Handling and Behavior

The short version

• Leave a new gecko alone for 2–4 weeks except to feed, mist and clean [2][3].
• Start with 5-minute sessions and never go past about 20 minutes a day [3].
• Handle low over a bed or table, and never grab the tail. It will not grow back [5].
• Keep one gecko per enclosure. Never house two males together [2][3][4].
• Crested geckos do not need a winter brumation, though they tolerate cooler winter nights [2].

Settling in

A new crested gecko may hide and eat very little for the first days or weeks. That is normal. Give it 2–4 weeks with no handling, only feeding, misting and cleaning [2][3]. Look for lick marks in the food cup as a sign it is eating.

How to handle your gecko

• Wait for size. Regular handling is best once your gecko is at least 3 in (7.5 cm) from snout to vent. Babies are flighty and fragile [2].
• Start short. Begin with 5-minute sessions every other day, build up to 15 minutes, and cap it at about 20 minutes a day, even for a calm adult [3].
• Stay low. Sit on the floor or handle over a bed or table. Crested geckos jump.
• Let it walk. Let your gecko walk from one hand to the other ("hand walking" or "treadmilling") instead of gripping it. Never hold it by the tail or squeeze its body.
• Bites are rare and do no real harm [2].

Tail loss: permanent, and not an emergency

Crested geckos drop their tails when grabbed, pinched, squeezed or badly startled, for example by a sudden loud noise [5]. Keepers also report tails dropped after the enclosure was moved roughly. Unlike leopard geckos, the tail does not grow back [5].

The stump heals into a small nub, and keepers call these geckos "frog butts" [5]. Tail loss is not a medical emergency and is cosmetic only [5]. Many keepers move the gecko onto clean paper towel for a week or two while the wound seals (keeper experience, not proven). See a reptile vet if the stump looks swollen, dark or smells. Tail loss is normal in wild adults [2], and tailless geckos make just as good pets.

Temperament and daily rhythm

• Night owls. Cresties are most active at dusk and during the night. During the day they usually sleep tucked into leaves or against cork.
• Color changes. Your gecko may look darker and brighter ("fired up") at night or when active, and paler ("fired down") when resting. This is normal and not a sign of illness. See the Genetics and morphs chapter for more.
• Jumpers, not biters. A startled crested gecko is far more likely to leap than to bite [2].

Living with other geckos

One gecko per enclosure is the safest choice [4].

• Never house two males together. They fight and can injure or kill each other [2][3].
• A male with females will breed [3][4], and females can be worn down by repeated egg-laying and calcium loss [9].
• Two females can sometimes share a large enclosure, but bullying and competition for food are common. We recommend separate enclosures as the default [3][4].
• If you do keep a group, add at least 5 gallons (19 L) of space for each extra gecko and watch closely for bite marks, weight loss or a gecko that never comes out to eat [3].
• Never mix species. In particular, never house a crested gecko with a larger gecko such as a gargoyle gecko, which may injure or eat it.

Brumation and winter

Crested geckos do not need a true brumation. They are comfortable with winter nights in the 60s°F, and dips into the low 60s°F (16–17°C) are tolerated [2]. Keep feeding as normal. Breeders often give females a cooler winter break from breeding; see the Breeding chapter for how that works.