New Owner Checklist

Crested geckos are gentle, quiet climbers that live 15–20 years. They are easy to care for, but a few things matter a lot. Print this page and keep it near the enclosure.

Before your gecko comes home

• Tall, front-opening enclosure: at least 18×18×24 in (45×45×60 cm) for an adult; a small tub for a baby.
• Branches, cork and leaves packed into the upper two-thirds, so your gecko can hide and sleep level.
• Paper towel floor for babies and new arrivals.
• Digital thermometer (top and bottom) and digital hygrometer.
• Daylight LED on a 12-hour timer. Optional low-level UVB tube (5–6%).
• Spray bottle or mister, shallow water dish, and food cups or a ledge feeder.
• Complete powdered crested gecko diet and calcium powder.
• Gram scale.
• Run the setup for a few days and confirm temperatures before your gecko moves in.

The five things that matter most

1. Keep it at room temperature. Aim for 72–78°F (22–26°C) by day and 65–72°F (18–22°C) at night. Heat is the danger, not cold. If the enclosure climbs above about 80–82°F (27–28°C), move your gecko somewhere cooler; sustained temperatures in the mid-80s°F (about 29°C) can kill.
2. Mist every evening. Spray until the leaves drip, then let it dry out during the day. Keep a small water dish filled too.
3. Feed the powdered diet. Mix 1 part powder to 2 parts water and offer it at dusk. Babies every night, adults every 2–3 nights. Remove old food after a day.
4. Go tall, and keep one gecko per enclosure.
5. Keep lights on a timer. If you use UVB, dust insects with calcium without D3. Without UVB, use calcium with D3.

Feeding at a glance

• Powdered diet: babies nightly, adults every 2–3 nights.
• Insects (small crickets, dubia roaches, soldier fly larvae), dusted with calcium: about once a week. A treat, not a requirement.
• Fruit: rare treat only. No citrus, no avocado, no baby food.

Settling in and handling

• Leave your gecko alone for 2–4 weeks except to feed and mist. Hiding and eating little at first is normal.
• Then handle in 5-minute sessions, low over a bed or table. Let it walk from hand to hand.
• Never grab your gecko or hold its tail. The tail does not grow back. If it drops, your gecko is fine.

Weekly two-minute check

• Eating? Look for lick marks in the food cup.
• Poop formed, with a white part?
• Toes clean, with no stuck skin? Eyes clear?
• Tail straight when hanging head-down, not flopped over the back?
• Weigh monthly. Babies should gain; adults should stay steady.

Call a reptile vet if you see

• Rubbery jaw, wavy or kinked tail, shaking, or trouble climbing glass.
• Tail flopping over the back when it hangs upside down.
• Swollen belly and no poop for a week.
• Wrinkled skin and sunken eyes.
• Open-mouth breathing, or discharge from the mouth, nose or eyes.
• Weight loss, runny stool, or refusing food for more than two weeks.

Wash your hands

• All reptiles can carry Salmonella. Wash your hands with soap and water after touching your crested gecko, its enclosure or anything in it.
• Do not clean enclosure items in the kitchen sink.
• The CDC says children under 5 should not touch reptiles, and reptiles are not recommended for homes with children under 5, adults 65 and older, or people with weakened immune systems.