Seraphic Crested Geckos

New Owners Care Guide by Seraphic Crested Geckos

There are many care guides out there on other breeders sites. I recommend reading a few and getting an idea of what is required to keep your crested gecko. Lots of other big breeders concentrate on other aspects of keeping than I do so best to get as much information from many sources and compare. I have written this guide after spending many hours of reading other care guides, new studies that come out as I find them and years of keeping and breeding.

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Before you start talking to breeders you should also know your budget and purpose of buying a crested gecko. Do you plan to breed in the future or just for pet. Do you have a certain morph and traits your looking for??

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I do not have climate controlled rooms for them to live in and I am a rather new small breeder which I focus on new findings which I think gives me an advantage.

I can dedicate time to keeping and socializing my hatchlings so that when someone else gets them as a pet they are not as jumpy and easily handled.

That being said you should always let a crested gecko become familiar to their new home with minimal handling for at least a month before you start to handle them regularly.

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 About Crested Geckos (Correlophus (Rhacodactylus) ciliatus)

Crested geckos are originally are native to Southern Grand Terre, New Caledonia and the Islands of Pines (lle des Pins) (a group of islands between Fiji and Australia).

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Crested geckos in their natural setting are primarily tree dwellers and are semi-arboreal they live at about 6 ft up in the trees and bushes. They will, however, seek out hiding places near the ground to sleep during the day. Crested Geckos feed on both insects and fruits and in most cases can be kept at room temperature.

They are great beginner reptile pets with simple, easy-to-provide requirements with no need to heat their enclosures, lower humidity so no need to provide misters or waterfalls. They can be kept in awesome displays in naturalistic vivariums and it is fun making enclosures off all kinds and different themes for them.

This island that they come from is not as wet and hot as the rain forest in Madagascar or Hawaii so they do not need to be as humid or as hot as say a chameleon, which makes them much easier to keep.

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Crested Gecko Life Span:

Be prepared for a LTR!! With proper care, plan for your crested gecko to live 15 to 20 years!!

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Bringing a new one home

You will need to quarantine any new crested gecko for 90 days away from your current geckos if you have any. Keep human contact to a bare minimum for at least 2 to 4 weeks before handling them so they get used to their new home.

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Diseases and parasites to watch out for:

Entamoeba invadens (Amoeba) – has been known to decimate crested gecko collections relatively quickly. Signs include rapid weight loss. Can be treated with Flagyl (metronidazole) with great success.

Pinworm (Nematode) – a common affliction in cresties; outbreaks generally present with visible worms in the feces accompanied by a worse than usual smell. Treated with Panacur (Fenbendazole) with great success.

Cryptosporidium (Sporozoan) – another “wasting disease” caused by protozoan parasites. Can be treated with paromomycin but the gecko will always be “crypto-positive”. May shed the parasite and infect other reptiles. Very rare diagnosis in Rhacodactylus, but possible. Cryptosporidiosis is not curable.

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Enclosures:

There are many different kinds to choose from and you can use bio active with live plants and you can use plastic bins with fake plants, it really depends on what YOU like and want to do.

I myself like the ease of plastic bins and some smaller terrariums like the 12 x 12 x18 for my breeding females. I even have a few large display 18×18×24s and one day I hope to do a bio-active but as of yet I'm sticking with paper-towels so I will give advice on that because I have little experience with Bio-active. Paper-towels are much easier for me.....I can see who’s pooping, how is the humidity, who needs spot cleaned, can keep them cleaner less chance of them bad parasites, bacteria and infections.

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Smaller, young geckos do need to be kept in smaller bins to grow better and you should take small jumps in size on the enclosures. Every time they upgrade to a new enclosure it takes them sometime to get used to it. Some take days others takes weeks to adjust.

Smaller geckos can and should be kept in smaller containers like a 6 qt tub or critter keeper until they are about 10 grams. Then go up to a 15 qt container until about 20 or so grams then on to a 12x12x18 exoterra terrarium or 10 gal conversion (on its side) the same size container like a Medium All-Access Rubbermaid containers which are some of my favorites. I also have a few albums of my enclosures so you can see more pictures of types of enclosures you can choose to do.

You will need to provide lots of foliage, places to hide and for climbing. They like big wide leafs, leafs they can get inside and very bushy. I like to fill all the corners with lots of thick foliage and provide climbing things like fake vines, pool noodles and bamboo sticks. I have pictures of a few of my enclosure sometimes seeing pictures you can better understand how much you’ll need. You can buy reptile foliage, you can also buy foliage at other places like the dollar store, hobby lobby, a florist or even goodwill. You should soak all new items in hot water for at least a couple of hours with a tsp of bleach so any extra dye or germs that may be harmful for them will get cleaned off. Other hard items or branches can be cooked and frozen to kill off any bad bugs as well.

Droppings should be removed daily, and the paper towel substrate should be changed at least every 2 weeks and weekly for hatchlings. The smaller the enclosure the more often they need completely cleaned. They may also walk through their food and get it everywhere, so spot cleaning as needed. Just like baby humans.....kids are way more dirty :) Larger enclosures can go about a month IF you spot clean and remove droppings daily.

Check out my albums for many different kinds of enclosures you can make or buy

I also have several albums about enclosures so you can see more pictures of types.

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Crested Gecko Lighting and Temperature

A thermometer or a Temp gun is essential for accurate temperature measurements. A good hygrometer or Thermometer/hygrometer combo meter is a valuable too.

Reptiles are ectotherms (body temperature varies with environmental temperature), so it is important that you provide the proper temperature range for activity and feeding.

Crested geckos like temps between low 60s at night and low to mid 70s in the day time. At temperatures of 82 degrees or warmer, crested geckos will become stressed, which could lead to illness or death. Just like we prefer and find comfortable.

UVB Lighting:

Crested geckos are technically celestial not nocturnal (most active at sunrise and sunset) alto they tend to be more active at night, there is still some debate as to whether UVB-type lighting is required. During the day when the UVB would be turned on, many crested geckos do hide in their leaves and inside hides, where the light would not affect them. Because it seem like they hide from the light, many breeders do not use UVB lighting.

Search YouTube for Frances Baines and UV reptile lighting which explains UVB lighting really well Link here: https://youtu.be/AUu24MNO2Ho

Get informed about the uses of UVB lighting with crested geckos and other reptiles by searching out forums, and other publications about their keeping. I use UVB lighting on ALL my enclosures. I have found they really benefit from it, are better eaters, they absorb calcium and D3 better and I see them basking daily for short periods. I use a T-5 HO fixture tube on the outside of the enclosures and I use T-5 HO reptisun 10.0 tube lighting that needs changes roughly every year.

I recommend Reptisun 10.0 because the screen blocks 50% of the UVB power. If you want to use a bulb inside the enclosure use a 5.0 COMPACT not “COIL” on the outside in a hood also again use a 10.0 COMPACT like in the picture here. It screws right in on a hood or a deep dome.

Use the COMPACT not “COIL”

I also use a bigger screen material on the tops of my enclosures I build that lets in more UVB light.

If you choose not to make use of UVB lighting, it is important to at least make sure your geckos get a cycle of ambient light or indoor lighting. A period of 12 to 14 hours of light is appropriate for most of the year. Crested Geckos may cease breeding and laying eggs if they are given less than 12 hours of light. If you use direct sunlight may drastically increase the temperature of your enclosure so be careful that it doesn’t get over 80.

They do not need a night light and if you choose to use one for viewing don't leave it on all night. There has been some research to say it is not good for their eyes.

For more info on UVB this is more in depth information:

http://www.moonvalleyreptiles.com/reptile-resources/reptile-uvb-lighting

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Humidity:

Now, this is a very important part of their care. Many new keepers at the beginning over water, keeping them like a rain forest which isn't good for them. New Caledonia is an island and most of its moisture comes from the sea as mist and dew at night and the early morning. In the day the sun comes out and dries everything out and the same thing happens again with not so much rain. We need to simulate this by misting at night and letting it dry out then misting again just like New Caledonia. Ideally, the humidity level should not drop below 50%. Crested geckos should get several hours of higher humidity (80-100%) every day to ensure that they shed properly. So about 100% at night and dry out to 60 to 50% by the time you re-mist depending on where you live and how humid your house is. Some people don't even really need to mist much because of where they live stays about 60 to 70% humidity.

If they are kept in a wet all the time environment they will develop toes sticking together, wavy tail, swollen limbs, skin infections and they won't stick very well. Just like have you ever been stuck in a rain storm and had to walk in wet socks or clothes?? You get blisters and rashy....well so do they. They will have trouble shedding if they are too wet just like if you are just out of the shower and you don't dry off too well yet your clothes don't go on with ease.

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Feeding:

Crested geckos in the wild studies of wild geckos gut contents have found they mostly eat bugs live insects, soft, ripe/overripe fruit, pollen and even baby rodents!

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In the past, many crested gecko breeders swore by using just fruit baby foods supplemented with necessary vitamins and minerals.

PLEASE Do Not Ever feed baby food.

It is really bad for them. More recently, many different pre-packaged crested gecko foods have come out onto the market That is much better studied and refined to have all essential vitamins and minerals needed to raise and keep perfectly healthy crested geckos.

My geckos are currently thriving on a mix of diets which include Pangea Fruit Mix (Complete), Black Panther Zoological Color Bomb, live Blaptica Dubia roaches.

A good place to buy food is`

Bertopia Geckos 321 West Delgada Ln Stansbury Park, UT 84074 Call us at 435-770-4112

WWW.BERTOPIAGECKOS.COM

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A Fresh Complete diet food like Pangea mix is given every 2 days and I offer bugs on the days they don't get new Pangea mix.

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My feeding/cleaning schedule is approximately as follows:

Monday: Feed (approx. 1/2 tablespoon or......... .25 oz mixed per adult), and mist geckos.

Tuesday: Leave food in the enclosure, offer 3-6 roaches in the enclosure for each gecko or tong feed up to 3 roaches and mist geckos.

Wednesday: Replace old mix with fresh, mist geckos.

Thursday: Leave food in the enclosure, remove leftover roaches offer 3-6 fresh roaches in the enclosure for each gecko or tong feed up to 3 roaches and mist geckos.

Friday: Replace old mix with fresh, mist geckos.

Saturday: Leave food in enclosure, remove leftover roaches and roach dishes and mist geckos

Sunday: Clean all small enclosures: Remove food, Replace with fresh Pangea and mist geckos.

Insects:

I highly encourage you to feed bugs, especially to young ones because we just can't simulate whats in a bug in a power. I currently use Dubia roaches because they are highly nutritious and easily digestible, but crested geckos will sometimes consume wax-worms, or horned worms. I Do not recommend feeding meal-worms or super-worms. They have a hard outer shell that these lower temp geckos cannot break down and could cause impaction months later with regular feeding of them. Best to just avoid them.

Crickets ….ugghhh I hate them. They have really hairy legs that like to hold on to a bunch of nasties like bacteria & parasites like pin-worms. I just avoid them like the plague. If you ever have to deal with pin-worms its horrible so I just breed my own colony of Dubia roaches I feed them a great chow that I make. I also gut-load them with leftover Pangea mix and leafy green vegetables, carrots, sweet potatoes, etc.

The insects that you offer your geckos should be no larger than the distance from the gecko's nose to its eye. All feeder insects should be dusted with a good calcium and vitamin d3 powder such as Miner-all Calcium with D3 because it is phosphorous free and you can get it in flavors or you can just add a pinch fruit Pangea to it.

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Co-habitation:

Stomach contents of wild crested geckos say......other lizards and young so that is an indication that they do no co-hab very well. I don't do it. It's not for inexperienced keepers. There are lots of risks, tail nips, bites, bullying and the more dominant ones can starve another one. These guys can hide their sickness or illness for a long time until you notice and by then it might be too late. I just choose not to risk it. If you really want to do it you may need to seek out someone who has experience with it and research it very carefully and be willing to risk your geckos.

Please subscribe to my YouTube channel Seraphic Crested Geckos

https://www.youtube.com/SERAPHICCRESTEDGECKOS

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Follow me on Instagram too https://www.instagram.com/seraphiccrestedgeckos/

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Document written by Amy Baugh of Seraphic Crested Geckos Please do not redistribute or re-use any photographs without my permission.

I also recommend reading Pangea care guide as well it is very good and covers a lot of info and its correct but does kinda leave out the benefits of UVB lighting :)

http://www.pangeareptile.com/store/crested-gecko-care-sheet-en.html

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My Breeding Program

First a word:
Seraphic Crested Geckos is a small scale, enthusiast crested gecko keeper/breeder of pet quality and breeding quality crested geckos.
I breed for wide heads and dorsum, and I have tricolors, extreme harlequins, white walls, quad striping, drippy traits, and some have dalmatian spots traits. Lineage information can be found in the geckos Album or the parents' albums. 
I take great pride in taking care of, raising, socializing, breeding, and hatching each and every gecko I own <3
Make sure you are ready for your new crested gecko and are aware of the care they will need. Read Seraphic Crested Geckos New Owners Care Guide under notes on this facebook page for more up to date information. Most of your questions can be found in that New Owners Care Guide. I will answer any questions you may have before and after you have purchased a crested gecko from me.
Be aware that I may not be able to respond quickly because I am not always home. Please be patient :)
I do not have climate controlled rooms for them to live in and I am a rather new small breeder which I focus on new findings which I think gives me an advantage.
I can dedicate time to keeping and socializing my hatchlings so that when someone else gets them as a pet they are not as jumpy and easily handled.
That being said you should always let a crested gecko become familiar to their new home with minimal handling for at least a month before you start to handle them regularly.