How to Keep Your Crested Gecko Healthy

The most important thing in any pet is maintaining their health. If you have a healthy gecko, then he/she is more likely to be happier, more active and live a longer, fulfilled life.

A crested gecko's health is easy to maintain when you know what you're doing. So long as you know what things to consider and the signs of poor health, you're well on your way to a smiling gecko!

From thereptilereport.com

Hygiene

A healthy person has good hygiene. They bathe and shower, wash their hands to rid of germs, clean the house; if you're unclean, you're more likely to get sick.

The same applies for a crested gecko. Although they may not be able to wash their hands and take a morning shower, it is important that their surroundings are hygienic as not to cause disease.

You should spot-clean your vivarium frequently. Spot cleaning is important to rid of any excrements and fecal matter in the terrarium, as this can be harmful to both your crestie and yourself. A crested gecko's feces can spread salmonella if there is a lack of hygiene.

About once every one or two months, you will need to perform an entire vivarium clean-out. This will involve removing equipment from the vivarium and cleaning everything, including the glass, the floor, the back wall, the equipment in the vivarium and changing any substrate. Effective cleaning starts with the removal of excrements with a warm, damp cloth, followed by spraying with reptile-friendly disinfectant.

Nutrients

Just as people need a varied diet to be healthy, a crested gecko needs a balance of various vitamins and minerals, particularly calcium. What you feed your gecko can seriously influence their health, their growth and how active they are.

The main thing your crested gecko requires is calcium. If you feed him on live food, you'll need to make sure you purchase some Calci-Dust. This can simply be sprinkled on the insect of choice before feeding.

To check that your crested gecko has high enough calcium levels, you can check the white sacs on the roofs of their mouths. These are called their 'calcium sacs'.

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A crested gecko with calcium deficiency could be identified by their tail.

Healthy crested geckos should have strong, straight tails. However, a crested gecko with a lack of calcium could have a squiggly tail like a snake.

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You should also purchase a multi-vitamin supplement for your cresties, to ensure they're getting everything that they need. This can be particularly beneficial to their health, growth and strength.

If you feed your gecko on Crested Gecko Diet, you won't need to worry about these supplements. CGD comes with everything your crested gecko needs already mixed in.

A natural, healthy environment

Temperature, humidity, natural surroundings and ventilation are important environmental factors to a gecko's health.

Any crested gecko owner should know that the temperature in the vivarium should not exceed 80F/26C, or drop below 50F/10C. Anything above or below this temperature range can cause a crested gecko to become stressed, leading to many health issues such as a lack of appetite and motivation/exercise. This can be avoided by purchasing an Exo Terra thermometer for the inside of your vivarium.

The humidity levels in your vivarium can also affect your gecko's health. It is not a huge issue, but should be kept above 50%. Your vivarium should be misted heavily nightly and possibly lightly at morning, but humidity should be higher at night time when your crested gecko is active. If your female is gravid(pregnant) or you believe your crested gecko is due a shed, you should try and keep the humidity levels higher. A lack of humidity can cause dehydration and difficulties in shedding and/or laying.

Ventilation is a very important factor, too. Not only does this create a more natural feel for your gecko, but with a fairly warm temperature and high humidity inside your vivarium, it is basically a breeding ground for bacteria and other microorganisms. Ventilation can help rid of this problem.

To make sure your crested gecko lives naturally, you should surround him with things you may find in the wild: natural soils, plants, leaves, vines and branches are the best things. You should make sure they feel comfortable in their surroundings and are acting as natural as possible. Allow them to hunt if you can, although some cresties may be difficult about this.

Know what to look for

You should know the signs of poor health, so you can act if anything is wrong.

I've already spoken about calcium deficiency, and how checking the shape of the tail and your gecko's calcium sacs can help you to identify a lack of calcium.

Sometimes if your crested gecko isn't sticking to the glass properly, this could indicate shed stuck to your crestie's feet. This can be an issue for your gecko, and you can help remove this shed by bathing them. You may need to use a cotton ear bud to help this further.

A healthy crested gecko foot; www.design-newyork.com

If this is not the case, it could be that humidity levels in your vivarium are too low. You might want to think about raising the humidity if your gecko cannot stick to the glass.

A crested gecko may also get 'floppy tail syndrome', commonly known as FTS, if sleeping upside-down. This is when the tail unnaturally droops over the body. To avoid this, if you do see your gecko sleeping upside-down you should place him onto a horizontal surface.

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Lack of appetite and motivation may also indicate an issue. If your gecko does not eat for a few days later than he should have, or has appeared lethargic and out of sorts, you should contact a reptile professional and/or a vet immediately.

If you have any questions or queries about your crested gecko's health, please do leave a comment below, or contact me personally at one of the following addresses:

roccothegecko@gmail.com

elly_crook@icloud.com

Thank you for reading.

Elly. x