Wild-type crested geckos cost $30 to $60. LifespanĪverage Lifespan: 15-20 Years Buying a Crested Gecko You’ll likely find them exploring high up in their habitat. Luckily, breeders focus on selectively breeding for calm temperaments that make great pets!Īs nocturnal, arboreal reptiles, cresties are most active at night. There are many other reptiles that are calmer and easier to handle. Since they’re arboreal, they tend to jump off their handler when spooked. They may be flighty if they’re not accustomed to handling. Healthy, adult crested geckos are curious and alert. There are many morphs to choose from that affect the gecko’s color and pattern. Their pattern is faded, and their color is drab. Their colors become bright, and their pattern takes on a new depth.ĭuring the day, most cresties fire down. Wild-type crested geckos can be grey, brown, red, orange, or yellow, with or without tiger striping.Ĭrested geckos fire up when they wake up, usually in the evening. Their tail is vertically flattened – unless they’ve already lost it! The intricate microscopic textures of this crested gecko’s toe pads help it grip the glass. They have wedge-shaped heads and large eyes. They’re also known as eyelash geckos because of the hair-like projections above their eyes. AppearanceĬrested geckos were named after the crest, or ridge, running from each eye down to the tail. Since they went unstudied for so long, we don’t know much of their natural history. Scientists believed this gecko species was extinct until they rediscovered them in 1994! Collectors and conservationists quickly swept them into the pet trade for preservation. In the wild, these New Caledonian geckos frequent bushes or small trees no more than ten feet off the ground. They’re poorly studied in the wild because scientists believed they were extinct!Ĭrested geckos (Correlophus ciliatus or Rhacodactylus ciliatus) are native to the jungles of southern New Caledonia.Crested geckos don’t require supplemental lighting or heating – but they’re still preferred to provide a natural environment.Cresties are arboreal (tree-dwelling) and nocturnal (active at night).In captivity, feed a commercially prepared crested gecko diet.Crested geckos are native to New Caledonia.If none of these drawbacks put you off, keep reading to learn more about the care requirements of these adorable little lizards. That’s a maximum limit, and some nervous individuals may do better with even less handling.įinally, they’re nocturnal – this means that your crestie will likely only be active at night!
Never plan on handling your gecko for more than 20 minutes a day. While their diet and heating needs are low-maintenance, you need to mist them at least twice a day. They have fragile bodies and nervous temperaments. Young children should never handle a crestie.
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