Crested Gecko Care Guide

Introduction

Crested Geckos, also called Cresties, are an arboreal species of gecko native to a group of islands near Australia called New Caledonia. They can live up to 20 years and their care is easy to manage for most people. They share similarities to other geckos from New Caledonia, including Gargoyle geckos and Mossy geckos (Chewies) which are also popular in the pet trade. Crested geckos were long thought to be extinct up until 1994, and are now abundant in the wild and have become popular in the pet trade. These geckos are known for being straightforward to care for, having an easy to provide diet, appearing like they have eyelashes (the ‘crests’,) and being easy going in nature. Crested geckos can make great pets, and in this care guide we will be going over what you need to keep them happy and healthy.

The Adult Crested Gecko Enclosure

Having an appropriate enclosure is important for any reptile, as numerous aspects of their husbandry are checked off by their enclosure setup. Everything from temperature, humidity, and hiding places are handled by parts of the enclosure. Setting up a species-appropriate enclosure is perhaps the most prudent part of preparing for your new friend.

Size and Material

Crested geckos are small, arboreal (tree-dwelling) lizards. Because they live primarily high off the ground, it is important to prioritize height over floor space for crested geckos. This differs from a terrestrial species such as a leopard gecko, where floor space is far more important than height.

An adult crested gecko should ideally be housed in a 18”x18”x24” enclosure, however a larger enclosure is always welcome given it is set up appropriately. Ideally you will get a front-opening glass terrarium, because geckos will feel threatened if reached towards from above, which is necessary unless you have a front-opening enclosure.

Substrate

Substrate recommendations are tightly knit with a species’ humidity requirement. Therefore, crested geckos do best with a blended substrate such as a 60:40 mix of soil and coconut fiber, or a blend of soil and peat moss, which both will maintain moderate levels of humidity. Having deeper layers of substrate helps hold moisture, so consider adding a few inches of substrate.

Temperature and Lighting

Temperature is a very important part of any reptile’s husbandry, though for crested geckos it may be even more so. Crested geckos will suffer severe health issues and even death if the temperature in their enclosure is above 85°F, which is an unusually low temperature for most reptiles to be in danger. Like other reptiles, however, providing a thermogradient is ideal. In a terrestrial reptile enclosure, there is a designated hot side and cool side. An arboreal enclosure seeks to achieve the same idea, just vertically! The hot area will be at the top of the enclosure, where the light is (and heat rises,) while the cool area will be at the bottom near the substrate. The hot area should be between 80-83°F, and the cool area should be between 70-75°F. This forms a gradient of 70°F at the bottom up to low 80’s at the top, which allows the gecko to thermoregulate as needed.

Like other reptiles, crested geckos need a day/night cycle which comes with a cool-down period. Maintaining a circadian rhythm is extremely important for captive reptiles. Allow the nighttime temperature to fall just below 70°F, but no cooler than 65°F. This cooldown period maintains their circadian rhythm, which has been proven to help keep their immune system strong.

Humidity

Crested geckos need mostly consistent humidity between 60-80%. This is achieved by adding water to the substrate, and misting the enclosure. Misting the enclosure not only kicks up the humidity, it provides water droplets on the enclosure walls and decor which the crested gecko will lick up for hydration. Always use distilled water when misting the enclosure - this will prevent mineral build-up and introduction of chlorine and chloramines. Letting the enclosure drop to ~50% humidity on occasion is acceptable and may help prevent mold and mildew buildup. Never allow the humidity to drop below 45%, and never below 55% when the gecko is in shed.

There are misting systems which can be set up on timers, which lowers the amount of effort required on your part! Just be sure to use reverse osmosis water (RO/DI) or you will clog your expensive mister with mineral build-up!

UVB

UVB light is an additional light source which produces ultraviolet B rays. UVB is beneficial for reptiles because it helps their bodies process calcium and produce vitamin D. Insufficient levels of calcium and vitamin D can lead to health issues including Metabolic Bone Disease (MBD,) a skeletal disease which results in permanent deformities and mobility issues. Most reptiles can get by with proper supplementation and little to no UVB, but providing appropriate levels of UVB is becoming increasingly popular for reptiles for which it was previously thought of as unnecessary. Modern research indicates providing UVB for any reptile increases their physical health, mental wellbeing, and quality of life, and providing UVB has evolved into a question of ‘Why not?’ instead of ‘Why?’

Please see our Heating and Lighting Guide for a more in-depth guide on this topic!

Crested geckos fall into the category of many keepers believing they do not need UVB. While it is true that crested geckos can survive without UVB, we should ask the question, ‘Why not?’ if it benefits them even a bit. Now it is very important to note that there is such a thing as too much UVB, just like there can be too much heat. The easiest way to quantify the amount of UVB required is to look at the Ferguson scale, which measures how much UVB is needed for each reptile species. Crested geckos fall into Ferguson Zone 1, which requires the lowest amount of UVB. Bearded dragons, for instance, require high amounts of UVB and are in Ferguson Zone 4. So, what does this mean for you, crested gecko keeper?

Easy! Purchase a strip-style shade-dweller UVB bulb. They produce lower concentrations of UVB than the High Output UVB bulbs most people purchase for their basking reptiles. Avoid any coil UVB or mercury vapor bulbs entirely - these produce extremely concentrated spots of UVB rather than the strips, which spread it across the enclosure.

Decor and Enrichment

Decor and enrichment largely falls to personal preference. As long as the decor you provide your crested gecko is safe for them and gives them opportunities to show natural behaviors, it will be beneficial. These geckos like to climb and jump between surfaces, so focus on providing climbing opportunities. Crested geckos enjoy clutter, so they have lots of places to hide and feel secure. Consider adding numerous branches, vines, live or fake plants, a hanging hide, and more to give your gecko an enriching and beautiful environment to live in.

Bioactive

Bioactive enclosures are self-sustaining environments that differ from naturalistic appearing enclosures by having live plants and a clean-up crew - or small invertebrates that consume waste and provide nutrients to the plants and a clean environment. Crested geckos are great candidates for bioactive enclosures, as their waste output is manageable by clean-up crews, and tropical bioactive enclosures are straightforward to set up properly. Please see our Bioactive series for more information!

The Hatchling Crested Gecko Enclosure

All of the information we have provided so far has been relevant for adult crested geckos, but what about hatchling crested geckos?

Hatchling crested geckos are tiny and weigh less than 12 grams, which makes them fragile and difficult to locate in large enclosures. Ensuring your hatchling crested gecko is healthy means that hatchling crested gecko care differs from adult crested gecko care for those reasons. Typically, the following enclosure recommendations are true until the crested gecko reaches ~12 grams, which they usually reach around one year in age.

Enclosure Size and Substrate

A lot of people keep hatchling crested geckos in a small ‘grow-out’ enclosure, which typically measure 8”x8”x12”. hatchling crested geckos are susceptible to impaction, which is a blockage caused by consuming non-digestible matter such as their substrate. This is a risk with any reptile, but since hatchling crested geckos are so small the risk is higher for them. Adult crested geckos are large enough that impaction should not be a concern. For hatchling crested geckos, we recommend using layers of paper towels as their substrate. Paper towel has very little risk of causing impaction (they would need to eat the paper towel for it to be a concern) and doubles as being an easy substrate to track their health via their waste. It may sound icky, but a lot of health issues are first apparent when visually inspecting a reptile’s waste - which is very easy on paper towels.

Heating, Lighting, and Humidity

The temperature and humidity requirements for hatchling crested geckos is very similar to that of their adult counterparts. We recommend being less lenient with temperature and humidity fluctuations, and keep them as close to the recommendations as possible with a few modifications:

Their temperature should not exceed 80°F
Their humidity should not fall below 50%
Their nighttime temperature should not fall below 70°F
See the UVB recommendation below

Because hatchling crested gecko enclosures are smaller than that of an adult, we recommend not using UVB light unless you are a very experienced keeper and have a solar meter. UVB distributes through the enclosure, and when the enclosure is prohibitively small it can be very easy to overdose UVB which can harm or kill your hatchling crested gecko. To be safe, it may be best to skip UVB until the crested gecko is large enough to go in its adult enclosure.

Everyday Life and Maintenance

Shedding

Crested geckos, like other reptiles, shed their skin. They shed more frequently when they are growing, so younger geckos shed more often. Hatchling crested geckos may shed once every week! Making sure their humidity levels are on point and even a bit higher while they are shedding is essential for their health. Stuck shed can occur if their husbandry is incorrect while they are shedding which can lead to a number of health problems. Never pull their shed off yourself. This can damage their skin if the shed is not completely ready to come off.

Diet and Feeding

Perhaps the most alluring aspect of crested gecko care for new keepers is their diet. Crested geckos consume insects, fruit, and nectar in the wild, which has been expertly replicated in prepared powdered diets. Normally, we never recommend prepared diets for reptiles, but these diets have been painstakingly researched and shown to be a fantastic way to provide the nutrition your crested gecko needs. The food comes in a powder, which should be mixed with water until it is a ketchup consistency.

Some great products include foods made by:

Repashy
Pangea
Arcadia

There are others available, but these three are the easiest to find for most keepers. Do research on any food you provide your crested gecko, but it’s tough to go wrong with any of these! There are many flavors available and your gecko may have preferences if they’re picky - feel free to try different flavors!

It is beneficial to supplement your crested gecko’s prepared diet with live insects. Be sure the insect is not larger than the width of the crested gecko’s head, and refrain from feeding hatchling crested geckos live insects until they reach two months old. Easy food items include small crickets, black soldier fly larvae, and small dubia roaches. These insects should be dusted in calcium powder.

Important note:

If you are using UVB - use calcium powder without vitamin D
If you are not using UVB - use calcium powder with vitamin D (Therefore given our care advice, hatchling crested geckos’ insects should always be dusted with calcium powder with vitamin D!)

Avoid superworms and mealworms - they are high in chitin which crested geckos may struggle to digest.

Feeding Schedule

Below you will find a chart with a simple feeding schedule. Note that this assumes healthy individuals, and adjustments should be made if your crested gecko is unhealthy, including weight-wise.

Water Bowl

Provide your crested gecko with a small water bowl. Crested geckos usually lick water droplets off of surfaces, but they will utilize a water bowl also. Check your crested gecko’s water often, and replace it daily with fresh water.

Tail Dropping

We couldn’t get through a Crested Gecko care guide without addressing the elephant in the room.. Frog Butt!

Frog Butt is an affectionate term that refers to a crested gecko that has dropped its tail. Many lizard species are capable of dropping their tails as a defense mechanism - when a predator grabs the lizard by the tail, the lizard can ‘break off’ the tail and escape, leaving a very confused predator in their wake. Crested geckos are notoriously flighty and anxious creatures and are known for dropping their tails for little to no reason sometimes, and unlike a lot of lizard species, are not able to regenerate their tails. They tend to look like strange frogs after their tail drops, hence, Frog Butt!

Note: dropping their tails does not negatively affect the gecko, and they will live full and happy lives without their tails.

Handling

Crested geckos are fun to handle because they are very active. Their toes act like magnets on almost any surface, and they will happily climb all over you! Crested geckos have an affinity for jumping, so be prepared for your crestie to leap out of your hands! These geckos are small and fragile, so be wary when allowing small children to handle them. Never hold them by their tails.

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