How to Care for a Crested Gecko
Set up a large terrarium., Add a layer of substrate to your crestie’s home., Place live plants to the terrarium., Give your crestie some things to play on., Keep the terrarium warm., Keep the terrarium humid., Clean your crestie’s cage regularly...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Set up a large terrarium.
Cresties will love having some space.
If you’re starting out with a baby gecko, look for a 10 gallon glass terrarium or aquarium at a pet store.
If you have an adult gecko (or once your baby grows up), get a 20 gallon one.Crested geckos like a little humidity.
If it’s normally very humid where you live, you can also try housing your crested gecko in a cage with screen sides. -
Step 2: Add a layer of substrate to your crestie’s home.
Pet stores will stock soil meant to be used in reptile houses.
A mixture of peat moss or coco fiber and soil will also work just fine.
Whichever substrate you use, place enough in your terrarium to cover the bottom well., Your gecko will appreciate having some plants to climb on and hide under.
Plants will also help regulate the humidity in the terrarium, making it more comfortable for the gecko.Live plants are best, but fake plants will give your gecko something to play on, at least.
Your local pet store should stock some plants that will work great in your terrarium and will be safe for your gecko. , Since your crested gecko will spend most of its time inside the terrarium, try to make it an interesting habitat.
Place things like pieces of driftwood or bark in the terrarium.
Your crestie will love climbing on and crawling under them., Cresties come from warm habitats, so they’ll do best in a terrarium that’s a little toasty.
The average temperature in the terrarium should hover a little below 80 °F (27 °C).
It’s fine if the temperature dips a below this at night, but the daytime temperature should not go below 65 °F (18 °C).If the temperature in your area is higher that cresties tolerate, make sure to put the terrarium in a cooler room.
If you need to warm to terrarium to keep it comfortable for your crestie, look for a warming bulb or ceramic reptile house heater at a pet store.
Place the warming bulb or heater over just one side of the terrarium, so that the gecko can move to a cooler side when it needs to regulate its temperature, like reptiles naturally do. , Crested geckos will thrive when the humidity is maintained at between 50 and 70 percent.
To keep it humid, you can lightly mist the terrarium nightly with a spray bottle of water, or place a cool mist humidifier nearby.If you want to keep track of the exact humidity inside the terrarium, go to your pet store and buy a hygrometer that can be attached to its side. , Spot clean the terrarium everyday by wiping up any grimy spots with a paper towel.
Deep clean the terrarium once a week.
Wipe down the sides, clean your gecko’s water dish thoroughly, and remove an debris from the plants or lay items.A cloth and water should take care of most messes inside the terrarium.
If you have to use any soap, make sure to rinse it off thoroughly. , Pet stores will carry a powder mix that contains all of the nutrients that crested geckos need.
Mix this with two parts water and put it in a dish inside the terrarium.
Provide your gecko as much as it wants to eat three times a week., While the powdered food will keep your crestie nourished, it will love a few treats as well.
You can give it bits of fruit (apricots or peaches are good choices).
Dusted gut loaded crickets are another snack your crestie will love, and can be found at a pet store.Give your gecko crickets or fruit three times a week if you want to supplement its regular diet, or once a week if you just want to give it a treat. , A shallow dish of water should be placed in the bottom of your crested gecko’s terrarium.
Keep it constantly full.Don’t be concerned if your crestie also uses this dish as a potty. , Crested geckos will live just fine all by themselves.
However, you can house a single male together with several females, or pair a couple of females together.
Just avoiding pairing two males in the same terrarium, since they can become aggressive with each other.Make sure to ask about the sex of your geckos when you purchase them. , It takes cresties some time to get used to a new environment.
After you bring yours home, don’t handle it for the first three to four weeks.
This will give it time to become acclimated to the new setting without becoming stressed.After a few weeks, handle your crestie for only five minutes or so at a time, at first.
Do this until your gecko is at least three inches long. , Cresties are surprisingly fragile.
Falls can really hurt them.
When handling yours, keep it just above a flat surface, like a table.
If you need to move your gecko over a distance, keep it in its terrarium., People love the colorful patterns on the skin of geckos, including their tails.
However, the tails are fragile.
If you handle a crestie roughly, its tail may fall off, or this may happen all by itself.
This won’t harm your gecko, but the tail will not grow back. -
Step 3: Place live plants to the terrarium.
-
Step 4: Give your crestie some things to play on.
-
Step 5: Keep the terrarium warm.
-
Step 6: Keep the terrarium humid.
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Step 7: Clean your crestie’s cage regularly.
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Step 8: Feed your gecko a balanced diet.
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Step 9: Give your crestie some treats.
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Step 10: Provide your gecko with plentiful water.
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Step 11: Group your geckos if you have more than one.
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Step 12: Avoid handling your gecko at first.
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Step 13: Handle your gecko gently.
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Step 14: Don’t be alarmed if your gecko loses its tail.
Detailed Guide
Cresties will love having some space.
If you’re starting out with a baby gecko, look for a 10 gallon glass terrarium or aquarium at a pet store.
If you have an adult gecko (or once your baby grows up), get a 20 gallon one.Crested geckos like a little humidity.
If it’s normally very humid where you live, you can also try housing your crested gecko in a cage with screen sides.
Pet stores will stock soil meant to be used in reptile houses.
A mixture of peat moss or coco fiber and soil will also work just fine.
Whichever substrate you use, place enough in your terrarium to cover the bottom well., Your gecko will appreciate having some plants to climb on and hide under.
Plants will also help regulate the humidity in the terrarium, making it more comfortable for the gecko.Live plants are best, but fake plants will give your gecko something to play on, at least.
Your local pet store should stock some plants that will work great in your terrarium and will be safe for your gecko. , Since your crested gecko will spend most of its time inside the terrarium, try to make it an interesting habitat.
Place things like pieces of driftwood or bark in the terrarium.
Your crestie will love climbing on and crawling under them., Cresties come from warm habitats, so they’ll do best in a terrarium that’s a little toasty.
The average temperature in the terrarium should hover a little below 80 °F (27 °C).
It’s fine if the temperature dips a below this at night, but the daytime temperature should not go below 65 °F (18 °C).If the temperature in your area is higher that cresties tolerate, make sure to put the terrarium in a cooler room.
If you need to warm to terrarium to keep it comfortable for your crestie, look for a warming bulb or ceramic reptile house heater at a pet store.
Place the warming bulb or heater over just one side of the terrarium, so that the gecko can move to a cooler side when it needs to regulate its temperature, like reptiles naturally do. , Crested geckos will thrive when the humidity is maintained at between 50 and 70 percent.
To keep it humid, you can lightly mist the terrarium nightly with a spray bottle of water, or place a cool mist humidifier nearby.If you want to keep track of the exact humidity inside the terrarium, go to your pet store and buy a hygrometer that can be attached to its side. , Spot clean the terrarium everyday by wiping up any grimy spots with a paper towel.
Deep clean the terrarium once a week.
Wipe down the sides, clean your gecko’s water dish thoroughly, and remove an debris from the plants or lay items.A cloth and water should take care of most messes inside the terrarium.
If you have to use any soap, make sure to rinse it off thoroughly. , Pet stores will carry a powder mix that contains all of the nutrients that crested geckos need.
Mix this with two parts water and put it in a dish inside the terrarium.
Provide your gecko as much as it wants to eat three times a week., While the powdered food will keep your crestie nourished, it will love a few treats as well.
You can give it bits of fruit (apricots or peaches are good choices).
Dusted gut loaded crickets are another snack your crestie will love, and can be found at a pet store.Give your gecko crickets or fruit three times a week if you want to supplement its regular diet, or once a week if you just want to give it a treat. , A shallow dish of water should be placed in the bottom of your crested gecko’s terrarium.
Keep it constantly full.Don’t be concerned if your crestie also uses this dish as a potty. , Crested geckos will live just fine all by themselves.
However, you can house a single male together with several females, or pair a couple of females together.
Just avoiding pairing two males in the same terrarium, since they can become aggressive with each other.Make sure to ask about the sex of your geckos when you purchase them. , It takes cresties some time to get used to a new environment.
After you bring yours home, don’t handle it for the first three to four weeks.
This will give it time to become acclimated to the new setting without becoming stressed.After a few weeks, handle your crestie for only five minutes or so at a time, at first.
Do this until your gecko is at least three inches long. , Cresties are surprisingly fragile.
Falls can really hurt them.
When handling yours, keep it just above a flat surface, like a table.
If you need to move your gecko over a distance, keep it in its terrarium., People love the colorful patterns on the skin of geckos, including their tails.
However, the tails are fragile.
If you handle a crestie roughly, its tail may fall off, or this may happen all by itself.
This won’t harm your gecko, but the tail will not grow back.
About the Author
Michael Ryan
Committed to making home improvement accessible and understandable for everyone.
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