General Information
Crested Geckos (Rhacodactylus ciliatus) are native to New Caledonia and a few of the small surrounding islands. Crested Geckos
are mainly arboreal (tree dwellers) and will spend only a little time on the ground. Rhacodactylus ciliatus is considered
a polymorphic species. Body coloration and pattern is quite variable, and it seems that the morphs and patterns are limitless.
And so finding a Crested that you like shouldn't be a hard task. They are available in all kinds of different colour morphs
such as:
Fire
Banana
Dalmation
Ghost
as stated the list is endless.
These geckos are nocturnal and will seek out hiding places in the branches and near the ground to sleep during the day. These
geckos feed on both insects and fruits, and in most cases can be kept at room temperature.
The crested gecko's ease of care, unusual appearance, and unlimited breeding potential, has helped contributed to their popularity
and has brought the Crested Gecko to the forefront of the herpetology community.
Housing
Crested Geckos can be maintained in simple hygienic conditions or even in naturalistic vivariums. Hatchlings to four month
old Crested Geckos can be housed singly in 10 gallon aquariums. Four month old to adult Crested Geckos should be housed in
a 20 gallon tall aquarium or larger. Three adult Crested Geckos can be comfortably housed in a 29 gallon aquarium. Hatchlings,
newly acquired animals, and sick animals should be housed in simple cages. These simple cages should contain plenty of climbing
branches, some artificial foliage for cover, newspaper or paper towel substrate, and a small water dish. The cage should be
kept particularly clean during quarantine. All Crested Geckos should be lightly misted with water once every evening as they
will do best with moderate humidity.
Naturalistic vivariums can be quite a visual spectacle and will add a new dimension to the keeping of captive reptiles. Crested
Geckos are an ideal candidate for a naturalistic cage setup. I recommend coconut husk type bedding. This bedding should be
used dry if your Crested Geckos are breeding, so that they do not lay their eggs in it. Provide a separate container (5" X
5") of moist coconut husk in the cage for egg laying geckos. Hide the egg laying container by using a slab of cork bark to
conceal it. Live plants can be used in the enclosure but care must be taken to prevent eggs from being laid in the pots. The
best solution to this is to place a one to two inch layer of very course stones over the soil, these stones should be large
enough that they cannot be ingested! Plants that can be used include any species of ficus, pothos, or philodendron. Cork bark
and bamboo sections provide excellent climbing surfaces. Use your imagination and be creative, that is the key to enjoying
a naturalistic vivarium.
Temperature, heating, and lighting
Temperatures for crested geckos should be maintained between 72 and 82 degrees for most of the year. At temperatures of 85
degrees or warmer, crested geckos will become stressed, which could lead to illness or death. A two month cooling period is
recommended to allow breeding crested geckos to rest. During this period temperatures should be kept at 65 to 70 degrees.
A photo period of 12 to 14 hours of light is appropriate for most of the year, with 10 hours of light being appropriate during
the cooling period. Lighting is most easily achieved with the use of fluorescent tubes placed directly on the cage top. This
will facilitate both the requirements of the geckos and the live plants within the enclosure. UV lighting is implemented by
some breeders and reduces the amount of vitamin D3 supplementation that is necessary. I have found this to be unnecessary
as long as an adequate amount of calcium and vitamin D3 is included as part of the gecko's diet; More on that in the diet
and feeding section.
In most situations room temperature is adequate for crested geckos, as long as the temperatures stay within 70 to 82 degrees.
If temperatures cannot be kept in this range, a nocturnal red or blue heat light can be suspended above the cage for 24 hour
heat. This type of light also allows for night viewing of your geckos. Geckos are not disturbed by this wavelength of light
so it will not interrupt their photo period. Ceramic infrared heaters have also been used successfully; however these do not
provide any visible light, making it difficult to view the geckos when they are most active.
TEMPERATURE RELATIVE HUMIDITY
F C percent
January 78.4 25.8 77
February 78.9 26.1 79
March 77.9 25.5 78
April 74.8 23.8 78
May 72.1 22.3 77
June 69.8 21.0 76
July 67.8 19.9 75
August 68.1 20.1 74
September 69.4 20.8 73
October 72.1 22.3 72
November 75.0 23.9 73
December 77.1 25.1 74
Diet and Feeding
Crested geckos feed on a variety of insects and fruits. Crickets, wax worms, small beetles, and other similar insects can
be offered. Hatchling crested geckos should be offered 10-14 day old (1/8 inch) crickets every other day. Juvenile and adult
crested geckos should be offered appropriate size insects twice weekly. Offer insects that are no larger than the distance
between the geckos eyes, however adults can eat items that are slightly larger than this.
Fruit baby food should be offered twice weekly for hatchlings to juvenile geckos and 3-4 times weekly for adults. The preferred
flavours are apricot, peach, apple, and banana; however other types will be consumed. This mixture can be spiked with a sprinkle
of both spirulina and bee pollen once a week. Spirulina and bee pollen are nutrient dense.
super-foods that will enhance the nutritional value of the baby food. Both can be purchased at health food stores in the form
of powder.
You will need to supplement the diet of your crested gecko with a calcium and vitamin D3 powder. I recommend Nutrabal. Hatchlings
and juveniles should have their crickets dusted with this powder twice weekly. Sprinkle a small amount into their baby food
once a week as well. Breeding adults should have their crickets dusted every other feeding and their baby food sprinkled every
other feeding. Make sure the calcium supplement you use does not contain any phosphorus.
Vitamin supplementation is recommended for hatchling to adult crested geckos. Use a multi-vitamin made for reptiles and dust
the insects with it once weekly.
Feeding your insects a high quality diet prior to offering them to you geckos is one of the best ways to prevent any nutritional
deficiencies. This practice is known as gut-loading. Offer insects fruits and vegetables, grains, or even purposely made cricket
foods such as Bug Grub. Crickets will eat almost anything so offer a variety and your geckos will benefit greatly.
Breeding
Breeding crested geckos is as simple as having a healthy adult pair together. When kept properly, breeding is inevitable.
The cooling period helps to turn off the egg laying and give the females a break, but is not necessary to induce breeding.
As many as four females can be kept with each male.
An egg laying container should be placed in the cage. The container should be 5" X 5" X 3" and should contain moist coconut
husk bedding. A piece of cork bark works well to conceal the container and make the female comfortable laying her eggs. Eggs
should be removed within 24 hours or they may begin to dry out. The eggs should be placed in an airtight container with 2
inches of slightly moistened (3 parts water to 4 parts substrate-by weight) vermiculite, perlite, or a mixture of the two.
The top should be removed at least twice a week for ventilation and to check on the eggs. I keep the eggs at a constant 78
degrees and they hatch in about 60-90 days. Eggs have been hatched at a variety of temperatures ranging from 72 to 80 degrees.
I would recommend incubating somewhere in between.
Caresheet Courtesy of Ray Curtis @
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