HOUSING:
For hatchlings, keep in a small size critter keeper with paper towel substrate and
the basics like a humid place to hide, leaves, branches and a water dish. Mist 2 times
per day. Once they hit 3-5 grams they can be moved to a bigger terrarium such as a
12x12x12 or even 12x12x18. Just keep in mind that if they are not eating and do not
seem active it may be too big and you will want to go back down to the 12x12x12 size
terrarium. Zoo Med & Exo Tera both make these and are sold at just about any pet
store and online as well. Paper towels can still be used as substrate, their whole lives
if you prefer. Once they are moved into a big tank and I notice they are eating and
pooping regularly, (paper towels makes it easier to notice the poop) I use live substrate.
I use hydro balls on the bottom to help the water drain and so mold doesn’t form. On
top of the hydro balls I use a mixture of Eco Earth, coco fiber, and moss (bought, not
live from a tree in your back yard). If you want to use real soil, make sure it has NO
fertilizers. You will want to keep this mixture moist. If you squeeze it, no water should
come out and it should still be fluffy, this way should be just right. If you choose other
substrates, make sure it holds moisture to help humidity levels and isn’t something like
straight bark or wood chips (mulch) that they can accidentally inhale or choke on. Next,
you will want plenty of fake or real plants, or a mixture of both. You can find a list of all
plants safe and not safe for your gecko at this link:
http://www.pangeareptile.com/forums/showthread.php?38868-Plants-master-list-(rhac-safe)
Also, pieces of drift wood, grapevines, or the bendy branches are great for climbing.
These guys like to be high and they like to climb. So they need lots to climb on and
height is more important than width for their terrariums. I suggest buying the drift
wood or grapevines because just getting a stick from your backyard can have bugs and
bacteria that are not good for your crestie. If you want to be extra safe, you can bake
your drift wood for a few minutes just to get rid of anything that maybe didn’t die.
Ledges are also great. Lastly, you will want to make sure you have at least one hide
that is kept extra humid to help aid in shedding and for them to feel safe. You will need
a humidity and temperature gauge in the terrariums to keep track of the temperature
and humidity levels. The temperatures should be about room temp at 70F-75F on average
during the day and should drop about 5 degrees at night. The temp should never go below
60F or above 85F. Mist twice a day so the humidity levels go up to somewhere between 70
and 80% and let dry out in between mists so it drops to around 40%. I do not suggest
letting it go lower than that, but for short periods of time it will be fine.
I do not recommend using soap to clean unless you want to take everything out and rinse
really well in extremely hot water. I prefer to use plain water and vinegar as it cleans well and
is non-toxic to the cresties. I clean them out about once per week, picking up pieces of poop in
between full cleans.
FEEDING:
I feed all my geckos CGD, Crested Gecko Diet, every other night and crickets or phoenix
worms once a week as a treat. You can also use meal worms, wax worms, roaches, or tropical
fruits, but do not overdo it or they may hold out for these. Bugs and fruit should only be served
as a treat and all but phoenix worms should be lightly dusted with calcium and D3 powder and
gut loaded (fed CGD) before feeding time. When feeding any insects, they should only have
4-6 each time, once a week. Some can overeat although it is rare. Sometimes the hunt is just
too fun! So DO NOT put 20 or so crickets in the tank once a week and just leave them. Number
one, they will probably lay eggs, and number two, some of your geckos will solely live off crickets
and not touch their CGD, which is not a proper diet and will lead to health issues. Even gut loading
and dusting is not enough. When feeding crickets to my little ones, who are not as experienced
hunters, I put in a separate feeding tank, or something like it. A large bowl will even work, as long
as the crickets annot crawl up the sides. Also, you'll need to make sure your gecko cannot escape.
I use tongs to feed some of them as well, the ones that let me that is. Once they become better
hunters, you will not need to do this. f you are feeding your cresties crickets in your terrarium and
have live substrate or really anything other than paper towels, you need to make sure you check in
on them every once in a while in case they got a mouth full of moss and eco earth and cannot
swallow, or, god forbid, are choking on a cricket or the substrate. Even if they do swallow the
substrate with no problems, sometimes they can become impacted, (not be able to pass it) and
this could lead to death. This is rare, but it has happened, so it is all to your discrepency, how you
choose to feed crickets. A feeding tank, or something like it, and/or tongs is a good idea if you use
live substrate and fear this could happen. Worms and roaches are not a problem as long as you put
them in a dish they cannot escape, as long as it is still easily excessable to your animals. They can
solely live off the CGD though, as it has all the nutritional value they need to stay healthy. Bugs
just provide them with more protein and usually speed up growth.
When a crested gecko is moved to a new environment, (as in rehousing, like buying a new
crestie or switching to a larger tanks as they grow) s/he may not eat for up to two weeks or longer.
If this is the case, DO NOT try to hand feed your gecko. Moving to a whole new environment
sometimes causes great stress so they need time to adjust and feel safe again. A healthy gecko
WILL eventually eat, just make sure they can find their food. If your gecko is being housed in a
fairly large tank, it is sometimes a good idea to place their CGD in 2 seperate locations. If you do
end up having a sick gecko, for whatever reason, it is a good idea to make a vet trip and, if possible,
find someone who has quite a bit of experience in dealing with crested geckos to either help you care
for it, or maybe even completely take care of the gecko until it is nursed back to health. A sick gecko
not eating, would be the only time hand feeding is okay, although, this could also cause extra stress
and may be an even worse idea. This is why I suggest seeking advice from an experienced crested
gecko owner, if you are not one yourself.
Repashy and T-Rex (ownded by Repashy, and currently out of business) both make the CGD and
most pet stores sell it, but if you cannot find either brands, you can always order them off the
internet at www.repashy.com . For all my cresties under about 6 grams, I put a dime sized circle of
the CGD on a cap or lid, something shallow, and this makes it much easier to tell if they have been
eating. Remember, they have tiny stomachs and do not need much food so do not be alarmed if you
only notice few licks. As long as they are active (mainly at night) and pooping regularly, then your
crestie is most likely just fine.
Make sure you keep a water dish in there and clean it out and change the water every 2 – 3 days.
Even if it doesn’t seem dirty, they still need fresh water every couple of days. Always make sure their
water dish is shallow enough, depending on their size, so they cannot drowned. Remember, crested
geckos arenot anphbians, so they do not swim, at all. You will also need to be check the water dish
daily, especially if it is very shallow and on warmer days when the dish will dry up faster. I like to keep
both food and water elevated on a ledge or wrapped up in a bend-a-branch for them since most of my
geckos RARELY go on the ground, unless they are hunting or a gravid female laying eggs.
worms once a week as a treat. You can also use meal worms, wax worms, roaches, or tropical
fruits, but do not overdo it or they may hold out for these. Bugs and fruit should only be served
as a treat and all but phoenix worms should be lightly dusted with calcium and D3 powder and
gut loaded (fed CGD) before feeding time. When feeding any insects, they should only have
4-6 each time, once a week. Some can overeat although it is rare. Sometimes the hunt is just
too fun! So DO NOT put 20 or so crickets in the tank once a week and just leave them. Number
one, they will probably lay eggs, and number two, some of your geckos will solely live off crickets
and not touch their CGD, which is not a proper diet and will lead to health issues. Even gut loading
and dusting is not enough. When feeding crickets to my little ones, who are not as experienced
hunters, I put in a separate feeding tank, or something like it. A large bowl will even work, as long
as the crickets annot crawl up the sides. Also, you'll need to make sure your gecko cannot escape.
I use tongs to feed some of them as well, the ones that let me that is. Once they become better
hunters, you will not need to do this. f you are feeding your cresties crickets in your terrarium and
have live substrate or really anything other than paper towels, you need to make sure you check in
on them every once in a while in case they got a mouth full of moss and eco earth and cannot
swallow, or, god forbid, are choking on a cricket or the substrate. Even if they do swallow the
substrate with no problems, sometimes they can become impacted, (not be able to pass it) and
this could lead to death. This is rare, but it has happened, so it is all to your discrepency, how you
choose to feed crickets. A feeding tank, or something like it, and/or tongs is a good idea if you use
live substrate and fear this could happen. Worms and roaches are not a problem as long as you put
them in a dish they cannot escape, as long as it is still easily excessable to your animals. They can
solely live off the CGD though, as it has all the nutritional value they need to stay healthy. Bugs
just provide them with more protein and usually speed up growth.
When a crested gecko is moved to a new environment, (as in rehousing, like buying a new
crestie or switching to a larger tanks as they grow) s/he may not eat for up to two weeks or longer.
If this is the case, DO NOT try to hand feed your gecko. Moving to a whole new environment
sometimes causes great stress so they need time to adjust and feel safe again. A healthy gecko
WILL eventually eat, just make sure they can find their food. If your gecko is being housed in a
fairly large tank, it is sometimes a good idea to place their CGD in 2 seperate locations. If you do
end up having a sick gecko, for whatever reason, it is a good idea to make a vet trip and, if possible,
find someone who has quite a bit of experience in dealing with crested geckos to either help you care
for it, or maybe even completely take care of the gecko until it is nursed back to health. A sick gecko
not eating, would be the only time hand feeding is okay, although, this could also cause extra stress
and may be an even worse idea. This is why I suggest seeking advice from an experienced crested
gecko owner, if you are not one yourself.
Repashy and T-Rex (ownded by Repashy, and currently out of business) both make the CGD and
most pet stores sell it, but if you cannot find either brands, you can always order them off the
internet at www.repashy.com . For all my cresties under about 6 grams, I put a dime sized circle of
the CGD on a cap or lid, something shallow, and this makes it much easier to tell if they have been
eating. Remember, they have tiny stomachs and do not need much food so do not be alarmed if you
only notice few licks. As long as they are active (mainly at night) and pooping regularly, then your
crestie is most likely just fine.
Make sure you keep a water dish in there and clean it out and change the water every 2 – 3 days.
Even if it doesn’t seem dirty, they still need fresh water every couple of days. Always make sure their
water dish is shallow enough, depending on their size, so they cannot drowned. Remember, crested
geckos arenot anphbians, so they do not swim, at all. You will also need to be check the water dish
daily, especially if it is very shallow and on warmer days when the dish will dry up faster. I like to keep
both food and water elevated on a ledge or wrapped up in a bend-a-branch for them since most of my
geckos RARELY go on the ground, unless they are hunting or a gravid female laying eggs.
HANDLING
For the first two weeks you have your new gecko, you will want to leave it be and handle only
MINIMALLY. Only handle when cleaning cage. Just mist and change out the food as needed. After the
two weeks are up, you can start gently taking your gecko out for 5 minutes a day and very gradually
handling more and more. Every gecko is different. Some may never like being handled and some may
crawl right into your hand. Crested Geckos lose their tales as a defense mechanism to distract their
predators so do not be alarmed if they drop it. However, they are the only kind of gecko to not regrow
their tail back because it is almost like a fifth appendage, having muscle tissue, therefore, like humans,
that kind of tissue does not regenerate. So if you are trying to handle your crestie and he/she starts
moving their tail in a sort of S motion, leave them be, as this is a sign that they are about to drop their
tail. They do not need their tale, however, once they lose it, they will lose their balance and be sort of
clumsy and may walk funny for a while, but they will adjust and turn out just fine.
If your gecko seems to not like be handled and is always trying to crawl away, you can try what is
called "hand walking." This is where you have your gecko on one palm, and then place your other palm
in front of that palm so the gecko can alk across your hands, then take the previously used hand and
place that in front of the newly used palm. So, basically you just keep putting your hands in front of
eachother so the gecko can keep walking across your hands. You do not want to scare and/or stress
your gecko out though, so if you notice its not working after a few minutes, put your gecko back, and
try again tomorrow. Signs of stress are skiddish movements, jumpy, crawling away, or up your arm
really fast, and breathing heavily. Even if your gecko seems to be sitting with you just fine, if you
notice his or her sides moving in and out very dramaticly, this is heavy breathing, and means your
geckos is scared. Of course, this is going to happen a lot at first with most geckos, just make sure if
your gecko does not relax after a few minutes, put him/her back, and try again tomorrow. If you
want a calm and gentle gecko, I suggest doing this every day gradually adding a few minutes every
week. I have 20+ geckos at any given time and I make sure to handle each and every gecko, every
day, even if only for a minute or two when misting at night. It is up to you, but you if you want a
gecko to just have in a cage to look at, I suggest getting a different type of gecko. These guys can be
very friendly and so gentle and sweet.
HEALTH:
I will not say much on the issue as health, seeing as I am not a veterinarian. I have, however,
listed a few helpful websites below. Shedding is one of the more common issues amongst reptiles,
and is a very important part of their lives, especially as they are growing. It can turn out very bad if
it goes wrong. Crested geckos really need a humid hide to help aid shedding. The humidity helps
soften the old skin, making it easier to come off and they also use the hide, or something else, to rub
up against and losen the skin. They eat their shed and usually do it at night, so if you never see your
crestie shed, do not be alarmed, this is actually a good thing. However, ff you do happen to see them
shed, it doesn't nesassarily mean it's a bad thing. I would wait at least 24 hours before becoming
alarmed. If your crestie has not gotten all the shed off in that time, then you will need to assist your
crestie. Stuck shed can cut off circulation, depending on where it is stuck, usually happening on tails,
legs, feet, or toes. If too much time goes by without having removed the stuck shed in those places,
this can result in those specific limbs being lost. So, if you notice stuck shed on your crestie, or find
they are having trouble climing or sticking like normal, this is what you will need to do:
First of all, you will need to get a small plastic deli cup or tupperware, (something of that sort) with
a lid. Size will depend on your gecko, the more snug, the better. This will result in your gecko soaking
better. Next, place some paper towel on the bottom and soak it in luke warm water. Make sure you
only soak the paper towel, but don't actually have puddles of water to prevent drowning. Also,
remember crested geckos are cold blooded, therefore, they have very sensative skin, so make sure
the water is just BARELY warm. Now, put your crestie in the Tupperware and mist him or her a couple
times with water and put the lid on. They should be fine since they will not be in there long, but you
can poke a few holes for fresh air if it makes you feel better. Now leave them in there for about 15
minutes, making sure to keep a very close eye on them. This is very important. Sometimes you may
have to leave them in a bit longer, basically, it's however long it takes to losen up the stuck shed so
you aren't pulling any new skin off with it. After they have finished soaking, take a q-tip and VERY
gently rub off the shed, you may need to use tweezers to pull it off. If it isn’t coming off easily, let
them soak longer. Like I said, you wouldn't want to rip off any of their new skin with the shed. Also,
when using tweezers, be VERY careful around their feet. They are very small and it is very easily to
accidentally pinch a toe. This should do the trick, and also works if they happen to walk through
their CGD and it ends up drying up, making it difficult for them to climb and stick to things.
If you notice and limbs starting to swell because of the stuck shed you will need to take them to
a vet. I would still suggest soaking them on and off though, at least until you can get them to see the
vet. If you use my 24 hr rule, and handle, or at least check on, your crestie every day, you should
never have this problem.
Now, aside from shedding, owning a scale is a good idea for anyone who keeps geckos. Make sure
it is digital and measures in grams, preferably to the tenth. It is a great to make sure your gecko is
properly eating and at a healthy weight. Drastic weight loss is a sign of sickness. Some other symptoms
may be: running nose, small lumps on their belly, kinks in their tail, humps in their back, protruding hip bones, scabs, crust around the mouth, nose, ears, or vent, worms in their poop, and lethargy. Just
remember though, if they just ate, or just pooped, their weight will fluctuate a bit, so don’t panic if they
lost a gram in a single day. Their are other signs of sickness, or your crestie may show no symptoms at
all. So, make sure you are keeping a good eye on your pet and make sure to make a note of any changes.
I keep a journal to keep track of things like weight, color, spots, food input, and thins of that nature. I
have multiple geckos though, so writing it all down makes it easier, however, if you own just one, it is probably just fine to keep mental notes of those types of things.
LINKS:
Here, I have listed some links I have personally found helpful, and that I find beneficial.
This first link, is to a forum for crested geckos. You can join and post questions or just simply read
through the threads. This is a great way to talk to other crested gecko owners and learn about other
people’s experiences and get help to any other questions you may have. Especially if you come into a
situation where you need help right now and have no idea what to do. Usually, people are very quick
to respond on this particular forum. So here is the link:
http://www.pangeareptile.com/forums/forum.php
This next link is to a personal website of a very popular and knowledgable keeper and breeder of
crested geckos. Her name is JayBee and she has some REALLY amazing crested geckos. Some of
my favorite for sure. She also has tons of beneficial information and how to videos to help. She helped
me out greatly over the years. It is pretty easy to remember:
http://www.jbscresties.cocm
Other links I previously listed again:
Safe Plant List:
http://www.pangeareptile.com/forums/showthread.php?38868-Plants-master-list-(rhac-safe)
Where to buy the Crested Gecko Diet (CGD) online:
http://www.store.repashy.com/repashy-superfoods/retail/