Crested Gecko Care

Wizard lizards make great pets for kids ... and another great Disney encyclopedia

How can something cold blooded hold such a warm place in our hearts?

That’s the question the latest volume of Disney’s massively popular encyclo-pedia series aims to answer.

‘Wonderful World of Knowledge: Reptiles and Amphibians’ gives youngsters all the facts they could ever want to know about frogs and toads, tortoises and turtles, crocodiles and alligators, lizards, snakes ... and lots more.

Falkirk Pets at Home manager Kirsty Ryles is impressed by the latest offering.

Owner of a crested gecko called Nidhog, Kirsty loved the easy-to-understand diagrams and colourful pictures featured in the pages of the encyclopedia which really bring these fascinating creatures to life.

Kirsty said: “Kids love books about reptiles – especially wee boys. It’s just something a bit different from your usual small furry animals.

“Bearded dragons are your more common variety – we have a couple of them at Pets at Home along with some leopard geckos and crested geckos.”

The Pets at Home branch in Livingston recently acquired a corn snake and Kirsty and the staff in Falkirk are hoping to welcome their first snake in the near future.

Kirsty said staff were sceptical and a bit wary when their scaly new stock arrive on the scene, but were soon won over – many of them now caring for geckos and bearded dragons of their own. She laughed: “One of our members of staff has actually converted his entire attic to look after snakes and other reptiles.”

Despite their often weird, sometimes scary, appearance, reptiles and amphibians make great pets.

Kirsty said: “Lizards like our geckos are good pets for people of all ages, but they are great for children with allergies because they have no fur.

“Your average bearded dragon is more like a scaly dog than a reptile. It takes time to set up conditions for your reptiles and amphibians, but once that is in place they are fairly easy to care for and maintain.

“They eat live crickets and hoppers which we supply here in the store. Crested geckos eat mashed up fruit and fruity baby foods.”

Some varieties of reptile can live for well over 20 years, so they do require a bit of a commitment, especially as they grow and require a bigger vivarium.

Even if you do not have a reptile or amphibian of your own, you can still find out more about them by reading this week’s Disney volume and then take a trip down to Pets at Home to see some up close.

Taking Care of a Crested Gecko

Taking care of a crested gecko is a unique, yet interesting hobby, as only a few individuals prefer to have them as pets. Most of these pet owners took time to learn what they can about having a pet gecko for a pet, as this type of reptile, has specific needs in order to survive in captivity.

If you are a new owner of a crested gecko, here are a few tips you can follow. It will be really helpful also to list them down in a crested gecko care sheet. Doing this will ensure you of always having guidelines when taking care of your crested gecko. It will also come in handy, when you want to teach other people how to take care of their own crested gecko.

What Food Can You Give to Your Crested Gecko?

You can feed your crested gecko with insects, which is a great source of proteins. Insects that can be turned into crested gecko food include crickets, silkworms, butterworms, mealworms and waxworms. To keep your crested gecko healthy, you can apply vitamin supplements to these insects by powdering them or spraying them with the supplements. Most crested geckos love these protein-rich insects.

They also love sweet tasting food. You can feed your pet with fruit flavored baby food which is sweet enough to attract your crested gecko’s appetite. It doesn’t consume a lot of water so a small container of water should be enough to quench your pet’s thirst, but water must be available all the time. If you don’t have the time to prepare insects or baby food for your crested gecko, you can just purchase pre-made food. There are several of these pre-processed foods, containing all the required nutrients for crested gecko pets, available in most pet stores.

What Kind of Environment Does it Need?

Crested geckos usually love climbing and hiding, that’s why it is important to provide your pet with living conditions that cater to these activities. You can put your crested gecko in a housing that is taller than it is wider since most of its activities will be oriented to climbing and moving vertically. If you have multiple crested geckos, make sure also that you do not put two male geckos together because they tend to be territorial. It is also encouraged to put some non-toxic plants in the housing, and some enclosures where your crested gecko can hide.

What Other Things Do You Need to Remember?

A crested gecko is a nocturnal reptile. You can expect your pet to sleep during daylight hours. During night time, you should provide them with lighting for 10 hours up to 12 hours. It is also essential to keep the humidity of its housing at 50%. What you can do is to mist its housing at night before you sleep to maintain this level of humidity.

Crested geckos

Crested Geckos and Relatives

Lizard Care from A to Z, From Anoles to Zonosaurs

Crested Gecko in Captivity

Crested geckos in captivity, with notes on other Rhacodactylus species