Crested gecko care guide

Intro:    

      So you want a crested gecko or have just purchased one and want to learn more about these amazing creatures. The good news is that I have you covered. This page will go over everything you need to know including feeding, housing, maintenance,  etc. First, it is important to know that most of the information large chain pet stores will give is false.  The reason they do this is up for debate. Some think it is just lack of knowledge and others think they are trying to oversimplify the care requirements for these animals in order to get people to impulse purchase them. In my opinion the second option is most probable because for big companies money comes first and not the well being of their animals. Lastly, at the end of the page I have included a few videos which I believe really show what owning a crested gecko is all about!

Feeding:

     Feeding your crested gecko a healthy diet is obviously very important. Pangea Complete Crested Gecko Diet in my opinion is of one of the best brands out there. They are favored by almost every quality breeder and are readily available on Amazon or directly from their website (PangeaReptile.com).  These foods will come in a powder and when mixed with water it forms a smoothie like consistency. Crested geckos will need to be feed at least every other day.  Crickets can also be used in addition with the gecko diet but it is not essential. Most breeders recommend to feed your gecko gut loaded crickets once a week to stimulate growth. You might be wondering what is a gut loaded cricket?  A gut loaded cricket is just a normal cricket that has been feed highly nutritious food for at least 3 days.  This makes the crickets much more nutritious and filling for your gecko and provides vitamins. Once again feeding crickets is totally optional and not doing so will not put your gecko at any health risk.

Housing:

     Housing a crested gecko in a good environment is very important.  For geckos 8 grams and up a 12" x  12" x  18" enclosure is the minimum size needed. Some people will opt for a 18" x  18" x  24" enclosure but this is not a necessity.  Crested geckos are from New Caledonia which is a jungle-like environment. This means they like their enclosure to fluctuate between 50%-80% humidity levels (I will explain the logistics of this in the maintenance section).  Crested geckos in their natural habitat are found in trees hence the desire for a taller cage. Crested geckos also love hiding places. They love vines, leaves and a dense environment for them to feel safe in.  As for substrate most people use coco fiber with moss on top. Coco fiber is just dried up bark and it is used because it retains water well making it easier to maintain humidity. Moss is used on top for further humidity control. This section goes in greater detail in the video but this is just a general overview to get started.

Maintenance:

     Maintenance is one of the most important factors in owning a crested gecko and going about it in the wrong way can be devastating for your gecko. This includes metabolic bone disease which occurs in the development of the crested gecko and can cause deformations and even death.  This is why knowing proper maintenance is imperative to a healthy crested gecko. As for humidity control it is recommended to do two gentle mists per day. It is important to leave time in between these mists to allow humidity to lower. If the humidity is always kept too high there is a risk for respiratory disease. Your gecko will be just fine and healthy with two gentle mists per day and new food every other day. When it comes to cleaning this is also a very important thing to get right. obviously since your gecko is eating it will also be pooping. Depending on what substrate you have it can be as simple as a few spot cleanings per week, or having to replace the substrate all together. Since most people will opt to have a coco fiber and moss substrate all you will need to do is pick up the poops as you see them. Some that use a paper towel substrate will need to change out the paper towel every day.

Acclimation:

     When a crested gecko is introduced int a new home they need time to settle in. This process is called acclimation and can last for up to two weeks. During this time your crested gecko will not eat or come out of hiding. It is still important to leave food out because some geckos are quicker to acclimate than others. Since geckos eat at night it can be hard to tell if they have eaten out of their dish. The best way to know is to look for poop because if there is poop then your gecko has to be eating. If your gecko has not eaten and it has been two weeks it is best to see a vet.

Handling:

     When it comes to handing this is what really makes geckos good pets. For the most part Geckos are very calm and easy to handle. Every gecko has a different personality meaning some can be more skittish than others. Geckos are very small creatures so it is important not to squeeze them too hard and always handle them over a desk or table. Geckos tend to jump and they can injure them selves if they jump from too high hence the reason to handle them above a desk. When it comes to handling squirmy geckos there is whats called the hand walking method. How this method works is turning your hands into a tread mill. You put one hand in front of the other and keep moving the back hand to the front. This method works great for squirmy geckos. Lastly it is important to not handle your gecko for the first two weeks of ownership. During the acclimation time it is really important to just let your gecko settle in and not introduce any extra stress.

Conclusion and miscellaneous info:

     There are only two things I have not talked about that you may need to know. First is shedding. Every single month your gecko will shed a complete layer of skin. Most of the time you wont even notice because they eat their own shed. The only thing you have to worry about is stuck shed. This can happen because your environment is too dry and can cause many health effects. If your gecko does have stuck shed it is best to gently remove it because if it is not moved it can cut off blood flow and potentially cause a lost extremity. The only other thing would be tail loss. Your gecko can drop its tail for a number of reasons. Most of the cases end up being random and for seemingly no reason. When your gecko drops its tail there is no reason for panic. It will heal off and be completely fine. But it is important to note that the tail will not grow back. Finally onto the summary. Every day you will need to mist the enclosure once in the morning and once in the evening. Every other day you will need to mix up a new food for the food dish. Once a week you will need to remove all the poo from the cage and make sure your gecko does not have stuck shed. Every other month you will need to do a deep clean of the cage and clean all decor and replace substrate.