Crested Geckos

Once thought to be extinct, Crested Geckos (Correlophus ciliatus) are now a common household pet across the world. However, they are now being considered for a protected status in the wild.  They are originally from tropical New Caledonia and can also be found on the Isle of Pines, surrounding islets, and Grande Terre. This species was

discovered in 1866, but were later were thought to be extinct. Explorers only recently rediscovered them in 1994.

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In their native home, Crested Geckos are usually only found in colors yellow - brown. Most of the traits and colors seen today are a product of years of focused breeding in captivity.

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In captivity, Crested Geckos have been known to live as long as 15 to 20+ years! So if you decide that this species is right for you, be sure that you can commit to over a decade of caring for them. Cresteds are a medium sized gecko that at adulthood, weigh 45 - 60 grams. Although, some healthy specimens can reach 70 - 80 grams! 

Crested Geckos are an arboreal species and this is very important to remember when choosing their enclosure! Cresteds need something taller, rather than wider and many popular Glass/PVC enclosures are readily available in stores today. They can also be housed in retrofitted aquariums or plastic tubs with success. For hatchling sized geckos, we recommend a 6qt plastic tub with fake plants and hides. For juveniles to adults, we recommend at least a 12x12x18 (11 gallons) enclosure. However, we like to give our animals more space to roam and jump, so we use 18x18x24 (28.93 gallons) sized enclosures and up. 

Crested geckos are nocturnal, so UVB is not an absolute necessity. However, they can benefit from UVB, as it stimulates their appetite and does mimic their natural environment. This species is known as the, "Room Temperature Gecko" because unless your home gets pretty cold, you do not need supplemental heating for them. Cresteds thrive when kept at 72 to 78 degrees during the day and benefit from a temperature drop to 68 to 70 degrees at night. These geckos can not tolerate excessive heat and keeping them at 80+ degrees is dangerous. If your home does drop below 68 degrees, you can use a low wattage ceramic heat emitter on a thermostat to raise the ambient temperature. I must reiterate that all ceramic heat emitters/heat mats MUST be kept on a thermostat. These units can malfunction and overheat an enclosure if left unchecked.  A digital thermometer is also recommended to monitor the enclosure's temperature.

If you love to decorate, take that creativity to your reptile enclosure! Whether you want to go bioactive with real plants or use paper towels and fake plants, there are a few necessities that every enclosure needs:

• Small water and food bowls (on the ground or on an elevated ledge)
• Secured vines or branches and plenty of hides
• Real or fake plants

For fake plants, I recommend visiting a craft store like Michaels or Hobby Lobby when they have their half off sales. You can find plenty of plastic or silk fake plants to mimic their natural habitat. If you do go this route, be sure to soak all fake plants in super hot water because the plants do sometimes have extra dyes in them. For branches, you can use fallen limbs found outside (be sure to bake them first!), pool noodles or ready to purchase decor at stores. There are many pre-made hides in stores, but you can also use halved coconuts and other DIY materials. 

We keep young (hatchling - 20 grams) geckos on paper towels because it is easier to tell if they are pooping. Remember, if they are pooping, they are eating! Animals 20g and up are moved to a bioactive mix made up of sphagnum peat moss, organic vegetable soil, moss, orchid bark, charcoal, calcium, leaves, springtails and isopods.

We feed all of our Crested Geckos a mixture of Pangea Breeder, Pangea with Insects and Pangea Watermelon. Occasionally, we will also mix in some of Repashy's Banana Cream Pie and bee pollen powder. We must stress that Baby Food is not a complete diet and should not be offered. Pangea can be found at many online retailers, reptile expos and of course  https://www.pangeareptile.com/store/reptile-food/crested-gecko-diet.html . 

We blend our Pangea until it is a tad thinner than ketchup and offer it to hatchlings/juveniles every 2 - 3 days. Our adults are fed every 4 days. 

In addition to the Meal Replacement diets, we also offer our geckos appropriately sized Dubia Roaches twice a week. While Dubia Roaches are a higher source of protein, Crickets and Hornworms of appropriate size can also be offered. Wax worms can be fed very sparingly, as they are high in fat. All live food should be dusted with a high quality Calcium D3 and vitamin supplement before feedings. All live food should be no larger than the space between the gecko's eyes.