Reptiles

What kind of crested gecko are you looking to buy? One of the most common subjects that comes up is the difference between pet crested geckos and breeder crested geckos. What is the difference? In the breeding world of crested geckos, there are certain standards no matter what morph or traits you work with. Breeders look for wide heads, certain pinning, a nice dorsal and linage. You might be looking for a gecko as a pet and stumble upon a listing for a 600$ gecko. I would never pay that much money for a lizard! Well if that is your reaction then this gecko is most likely not directed at you. People who pay those amounts are paying for the linage, time, and money that went into producing that high quality animal. Pet geckos are not “lesser” geckos, they are just not best to use when it comes to breeding. Either direction you decide to go, if you fall in love with a gecko out of your budget remember that most breeders do offer payment plans! This is a plan that usually requires a down payment and then payments after, until you have fully paid it off. Remember communication is so important, so if something comes up do not be afraid to talk to the breeder. Most are more than willing to work with you!

Most people will tell you to buy an adult crested gecko because they are easier to take care of or even a juvie because it is more established. To be honest the only difference is that the babies are more susceptible to dehydration and skin problems. This is only because some people will either mist too much or too little. All you have to do is mist once and then again 24 hours later because they do need that dry out period. I love babies! Watching them grow and seeing how crazy their progression can be is just something many people miss out on when they purchase older geckos. Also babies are almost always priced lower compared to their value as adults. Remember that red and dals are the geckos that are showers and not growers!

It is best to have the enclosure set up before they get home. It takes a while for them to settle in, most will tell you 2 weeks until you try to handle. There are two different ways you can go about it : bio-active or artificial enclosures.
Bio Active means an all natural self sustaining set up. The basis being you need a drainage layer, screen, eco dirt, isopods/springtails, moss and leaf litter. They are aesthetically pleasing and be as elaborate as you want! The pros are you never need to clean and the plants help keep the humidity up. You can set them up in exo terras, converted aquarium tanks, or acrylic enclosures. The standard size for an adult crested gecko is a 18x18x18.

Babies: 6qt or shoe box size tub
Juvie: 20qt sized tub
Adult: 64qts and up

Housing geckos together is mostly frowned upon because of problems of aggression, it’s harder to keep track of their feeding habits and defecation (these help you keep track of their health) and possible infection if one happens to have something such as parasites. There are exceptions to the rules of people who have housed females successfully or even left there parings together all year, but these are very much exceptions.

Crested geckos need humidity to keep hydrated and have safe sheds, but they also need a dry off period so that they don’t get skin conditions and respiratory problems. This is maintained by misting the enclosure and then allowing it to dry out before misting again. This is very important with babies because dehydration can set in very fast. They will lick water off of foliage but need access to water at all times. I use bottle caps for babies and 1 ounce containers for adults.

Most people think that crested geckos are nocturnal, it is being thought of now as more crepuscular, or active at times of dawn and dusk. They do need 12-14 hours of light which can be given by filtered light through a window. When it comes to UVB lighting, you can use it but it is not required; if it is used you cannot go over 80 degrees, and should be used in a limited 4-6 hours a day. Take very special care to not overheat your crested gecko.

I cannot stress how important it is that you do not feed your crested geckos baby food as a primary source of food. This leads to MBD (metabolic bone disorder) and it is irreversible.

Crested geckos do very well on CDG or crested gecko diet. There are many different types such as Pangea Complete, BPZ, and Repashy. I like to use a Pangea. It is always good to change it up because sometimes a crested gecko will be picky, so you might have to find out which one is best for your geckos. Make sure to follow instructions when mixing the powder with water. Too much water and it will evaporate, too little and it will harden before you can replace it two days later. It should look like the consistency of ketchup. This mixture can be put into small plastic one ounce cups or you can also use appropriate sized plastic bottle tops.
You can also give your crested gecko live gut loaded insects such as crickets or roaches as a treat once a week , but keep in mind that they must primarily eat a crested gecko diet. I like to feed discoids since they do not smell, can not climb, and can not reproduce if they happen to get out unless your house is a constant 85 degrees and up. Make sure you dust with calcium before you feed. I find that most younger geckos will take them easy and older ones might shy away.

At some point in time you may want to purchase another gecko so make sure to quarantine this gecko or keep it away from your other ones for a max of a month. Make sure to check for signs of illness or parasites or anything else that may pass to your geckos. Also as cute as they are, let them accommodate for 2 weeks before picking them up. They may lose weight from being stressed in a new environment, but soon they will be at home and ready to be handled. Remember that they are fast and can run out of your hand and like to jump, sometimes at the same time, so take care when handling. Also if they get spooked they may drop their tail as a defense mechanism and this tail WILL NOT grow back. Use your better judgment, I have geckos that tolerate handling really well and others will not let me touch them. They all have their own personalities which is one of the many reason I love crested geckos.