Crested Gecko Care Sheet

Care of Crested geckos and other arboreal geckos

The Care of Crested geckos and other nocturnal arboreal geckos
Includes Crested, Golden, Green, Marbled, Moorish, Bibrons geckos

By Kevin Stevens ¡V Herpetologist. Former President and Journal Editor of the International Herpetological Society
All these species are arboreal, this means they like to climb. With this in mind provide them with a tall vivarium. We suggest at least a 24" tall vivarium for adults. Vivariums of wooden construction with glass sliding doors are best.

Use a ceramic heater fastened to the roof of the vivarium. Remember to mount it at one end to create a hot end and a cooler end. Ceramic heaters must be wired with heat resistant cable, fitted with all the correct reflectors and holders and the output controlled by a thermostat. The choice of thermostat is down to the customer, but we at least recommend a Habistat Pulse Proportional stat. As this species needs a drop at night a Pulse Proportional with a night time drop is a good idea. Daytime basking temperatures should be 32¢XC under the ceramic dropping to around 22¢XC at night for all species except Crested geckos which prefer a cooler 26C daytime and 20C night time temperatures. Some keepers keep Crested geckos without ceramic heaters, but for the average keeper their room temperature is too chilly at around 20C daytime down to as low as 12C at night in the winter.

Lighting although useful, is not as important as for some lizard species. Often it is only really necessary for these nocturnal species if a community vivarium is to be set up ¡V ie mixing them with daytime species that need the lighting. The most important aspect is to provide 5% UVB. Not all reptile tubes are designed to give off this amount of UVB. We recommend Hagen¡¦s Reptiglo 5.0. This tube should be fastened to the vivarium so the lizards are no further than six inches away from it for the majority of the day. Do not mount it in the roof of the vivarium this is too far away! This tube must be replaced every six to nine months, even if still-glowing - after this time it stops giving off the correct levels of UVB. Without UVB a disease known as Metabolic Bone Disease (lack of calcium) is common. A full spectrum lighting tube can also be provided, we recommend Reptisun 2.0. This can be mounted to the roof and is designed to give off similar colours to the sun. But to stress ¡V all forms of lighting are often regarded as unnecessary for these species.


Use orchid bark as floor covering, and keep this damp. Provide lots of climbing branches, hides and a large, not too deep a water area to allow for bathing. Spray them with tepid water at least twice a day. High levels of humidity are important. Aim to maintain around 80-90% humidity for the bulk of the day.




As babies feed twice daily, adults are fine just once a day. A varied mixture of Quiet crickets, Black crickets, waxworms, locust hoppers and the occasional mealworm are ideal. Aim to use crickets for the bulk of the diet, with mealworms, waxworms and locust hoppers as treat foods-maybe three times a week. We do not encourage the use of mealworms though - once they are large enough to eat Giant mealworms these are a much better source of food; Some will take fruit babyfood. Foodstuffs should be dusted with a 5O/5O mixture of Calypso Cricket dust and Nutrobal Multivitamin powders. We recommend dusting every meal for youngsters, except for when feeding at weekends, feed but - do not powder for these two-days. As adults use these powders around three or four times a week. Do not forget to gut load your live food also. A special food called bug grub and a special water substitute (called Bug Gel or Water Bites) should be fed to the insects. Once inside the insect and this is eaten the goodness is passed to the gecko. Also looking after and feeding the insects means less insect mortality and thus you save money!

Daily spot clean the vivarium removing all faecal matter and any shed skin. Change water daily. Complete a full strip down every four weeks replacing all substrates and thoroughly cleaning all the vivarium and bowls etc. Always use a reptile disinfectant. There is a small risk of catching salmonella from lizards (as with all animals), so ensure vivarium and your own personal hygiene is good. Always wash your hands with anti-bacterial soap after handling.

Finally and very importantly is a mention about over handling. If you do this, especially to a baby it may cause him to become so stressed out that he may refuse to eat. Give him time to settle in and estabtishhimse1f and then slowly introduce yourself to him. This may be as long as three months after your purchase. Remember geckos are long lived, so do not rush into it and you will enjoy him longer!


This care sheet is designed to help you with the future care of your new reptilian purchase. Reptiles can be very difficult to maintain if not provided for correctly. If you follow the advice given by ourselves you and your dragon should have plenty of happy years together. Even though we take great care in educating all purchasers, there is no substitute for further reading. Remember that the species listed above that need similar care sometimes do not mix well ¡V it is best to keep tell us so we can advise. If you are unsure about any aspect please speak up - we do not mind!

It is vitally important that you have considered the following points;

1. Some species can be long lived, around 10 - 15 years ¡V please ask for further details should this worry you.
2. You will need to keep crickets, and they often escape and end up roaming the house!
3. It is unfair not to appreciate other family members fears of reptiles ¡V do not purchase if there is a risk of having to return it to us due to someone¡¦s phobia.
4. They are escape artists - there are no easy solutions to finding an escaped lizard - don't lose them in the first place!
5. All animals can bite. Although they can bite hard, it should be no more severe then a hamster.
6. These species of geckos do not grow to much more than around 8 inches long.


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