The Crested Gecko

Here is a care sheet about a very curios and beautiful gecko that is great for beginners to advanced; the Crested Gecko.

 

HABITAT:  Crested Geckos are native to New Caledonia's tropical regions so they need a tall tank for climbing space.  You can house two Crested Geckos together in a 20 gallon tall terrarium (no more than one male).  Unlike Leopard Geckos a screen lid is required, as Crested Geckos have toe pads allowing them to climb vertical surfaces.  Crested Geckos need lots of climbing sticks and lots of real or artificial plants.  Coconut fiber or bark are best substrate because they help maintain humidity (see below).  You will also need some type of hide.

HEATING, LIGHTING AND HUMIDITY:  Crested Geckos are nocturnal so they don't need any UV lighting.  The bottom of the tank should be cooler than the top, at about 75-80 degrees Fahrenheit.  The top half should stay at about 80-85 degrees Fahrenheit.  The temperature should drop to about 65-75 degrees Fahrenheit at night.  The  humidity level should be at 50-80%.  You should mist the tank once or twice a day.  The correct bedding will help keep the right humidity level.

FOOD AND WATER:  Crested Geckos are omnivores so they will eat crickets and soft or puree fruit.  NEVER feed them wild caught crickets as they may carry diseases that could harm or kill your gecko.  At  most pet stores that carry reptiles and reptile supplies, you can buy Crested Gecko food bags where you just add water to create the food for your gecko.  If you can't find the correct food, you can go to your local grocery store and buy banana, peach or any other fruit baby food.  Crested Geckos mostly drink little droplets of water off of plants, but you should always provide a water dish.

SEXING:  Crested Geckos are little less distinctive than Leopard Geckos but are still fairly easy to sex.  Males have a bulge and very small pores at the base of their tail, females do not.

 

Here are some pictures of Crested Geckos and an ideal tank setup.

 

 

 

 

 

FUN FACTS:  Crested Geckos don't regenerate their tails so once the tail is dropped the gecko is then known as a "Frog Butt".  Crested Geckos are also known as the "Eyelash Gecko" because of the eyelash like projections above their eyes.

 

 

NOTE:  Gargoyle Gecko care is the same as they are very close in common to the Crested Gecko, ecept they do better housed singlely.