Crested Gecko care sheet
Through the keeping and caring for these geckos we have really learned husbandry for them, in fact we continue to learn a few new tidbits here and there. If you have never owned a crested gecko we strongly recomend you read though this care sheet and find at least one more online before getting into crested geckos. It just helps to know some things before buying an animal.
Housing
From hatching to around 7 grams a small to medium kritter keeper may be used. From 7-12 grams a large kritter keeper or 5 gallon fish tank are used. There is some overlap here but from 10-20 grams a 10 gallon fish tank can be used and from 20grams and for the rest of its life a 15 or 20 gallon fish tank is needed. Sizing a cage is not an exact science but these are the general guidelines we use. Our geckos grow very slow due to the climate we are in, so we have many changes in housing. Others grow faster and require fewer adaptions in sizes of tanks. As far as tanks go make sure the lid is secure and if you can turn the tank on its side as these geckos love to climb.
Fill the tank with fake flowers and leaves and some branches, make sure there is no sharp metal objects as these can stab the gecko. As a substrate we recommend paper towels as they are easy to clean and do not risk impactation. Paper towel and toliet paper tubes make great hiding palces. and suction cup soap dishes make wonderful ledges. For small geckos bottle caps make wonderful food and water dishes.
As far as geckos go we do not recommend housing them together unless you are sure they are both female. Two males will fight and a male and female will try and breed. If you decide to keep more than one crested gecko together make sure they are close to the same weight and keep a close eye for bites, nips and weight loss. These are all signs of bullying and mean the geckos need to be separated.
Fill the tank with fake flowers and leaves and some branches, make sure there is no sharp metal objects as these can stab the gecko. As a substrate we recommend paper towels as they are easy to clean and do not risk impactation. Paper towel and toliet paper tubes make great hiding palces. and suction cup soap dishes make wonderful ledges. For small geckos bottle caps make wonderful food and water dishes.
As far as geckos go we do not recommend housing them together unless you are sure they are both female. Two males will fight and a male and female will try and breed. If you decide to keep more than one crested gecko together make sure they are close to the same weight and keep a close eye for bites, nips and weight loss. These are all signs of bullying and mean the geckos need to be separated.
Food
Crested geckos are easy to feed. To start of DO NOT give your gecko baby food even as a treat. It is like feeding a baby candy at every meal they love it but its terrible for them and they can develop mbd from this. See Ice cream under geckos for what mbd is. Instead it is cheaper and easier to feed a commercial diet there are a lot of choices out there. The diet our geckos seem to like the most is pangea complete watermelon flavor. There are a few other good diets out there but there are also some not very good diets. If you don't know what diet to use please email me. You mix the powder with water in around a 1 to 1 ratio just a pinch more of water than powder. I have found most geckos prefer the mixture thicker than runny. Feed them every two to three days and change their water daily.
As a treat you can offer your geckos crickets or roaches but no more than once a week. Make sure you dust them with calcium powder and feed in a separate kritter keeper or Tupperware container as free ranging crickets can scare and bully the gecko. Make sure the crickets are smaller than the width between the eyes. Some geckos love bugs others don't care for them if your gecko seems uninterested in bugs no worries it will be fine on cgd alone.
As a treat you can offer your geckos crickets or roaches but no more than once a week. Make sure you dust them with calcium powder and feed in a separate kritter keeper or Tupperware container as free ranging crickets can scare and bully the gecko. Make sure the crickets are smaller than the width between the eyes. Some geckos love bugs others don't care for them if your gecko seems uninterested in bugs no worries it will be fine on cgd alone.
Humidity
Humidity is very important for these geckos they need to be sprayed at least twice a day for proper shedding and because they often drink water from the walls. It is best to buy a hygrometer to keep track of your humidity. At night spray cages so they reach around 80% humidity then let it be so it goes down to around 40-50%. If you find your cage is constantly going lower and lower spray more often, lately due to terrible humidity I have had to spray up to 5 times a day. If you struggle with similar problems i recommend investing in a reptile fogger or a humidifier for the room you keep your gecko in.
Crested geckos need to be kept in room temperate temps so between 65-80 degrees Fahrenheit. A slight time (no more than a day) where it is 5 degrees above or below this range is ok but constant temps outside of this range will cause stress on the gecko. If your house is below 65 degrees on a regular basis you can use a heat lamp but be sure to keep an extra eye on the humidity as a heat lamp often sucks the humidity out of the cage much faster.
Crested geckos need to be kept in room temperate temps so between 65-80 degrees Fahrenheit. A slight time (no more than a day) where it is 5 degrees above or below this range is ok but constant temps outside of this range will cause stress on the gecko. If your house is below 65 degrees on a regular basis you can use a heat lamp but be sure to keep an extra eye on the humidity as a heat lamp often sucks the humidity out of the cage much faster.
Sexing geckos
Is my gecko a boy or a girl? is a very common question for a new gecko owner this is very difficult to tell early on but by 15-25 grams its much easier. If your gecko has a distinct two part bulge it it is a male if not and its 25 grams or more its a female. There are variations to this but this is the basics of it. It is possible to tell sex earlier by the presence of pores or not but if you are interested in this search around. When i say a gecko is a probably male or probable female it is based on pore sexing as i am not completely comfortable with it myself yet.
Stuck shed
Occasionally a gecko will have shedding problems this is often due to humidity issues but sometimes it does just happen. The most common issue is shed on the toes or toenails. If a gecko has stuck shed on its tail body or foot and it has been this way for a day, meaning it is done shedding you NEED to help it out as these areas can cause constriction and loss of limb if not taken care of. To do this you give the gecko a sauna. For a sauna use a Tupperware container and place a paper towel in the bottom place a gecko with stuck shed or cgd stuck on it somewhere in the container. Pour or spray some water in the container just a millimeter or two so the ground is soaked. Make sure the water is room temperature and not warm to the touch as this will scald the gecko. Place the lid on the container and sit watching the gecko for 15 mins. After the sauna grab a q-tip and get one edge damp. Use the wet q-tip to gently coax the shed off the gecko.