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The New Caledonian Crested Gecko (Rhacodactylus
ciliatus) has been increasing in popularity by leaps and
bounds in the last few years. Once thought to be extinct, it
was re-discovered in the early 1990's living in large numbers
in New Caledonia. Since that time, many wild caught specimens
have been imported into North America, and now the majority of
crested geckos for sale are captive bred. Crested Geckos are a
medium sized species, generally reaching a length of 5-6" as
adults. They are fairly stocky, and have 2 lines of frills
running down the sides of their flattened heads, which gives
them the appearance of having eyelashes. Crested geckos have
adhesive pads on their toes, and are thus able to climb walls
& branches, making them a mainly arboreal species. They are
available in a wide range of colours, some of the most common
being grey, brown, yellow, orange, red & rust. Some specimens
will also have a scattering of dark spots on their body
(commonly referred to as a "dalmation" crested gecko). Crested
geckos are, for the most part, a nocturnal species, and will
be more active in the evening than during the day. The
lifespan of crested geckos is still rather unknown, but 10-15
years seems to be fairly average, with some living up to 20.
Housing
As crested geckos are arboreal,
they should be kept in an enclosure with plenty of height --
at least 16" high is good, 18"+ being preferable. A single
adult may be housed in a enclosure measuring 12 x 12 x 18 (L x
W x H). A trio of adults may be housed in a 20 gallon tall
tank. There should only be one male per enclosure, as males
will fight and injure each other. It is quite easy to identify
a male once he is mature, as he will have quite prominent
bulges at the base of his tail.
Crested geckos are most
comfortable when kept at room temperature (72-78F).
Temperatures over the low 80's will be quite stressful for
them. Since crested geckos prefer room temperature,
supplemental heating is often not required, except in cold
climates, or during the winter months. If needed, an Under
Tank Heater may be used to raise the temperature a bit, or a
40-60W heat lamp. When using a heat lamp, be sure to position
it at least 3-4" from the surface of the tank, to prevent your
gecko from burning itself.
The humidity of the enclosure
should be kept at around 50-80%, which can be maintained by
misting the cage twice daily. The substrate chosen should be
one that can hold humidity well, such as peat moss, cypress
mulch, Bed-A-Beast, or Jungle Lizard Litter. It should be
relatively cushy, to prevent your gecko from injuring its nose
when it dives on its prey.
For a naturalistic setup, the tank
should include branches of various sizes & orientations for
your crested gecko to climb on. Live plants make a wonderful
addition to the setup, as they provide hiding places as well
as helping to maintain the humidity of the tank. Hardy
tropical plants with broad leaves are good choices. In
addition to live plants, there is also a wide variety of fake
plants available from pet stores, including reptile vines,
which come in a variety of kinds. The reptile vines are great,
because you can twist them in amongst the branches, and create
many resting and hiding places for your crested gecko. It is
also a good idea to have some kind of hiding spot on ground
level, which can be achieved as simply as purchasing a piece
of cork bark and placing it on top of the substrate with a
small gap in between. This will give your gecko somewhere to
retreat to when they feel that the temperature is too high and
they need to cool down, and will also help out when it comes
to shedding time.
The enclosure should ideally be
cleaned out every week by removing any uneaten insects and
wastes, as well as giving water and food bowls a thorough
cleaning. Crested geckos will go to the bathroom anywhere, so
you might have to search for it, unlike with leopard geckos.
Feeding
Crested geckos enjoy eating both
insects, and fruity foods. An alternating diet of crickets &
fruit baby food (peaches, banana, apricot, pear, berries) is
recommended. Young crested geckos should be fed every day,
while adults should be fed every other day. For juveniles,
dusting of the food items with a calcium/vitamin supplement
should occur at each meal -- when feeding the baby food, it
can be mixed right into the food. Adults require this
supplementation only a few times a week. Each gecko should be
fed around 5-6 prey items at each feeding that are around 1/2
the size of the geckos head; be careful not to put too many
crickets into the enclosure as uneaten crickets can cause
stress to your gecko. When feeding the fruit, 1/2 - 1 teaspoon
should be placed in an upturned lid for your gecko, and then
any uneaten food should be removed the next morning, to
prevent fruit fly etc. infestations.
A small dish of water may be
offered in the enclosure, but crested geckos will rarely drink
from a dish. Instead, they lick water droplets off of the
leaves & walls of the tank after misting -- yet another reason
to make sure to mist the tank twice daily. It is a good idea
to mist more heavily at night, as this is when crested geckos
are more active.
Handling
When young, crested geckos can be
quite flighty, but as adults they calm down quite nicely, and
often seem to even enjoy being handled (especially if you've
hand-fed them). Gentle handling is required, as crested geckos
will drop their tails if they feel threatened, and the
tail will not grow back! Brief handling a couple of times per
week seems to be acceptable to most cresteds. When handling
your crested gecko, beware -- they jump! And they don't always
look where they're going first, so they can end up in some
dangerous situations.
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