Crested Gecko


Rhacodactylus ciliatus


15-20 years


8 - 10 inches


Daytime- 75-80 degrees F





These little geckos are arboreal (tree dwelling) and nocturnal (most active at night). They are from Caledonia. They were once thought extinct until re-discovered in 1994 and have been popular in the pet trade ever since.


“Cresties”, as they are affectionately called, do not have eyelids. They use their long tongues to lick their eyeballs to clear them of debris. They are named for the crest that runs from their “eyelashes”, down their backs to their tails. These “cresties” have the famous sticky feet that allow them to walk up and down glass without effort. The pads of their feet are actually made up of thousands of tiny, microscopic hairs.


Crested geckos are sweet, docile creatures. They can be tamed and handled; however, handlers must be careful they do not jump off the hand and into danger. They are excellent jumpers. Cresties will drop their tails (lose them) when trying to escape a predator, because of stress, or from constriction from un-shed skin. Crested gecko tails do not grow back. Cresties can also change their color from light to dark in order to camouflage properly.

NOTE: Crested geckos can be housed together, but never two males in the same cage. One male and two females or three females (three lizards total) can be housed comfortably in a 29-gallon enclosure. DO NOT house crested geckos with other species due to the differences in care, temperatures, and the fact that some species can be highly stressed in the presence of other species.


Omnivorous; eats both live prey and fruit.

CRESTED GECKO DIET (CGD): Commercially available crested gecko diet is a powdered meal replacement that is mixed with water to form a paste. Give this to your gecko every day to every other day. It contains nutrients that the gecko needs along with a good balance of supplements. Place a dish of the diet in the enclosure at night and remove it in the morning.

PROTEIN: The crested gecko protein source is gut-loaded crickets dusted with a supplement powder. Wild caught insects should never be fed, since they can carry disease. All insects should be gut loaded (fed a nutritious diet about 24-hours before being offered to your lizard - see our cricket care sheet). Be careful to feed the proper size prey for your gecko. A good rule of thumb is that a cricket should be never be larger than the distance between the lizard's eyes, or the distance from its eyes to its nose.

Adults should be given 4-6 crickets 2-3 times a week. All uneaten insects should be removed from the enclosure as they can bite your lizard and cause injury, especially to the eyes.


FRUIT: Cresties also need fresh mashed fruit to balance the diet. Do not feed baby food, as this often contains too much sugar. Try apricots, mangoes, bananas and peaches. You can alternate fruit and crickets on opposing days.







The crested gecko diet that you purchase should have a good balance of vitamins and minerals, specific to the crested gecko’s needs. Be sure to buy a quality diet. It should contain calcium and vitamin D3. If you follow the directions above for feeding your crestie, s/he should get all the nutrients s/he needs.





  • A 29 gallon fish tank or reptile tank is perfect for 1-3 crested geckos.
  • Large light dome and 75 watt bulb for heat.
  • Dry hide house, may want to include more than one.
  • Coconut fiber substrate.
  • Large water bowl big enough to soak and swim in.
  • Fluorescent UVB Bulb and housing.



ENCLOSURE SIZE:The enclosure should be a solid glass sided tank long enough to create the two separate temperature gradients (warm and cool); a crested gecko tank should be at least 29-gallon or larger for 3 adults. A 20 gallon HIGH tank will be a large enough enclosure for one adult.





***Although your gecko will most likely NOT spend much time on the floor of the enclosure, the heat pad will help contribute to the overall humidity and ambient temperature of the enclosure.








SUBSTRATE:We recommend a loose coconut fiber substrate, available in the reptile department and made by several companies. It is made from the husks of coconuts. This substrate is ideal for crested geckos, as it will help hold humidity in and is perfect for plants. Keep the substrate slightly damp, but not watery. Placing large, smooth pebbles over the surface of the bedding will prevent the gecko from picking up and consuming the coconut fiber when hunting prey. Paper towels and newspaper are often used for a cage lining as well. If “reptile carpeting” is used, it MUST be kept extremely clean. The carpeting can foster the growth of bacteria and fungus, which can in turn be very dangerous to your pet. If you insist on using the carpet, purchase two so you can interchange them regularly.

BRANCHES & PLANTS:Crested geckos love to climb, and additionally must have a basking area on the warm side of the tank. Choose branches that your geckos can climb on safely and lie on comfortably. The basking area can consist of branches and a platform positioned under the basking light so the gecko sits about six inches under the lamp. Sand blasted grape vine branches are available in the pet store, these serve as good sturdy climbing branches. Be careful of bringing in branches from outside, as they can house parasites. Live plants can help increase the humidity in your gecko enclosure. Be sure to include only reptile safe plants such as pothos, aloe, philodendrons, spider plants, ficus, and dracenae. They can be planted directly into the enclosure substrate.

TEMPERATURES:Cage temperatures should be monitored daily and kept at the temperatures listed at the top of this page. Use your reptile thermometer to check the temperatures in different places in the cage regularly to make sure they continually match the listed proper temperatures. * If the room temperature falls below 70 degrees at night, a supplemental infrared or ceramic heat fixture may be necessary. (These fixtures do not emit a light spectrum that is visible to the lizard, so it will not disturb him at night, but they WILL provide the necessary supplemental heat.) If your gecko does not receive the proper heat at the proper temperatures, he may become sick with issues such as respiratory disease and may stop eating, as geckos have a hard time digesting their food without proper heat.


All reptiles must have distinct day and night periods in their enclosure to maintain their biological rhythms. Crested geckos need 8-12 hours of daytime and 8-12 hours of nighttime. However, as the daylight hours change seasonally outside, daylight hours inside the tank should reflect the same.


A timer should be used to set day/night periods.












  • Intestinal parasites (coccidia and pinworms are common): Symptoms include failure to grow, loss of appetite, abnormal stools. For treatment, see exotic pet veterinarian (fecal parasite evaluation and appropriate medication).
  • Skin infections (fungal dermatitis is common): Symptoms include discoloration (esp. blackening) of the skin. For treatment, call exotic pet veterinarian. Optimizing cage set-up, topical and systemic medications.
  • Respiratory Issues: Symptoms include labored breathing, moisture or crust around nostrils, closed and/or crusty eyes; whistling with breathing. To treat, increase heat and see an exotic pet veterinarian immediately.
  • Calcium/phosphorus imbalance (MBD - Metabolic Bone Disease): Symptoms include failure to grow, weakness, limb deformities and fractures, seizures. To treat, see exotic pet veterinarian, ensure optimal diet with proper calcium supplementation and UV light.
  • Egg binding in females: Symptoms include abdominal enlargement, decreased appetite, difficulty defecating. To treat, see an exotic pet veterinarian immediately.
