Crested Gecko Care Sheet
Crested geckos are originally from New Caledonia (a group of islands between Fiji and Australia).
They were thought to be extinct until being rediscovered in 1994.
Size
Both male and female crested geckos reach a moderate size of 6 to10 inches in total length, including
4 to 6 inches of tail length. Crested geckos sexually mature around 15 to 18 months of age and can reach a weight of approximately 35 to 50 grams.
Life Span
The average life span of a crested gecko is 15 to 20 years.
Caging
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Baby – 6-quart plastic tub or 12 x 12 x 12 terrarium.
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Juvenile – 12- quart plastic tub or 12 x 12 x 18 terrarium.
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Adult – 52- quart plastic tub or 18 x 18 x 24 terrarium.
Habitat
Crested geckos are arboreal lizards. They enjoy vines, branches, cork rounds and flats in their enclosures. You can also provide them with ledges to sit on or feeding ledges for their food and water bowl. Fake or real plants will provide a surface for the gecko to drink water from as you spray down the cage. Any other tank decor is to your preference. It is important to choose items that can be easily cleaned when building your habitat.
Temperature
Temperature can range between 74 to 78 degrees Fahrenheit during the day with nighttime drops to the low 70s.
Water and Humidity
Water should always be available in a shallow water dish. We keep our humidity between 60% to 70% and have periods that peak around 80 to 100%. Humidity levels can be maintained by misting the cage or providing a section of moist sphagnum moss. This may take trial and error to figure out the right system for you. It is very important to allow the enclosure to dry to normal levels in between misting sessions to maintain a proper balance.
Substrate
We use a few different substrates for our crested geckos depending on age.
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Baby & Juvenile – Paper Towels
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Adults – Paper towels, a mixture of moist sphagnum moss and reptile safe mulch or ABG mix (mixture of charcoal, milled sphagnum moss, fir bark, expanded slate, and peat moss)
Food
We feed our geckos Pangea watermelon flavored diet and Pangea growth formula along with supplemental crickets coated in calcium powder. We offer Pangea Fruit Mix Complete diet 3 times per week and insects once per week. We typical feed crickets but roaches and worms can be offered as well.