-Most health issues with reptiles are due to an incomplete understanding of their care needs.
-Juvenile crested geckos should be housed in plastic terrariums or standard small reptile tanks with a screen top. Adult crested geckos can be housed in a 20-gallon tank with a screen top. One male can be kept with several females. Males will fight and should not be housed together.
-Reptiles are ectotherms (body temperature varies with environmental temperature), so a proper temperature range for activity and feeding must be maintained. A thermometer is essential for accurate temperature measurements.
-Crested geckos are best kept between 78 to 82 degrees Fahrenheit during the day. It can drop to the low 70s at night. They are prone to heat stress, so in summer, they should be placed in a cooled room if the temperature exceeds 87 degrees. During the winter nighttime temperatures in the 60s are well tolerated.
-A low-wattage incandescent bulb or a ceramic heat emitter in a reflector type fixture placed on the screen top over one side of the tank can maintain the desired range. One side of the tank should be unheated so that crested geckos can choose a cooler area to regulate their body temperature. A subtank reptile heat pad or heat tape under one side of the tank regulated by a thermostat can also be used.
-If you have live plants in your vivarium a fluorescent bulb running the length of the tank can be used. Crested geckos rest in the day and are active at night. They do not require UVB light if fed a diet that contains Vitamin D3. Lights should be turned off at night.
-Reptile carpet, peat-moss-based soil mix, and coconut fiber pulp are all appropriate for the substrate.
-Crested geckos are arboreal and like to climb. Cork bark sections for vertical and ground-level shelters, dried wood branches, and plants all provide this opportunity. Good plants include small Ficus benjamina, Dracaena spp. and Pothos.
-Complete powdered diets are appropriate. Feeding live prey is not necessary, although it may provide enrichment. The diet should be mixed with two parts water and offered in shallow dishes three times a week as much as these geckos will eat at a feeding. Remove uneaten diet after 24 hrs. Hand-feeding juveniles may be required to assure they are eating well.
-If live food is offered, lightly coat with a vitamin/mineral supplement that contains calcium, vitamin D3 and a complement of other essential vitamins and minerals. Offer once a week as a treat/supplement.
-Water should always be available in a shallow dish. The humidity of 50-70% percent should be maintained. In dry areas, the tanks should be misted nightly or a cool air humidifier placed in the room. Hygrometers (relative humidity gauges) should be used to assure proper humidity.