How to take care of a crested gecko? Habitats, reptile supplies, food, and more
Get to know about crested gecko care
Originally from New Caledonia, the crested gecko is a type of arboreal gecko that is the most active at night. One of the distinctive features of the crested gecko is its eyelash, this is the reason that the crested gecko is also called eyelash gecko sometimes. The crested gecko is a very friendly lizard and easy to raise, which is popular for reptile beginners. If crested gecko feels threatened by others, they will drop their tails to distract predators and escape, unfortunately, their tails do not grow back again once it is dropped.
Housing the crested gecko
When the pet lovers choose the reptile tank for the crested gecko, the key thing to consider is about crested gecko’s behaviors. Due to the reason that crested gecko is an active arboreal reptile animal, they like to climb and jump always, so a tall vertical terrarium is needed for them to have lots of space to move and live in the reptile terrarium. Concerning the amounts of crested geckos housed in the same tank together, lots of reptile lovers might have different opinions. It is possible to house more than one crested gecko together, however, an adult male crested gecko is territorial, so it is better to keep a male and a female crested gecko together or one to three females are also feasible if a large terrarium is provided. Please never house more than two adult crested geckos together.
Substrate
When you are selecting the substrate for reptiles, consider the safety for animals, and the ease of cleaning first then you can choose any substrates which look good for their habitat. The reason to use substrate is for keeping the cleanness in the terrarium and to create the natural habitats for the pets. As we mentioned before the crested gecko is a variety of active arboreal animals, the ideal reptile substrates for crested gecko are pine bark, coconut fiber bedding, and reptile carpet. Pet lovers always need to check the cleanness in the enclosure and change the substrate in time.
Water Dish
Placing a water dish in the reptile terrarium is convenient for crested gecko drinking and it also can raise the humidity level for their habitats, it is suggested to spray twice or thrice water per day and clean the spot twice per week.
Reptile Cave
The crested gecko is the most active at night so they are prone to hide in dark during the daytime, placing a reptile cave in the cold area in the enclosure can make them feel more relaxed and comfortable.
Reptile Landscape Decoration
The crested gecko is a good climber and jumper, so crested gecko lovers can provide the decorations that allow them to climb such as cork bark, driftwood, and tree vines. Some additional plants and branches which do not need sunlight to grow can be used as a decoration too because the crested gecko is a nocturnal reptile animal.
Light
The crested gecko is a nocturnal reptile animal, generally, reptile UVB & UVA lighting are not used on the crested gecko. However, some gecko keepers still use light for good viewing sometimes, it is better to turn off or turn down the brightness at night, also use a temperature monitor as the light can increase the temperature in the terrarium as well, and a hideaway for them to escape the bright area when they want.
Heat and Humidity
Like all reptiles animals are cold-blood and crested geckos get stressed at a higher temperature. A temperature and humidity monitor is needed to regulate the levels in the terrarium, especially at night. As we talked about crested gecko is a nocturnal reptile animal, they don’t need any extra lights, however, if you want to use one to have a good view, a low-wattage red nighttime lighting is a better choice. Besides, always remember to mist the enclosure to improve the humidity level, and installing a reptile automatic mister or fogger is convenient for the crested gecko keeper because at night the crested gecko is the most active, during that time the enclosure has to be well-misted.
Humidity and Temperature Reference Value
Humidity: 70-85%
Day time temperature: 22-28℃
Nighttime temperature: 18-24℃
Food
Crested gecko has various choices of food in their natural habitats, they eat insects, fruit, nectar, and others, so it is suggested to give them a diverse diet for their health. Puree can be fed as their main course and insects are the complimentary food, also some calcium powder should be supplied to make crested geckos more healthy.
Feeding Equipment List
Step1: Crested gecko Enclosure
l Baby crested gecko: 20x20x30cm
l Sub-adult crested gecko: 30x30x45cm
l Adult crested gecko: 45x45x60cm
Step2: Habitat Decoration
l Reptile pine bark / Reptile carpet
l Reptile tree vines / Driftwood / Bamboo/ Branches
l Reptile water dish
l Reptile decoration
Step3: Heating, Lighting, and Accessories
l Reptile thermometer and hygrometer
l Reptile food dish
l Reptile deeding pincers / Clean pincers
l Reptile heat pads
l Reptile temperature controller
l Reptile timer
l Reptile Automatic sprayer equipment
l Puree and crickets