Keeping Crested Geckos as Pets

Crested geckos are among the most popular pet reptiles around the world, especially for beginners. Its cute look and friendly nature make it a perfect pet for people that want to care for a reptile and don’t want a heavy-maintenance pet.

When you consider buying a pet it’s important to know if you can take for it. Before you buy yourself a crested gecko you need to know a bit more about its needs. Below are some of the most important questions that will finally determine if a crested gecko is right for you.

Does it require a lot of space?

Crested geckos are active creatures that love to climb around in their cage. Cresties can be kept as a single (solitary) pet but can also be kept in a small group. You should adjust the terrarium size to the number of crested geckos you want to house. If you’re a beginner, I would recommend that you get just one crested gecko.

The most popular housing for crested geckos is a vertical terrarium or vivarium with enough room for branches and plants.

To give you an idea of the space you need: a terrarium for one juvenile crested gecko (older than 6 months) will need to have at least the following measurements:
12 inches (30 centimeters) wide
12 inches (30 centimeters) deep
18 inches (46 centimeters) high

If you want to house an adult crested gecko or a pair of crested geckos you’ll need to have a terrarium with at least the following measurements:
18 inches (46 centimeters) wide
18 inches (46 centimeters) deep
24 inches (61 centimeters) high

Remember that this is the minimum size of the terrarium and that a bigger terrarium will usually be better. An adult should be placed in a 20-gallon terrarium or larger. So contrary to most other pets, the crested gecko is a tiny pet that doesn’t need a lot of space. You’ll only need a terrarium for it. Cresties can be housed almost anywhere, even in small apartments. You don’t need an entire garden or piece of land for it. Only a small place in your home.

Does it need a lot of attention?

Crested geckos are nocturnal animals that will seek their hiding places during the day. If you – like a lot of people – spend most of the day working, your crestie won’t mind. This is ideal as you can spend time with it after you come home from work.

Be aware that they are quite skittish animals that are amazing climbers and jumpers. So they may not be that easy to handle the first days or weeks. Once they get to know you this will change. It also helps if you buy a younger crested gecko so they can bond with you. Also never take the gecko by its tail. It can fall off as a defense mechanism and won’t grow fully back.

If you don’t want to handle your gecko that’s no problem. A lot of gecko owners consider their pets as “show” or “exhibition” pets and don’t handle them except for cleaning the terrarium.

How easy it to take care of?

Crested geckos need a nice terrarium and regular feeding. You don’t need to take them out for a walk or comb their hair. Feeding them is very easy and while you can handle them it is not necessary. They are a kind of pet that you can just look at and see what kind of funny business they are up to.

Are they easy to handle?

Geckos aren’t dogs or cats. This means that they don’t like to be handled all the time. You have to remember that crested geckos are still a quite “new” pet that isn’t used to being handled by humans all the time. But if you do things right you can handle them from time to time. Just make sure they’re not stressed or their tail may fall off.

They will rarely bite and if he bites you, you probably won’t feel it. It’s a bit like a fish biting your skin.

Is it easy to feed?

Feeding a crested gecko isn’t that difficult. It’s as easy as giving food to your dog or cat. There are a few popular brands of crested gecko food (meal replacement powders or pellets) around. You can find these in most pet shops and they don’t cost much. If you like to give something extra you can also occasionally feed them insects, worms and fruit.

A little note: cresties don’t need to eat every day. They should be fed about three or four times a week.

Does it match my budget?

A lot of pets have hidden expenses like vet bills. But crested geckos are quite straight forward. Of course, there are the so-called starter costs. You’ll need to buy a terrarium, substrate, plants, food and your crestie. Cresties and their gear don’t cost a lot.

The most important recurring cost is food and that doesn’t cost a fortune. You don’t need to take a crested gecko to a vet on regular visits like other pets. Still, it’s best to budget some money each year for veterinary costs so you won’t be taken off guard when you do have to take your crestie to the vet.

Can I take care of it for a long time?

This is one of the most important questions you need to ask yourself. Although there isn’t known a lot about the life span of crested geckos there is some consensus that they live 15 to 20 years in captivity. This means that you need to be certain that you or your children will take care of it for that time. If this is a little bit too long of a commitment, you can also try looking at pocket pets that have a shorter lifespan such as hamsters or rabbits.

Is it child-friendly?

Crested geckos are really friendly animals that can bond well with their owners. If you’ve got children, you want to be sure that your pet is child-friendly. Children can be really interested in pets and want to hold and play with them. A crestie won’t usually bite and they are easy to take care of. So easy that a child can do this. It’s a perfect pet to introduce your (older) child to herpetology.

In general, they’re child-friendly animals but you’ve still got to be careful. You have to make a distinction between young and older children. In either case, you should always supervise your child when it handles an animal for the sake of the animal and your child.