WORK IN PROGRESS
Essentials: Enclosure with ventilation, substrate (paper towel or bioactive), climbing structure such as branches, bendy vines, cork bark or pool noodles, non dyed fabric or felt foliage – fake or live plants covering the majority of the enclosure. Misting bottle, food and food and water dishes. Horizontal perch towards the top of the enclosure and multiple climbing areas and hiding places.
Recommended: Digital thermometer/ hydrometer, digital kitchen scale to weight your gecko if you want to keep track of weight. Some of my geckos like to sleep in hanging coconuts others like the suction frog soap dishes off Amazon.
If you need a conversation kit for a fish tank I recommend: I ❤️ Geckos.
Temperatures: Daytime 70-78 Nights they can tolerate as low as 68 degrees. Humidity should fluctuate between 50-90% evening spike then allow to dry out during the day. I mist leaves and wall on one side of the cage and never mist paper towels.
*If it’s too wet it can cause respiratory/bacterial issues, skin infections and mold.
I feed every two to three days a variety of Pangea and other brands. I normally mix two at a time. The red bag with bugs being a huge hit for picky eaters. I do offer crickets, dubias or appropriate size mealworms once or twice a week dusted with calcium with D3 and make sure they have a full clean water bowl every day.
For baby crested gecko I recommend a plastic tub lined with a paper towel. Very easy to clean and a good way to monitor poop. The container should have vents in the front and back. Inside I put a deli cup with damp moss in it, cork bark which helps with the shedding process/hiding and a vine with leaves so your new addition can have plenty of places hide and feel safe. I usually add a piece of a pool noodle cut in half which provides another hiding place. I always provide fresh water daily and food bowl. Having a baby on paper towels will help you see if they poop which means they are eating and adjusting. A smaller enclosure for a baby will allow them to find food easier.
If you have a subadult or adult crested gecko they will need a larger enclosure with plenty of hanging vines from the top of the enclosure down. I also put in large branches to provide vertical and horizontal surfaces so they have plenty of places to climb, relax and feel safe. .
Cleaning dishes – I keep two sets and rotate. There are many ways to clean since I don’t have a lot this is what I do. I soak my dishes in CLEAR and fragrant free dish soap to help loosen up any dried food then clean in the sink. Here is one example.
Your new gecko may not eat initially and that’s ok! I had one come to me that didn’t eat for almost three weeks. Scared me to death. Eventually, he settled in and decided to eat. A smaller enclosure could help as too much space can be stressful, a couple crickets can stimulate hunting or I have dabbed food on the nose once and they will lick it off. I do not hand feed my geckos food or bugs. It’s very important they eat on their own and healthy geckos will not starve. I use a small ceramic bug bowl for bearded dragons that can be found on Amazon. It’s great for mealworms and small dubis. Once dubis get to be medium sized they can climb on each other and get out. Then I just toss them in and let them hunt. It’s more fun anyway!
Crested geckos are most active in the morning and evening but I do have a few who are active throughout the day and curious about everything. The more you handle them in short sessions the easier they will get. Geckos like to jump so if you are nervous or your gecko is jumpy get on the ground and hand walk so if they decide to jump it won’t be a far fall. We work with our crested geckos every week so they will make good pets. Some have more personality than others which is fun so see and hope others enjoy. Special personalities will be listed on ones we have available.
I recommend the following sites as a reliable source of information from people who have been in our community for quite a while.
The Gecko Pod https://youtoube.com/@thegeckopod
LIL MONSTERS REPTILES
TIKIS GECKOS on TikTok has great videos
