Crested Gecko Care Guide

Crested Gecko Information:

  • Difficulty Level: Beginner

  • Start Up Cost: $

  • Adult Weight: 45+ grams

  • Adult Length: 7-10in (snout to tip of tail), 4-6in (snout to vent; if they drop

    their tail it will NOT grow it back)

  • Life Span: 15 - 20 years

Housing:

Crested geckos are sub-tropical, semi-arboreal species that spend most of their lives in the lower parts of the tree canopy on the island of New Caledonian, along the coast Australia. They love to climb so multiple vines and branches for them to climb on is suitable. Since they are arboreal reptiles enclosure height is more desirable than length. The following with a recommendation based on what works at Sargent Geckos:

  • Hatchling & Juveniles (<12 grams): 5 gallon containers OR 8”x8”x12” enclosures

  • Subadults: 10-15 gallon containers OR 12”x12”x18” enclosures

  • Adults (>45 grams): 15-20+ gallon containers OR 18”x18”x24” enclosures

Keep in mind, crested geckos are solitary creatures so only one per tank is highly recommended due to them being territorial geckos and/or causing stress, aggression or even injury to each other. Under NO circumstances should males be housed together!

Temperature:

All New Caledonian geckos, including crested geckos, will thrive in their natural environment. This environment can be mimicked in captivity by keeping the temperatures between 75 - 82°F. No heating lights are required for this species but a low output of UVB is recommended to help benefit with calcium absorption for the crested geckos. Don’t forget to change your UVB bulb out every 12 months! Also moderate humidity of 60-85% is required, this can be taken care of by misting the enclosures daily with a spray bottle.

Misting:

The best time to mist your crested geckos enclosures is in the evening when the geckos are starting to “wake up”. Misting should be done daily. When misting your enclosure, you must take into consideration where you live.

  • Warmer environments misting periods will be longer.

  • Humid environments misting period will be shorter.

Another thing to keep in mind is that crested geckos are not amphibians so their enclosures should only be humid NOT wet!

Feeding:

Feeding New Caledonian gecko species there are a couple different gecko diet options like Pangea Fruit Mix Complete, Repashy Superfoods MRP, and Vital Meal. At Sargent Geckos, we find that our geckos prefer a mixture of Pangea or Repashy (mixture of flavors), but other breeders’ geckos prefer Vital Meal. Crested geckos should be fed fresh gecko diet option based on the following:

  • Hatchling/Juveniles: 4-5 times a week

  • Adults: 2-3 times a week

When feeding insects, geckos will grow fast because it stimulated health hunting behavior and brain activity just like they would use in the wild. The best insect option to feed your geckos are crickets or dubia roaches that are dusted in calcium. There are two types of calcium you can chose from:

  • Calcium with D3: dust insects in this only if you do NOT use a UVB light.

  • Calcium without D3: dust insects in this only if you DO use a UVB light.

Other insects like wax worms, mealworms, super worms or small hornworms can be fed but only as treats and not as a major insect being fed.

We do want to clarify that it is not vital to feed insects to your geckos, but it is beneficial for their growth. Calcium dusted insects should be fed 1-2 times a week. ANY alive uneaten insects should always be removed from the geckos enclosures.

The best recommended option to feed is a mixed diet of any of the foods and insects listed above.

Watering:

Geckos should have fresh water at all times!

Most hatchlings/juveniles will drink water from the sides of their enclosers or off the vines/decor after you mist their cages.

Adult crested geckos are more likely to drink their water out of water dishes in their enclosures. In this case, at least one should be placed in all adult enclosures. Water dishes should be cleaned every 2-3 days, to minimize bacteria.

Below is a shopping list of what Sargent Geckos Recommends if you are wanting to purchase a Crested Gecko.

Shopping List:

  • Enclosure (Size depends on the age/weight)

  • Hanging Vines/Branches (More the better)

  • Tank Decor

  • UVB Light (Don’t forget to change your bulb out every 12 months!)

  • Spray Bottle

  • Food Dish

  • Pangea Fruit Mix Complete OR Repashy Superfoods MRP OR Vital Meal

  • Calcium without D3 OR Calcium with D3 (Depending if you use UVB or not)

  • Insects (Crickets or Dubia Roaches)

  • Water Dish