What's so unique about Crested Gecko's?
Crested geckos come in many unique patterns and colors. They have sticky feet and can climb almost anything. Crested Geckos can also jump like frogs. They do not have eyelids and will lick their eyes instead of blinking. Crested Gecko's feel very soft like suede.
Are they easy to care for?
Crested geckos are one of the easiest lizards to care for. They are versatile and hardy. Crested gecko can be kept in simple cages or naturalistic terrariums and do not require an additional heating or lighting. They do not require live food if you feed Repashy's complete diet.
What kind of cage do they need?
Crested geckos can be kept in aquariums or screened cages at room temperature (65-80 degrees). They are arboreal so height is better then width. Vines, branches and plants are important for climbing, jumping and sleeping. One adult should not be kept in anything smaller then a 20 gallon high tank or equivalent. The cage should be heavily misted once every night. A small water bowl should be kept in the cage at all times. You can use a variety or substrates however; I recommend using paper towels to avoid the gecko accidentally ingesting some substrate, becoming impacted and dying.
What do they eat?
Allen Repashy has formulated two diets to provide the essential nutrients that crested gecko’s need.
MRP Complete Diet was developed to eliminate the need to feed insects. It is a balanced diet that provides all the vitamins and minerals crested geckos needs.
MRP Two Part Diet consists of two parts. Part A contains all the essential nutrients. Part B contains the nectar that comes in several flavors. Most people who use this diet find that their geckos love the flavors and variety that can be provided. It can be mixed in two different ratios depending on if you want to feed insects. If you want to feed insects: Mix two new equal sized bags of Base and Nectar together dry and keep in the refrigerator for future use. Insects (crickets or feeder roaches) dusted with a calcium supplement such as Minerall should be offered every 3 days. The insects should be no bigger then the distance from the geckos nose to it's eyes. If you do not want to feed insects: Mix 60% of the base with 40% of the nectar by weights (you will need a gram scale to do this accurately) together dry and keep in the refrigerator for future use.
Repashy MRP can be purchased from Gecko Greatness.
Insects need to be dusted with a good calcium supplement.
How easy are they to handle?
Crested Geckos are one of the most handle able lizards. You should introduce your gecko to handling a little at a time, 5 minutes per day for the first week weeks to get your geckos to become used to you and less jumpy. Most people use the "hand walking" method. Place one hand directly out in front of the gecko allow him to jump or walk from hand to hand. Crested Geckos can drop their tail if handled improperly and they do not grow back.
How do I tell if I have a male or female?
Adult males have bulges at the base of their tails and females do not. Most crested geckos can not be visually sexed until about 15 grams.
Male Female
A jeweler's loop can be used at about 7 grams to look for pores; a male will have pores and a female will not. Males must not be kept together as they will fight. Females can be kept together, however it is important to watch for any bullying or fighting. Do no keep geckos together that have more then 2 grams in weight difference.
