While crested geckos don’t normally have a lot of issues, they like every other animal and pet have a set of common issues that you need to be on the lookout for and that you need to watch for.

Mites

This isn’t a normal condition and this usually doesn’t happen when they’re kept in a home or in a private place but it can still happen. These are a complication that not many owners report having but it’s still very possible so you need to be educated on what to do just in case it does happen. The first place that you’re going to notice them is around eyes of the Gecko and some people say they notice them around the corners of their mouth.

The best way to describe them is that they’re very small, they’re round in shape and they’re usually brown or black. They look very ugly and are unpleasant for both you and the Gecko. The good news is that before they do any kind of damage, they can be treated easily because there are numerous products out there to treat for mites. This isn’t life threatening commonly and can be treated relatively quickly. Your veterinarian will more than likely be able to recommend you a product for this sole purpose.

The bad news is that while these things are killed quickly, eggs from mites hatch on a daily basis. That’s right, eggs will hatch every single day if you do nothing about it and depending on how many mites has infected the Gecko, it can take up to a month to fix. For owners that have more than one Gecko and if you suspect that one of your Geckos have it, separate them immediately and don’t risk infection to the other Gecko from the infected one.

Impaction

This affects owners that have their Geckos on natural substrate. If you happen to be keeping your Geckos on any substrate that’s completely natural and you’re feeding them insects off of it, there’s a small chance that your Gecko could ingest or eat some of the substrate. This usually doesn’t happen and usually isn’t a cause for concern as it’s only small quantities but however, large quantities on the other hand are another story.

What happens is, some of the substrate may go to its intestine which may prove to be fatal if you don’t get the infected Gecko to a vet immediately.

Calcium Deficiency

One of the most common effects (and this is why so many people praise vitamins/gut loading) is a deficiency in a very essential vitamin called Calcium. Usually this is accompanied by a growth disease known as Metabolic Bone Disease. The growth rate will obviously be affected as well and you will notice that the Gecko is growing slower than usual.

Some of the most common signs of a deficiency are twitching legs or twitching toes. This is uncontrolled and isn’t caused by the Gecko, it’s because they have a deficiency. You may also notice some less common signs such as their tail starting to kink or their jaw is starting to flop down. If you do notice this, make sure to include some calcium in their diet right away. Introduce an efficient amount of Calcium into the Gecko’s diet right away if you suspect this is happening.

One of the common and parasitic things you need to watch out for is called Internal Parasites.

These usually can’t be treated at home by any at home remedy and they need to be diagnosed and treated by a trained veterinarian. These can be fatal over time if they go untreated, which is why it’s important to know if your Gecko has Entameoba Invadens. They’re a very common parasite that is fatal in some Geckos but not a lot of them get them. There are other parasites as well, but if you suspect something is off about your Gecko, take it to a local veterinarian and have them checked immediately.

Building or buying a housing unit for a Gecko is one thing, but you want to make sure that your Gecko is living in adequate temperature as well. You don’t want your Gecko to be cold or too hot, but remember that they’re from warm habitats. The common and basic temperature all year round should be anywhere from 72 to 80 degrees. The leading cause of depression which leads to death in Geckos is because the temperature is far too warm which is usually 90 and above. Most of the year, they’ll prefer that the temperature be somewhere in the mid-70s.

What happens is, they become sick or ill and they stop eating or doing anything. It’s the opposite reaction that humans have to becoming stressed because when the majority of humans become stressed, they tend to eat more than normal. However, when Geckos become stressed, they stop eating altogether usually until they die from a lack of food or nutrients.

While Crested Geckos can tolerate moderate temperature drops in the night time, this isn’t necessary. You commonly won’t see your gecko during the day time anyways as they like to come out at night, they’re very nocturnal. So you’re not advised to provide any kind of drop down in temperature, it’s best to just leave it as it is.

If you have breeding crested Geckos, then you might want to give them at least one month a year where they do cool down a bit to help ensure that breeding is successful. The temperature during this time can go down to 65 degrees but it’s not recommended that you go any lower than that. Usually, they get about 12 hours of light a day which is a completely acceptable amount of light. However, during their resting or cooling period which can be one to two months, they’re going to require only 10 hours of light or you might be able to get away with less.

When it comes to lighting, you can do this by using fluorescent lights. Most people prefer to put them in the middle of the cage hanging from the top. Not only does this serve a purpose for the Geckos but also live plants in the cage will get their daily light as well. You don’t have to use UVB lighting as some guides have suggested although it really doesn’t hurt. If you have a rather large collection of crested Geckos, you more than likely know what you’re doing but you should make sure that there’s plenty of artificial and natural light coming into their enclosure or area.

The problem with breeding is that if they’re given any less than 12 hours of light, they’ll stop laying eggs and they may stop breeding altogether, so try to make sure they’re given 12 hours of light at minimum. Just remember, that the perfect temperature is between 70 to 80 degrees and shouldn’t go under or above this unless they’re in the cooling period then 65 degrees is adequate.

If you’re having trouble keeping your temperatures in an appropriate and efficient range to raise or breed your Gecko, consider getting a nocturnal black heat light to add to the cage. It can just hang there for 24 hours without a problem and it won’t overheat the enclosure. Nocturnal viewing is also helped greatly when you put one of these in.

One of the most common overlooked sections of other crested gecko guides out there on the internet is that a lot of them don’t cover a lot on feeding. The majority of people just think that Gecko will only eat crickets and that’s what they’re going to eat. However, there’s a wide variety of food that the Gecko will actually eat, that’s healthy for them too!

There are numerous ways to feed your gecko and one of them includes something called gut loading. This is kind of like steroids for humans but instead, it’s not illegal and won’t damage the Gecko in any way. There are some things to watch out for when you do this and maintenance required but it’s all relatively easy and it ensures that your Gecko is healthy.

First, there’s something known as the crested gecko diet. There’s a powder known simply as the “Crested Gecko Diet” and other owners have sworn by it. A man named Allen Repashy came up with the formula and it’s just a simple powder that contains all the nutrients and vitamins to ensure your Gecko is getting all the nutrition they need. Not only does it contain all the vitamins that a Gecko could ever need for their diet but it all contains all the fats, proteins and minerals inside as well. It’s kind of an all in one solution. The claim is that under this particular diet, that a Gecko will never require any insects what so ever and that it can live alone off of this diet.

The recommended feeding amount for a Gecko is four to five times per week and whether this diet works or not will really depend. It may work for some and some may not find it as efficient as another diet or method that they’re trying out. So you’ll find out which works best for you whether you’re just trying to raise it, trying to breed them or you just like to watch it every once in a while.

The second and probably most common method of feeding would be through insects. Some people say they feed their geckos insects 3 times per week and some people say they prefer to feed them 5 times a week, but again that boils down to a personal preference thing.

The two most common insects to feed a Gecko are crickets naturally and feeder roaches, but not everyone wants to handle or find roaches, they creep a lot of people out. A general rule of thumb as to whether the insect should be fed to the gecko or not is based on its length. If the insect is longer than the Gecko’s nose to its eyes, then you shouldn’t feed it to the Gecko as it may get stuck or be very difficult to digest. There are other insects or bugs out there such as mealworms and wax worms but these aren’t very common.

Some people say that wax worms have a possibility of injuring Geckos and some people say that they work perfectly and that it’s just a myth. Whatever insect you go with or whatever food you go with, you should note that you could benefit from dusting it with a vitamin powder that’s rich in D3. There are a lot of different products out there for this purpose.

Gut Loading

One of the main things that people will talk about is “gut loading” the insects that they feed their Geckos. What is this and does it really work as some people say it does? Well, essentially, you’re going to mix in powder or vitamins with the crickets/insects and let them consume it. Once they’ve consumed it, in 24 hours you should serve those insects or bugs to the Geckos because then they’ll have maximum nutrition in their bodies. This in fact does work because it increases the nutritional value of the insects being fed to the Geckos.

Think back to when you were a kid. Did your parents ever try to feed you vegetables or vitamins flat out and you refused to eat them? They would pretty much do the same thing to you, when they stirred up vitamins in your food or put nutritional essentials in your food that you didn’t even know was there. Now obviously, it’s going to work different with crickets, but this is basically the same concept. You can use powder based vitamins, leaf, small carrot pieces or other small vitamin rich foods that insects will eat.

Some people will argue that they can feed their Geckos pure fruit or custom blends. While this isn’t exactly in the crested gecko care guidebook, it’s something you can do. You should only attempt to do this if you’re a seasoned owner of Geckos and you can monitor their health on a very frequent basis. If you notice that they stop eating as much or start becoming ill, then it’s advised to switch back to the old diet they were on as soon as possible. The real downfall to this method is that the majority of it is guessing and there’s no real way to tell just how much your gecko can eat or how much it will eat.

Handling crested geckos is actually quite easy and not as scary as it might look at first. If you’re brand new to owning an exotic pet or have never seen a gecko before, then you’re probably afraid the little dragon looking creature will bite you or claw you. This isn’t the case and geckos are usually very compliant towards people picking them up. They’re very tolerant but you want to make sure you’re being careful depending on the age of the Gecko.

Crested Geckos are some of the easiest reptiles out there to handle and to play with. When they’re at a very young age, they don’t seem to mind being picked up and they’re not the most sensitive reptiles out there, so they can handle it. Now while that has been said, you should also note that if you have a crested gecko that isn’t even a couple of weeks old, it’s better safe than sorry that you shouldn’t be touching or handling that particular gecko until it has matured a little more. Also, give a gecko that recently just moved into the enclosure some time to adapt before handling them.

Like every other animal, they like to get used to the new surroundings and it’s probably scary to be moved into a new place without any idea as to what’s going on. Don’t play with them all day though; try to play with them just a little bit at a time when you start out. At first, they’re going to be slightly jumpy and I think if a giant hand came your way to pick you up, you’d be a little jumpy too. So go slow at first and allow your gecko to get used to you holding it or picking it up. Perhaps you could just start out with just a few minutes a day and slowly build time onto that time.

Even after the Gecko has gotten used to, it’s still recommended that you not hold or play with the Gecko for more than 30 minutes max because this can stress Geckos out and when they get stressed out, they might stop eating. If you’re having trouble picking your Gecko up or you notice that it’s very jumpy, then there’s a particular method you can try to get him used to you. It’s known simply as the “hand walking” method and has worked for countless owners of jumpy Geckos.

Don’t try to pick them up directly if they’re too jumpy, but instead, put your hand out extended so that it will walk onto it or climb over it. Once it reaches your hand, put your other hand in front of the hand it’s on and so forth. Repeat this process until you feel that it’s less jumpy to touch or to pick up. As they get used to you touching them, they’ll become less jumpy over time.

Providing housing for a reptile in general is usually a pretty common and easy task but it’s really easy for crested geckos. They don’t require a lot of special or expensive equipment, as long as you keep them warm and continue to feed them; they’ll be content with you. Geckos are very versatile and they have to be because of their size. In the wilderness they have to be fast and versatile if they want to escape some of the predators that lurk out there in the jungle.

The numbers of enclosures that a Gecko can safely be kept in is limitless but if you want the most common option that is easiest to take care of then get a cage or aquarium to store the Gecko or Geckos in.

TIP: NEVER EVER put males together in the same cage or same place at the same time. Like two drunken guys at a bar, they will fight because they’re very territorial. While you can add a lot of landscaping or textures to make it more realistic like they’re back in their own natural environment, they can survive in simplistic conditions as well and it doesn’t have to be the most decorated thing in the world.

Hatchlings

It’s recommended that hatchlings be placed in a 10 gallon aquarium or tank at minimum. However, you should monitor the youngest ones because if you put them in a larger housing structure, then they might stop eating or not eat at all. It’s a common issue to know that some of the younger geckos when placed in larger houses don’t eat too well. This doesn’t happen to all of them but it’s a known and common issue. They seem to have trouble adapting to the size of the housing.

So for safety sake, it’s best to keep any young hatchling that’s less than 12 weeks in old in an aquarium that’s not any bigger than 10 gallons.

Adults

There’s a lot of debate on whether or not that adult Geckos will do just fine in a 10 gallon aquarium but it’s highly recommended that you put them in something a little larger such as a 20 gallon aquarium at minimum so they have the ability to be mobile and have more room. They aren’t going to stop eating if they’re put in a larger tank and they like to be active. They won’t have a lot of leg room if they’re stuffed into a 10 gallon aquarium tank. For example, if you have two to four adults, then you should have no problem putting them into a 30 gallon tank/aquarium.

Make sure that you have a screen cage in case you owner other curious pets that might try to get into the cage and this also helps with keeping the humidity up inside the structure as well. Make sure that there’s adequate height as well because it’s easier to maintain efficient temperatures in well-rounded containers and adult Geckos seem to prefer those habitats more.

When it comes to breeding, housing or just general crested gecko care in general; keeping your gecko watered and hydrated will obviously be a huge role. Geckos aren’t particular picky and will usually drink from just about any water source you have setup. The most common place to set these up are on the sides of the cage but some owners like to get creative and set them up in other areas well, this will all come down to a personal preference deal.

Misting

One of the things that veteran owners recommend is that you mist your crested geckos on a daily basis, whether that is once or twice. At least you should make sure that you’re doing it once every two days. The reason for this being is that it helps keep them cool, it’ll help them shed their skin and it definitely helps if you’re trying to breed them.

What Is Misting?

Misting is exactly what it sounds like it is. You simply mist water into the enclosure or onto the Gecko. All you have to do is simply fill up a spray bottle (any kind of spray bottle will work). Make sure that the bottle is clean and sanitized before filling it up and using it though. The crested gecko should be fine, but this is just one of those safety precautions that it’s recommended for everyone to follow. Fill up a water bottle with a spray nozzle on it and keep the water at ideal room temperature conditions. You don’t want to use freezing water and you don’t want to use scolding hot water, as I’m sure your crested geckos wouldn’t care too much for that much like you wouldn’t.

Then simply “mist” or spray into the enclosure on the geckos until you’ve covered them. You don’t have to be perfect here and get every little spot but you should give it a good one or two squeeze and that should do it. You don’t want them to be dripping wet and weighed down by the water you spray into the enclosure and you want to make sure that it’s only enough water that will evaporate shortly. Not everyone believes in doing this and you aren’t going to do any serious harm if you choose not to do this, it’s just a recommended crested gecko care tip to help make their housing a little more efficient and to help in the breeding process as well.

Different people have different theories and different formulas on how they like to breed their geckos. Some theories work and others are well, just theories. If you’re looking to successfully breed and hatch some new born crested geckos, then we’ll try to go through the process as simple as possible to ensure you have success.

Like most mammals and animals, breeding is usually as simple as having a male and a female together in the same place at the right time. Animals work differently than humans and select their partners differently as well because it’s not usually a process. When a female is in heat, the male will find her and they will mate, it’s usually as simple as that.

The common breeding age for males usually starts at around 9 months old and can start at up to one year old as well as some owners have reported. Females however usually have to wait until they’re one year old before they start breeding. Some owners would recommend that you wait one year to 14 months give or take a month before you start breeding females to ensure they’re fully matured and developed enough to breed. Females at a minimum need to be 35 grams before they start breeding, and this is going to be assuming that they have the tail already.

You may start at 35 grams, but you might have a better success rate if you wait until the ideal 40 grams. All it takes is a little patience and waiting but it usually only takes one or two months to go from 35 grams to 40 grams. However, if the female doesn’t have a tail, then you can subtract 5 grams from the total weight.

If you plan on breeding, you want to ensure that only one male is in each cage because if they’re paired together, they can become incredibly violent and will fight each other rather than breed with the females. However, you can have 5 females inside the same cage with only one male without an issue.

Temperature
The temperature is relatively important to ensure that fertilization occurs and is at maximum efficiency for doing so. Make sure that the temperature is kept between 75 degrees and 79 degrees during the day and at night time, you shouldn’t have an issue if the temperature were to drop 5 degrees. It’s encouraged to mist the cage every day at least once and remember not to mist too much or to soak the cage so much that the water doesn’t dry up in a couple of hours.

High quality food is also going to play a key factor here because for fertilization to be successful, they need to be well and gut loaded vitamin insects are the best way to do this. If you want to make sure that they’re being properly fed, you can check the calcium sacks on the roof of the mouth of the female. If it’s not depleted, then you have a healthy female gecko.

You’re going to also want to lay down a container inside the cage so that the females have a spot to lay their eggs in. Make sure you leave a few inches inside the container so that they can dig down into the container and lay their eggs. Crested gecko care is relatively easy and the process to breed them is quite simple. Once a crested gecko has laid eggs, you can expect to see some hatching eggs in 2 to 3 months. Usually it’s somewhere in between but sometimes it can take up to three months.

Owners report that they have had eggs hatch at temperatures that were all over the map but for safety purposes we’re going to go with 70 degrees or slightly higher. Incubation is important because it’s easy to lose eggs due to how delicate they are. If you run into the problem of a pair of crested geckos not breeding, then you might want to go back to the basics of crested gecko care and breeding to look at a few key things.

Is the temperature warm and not too hot? Are they getting proper nutrition? How old are the animals and are they matured enough to mate? There are several things you can examine and determine as the cause of geckos not breeding.