Crested Geckos: The Facts

Crested geckos are considered an exotic pet, although they are beginning to become more and more popular in your average family. It is no longer your typical, eccentric 'reptile people' who buy crested geckos - they can be found all over the place from varied individuals!
But how much do people really know about crested geckos?

I've done a lot of research on the crestie over the past few days, and I'm hoping that you will all learn something from this post. Crested geckos really are wonderful creatures, whether you love them simply because they're adorable, or because you love every little thing about their existence.

Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crested_gecko
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/pic/article.cfm?aid=2499
http://www.gallerygeckos.com/crestie-care-for-kids.html
http://thereptilereport.com/crested-geckos-in-the-wild/
http://www.acreptiles.com/main/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=53&Itemid=316
http://www.exoticpetvet.com/breeds/turtle241211.htm
http://jbscresties.com/breeding.html

Rhacodactylus Ciliatus

Location

Crested geckos, formally known as rhacodactylus ciliatus, can be found in the Islands of New Caledonia. The islands are located in the south-west Pacific Ocean, 1,210 kilometers west of Australia.

A map of New Caledonia Islands, belonging to France - www.postcard.pics-sydney.com.au

On the islands, temperatures can range from as low as 50 Fahrenheit at night to as high as 80 Fahrenheit during the day. The average annual temperature of New Caledonia is 23 Celsius (approx 73 Fahrenheit). From November-March, the islands undergo higher humidity levels and temperatures that range from 27-30 Celsius. They experience a drier and cooler period from June-August with temperatures that vary from 20 to 23 Celsius. Due to the tropical climate of the islands, humidity is often high and stays around 80%.

Appearance

Other common names for the Crested Gecko are the New Caledonian Crested Gecko, Guichenot's Giant Gecko or the Eyelash Gecko. The term 'Eyelash Gecko' comes from the crests that can be found on the body of the gecko. The crests run from the base of the gecko's tail, up both sides of their body and over the eyes, forming the so-called 'eyelashes'.

The above image shows the crests along the eyes of the crested gecko - en.wikipedia.org

The appearance of the crested gecko varies according to the individual. A crested gecko's 'morph' can be identified by its colour and pattern, and these can carry various names. For example, the Harlequin, Pinstripe and Flame are popular morphs.

Similarly to different patterns, crested geckos often come in varied colours. The less rare colours are those such as grey, brown, green and yellow. They occasionally come in more vibrant colours such as oranges and reds. Extremely rare morphs come with a greater value, such as the 'moonglow', a white 'glowing' gecko that some believe to be a myth.

Crested geckos' colours can vary slightly according to lighting, humidity levels, temperature and stress levels. When their colour becomes more vibrant due to these factors, this is known as 'firing up'.

They have large bulging eyes and a flat, triangular head. A healthy gecko should be fairly streamlined yet with a slightly rounded belly: ribs should be somewhat visible, but not obvious.

When fully grown, a crested gecko should reach approximately 7-9 inches from nose to tail tip, although hatchlings and juveniles are much smaller.

Discovery

Crested geckos were originally thought to be extinct, but were found later on the Isle of Pines in 1994. Before that, crested geckos were only known from sketches, and had last been seen in the 1800's. It was not expected that the crested gecko would become such a popular pet, and now it is one of the 5 most popular reptiles kept as a pet around the world.

Body structure

A crested gecko's body is well-adapted for its environment.

Cresties spend a lot of their time climbing or otherwise vertical. To help them with climbing, they have 'sticky pads' on the bottoms of their feet and the tip of the tail known as 'lamellae'. The lamellae are described as hair-like structures that allow them to cling to smooth surfaces.

Lamellae on a crested gecko's foot - realityismyreligion.me

In the wild, the majority of crested geckos are found without tails. Tail-dropping is a defensive mechanism used to distract predators by the majority of lizards and geckos. Unfortunately, a crested gecko's tail does not grow back. Although perhaps less attractive, a crested gecko without a tail is not under any disadvantage in comparison to those with.

A crested gecko without a tail - www.pangeareptile.com

Your crestie might lose their tail in any situation of stress, or perhaps if the tail is pinched, grabbed or pulled in any way. Sometimes crested geckos lose their tails during mating, due to the fact that a male crestie will bite the female during copulation.

A crested gecko does not have eyelids. To keep the moisture in the eyes, a crestie will use their large tongue to frequently lick the surface of the eye. 

Behaviour

Those who have crested geckos will know that they spend the majority of daytime hours hiding. In the wild, crested geckos will hide away in trees and leaves in hope to not be spotted by predators. A vivarium should be equipped with plenty of hiding places, such as fake plants, leaves and branches.

Due to the webbing on their digits, streamlined body and lamellae, a crested gecko is particularly good at jumping. They can jump a reasonable distance, and appear to glide through the air.

An image over time of a crestie jumping - www.rhac-shack.co.uk

They are considered nocturnal, although a lot of crested geckos that are kept in captivity will come out during the day, even if a lot of their daytime is spent sleeping.

They do most of their hunting during night hours, particularly hunting insects such as crickets, roaches, worms and locusts. A crested gecko's motivation to hunt is provoked by movement, and the more active the prey the better. They are, however, considered omnivore due to the fact they occasionally feed on fruit.

Breeding and Reproduction

Crested geckos reproduce through the process of copulation. During the process, a male will seize the female's crests in the mouth. Often, after mating, a female's crests may appear to be missing. She may even have bite marks on her body.

Crested geckos during copulation - www.jbscresties.com

After copulation, you may see something pink that hangs from the male's vent. This is nothing for you to worry about: this is just the hemipene. Don't worry - he will lick the hemipene until it goes back into his vent.

www.pangeareptile.com

A female will lay a clutch of eggs every 30 days or so. There are 2 eggs in every clutch, although the first time or so your female may only lay one egg, or the eggs might be infertile. Infertile eggs can be distinguished due to their yellow colouring, in stead of the normal white colouring.

The female, after being gravid (pretty much pregnant with eggs!) for approximately 30 days, will bury into some form of soft substrate. If you do not have substrate in the bottom of your vivarium, you might want to consider supplying some form of nesting box. This way, the eggs can also be removed easily for incubation. The female will partially, or even fully, bury her body into the soil to lay her eggs. You should not be alarmed if you see her buried into the soil: she will be able to breathe fine. Try not to disturb her whilst laying, or you could interrupt the process.

A crestie laying her eggs in a nesting box - www.pangeareptile.com

Eggs should be removed for incubation. There is no need to supply heat to the eggs during incubation: the general rule is the cooler the better. Eggs can be kept at room temperature during incubation and kept in the same position in the substrate. There is no need to turn the eggs, as eggs would naturally be buried in the same position. High temperatures and movement of the eggs may disrupt the development of the crested gecko inside the egg.

The cooler the eggs are kept, the longer they take to hatch. This is most likely beneficial to the development of the gecko. Incubation should usually last around 65-120 days before hatching.

www.theurbanboa.com

The two eggs should hatch within the same day, often within an hour of each other if kept under the same conditions. There shouldn't be any need to assist the hatchling with hatching.

When the eggs are hatched, you should place the hatchlings into a smaller enclosure. Keeping them in a larger vivarium can be stressful and make it very difficult for them to hunt for food. You can try keeping your hatchlings in a critter keeper: small, plastic containers used to store crickets and other live food. So long as your container of choice is equipped with hiding places, climbing material and possibly substrate, you should be okay.

Captivity

Crested geckos are one of the top 5 most popular reptiles kept as pets in the Europe and the United States since their rediscovery in 1994.

When kept in captivity, cresties are kept in fairly large glass enclosures called vivariums/terrariums. Vivariums are equipped with fake plants, climbing equipment, branches, substrate and leaves.

www.captivebred.co.uk

In captivity, temperatures are kept at approx. room temperature through the use of thermometers. In cooler climates such as the UK, heat mats and/or bulbs should be purchased to prevent the vivarium from becoming too cold.

Humidity levels can also be monitored through the use of a hygrometer, and kept high through the use of a mistifier. These can be as simple as a water spray bottle to spray the vivarium heavily each evening, or an electric mistifier that sprays the cage automatically. Water features in the vivarium can also be useful to maintain its humidity.

In captivity, crested geckos are fed from various sources. Live food can be bought from the majority of pet and reptile stores, in the form of crickets, locusts, roaches and worms. The most popular choices are black crickets and meal worms. These should be dusted with calcium and/or multivitamins, and should come gut-loaded.

A crested gecko consuming a black cricket - www.reptileexpert.org

Another very popular feeding choice is Crested Gecko Diet. Crested Gecko Diet, commonly known as CGD, is a powder-like substance mixed with water to form a paste. The powder contains crushed insects, fruits, calcium and vitamins, and supplies cresties with everything that they need to maintain their health. It's particularly good for those who are squeamish about insects, or can't be fussed with adding Calci-Dust and multivitamin supplements. Crested Gecko Diet comes in two main brands: Repashy and Komodo.

A juvenile eating Crested Gecko Diet - www.ddreptiles.net

The final feeding option often causes controversy between reptile owners - fruit. It is debatable about the nutritional value of fruit for a crested gecko. Should we feed our cresties fruit puree/baby food, and does it really contain anything that they need?

It can certainly be said that fruit doesn't contain anything harmful for your gecko, and it is a natural food source in the wild. So long as it is fed alongside some other form of staple food, e.g. CGD or crickets, fruit is a tasty treat for your crestie that they will surely enjoy.

Hopefully this has given you a bit more of an insight into the crested gecko.

If there's any other sections you'd like me to add or anything else you'd like to know, you can leave a comment below and I should be able to do some research and help you out.

This post took a lot of researching and a lot of time and I thoroughly enjoyed learning about the crested gecko in such an in-depth way.

I will be posting again soon, but I have recently returned from hospital and I start college tomorrow.

Rocco and Savannah are doing well, and there isn't much to tell about them as of yet.

I will update you if anything comes up.

Thank you ever so much for reading!
Feedback is appreciated.

Elly. x