Guardian Geckos

 

Location :

 

• Crested geckos are originally from New Caledonia (a group of islands between Fiji and Australia). Crested geckos are ideal reptile pets for beginners, with simple, easy- to-meet requirements. Crested geckos were once considered among the rarest lizards in captivity. Today crested geckos are bred in large numbers and have become standard in the pet industry.

 

Size & Life Span :

 

• Both male and female crested geckos reach a moderate size of 4 to 4.5 inches snout-to-vent length, and 8 inches in total length. Under proper care, plan for your crested gecko to live 15 to 20 years.

 

Cage Setup :

 

• Crested Geckos do well in either a simple, hygienic cage, or an elaborate, naturalistic setup. If your purpose is to display them, you may want to take a naturalistic approach.

• In the wild, these geckos live in rainforests. They can be found both on the ground or high in the tree canopy. It is very important to give them similar conditions in captivity. This includes a substrate of peat moss, coco-fiber, cypress mulch, or other bedding that will keep the humidity high. Also, include hiding and perching places such as clean branches, driftwood, corkbark, and live or artificial plants. 20 gallon tall tanks are perfect for single geckos or pairs. 29 gallons and larger cages are need for larger groups.

• There are many types of reptile-specific cages on the market as well. Be sure to choose one that is tall so the geckos will have vertical space to climb and that has enough ventilation for good humidity circulation.

• If you plan to keep large numbers of geckos, you may want to try a simple, easy maintenance setup. The substrate can be newspaper or paper towel. Cardboard tubes, PVC pipe, and cardboard egg crates can be used as hiding places. A small plastic box with moist peat moss and a small entry hole cut in the lid can be used as a humid hiding place or egg deposition site.

• Baby crested geckos are best housed in large plastic terrariums or in standard (20-inch) 10-gallon reptile tanks with a screen top.

 

Temperature :

 

• Crested geckos are one of very few reptile species that thrive in virtually the same temperature range that humans also find comfortable. Crested geckos are best maintained at room temperature. Fluctuating temperatures of 70-80F (21-26°C) are preferred, although they can withstand night time temperature drops into the 60's (15°C).

• At temperatures above 80-82F (26-28°C) , smaller crested geckos will start to lose their appetite, become stressed and their overall health will decline. Exposure to temperatures above 85F (29°C) for even a few hours can be lethal for crested geckos, especially hatchlings. At extremely high temperatures, they may begin to exhibit neurological symptoms (drop their tails, etc.) and death can occur rather quickly.

• If I could pick a ideal temperature. I would say 73 to 77F (22-25°C) , depending on age, with freshly hatched babies being kept around 72-75F (22-24°C).

 

Humidity :

 

• Humidity isn't a huge issue with crested geckos, but a lack of humidity and/or hydration can cause shedding difficulty. We generally like to keep the humidity around or slightly above 50%. This is very easy to maintain in most homes by a quick misting or two every day/evening when the furnace or air conditioner are running.

• Low humidity will usually result in a gecko not being able to stick to smooth surfaces. I misted my geckos to keep the air humid enough in the winter. With the furnace or space heaters running, humidity will dip to 20% if it gets really cold outside. To combat this, i started providing our younger geckos with a "humid hide", which is basically a smaller version of the nest box that we give to breeding adults.

• Water should always be available for crested geckos in a shallow water dish.

 

Light & UVB :

 

• Crested geckos are nocturnal and from a forest habitat, so adding lights is not necessary. In the wild they will usually hide when the lights are on, but they may expose some of their body to absorb some of the UV rays emitted by the bulb during daylight hours.They do great with just the ambient light in the room. If you would like to light your gecko's enclosure, be sure that the light bulb doesn't make the cage temperature too warm.

• Crested geckos will do fine without any UV or full-spectrum lighting. However, it can't hurt, and there are some health benefits to it.

• Contrary to what the guy at the pet store tells you, they do not require UVB light if fed a diet that contains Vitamin D3. (Most well known diets are full diets, example Pangea Complete & Clarks)

• It's okay to have a red/blue ledlight on at night for youre pleasure but turn off when you sleep.

 

Diet & Feeding :

 

• My geckos are fed 3 times per week with Pangea Compleet or Clarks. (diffrent flavors).The diet is allowed to remain 24 to 36 hours before removal, feed them every other night.

• In the weekend i give them calcium/vitamin/mineral-dusted crickets. Any more than that and your geckos will having you throwing away more food than they actually eat.

• Feel free to give them a treat once in a while (do not overindulge on this cause it's as a candy and is not a full diet they need) by making a fruit smoothie, it's a mixture of blended fruits such as banana, peach, apricot, mango, pear,...(no citrus fruit!)

 

Sexing :

 

• Crested Gecko cannot be accurately sexed until about 5 months of age and about 15 grams in weight. At that time, males develop large hemipenal bulges at the base of their tails. Females have a slight bulge or none at all. You also need to check for pores to be 100% if its a male or female, you wil need a loupe with intigrated ledlight to look between the cresties legs above the vent.

• If you see a horizontal row of dots into the scales you have a male if you see nothing you will have a female, you will see it clearly on some and harder on others. Crested geckos are sexually mature when 15 to 18 months of age, and at a weight of approximately 30 grams for males and 40 grams for females.

 

Handling :

 

• Crested geckos tend to be fairly easy to handle. However newly purchased crested geckos should not be handled, but first allowed to settle in for about three weeks to let them adjust to their new environment and to make sure they regularly feed. When you start handling make handling sessions short, there are some individuals that are flighty and may try to bite though it is seldom but when they do it is of little consequence. A quick nip and let go. Cresteds will allow gentle handling several times a week. Baby crested geckos tend to be flighty and can be injured in the course of handling. Rough handling is stressful and may cause them to drop their tail, tails will not re-grow if it is lost.