Crested Gecko Care Sheet
Crested Gecko Care Sheet Crested Geckos (Rhacodactylus ciliatus) are native to Southern Grand Terre, New Caledonia and at least one small surrounding island (Isle of Pines). Crested Geckos are semi-arboreal, spending most of their time in small trees and low shrubs. They will however, seek out hiding places near the ground to sleep during the day. Crested Geckos feed on both insects and fruits and in most cases can be kept at room temperature. The crested geckos ease of care, |  |
unusual appearance, and unlimited breeding potential, has contributed to their exploding popularity. There is no doubt that Crested Geckos are indeed one of the best pet lizards available today. | |
Housing Because Crested Geckos are so versatile and hardy, they can be kept in a number of different types of enclosures. Cresteds can be maintained in simple conditions or in elaborate naturalistic vivariums | |
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 we recommend that geckos less than 12 weeks old be housed in cages no larger than a 10 gallon aquarium. Four month old to adult crested geckos should be housed in a 20 gallon tall aquarium or larger. Three adult cresteds can be comfortably housed in a 29 gallon aquarium. Screen Cages have also been used with great success. Keep in mind that regardless of what type of cage you use, that height is more desirable than length or width, particularly with adult geckos. There are now many glass and screen cages and terrariums |  |
that are designed specifically to house reptiles. These reptile specific terrariums have many advantages over aquariums designed for fish, and should definitely be considered even though the cost is a bit higher. They are available at almost all specialty reptile shops as well as large discount retailers. | |
Temperature, heating, and lighting. Temperatures for crested geckos should be maintained between 72 and 80 degrees for most of the year. At temperatures of 85 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 to rest. During this period temperatures should be kept at 65 to 70 degrees. A photo period of 12 to 14 hours of light is appropriate for most of the year, with ten hours of light being appropriate during the cooling period. 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. For large collections consider lighting the entire room with natural or artificial light. Crested Geckos may cease breeding and laying eggs if they are given less than 12 hours of light. | |
In most situations room temperature is adequate for crested geckos, as long as the temperature stays within 70 to 80 degrees. If you are attempting to breed your Crested Geckos, temps should be kept between 75 and 78 degrees. Use a good digital thermometer with a temperature probe to monitor the environment. If temps cannot be kept in this range, a nocturnal red or blue heat light can be suspended above the cage for 24 hour heat. This type of light also allows for nocturnal viewing. Crested Geckos are not disturbed by this wavelength of light so it will not interrupt their photoperiod.. |  |
Ceramic infrared heaters have also been used successfully, however these do not provide any visible light, making it difficult to view the geckos when they are most active. | |
Diet and Feeding Crested geckos can be fed a number of different ways. In this section I will outline the different methods of feeding them in captivity.Check Out our YouTube Video HERE. | |
1. CRESTED GECKO DIET ONLY: The easiest and most convenient method of feeding Crested Geckos is to use the powdered CRESTED GECKO DIET developed by Allen Repashy. This diet has been formulated to contain all of the essential fats, proteins, minerals, and vitamins that cresteds need. According to the manufacturer, crested geckos can be maintained on this diet alone with no insects in the diet whatsoever. Allen has maintained his colony of Crested Geckos on this diet for many years. Check Out our Youtube video for detailed instructions on Preparing the CGD Here. | |
2. CRESTED GECKO DIET & INSECTS: Crested Geckos can be fed the CGD along with crickets or other insects. Feeding Insects: The best insects to feed are either crickets or feeder roaches, but crested geckos will sometimes consume waxworms or mealworms. There is some debate as to whether or not mealworms are safe to feed to crested geckos in that there is a possibility of them causing impaction, we choose not to feed them just to be on the safe side. The insects that you offer your geckos should be no larger than the distance from the geckos nose to its eye. | |
Our geckos here at Pangea are fed the CRESTED GECKO DIET 2-3 times per week, with crickets 2-3 times per week. It is vitally important when feeding insects to dust them with a calcium powder. I alternate between pure calcium, and calcium with vitamin d3. Your insects should be fed a high quality diet prior to being offered to your geckos, this practice is known as gut loading. We feed our crickets the Repashy Gut Load, along with potato for moisture. Feeding CGD: We feed the CGD in small disposable plastic cups that fit into |  |
our Gecko Ledge and Gecko Shelf cup holders. That way the food can simply be discarded the next day and you don't have to worry about them knocking it over or kicking substrate into it. Mixing the CGD is easy, use 1 part powder to 2 parts water by volume, so a tablespoon of powder and 2 tablespoons of water for instance. We do tend to use just a bit less water than recommended to keep the mixture from separating overnight. | |
3. FRUIT MIXES, INSECTS, CUSTOM BLENDS This method should only be used by advanced hobbyists who are able to gauge the health and wellbeing of their geckos. This method requires frequent checking of the calcium sacs, checking for weight loss, and other signs of deteriorating health. That being said, this is a viable method of feeding your geckos. For many years prior to the development of CRESTED GECKO DIET, hobbyists and breeders fed their geckos dusted crickets and supplemented fruit baby foods. The downside to this method is that there is a lot of guesswork in getting the right amounts of calcium, phosphorous, vitamins, and other essential nutrients. Too much or too little of these nutrients can be deadly, particularly with the fat soluble vitamins like Vitamin A, and Vitamin D3. I used to make my own diets using fruits, yogurt, bee pollen, spirulina, and other ingredients. Again if you are willing to keep a close eye on your geckos, and willing to put some time and thought into your mixes, you can feed your own concoctions. Again this is not for the beginner or intermediate hobbyist; this requires a lot of research and time and can get to be quite expensive. | |
Checking the Calcium Sacs Crested Geckos store calcium in the roof of the mouth in what are called endolymphatic sacs. You | |
can check these reserves from time to time to monitor the storage level of calcium. This is particularly important for breeding female geckos and should be done periodically regardless of your feeding practices. Handling / Crested Geckos as Pets 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 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 whats 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. 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. | |
Baby Crested Gecko Care So your wondering how to care for baby crested geckos. Baby crested geckos are cared for the same way as adults with a few exceptions. Babies should be misted twice a day, and should not be overhandled. Always allow newly acquired baby crested geckos to acclimate to their new cage before you begin a handling routine. The acclimation period is usually one to two weeks. Care should be taken to make sure hatchling geckos shed properly. | |
Breeding Crested Geckos There are many different formulas people use for breeding and hatching crested geckos. Below we have detailed the process we have used successfully for several years. | |
Breeding crested geckos is as simple as having at least one healthy adult pair together. Males can usually start breeding at 9 months to a year old and females can breed as early as a year old. I highly recommend waiting a solid 14 months before breeding females. Females should be at the very least 30-35 grams before breeding assuming that they have their tail. Waiting until the female is 40 grams will result in a much more successful first breeding season, for that reason I highly recommend having patience and waiting to introduce the female at 40 grams. Subtract 3-5 grams for tailless females. Breeding groups can consist of one male and up to four or maybe five females. Males kept together will sometimes fight violently. |  |
In order to induce breeding, temperatures should be kept between 75 and 80 during the day and can drop up to 5 degrees at night. The enclosure should be misted lightly once or twice a day particularly in the evening, however you should not soak the cage so much that it doesn't dry up in a few hours. Special attention should be paid to making sure the breeding crested geckos are getting plenty of high quality food. Gut loaded insects and the Repashy Crested Gecko Diet are recommended. |  |
Make sure to dust the crickets with a good Calcium and Vitamin D3 powder (or alternate between pure calcium and calcium with D3) . Check the calcium sacs of your breeding females (located on the roof of the mouth) once per month to make sure they are not getting depleted. | |
An egg laying container should be used inside the cage for the females to dig in and lay their eggs. The container should be large enough to accomadate the female and allow her to dig down at least 3-4 inches. It is recommended that the egg laying medium be a 50-50 mix of moistened Peat Moss and Vermiculite. However straight Peat Moss works too. A piece of cork bark works well to conceal the container and make the female comfortable laying her eggs. You should check for eggs every | |
morning while they are breeding and remove the eggs promptly so they do not dry up. Females will lay a new clutch of eggs every 25-35 days. The eggs should be placed in an airtight container with 2 inches of slightly moistened (3 parts water to 4 parts substrate-by weight) vermiculite, perlite, or a mixture of the two. We've recently started using Superhatch, which is a calcined clay substrate that works great for crested gecko eggs. You should open the top of your egg containers once per week for a few seconds to allow for some ventilation. |  |
I keep the eggs at a constant 76 degrees and they hatch in about 60-70 days. Eggs have been hatched at a variety of temperatures ranging from 72 to 80 degrees. I would recommend incubating somewhere in between. Temperature dependant sex determination (whereby the sex of the offspring is determined by the temperature at which they are incubated) has not yet been proven with crested geckos. If you have a pair or group that is not breeding you should take a look at the key factors such as temperatures, nutrition, cage space, age of the animals, etc. So here is the link http://www.pangeareptile.com/store/gecko-care-and-information.html | |
