NEW!!!

CRESTED GECKOS

Provenance and Characteristics

Crested geckos (Rhacodactylus ciliatus) stem from Southern Grand Terre, New Caledonia, and a small surrounding island, Isle of Pines. They were thought extinct until found at the southern tip of Australia in 1994 and brought into the United States. Crested geckos do not have eyelids and lick their eyes to keep them moist and clean. They are semi-arboreal and spend most of their time in small trees and low shrubs, also seeking out hiding places near the ground to sleep during the day. The crested geckos easy to care for and to handle, but they should be over 2 weeks old and not recently acquired before handling for about 15 min. a day.

Housing

Hatchlings to four month old crested geckos can be housed in 10 gallon tanks; in larger tanks, they sometimes do not eat well. Crested geckos over four months old should be housed in a 20-gallon tank or larger. High climbing area is more important than floor space. Three adult crested gecko females can be housed in a 29-gallon tank. Some humidity is needed, and screen cages can dry out fast. LZRDGRL keeps her crested geckos in acrylic cages from www.diycages.com. They have vents in the sides and screen tops, and are fully transparent. Lights and UVB are not necessary, and room temperatures of 72 to 80 degrees are sufficient. At temperatures of 85 F, degrees or warmer, crested geckos will become stressed, which can lead to illness or death. They tolerate night time temperature drops down into the mid 60s.

Food

Crested Geckos feed on both insects and fruit. At LZRDGRL’s, they get Crested Gecko Diet (CGD) meal replacement powder mixed with water in a relation of 1:2 (tastes of mango, strawberry, fig, banana, and the original formula) developed by Allen Repashy. This diet has been formulated to contain all of the essential fats, proteins, minerals, and vitamins they need. Once a week, they get a few crickets, which are no bigger than the distance from the geckos’ noses to their eyes. Mealworms have a hard shell and might cause impaction, so they are not used. Crested geckos store calcium in the roof of the mouth in what are called endolymphatic sacs. Those should be checked from time to time, to monitor their calcium storage levels, which is important in breeding females.

Breeding

A two-month cooling period with temperatures from 65 F to 70 F is recommended to allow breeding crested geckos to rest. A photo period of 12 to 14 hours of light is appropriate for most of the year, with ten hours of light being appropriate during the cooling period. Fluorescent lights placed directly on the cage top will work well. Crested geckos may cease breeding and laying eggs if given fewer than 12 hours of light. When breeding crested geckos, temperatures should be kept between 75 and 78 degrees F. A nocturnal red or blue heat light can be suspended above the cage for 24 hour heat, if the normal room temperature goes below that. Crested geckos are not disturbed by this wavelength of light, and it will not interrupt their photoperiod. Males can start breeding at 9 months to a year old, and females can breed as early as a year old, but 14 months and a minimum of 30-35 grams is better. I highly recommend waiting a solid 14 months before breeding females. Females should be about 40 grams before breeding if they have their tail, and 35 grams without a tail. Breeding groups can consist of one male and a harem of up to five females.

Babies should be misted twice daily, and should not be handled too often. Care must be taken that they shed properly. If the eggs are kept at a constant room temperature of 76 F, they will hatch in about 60-70 days. They can hatch at temperatures ranging from 72 to 80 F. Temperature-dependant sex determination has not yet been proven with crested geckos, in contrast to leopard geckos.

The tails of crested geckos NEVER grow back. In nature, crested geckos often lose their tails. When kept in captivity, crested geckos can acquire bended tails that “flop over” their back when they are hanging upside down from their enclosure walls. This is normal and has nothing to do with calcium/vitamin deficiencies or genetics. Having angled branches in the tank can reduce floppy tails. LZRDGRL is going to mark available hatchlings with FT if they have a floppy tail.

Crestie Cages

Crested gecko breeders: Purple/Gold Project
#1 ID: Name: Picasso Gender: unsexed Date of Birth: 2011 Morph: perfect Pinstripe Origin: Richard Quick from New Mexico Photo from Richard Quick
#2 ID: Name: Goldback Gender: unsexed Date of Birth: 2011 Morph: solid dorsal Brindle  Origin: Richard Quick from New Mexico Photo from Richard Quick
#3 ID: Name: Flaming Rust Gender: unsexed Date of Birth: 2011 Morph: Flame Origin: Richard Quick from New Mexico Photo from Richard Quick