Are you thinking about becoming a proud owner of a beautiful crested gecko or few? But is crested gecko a good pet? In this post, we will discuss if crested geckos make good pets, if they are right for you, pros and cons, what you will need to keep crested geckos and more.
Crested gecko as a pet – pros
1. Small tank size
Crested geckos are small and do not need much space – a 40 gallon tank for a single adult crested gecko is sufficient. For example, a 18x18x24 Exo Terra tank (around 33 gallons) would be suitable for 1 crested geckos.
For up to 12 months old (around 10-15 grams) you can keep your crested gecko in a smaller 6-10 gallon Kritter Keeper or a small terrarium like this.
Generally, 20 gallons per each extra crested geckos will provide lots of space, and 15 gallons is the bare minimum (not recommended at all!). Please note that crested geckos require vertical cages for climbing.
2. Adult crested geckos can live together
While you should not keep hatchling, baby or juvenile crested geckos together, you can keep adults together successfully. This is because smaller crested geckos will cause each other stress and will compete for food and space.
Once crested geckos reach 20 grams (can be between 1-2 years old), they can generally live together. However, you must not house males together. The best ratio is 1 male and 1-2 females or few females together.
Once again, make sure to watch females and male crested geckos during the breeding season. If a male causes stress to a female, you will need to separate them.
3. Most crested geckos are friendly
The first 1-3 weeks after you bring your new crested gecko home will be stressful for the gecko. You will need to mostly leave it alone and to let it acclimate. This is normal with most reptiles, though.
After your crested gecko gets used to its new home and you start handling it regularly, it will become tolerant of handling. Younger crested geckos are quite flighty and jumpy, but with age, they calm down more. Especially if you handle your crested gecko regularly, at least few times a week.
You can read how to handle and bond with your crested gecko here.
4. Crested geckos don’t require complicated setups
Crested geckos do not require specialized reptile UVB lighting, if any at all. Also, you might not need to heat the your crested gecko’s tank if the room temperature is optimal!
Crested geckos are fine with natural daylight. Approximately 75 degrees in the warm side and 68-70 F in the cool side are very ideal for a crested gecko. You can still have low UVB (5.0) lighting in your crested gecko’s tank for extra D3 production.
If you need to light the tank, you might use a big range of bulbs – natural daylight, full-spectrum or fluorescent lights are all suitable.
5. Simple diet
Most people, especially those new to reptiles, tend to choose crested geckos because or their simple diets. The thing is, crested geckos can be fed only a crested gecko diet (CGD), which is nutritionally balanced and suitable for your crested gecko. This is a food in a powder form, which is mixed with water and offered to your crested gecko.
While it is beneficial to offer feeder insects to your crested gecko once or twice a week, it’s not mandatory if you cannot have bugs in your home.
There are even crested gecko diets that have crushed insects added to them. But the main reason to offer bugs would be to promote hunting instincts.
Few of the most reputable brands for crested gecko food are Pangea and Repashy. Of course there are other brands, too. So feeding your crested gecko only with CGD is possible.
6. Beautiful looks
Crested geckos are just beautiful! They look like small dragons from fairy tales and books. Crested geckos have stunning eyes with small lashes, beautiful feet with sticky pads, silky skin and a long tail!
Even if a crested gecko drops its tail, it would not interfere with its lifestyle in any way (but it won’t grow back).
7. Lots of various morphs available
This deserves a separate point. There are so many beautiful crested gecko morphs that will make you want more and more crested geckos!
Most crested gecko owners start with one crested gecko and then get more, not even depending on a morph. Crested geckos are just too cute to stop at one.
You can find a post about crested gecko morphs here.
8. Good availability
Crested geckos are widely available as pets for purchase or adoption. It is not hard to find a crested gecko that you would like. Morphs might cost a bit more, but in general, crested geckos are not expensive to buy and free to adopt.
9. Long-living and quite hardy
Crested geckos have a lifespan of around 10-20 years in captivity. If you provide proper care, your crested gecko will live for 15 and even up to 20 years.
Crested geckos are also quite hardy and don’t often suffer from too many problems if kept correctly. If you are planning to keep a crested gecko, please pay a lot of attention to cage humidity (not too high or low), make sure heating and lighting is sufficient and etc.
If feeding live bugs, make sure to gut-load them for 1 day before offering. Also dust with supplements. Calcium, vitamin D3 and other mineral and vitamin deficiency can slowly kill your crested geckos.
Read all about crested gecko’s diet – including foods and supplements in this post.
10. Easy to breed
Crested geckos are quite easy to breed. They start showing breeding interest at the age of 18-24 months, depending on growth rate.
Crested gecko cons
1. Crested geckos are small
If you would like a reptile that has a large solid body, then a crested gecko is not one of them. Crested geckos are very small and might be challenging to hold properly without stressing out to crush it. Adult crested geckos often reach 30-55 grams.
This especially applies to baby crested geckos. You should avoid handling a crested gecko under 10 grams too much (up to 10-12 months old). Crested geckos are also jumpy, especially young ones.
You will need to be either confident or handle your crested gecko when sitting down or in a safe zone to prevent escapes and falls from heights.
2. Crested geckos are crepuscular
If you would like a pet lizard that is active during the day, then a crested gecko is not one of them. Crested geckos are crepuscular – which means that they become active towards the late evening.
But good news is, crested geckos are not loud at night. They can chirp and make few noises while moving around, but that should not be a problem.
3. Some crested geckos can become aggressive
Most crested geckos are docile and friendly, but sometimes, they can suddenly become aggressive. While aggressive crested gecko’s bites and open mouth gaping will be more for scaring and not likely to draw blood, it can still become an issue. It might affect handling and your crested gecko’s general well-being.
There are different reasons why a crested gecko might turn angry, for example breeding period, setup change and more. While most of the time it passes, some crested geckos stay aggressive for months on.
You can read more on why crested geckos become aggressive in this post.
4. Crested geckos are sensitive to heat and other factors
Crested geckos require warm conditions to live in, and a temperature gradient from warm to cool is mandatory. If there is no temperature gradient in the tank, crested gecko can quickly overheat and die!
Same goes to humidity – make sure it’s not always high during the day, you will need to let the tank dry for few hours before misting again. Crested geckos require misting 1-2 times a day.
Humidity should be around 65-75% during the day, with a morning period dropping to 50% and rising up to 85-90% just after misting. Provide the heaviest misting towards the evening.
Changing of the tank, location, accessories and more can also make your crested gecko stressed. However, most pet lizards react to any changes. Make sure they are not all sudden.
Read all about crested gecko stress signs and factors in this post.
5. Crested gecko can easily drop its tail
Crested geckos can get easily scared if you make any sudden moves. This can result in a tail drop. There are many reasons why crested geckos can drop their tail. Sometimes a crested gecko can even drop its tail without a valid reason.
But do not worry – a crested gecko without a tail can live a long happy life and it won’t affect anything. For the first few days, your crested gecko will be getting used to climbing and gripping without a tail, but that’s all about it. Most crested geckos in the wild live without a tail, and it’s normal.
You can read about crested gecko tail drop reasons and prevention in this post.
Thanks for reading this post! If you have decided to get a crested gecko, you can find tips on choosing a healthy crested gecko, finding out the sex, and where to buy one in this post.