Crested Gecko
Rhacodactylus ciliatus
Housing
& Substrate:
The minimum
enclosure for one adult Crested Gecko is a twenty gallon tall tank. They can not be housed in a plastic, cardboard, or
wooden box. Add ten gallons per every extra Gecko. Appropriate substrates include; reptile carpet, newspaper, paper towels,
compressed coconut fiber, shelf liner, and tile.
Humidity
& Water:
The humidity
can be maintained by misting the enclosure at least 3 times daily, providing a reptile fogger, reptile mister, or water drop
mechanism. The ideal humidity should be kept between 50% and 80% to low or two high can cause medical problems. Your Gecko
will drink up the droplets left on the leaves and decorations in the enclosure after misting. You also need to provide a small
shallow water dish for drinking and bathing. Replace the water daily.
Temperature
& Lighting:
The enclosure
needs to be kept between 75˙F (24˙C) and 80˙F (27˙C) during the day and between 70˙F (21˙C)
and 75˙F (24˙C) at night and a basking temperature (near the heat light) of 82˙F. Don't let the tank get over
that temperature as it can be dangerous. These lizards only because they
are nocturnal do not need UV lighting, however supplying it will not do any harm and actually brings out the intense
and bright colors.
Feeding
& Supplements:
Juveniles
and adults can eat a staple of crickets (no bigger then the space between their eyes) with a variety of butter worms, super
worms, and silk worms. They are omniverous and should also be fed a fruit baby food mix. Or CGD diet
which is a food item created to substitute the need for crickets although hunting is more natural and better
for them. Adults and juveniles need to be fed daily. Dust the crickets and other insects with a calcium/multivitamin
supplement. This is crucial to your pet’s health and needs to be done to all food items every other feeding. Dust the
insects with a calcium/D3 supplement at least once a month. (NO SUPPLEMENTS NEEDED IF THEY ARE FED THE CGD MIXTURE IT
ALREADY HAS NEEDED SUPPLEMENTS too much is not good)
Gender:
Adult (about
6 months of age) males have post anal hemipenile bulges located near the vent (anal opening). There will be
two of them located side by side with an indent in the middle. Females will have one large bump or no bulge at all. *The white
spur near the vent is not an adequete way to tell the gender both female and male can have these)
Shopping
List / Minimum Requirements:
- An enclosure as mentioned above with a screen
lid
- Plenty of fake or real plants and branches logs
and other items to climb on
- A couple of hiding places
- A heat lamp, or a ceramic heat emitter (this
basking light should be outside of the enclosure so the Gecko does not get
burned)
- A digital Hygrometer (humidity gauge)
- A digital Thermometer (the stick on plastic dials
can be up to 20 degrees inaccurate )
- A reptile mister (spray/mist bottle for water)
or a water drip mechanism
- A small water dish
- Substrate (above)
- A nocturnal /red heat
bulb or a ceramic heat emitter to maintain night time temperatures
Not
Appropriate:
There are
many items that Crested Geckos should not have. Heat Rocks and Heat Caves can severely burn your lizard’s
stomach and feet and should be avoided for all lizards. The only advantage to using a Heat Pad is to keep the substrate warm
for humidity purposes they use over head heat not ground heat to stay warm. Do not use any Sand, Gravel, or Repti-Bark substrates. Do not feed mealworms, their hard exoskeleton can easily cause impaction they are
also very low in nutrients and aren’t healthy for your pet.
Other
Information:
They are
usually about 8 inches long. They can live 15-20 years if kept properly in captivity.
They should
not be handled and aren’t for young kids. They don’t play and should remain in their enclosure unless its time
to clean it out. Never house two males together they can become territorial and fight sometimes to the death
