), or 3 in a 29-gallon aquarium (30"W x 12½"D x 17"T ).
*Note: 3 crested geckos in a 29- gallon is really pushing it.
Decor:
You can make an simplistic or naturalistic enclosure setup. Make sure to utilize the space effectively, in either case. Add ample climbing and hiding places, including plants and branches.
The simplistic approach is more practical than it is aesthetically pleasing. This approach includes egg cartons; they are cheap and provide ample hiding places and climbing surfaces. If you do not want to use egg trays, you can use fake or real (potted) plants, branches, and cork bark.
The naturalistic approach is more aesthetically pleasing than it is practical. If you choose this method, it is always best to buy a larger enclosure for you gecko because you will need to add plants and branches. This approach involves the use of loose substrate and mosses as floor covering. Live plants are added either in pots or planted in the substrate with branches and bark. The advantage of a naturalistic type enclosure is that it provides the geckos with amply hiding places and climbing sources. But, on the other hand having loose substrates creates the risk of impaction.
Lighting:
Being nocturnal, crested geckos do not require supplemental lighting. Do not place the enclosure in direct sunlight, but indirect lighting can be beneficial in creating a day/night scenario.
Heating:
Daytime temperatures should NEVER reach higher than 80F; the daytime temperatures should range from 72-80F. At night, the temperatures can drop to the high 60s to the low 70s.
Humidity:
The enclosure can stay fairly dry during the day. With thorough misting once or twice a day, the humidity will rise. Strive for average humidity levels between 70-80%.
For babies and juvenile geckos, mist the enclosure twice a day: once in the morning and once at night. For adults, mist the enclosure once at night.
Keeping too high humidity will increase the chances of fungus, but low humidity can cause shedding problems. So, by misting the enclosure, you create a balanced humidity level.
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Reptile Substrate
Many people use Bed-A-Beast, Repti-Bark, or some other type of naturalistic bedding, but using loose substrates can cause impaction, severe constipation, can be fatal.
Other options:
- Paper towels
- Reptile carpet
- Slate
- Roll out tile
- Butcher paper
- Newsprint with a non-toxic ink.
Avoid using:
- Cedar, pine, other wood shavings
- Hard wood and bark chips
- Gravel
- Crushed corn cobs or walnut shells
- Kitty litter
- Potting soil
- Silica sand
- Calci-sand
CGD
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T-Rex Sandfire Super Foods Crested Gecko Diet MRP Meal Replacement Powder 1.75 oz.
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Gutloading Crickets
Crickets must be gutloaded at least 24 hours before you feed them to your crested geckos. It's an easy procedure. It just means to make sure that the crickets are fed prior to feeding them to your geckos.
If you purchase your crickets in advance, keep them in a critter keeper with a pice of egg carton to climb on. To gut-load the crickets, place either store bought cricket food, fish flakes, oranges, potatoes, or carrots, in with the crickets.
If you purchase crickets just for the meal, most petstores provide their crickets with some sort of feed before you bring them home. In this case, you wouldn't have to worry about it. Just dust them, and put them in the enclosure.
By feeding the crickets, they become nutritionally balanced, which is passed on to the gecko. You must still coat the insects for added minerals!
Crested Gecko Diet
Crested geckos have simple dietary concerns: Crested Gecko Diet (meal replacement powder) and crickets. You can feed crested geckos fruit baby foods, but only at limited amounts. Excessive baby food, can create calcium deficiency as there is little nutrition in the baby food.
The meal replacement powder (MRP), Crested Gecko Diet (CGD), was created by Allen Repashy. It provides crested geckos with all the nourishment and that it needs. You can purchase CGD at most pet stores and Amazon. CGD should be provided to the gecko daily; usually it will last a few days before you have to remake it.
Crested geckos should be provided crickets once or twice a week, depending on their size and age. Younger geckos should be provided crickets at least twice a week, in addition to the daily CGD. Coat the crickets in a calcium supplement.
If you choose to give your gecko baby food, make sure that it is only a supplement to the CGD. Crested gecko approved baby foods include:
- Peaches
- Apricots
- Applesauce
- Bananas
For the most part crested geckos prefer to drink water off the enclosure walls and decor. You can provide the gecko with a water bowl in addition to daily sprays.
Crested Gecko Morphs
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Comments
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haha ok Im not sure how to use the pictures on this site, I just signed up so I could write on here, and ask you the questions, is there an email I can secn a picture to?
Very odd. I'd like to see a picture, as I have high suspicions that it's not a crested gecko. Just because it's docile, it doesn't mean that it was a pet; it could be fear or illness. I'd guess illness as you know it's already hurt. Crested geckos are very different than leopard geckos, and do require different care and husbandry.
yes im sure,he looks like all the pictures I find on the web, Im pretty sure that someone either treated it badly, or it got loose and got into a fight with some other animal. He is not scared of handling, so that kind of says that he was a pet. I've had leopard geckos in the past, but im reading that they are very different.
Are you absolutely sure that it is a crested gecko, as it would be odd to find one out in the wild unless someone went to the jobsite and let it loose. In any sense the gecko needs to see a vet for proper care of the broken bones.
Hey my name is Phil and I recently became an unexpected owner of a crested gecko. I was on a jobsite with my father in MA, and i found the gecko in an old pool liner, I didnt know anything about it so I left it there and came home did my research, and then went back to get it. When I went back 3 hours later the gecko was in the same spot, but it was injured, it had lost its tail within that time span. I brought it to a pet store to find out what i needed to make a nice environment/home for him, and the pet store owner informed me that the gecko also has a broken arm. Im just not familar with this type of gecko, but im a nature fanatic, so im deciding to keep him rather than give it to a reptile store. So any pointers that you have i would greatly appreicate it! thanks, also it says to feed him crickets 3 times a week.. how many crickets each time?
Marshall/Jimmy if the gecko is 7 weeks old, it's going to take some time to socialize and tame the gecko down a bit. Some just don't like to be handled though. It will just take time. You shouldn't feed it apple chunks. Stick with the CGD,
can i feed my baby(7 weeks old) little pices of apple?
when i'm cleaning my gecko's cage he always wants to play so i let him don on the conter and he always scerys off.what should i do to keep him from taking off?
I'd try feeding a little less food, as if the gecko is younger, then it eats less than normal. I'd use a soda bottle cap and start with half the cap, and as you notice it eating, add more to the cap.
okay i just got a baby gecko teo days ago and i've been feeding it the CGD(two part water and one part CGD) and every time i wake up my moms say ''it didn't look like he ate''.(i feed him at night) and witch sould i do?
Hey all, to those of you worried about the water drying ont he class and causing stains, I'm not sure how to get it off, but to prevent it in the first place, use distilled water from the grocery store. About $1 for a gallon that will lost a long time.
I have that problem on my glass tanks, but not plastic tubs. I am not really sure how to get it off. Some people have said using a one sided blade will help get off the deposits, which are mineral deposits. I would try to make sure that the glass is wet if you opt to use the blade to scrap it off.
You can use purified water to prevent the water stains.
Hey I was just wondering if there is anyway to keep that glass clean when you spray it? Cause when i spray water in the cage the water drys onto the glass and is impossible to get off! I hate it cause it makes the cage look so dirty.. does this happen to you?
Wesley, you need to separate the two geckos. Sounds like there could be bullying. Are they the same size and 100% male/female? I would separate them, and see if she gets any better. You can probably wash the eye out with saline, as depending on the substrate in the tank, she may also have something in the eye. Remember that even if they are the same size and male/female 100% confirmed, you can still have bullying and stress. You should not house males with females constantly throughout the year.
dannyandphil, Since you just got the reptile, and since you did get him from a pet store, you should quarantine for a bare minimum of 30 days before introducing him to another reptile. You can introduce parasites and other health issues to the other gecko. Could be parasites; if that's the case, you've introduced it to the female, and if you don't go to the vet, they'll both die. I would suggest a vet trip is in order since he's losing weight and not eating, which are the common signs of parasites. You should not breed unless you know that quarantining is a must with new reptiles.
Krista, they are growing reptiles, they should be near a growth spurt soon. You need to make sure that you're feeding CGD daily in addition to ocassional crickets. If one is bigger than the other, then you need to separate because you don't know what is happening when you're not viewing them. Bullying is a big concern, especially since they are juvies, and you probably don't know what genders they are. Please remember that you can't house two males in the same tank.
Hi.. I got 2 baby geckos in september from the same litter..they are housed together and it doenst cause any problems.. they pretty much ignore each other. I feed them crickets twice a week but it seems that they are starving when i put them in..i put like 10-20 crickets in and they eat them all within ten minutes! is this normal? One of them has patterns down his tail and the other is is plain.. and i have recently noticed that the one with patterns is a lot bigger than the other, and i noticed the bottom of its tail is looking dried out:S this is worrying me what should i do?
I recently bought a male crested gecko at a pet store. He is about a year old. When I put him in his tank he seemed really sluggish. When i try to touch him, he doesn't try to get away. He just doesn't move. He does come out at night, but I haven't noticed him eating anything (crickets, Crested gecko diet). I also haven't noticed any fecal droppings. However, he seems pretty active when i hold him. I also have a female in the tank with him. I'm hoping they will start breeding, but the male seems very uninterested. I've been reading about that bacteria that affects the gecko's intestines, and i'm a little worried. Do you think the gecko is just stressed? I know the tank is big enough, and although he's not eating, he does not seem to be losing any weight.
Im not really concerned too much bout the skin, just thought the two may be connected considering that there is not gunk coming from th eyes, but something stuck on the eyes for the last few days. 90 percent of they day the humidity is above 50 percent, and the male gecko housed there as well has no problems with eyes or shedding. Would you like me to send you a pic?
If there is gunk coming from the eyes, it sounds like infection and not skin concerns. The skin stuck on the head could be too low humidity.
I have a female crested that after last shed, is having trouble getting all the skin off her head. Not too troublesome, but at the same time, small gunk patches are on both her eyes, and Ive never seen that before. I dont know if shes sick, or if its loose skin from her head thats gotten stuck, and if i should attempt to remove it.
You can only know whether 100watts is too much if you have a digital thermometer. More than likely you did end up frying the gecko, as 100watts can get a little warm, depending on where you're located and the temperature of hte surrounding room. Buy a digital thermometer and then decide the watt that you want to use.
Hi I have a 100 watt heat lamp on top of my crested geckos cage is that too much heat because I found the female dead today and that is theonly thing i can come up with please someone help i need to know so the other one doesnt die thanks.
Eco earth is ok, but you want to watch out for the little geckos who may ingest some of the bedding when snatching after crickets. You can feed a solely CGD diet, but crickets are great for protein once or twice a week for younger geckos.
As for plants, I would check out this hub that I created on crested gecko enclosures:
What does your thermometer says? That is the only way to tell weather you need to alter you heating methods. Typically, the don't need lighting, and most red bulbs do not put ff that much heat and are usually for night-time viewing. If your thermometer in your enclosure reads to hot, then alter the heat/lighting methods; if the thermometer reads too cool, alter your methods. It's hard for anyone to tell you how to change you heating methods without the temperatures from the thermometer. Also remember that stick-on thermometers don't read accurately; that a digital thermometer is much better.
I have a 75W night time light (red heat bulb) and a 100W day time light bulb just for light... do I need both? Can I just use the red heat bulb all the time because my room is in the basement and it can get cold down there sometimes during the day while Im not home.
I'm not sure what size that tank is, but if you're housing them together, you'll want to make sure that it is at least equivalent to a 29 gallon tank. You'll also want to have a spare tank to separate the male when not breeding.
NEVER feed baby food. You want to stick with CGD mixed with water. Put it in a bowl, daily. Since they're used to eating crap baby food, you'll want to start with just a little CGD until you can see that they are eating it, then add more.
They don't need a uv light. Consider a light. You want to temps around 75-78. No higher than 80F.
Sounds like there may be a deficiency, especially if they've been fed on baby food for so long. Post a picture if you can. (Sign up for an online hosting site, upload the pictures, and post a link here.)
Hi, i recently bought a pair od adult cresties, a boy and girl. I picked them up on sunday and they are housed in the 45mmx45mmx60mm exo terra enclosure. The shop i got them from said they mainly fed them on baby food - peach flavour and crickets. They have a UV light and the thermometer inside the tank is ready at high 60's to low 70's, do you think i need to get a heat lamp for on top? Also, ive been putting fresh Crestie diet in every day - obviously finding it hard to see if they are eaing any of it! I put a little on their lips yesterday and they ate that, butother thanthat, they arent eating at all and im getting worried. They both are showing a little groove at thebase of their tail inbetween the two of the back legs, is this something o worry about? Ive not had them a week yet, but i am worried.
Crested geckos aren't alwasy the most handlible reptiles. Just start over. Start slow.
I bought a crested cecko a couple months ago. He acted fine up until the last month or so. He doesn't like to be picked up anymore (he runs away). If you do pick him up he pees on you! Like almost everytime. Is this normal?
You need to keep a staple diet of CGD and water. Do not use applesauce or babyfood.
Hi, I recently purchased a Crested Geckoand I usually mix the CGD with organic unsweetened applesauce. Is that good to use as a staple?
You have a red light, not a red heat lamp. It shouldn't affect the gecko's feeding habits, but I'm not 100% as I've never used lighting for my cresteds. You can purchase magnetic hangers so to speak if you want to raise up the food bowl. I leave mine on the bottom of the enclosure and that has worked for me. The shed should be gently removed as it can cause the gecko to lose the tip of the tail if it remains unshed, as it can cut off circulation. Soak the gecko in lukewarm water and try to gently remove the shed.
Thank you for helping me with my earlier questions. I have a few others if you don't mind. I have one of those heat lamps that are red, for the nocturnal viewing, and it is is a 75W, will this have any effect on the crested geckos eating habit? Also since I put the CGD diest out at night, does the light make it go stale faster? Also when feeding the CGD I have put it in a clean bottle cap, on the floor of the cage. Should I be putting it somewhere elevated, becuase my little guy is always in the tree unless hunting for cricket? Also my little guy has shed, but he still has a little piece of dried up dead skin on his far end of the tail, will this effect him in any way concerning his health? Thank you for all your help.
Yes. Perfectly fine. Even better actually. THe dirt or any loose substrate is not recommended for younger geckos, as they do catch it in their mouths when feeding on crickets. By removing it you are preventing impaction, which is fatal. Also make sure that you are feeding CGD daily in addition to the crickets.
hey, I have a juvenille maybe even considered a baby crested gecko. Its about 3 inches long. I had it in the dirt which was a block, and did all the steps so that it would be the proper land for my crested gecko. The only problem was that when my little guy ate, he would sometimes miss the cricket and get dirt in his mouth, than it would do this shaky thing trying to get the dirt out of his mouth. I replaced the dirt with a reptile mat which is green, i did this so when my guy ate he would not have to deal with the dirt in the mouth. He still eats even with the new arrangement. Is it ok that I replaced the dirt with the reptile mat?
They do not get lonely. Crested geckos are solitary reptiles, and would fair better alone. If you want another gecko, then it's best to get another tank. You will need to get another tank anyway, as you will need to quarantine the new gecko for at least 30 days before introducing them to make sure that the new gecko doesn't have any parasites that can be passed to the current gecko.
You will need to upgrade to at least a 15 gallon tall for the one gecko. If you end up getting two and housing them together, as adults the 10 gallon will be WAY too small, and you'll need to upgrade to at least a 29 gallon tank.
On the concept of two geckos, you will need to remember that crested geckos are very hard to sex as babies, and if you end up with two males, you'll need to separate them.
Crested geckos are not always the best geckos to hold. They can be very jumpy, and many just don't like to be held. You can start slow with a few minutes holding with your hands over the cage, and let the gecko just kind of walk over you. Try not to let the gecko jump off your hands onto the floor. I have several crested geckos, and of them I only have one that is truly handlable.
Hi, I have a baby crested gecko living in a 10 gallon tank, i feel that he or she can be lonely at sometimes, because he is just a little guy, and he is always by himslef. Would it be possible to buy another baby crested gecko and put them in the same tank? Also would the 10 gallon tank be a good enough size for them? Even when they grow up? Also I would like to hold my geckos, but when I pick him up he seems to get scarred and breaths vary heavily, is there any way that i can make him feel more comportable, and so he can be less scarred and more tammed? Thanks for your help. :)
CGD daily. The younger the gecko the less you need to give him. He's probably eating, but you just can't tell bc of the portions that you're giving him. Try using a bottle cap and only filling it half way according to the directions of the CGD. Then you will be able to start guaging how much he's eating. You are correct in removing the crickets after the 20 minute period, but depending on the age and size, sometime it can take them a while to start eating the crickets. Mine from birth to when sold, typically don't start eating crickets until around 4-6 months, even though they're offered. Just remember the CGD and the crickets aren't really necessary.
I put CGD in at night. Crickets whenever, as if they're going to eat the crickets, they'll eat them night or day whenever they see them running around the cage.
I just bought a crested Gecko. This is my first one of his type. He is very small I h=guess you can consider him a baby. I know I have to feed him the CGD because it is very important. What if he is not eating it, and he isn't eating his small crickets which are covered with the calcium powder? Is there any other way that I can make sure that he is easting the GCD? This may sound wierd, but is there a way that i can kinda spoon feed it to him? Reagrding the crickets I just get them out of the cage after 20 min because they just die in there. Also should I feed him at night because he is a nocturnal gecko?
You can but it's not recommended. YOu should really just mix it with water. If you want to do a treat once a week or so, then you can add the cgd to babyfood, but make it sparingly, which you will find wastes the baby food since you're not using the whole bottle.
HI, I was wondering if you are able to mix the CGD with baby food, which the crested geckos are allowed to eat?
Do you sit up all night and watch the gecko? Or set a camera to watch it all night? How do you know she sits there 24/7?
She sits up there for day and night
She's probably sitting in a tree during the day bc she's sleeping. They sleep during the day. She'll come down to eat. Make sure to have other climbing areas and plenty of climbing places. The white is the urate- that is the "pee." They will change colors depending on stress and and other husbandry factors. Typically gravid geckos get rather large in the abdomin, and sometimes you be able to notice sacs on either side of the abdomin. It's actually hard to explain, as unlike leopard geckos, you can't visibly see the eggs within the belly where the skin thins out.
ethel smith says:
3 weeks ago
Wonderful creatures. Saw a wild green gecko on the Island of Rhodes. It was huge.