Crested Gecko Care
This page provides information and advice on how to care for and keep your crested gecko happy and healthy.
Housing
Crested geckos are very small when they are young. The best way to house a baby is either in a plastic tub with a secure lid, or in a small glass terrarium such as a 20cm x 20cm x 30cm Exo Terra. If using a plastic box, use a small drill bit to make ventilation holes in the sides (Really Useful Boxes - RUBs are a great choice). Paper towels can be used as initial substrate until feeding is established, then switch to a soil/sand mix. Provide a hide, a water bowl, and enrichment in the form of fake plants, cork bark, branches, stones, ledges, toilet roll tube etc. When grown on a little (around 20g in weight), a 30cm x 30cm x 45cm terrarium can be used.
Adults can be variable in size. Males are generally smaller than females and will be happy in a 45cm x 45cm x 60cm glass or PVC terrarium. Large females would do well in a 60cm x 45cm x 60cm terrarium or even a 90cm high enclosure. If using PVC, don't forget to seal the seams with aquarium-safe silicone. I don't recommend any sort of wooden enclosure as the humidity will rot and warp the wood. Substrate should be a mix of soil and sand. You can add leaf litter. Provide a deep layer of substrate. A water bowl should be provided, as well as plenty of hides, ledges and enrichment. These geckos can be shy and need plenty of cover to feel safe.
Humidity
Cresties require fluctuating humidity. Mist the enclosure well in the evening and allow to dry during the day.
A water bowl should be provided at all times for drinking if needed.
I don't personally measure the humidity level, but when I mist in the evening, the level will be 90-100%, dropping to 40-50% during the day.
Feeding
Crested geckos eat a prepared powdered diet, and insects in captivity. Babies can be challenging to feed, especially when they move to a new environment. They may refuse food for several weeks. Avoid handling until feeding is established. Ensure you are providing the correct enclosure temperatures as well as plenty of places to hide. I don't recommend "spoon feeding" geckos, they will manage just fine on their own!
They should be fed fresh gecko diet every other day, and insects offered twice a week. Remember to gut load all insects by feeding plenty of fresh vegetables. Insects should be dusted with calcium D3 and multivitamin powder before offering to the gecko. Small crickets and locusts are a good choice and don't dig into the substrate like roaches do. Turkistan roaches (red runners) are also a good option.
Popular powdered diets are:
* Gecko Nutrition
* Blue River Diets
* Repashy
* Pangea (currently unavailable)
* Arcadia
Shedding
Geckos usually shed in several pieces, and can take a day or two to complete the process. They often eat their shed so don't worry if you never find any! Keeping the correct humidity will help with successful shedding. Stuck shed is a sign that you need to increase the amount of misting in the evening, or add an extra misting session in the afternoon.
It's a myth that removing shed by hand hurts the gecko. Although I don't recommend peeling off an entire shed, it's absolutely fine to help the gecko remove a little piece here and there if it's hanging off, or maybe a little stuck to the feet.
Lighting
Cresties are best kept on a 12 hour on/off lighting cycle. The best way to do this is to use an LED strip or bar plugged into a smart plug/or timer. Avoid lamps that produce heat.
UV lighting can be used if you choose to, ensure you use the correct level bulb - 6 or 7%.
Heating
Cresties require heated enclosures. Room temperature is not constant and in the UK, too cold in winter months. Heat is best provided via overhead heating. Ceramic heat emitters and deep heat projectors are good options and can sit in a dome on top of the metal mesh on the enclosure roof. ALWAYS use a thermostat and a digital thermometer. You are creating a temperature gradient with one part of the enclosure should being the warm side and the opposite side the cooler side. The warm side should have a temperature of around 25/26 degrees celsius, and the cooler side around 22. Use digital thermometers to monitor the temperatures of both sides and ensure the temperature gradient is suitable. A digital heat gun is a very useful tool for checking temperatures in specific areas. If keeping a large number of geckos, it's more appropriate to heat a room to the required temperature.