Crested Gecko Care Sheet
December 1, 2020
Crested Gecko Care Sheet
(Correlophus Ciliatus)
Table of contents:
ENCLOSURES
DECOR & HIDES
HEATING
FEEDING & WATERING
SHEDDING
VITAMINS
CLEANING
ENCLOSURES
Crested geckos can be kept in glass terrariums, reptile racks, or plastic containers, as long as there is good ventilation so that the geckos are able to breathe. I wouldn’t recommend anything smaller than the size of a shoebox to house a single gecko. A ten gallon tank can comfortably hold one adult crested gecko or a small group of juvenile geckos, so I would recommend sizing up if you plan on housing more than that in a single container. Crested geckos are arboreal which means they spend the majority of their lives up in trees and not so much on the ground. With this in mind it’s preferable to go with a taller enclosure to provide climbing and jumping space rather than floor space for crawling or walking.
DECOR & HIDES
For the inside of the tank, I prefer to use paper towels as substrate for these geckos because they’re easy to change when it’s cleaning time and they pose less of a threat to the gecko’s health than something like sand or eco earth. When it comes to hides, I typically provide lots of fake plants and leaves with a few caves all around the enclosure. I tend to use toilet paper rolls or the plastic hides and coconut hides that can be found in my shop.
HEATING
Crested geckos should be kept at room temperature (72-75F). They do not require any extra heat unless you live in an especially cold climate or if these temps are not average. Like most reptiles they do however still need a light cycle in order to mimic their natural habitat and this can be achieved by opening the curtain on a nearby window or leaving the lights on in your room.
FEEDING AND WATERING
Before being shipped, GeckBro crested geckos are fed about 5 times a week-- I choose to feed my geckos at night before I go to sleep to ensure that they all have fresh food to eat when the lights go out. Each enclosure is thoroughly sprayed with water everyday. I always feed Pangea gecko food (complete diet) which can be found in my shop. Once a week I like to sprinkle some extra D3 Calcium and vitamins over the mixed diet before feeding time. I provide appropriate sized crickets as feeder insects about one or two crickets every other week.
SHEDDING
Unless you’re constantly staring at your crested gecko you might never see it shed. As long as you maintain the proper amount of humidity your geckos should have no issues with shedding. This should be very easy when the enclosure is sprayed thoroughly with water everyday. If you do notice any residual shed on your gecko’s feet or tail, you can soak your gecko in a very thin layer of water for about 10 minutes in a small container with ventilation and very carefully try to rub the shed off of your gecko.
VITAMINS
Every crested gecko requires D3 Calcium in order to grow healthy bones and survive. Larger feeders like crickets and dubias should be dusted in D3 Calcium before given to your gecko so that you can ensure your gecko is getting the proper nutrients needed. I also like to provide a small amount of D3 Calcium in the Pangea gecko food before feeding time (select feedings; not every time).
CLEANING
Cleaning up after your crested gecko is relatively simple. Just make sure that you remove the Pangea gecko diet and dead feeder insects after 24 hours. Crested geckos tend to use the bathroom all over their enclosure but thankfully it’s not as noticeable as most species’ fecal matter and therefore only spot cleaning is a viable option. It’s a good idea to clean the entire enclosure at least a few times every year.