Crested Gecko Care Sheet

Crested geckos: 

Crested Geckos (Correlophus (Rhacodactylus) ciliatus)

Crested geckos are originally from New Caledonia (a group of islands between Fiji and Australia). 

Size:

Both male and female crested geckos reach a moderate size of 4 to 4.5 inches snout-to-vent length, and 8 inches in total length.

Crested Gecko Life Span:

Under proper care, plan for your crested gecko to live 15 to 20 years.

Crested Gecko Housing:

An adult crested gecko should be housed in a 20-gallon tank with screen top. Crested geckos need room to climb, so provide a mix of branches, driftwood, cork bark, bamboo, and vines at a variety of heights and orientations. Add a variety of sturdy live plants (such as Epipremnum, Dracaena, and Ficus) as they will hide in the plants for cover.

Temperature:

Crested geckos like temperatures of 78 to 82° Fahrenheit during the day. It can drop to the low 70s at night. In summer, place crested geckos in a cool room if the temperature exceeds 87°. During the winter crested geckos will tolerate night drops into the 60s. Low level of UVB lighting (about 5 percent). Any added lighting will raise the temperature in the enclosure, so monitor that. Also, provide a gecko hideaway, so geckos can get away from the light if they want.

Food:

Since they are nocturnal, feed crested geckos in the evening. Supplement that food with crickets and other prey insects (roaches, waxworms, silkworms). Avoid feeding mealworms, since they have a hard, undigestible exoskeleton. Insects fed should be slightly smaller than the space between the gecko's. To boost your reptile's vitamin and mineral intake, dust the insects with a calcium/vitamin D3 powdered supplement three times a week. You can dust prey with multivitamin powder supplement once a week.

Bonding:

Crested geckos will eat fruit several times a week. Mash fruit or jarred baby food. Favorites include bananas, peaches, nectarines, apricots, papaya, mangoes, pears, and passion fruit.