Gecko Caresheets

Leo Care

Housing: A 10 gallon tank is considered a "minimum" per adult gecko, yet a 20 gallon would be good for up to 3 geckos. Never put to males together, they will fight. A lid is required and there should be at least 2 hides per gecko. A Reptile Hammock will usually be put to good use. They like plastic plants and they also look good in a cage. Paper towels are a good substrate for babies or adults; sand is a good substrate for full size adult geckos.
Heating & Lighting: No UV lighting is required for these nocturnal geckos. 80 degrees on the "cool side" (the side of the tank with no heat source) 85-88 warm side (side with heating source) To heat the tank is a under tank heater. These can be bought at many pet stores and should be controlled by a thermostat, or rheostat. NEVER USE HEATROCKS they cause serious burns.
Feeding: Dusting there food with calcium powder is very important. Dust for every other feeding. Food sources are crickets, no bigger then the space between the eyes, and mealworms. Wax worms can be given once a month as treats; watch out these can be addictive to them, so be careful. Silk worms also make a great food.

Crested Care

Housing: Crested geckos need a heavily planted (live and plastic plants), cage with plenty of branches and vines. A single adult Crested gecko (Rhacodactylus Ciliatus) can be housed in a 12x12x16" cage. Potted tropical (non-sprayed and non fertilized) plants should be placed in the cage. Crested gecko's habitat should be misted once every night. Babies can be maintained on a non-substrate floor to help them catch there crickets easier and no hassle of impaction incase of swallowed substrate as baby and juvie crested geckos are very clumsy. As adults they can be housed on coconut fiber substrate, often sold it bricks. Paper towels are what works for me... easy to clean and it looks okay. Crested geckos can also be housed in Kritter Keepers as babies, or larger Rubbermaid containers as adults. Glass aquariums or plastic cages such as BARRS work best. Most Rhacodactylus species can be kept at room temperatures depending on the environment where you live. 70-82 (no higher) is a good solid temperature for daytime, on the lower end being best. With temperatures over 82 degrees crested geckos get very stressed out, eat less and can die. In winter months you can use a heat pad on the bottom of the enclosure to add extra heat if you house gets very cold. At night temperatures can go down to 65 degrees without any harm to the gecko. Relative humidity should be at 75-85%. Live plants aid to keep humidity up in the correct spots, In most environments with daily misting at night or evening hours will result in proper humidity.
Feeding: Crested geckos have been proven to eat 75% fruits in the wild. In captivity they should be fed 100% fruit baby food 4-5 times per week, and crickets 2-3 times per week. Most geckos, as with Rhacodactylus food should be dusted with calcium powder; as babies it should be dusted every other feeding and as adults 3-4 times per week. Bowl feeding (feeding in a bowl) is the best way to go, especially when dealing with loose substrate. I use a 2-liter soda bottle cap for the baby food and a plastic cup cut down to 2 inches high for crickets. Crickets should be gutloaded with fruits for moisture, and a grain such as a no sugar cereal like cheerios or shredded wheat brand. Gutload 24-48 hours before feeding to the cresteds. Crickets should be under the size between the eyes of the geckos, and only 4-6 per feeding per night. Remove all baby food the next morning to make sure you do not attract other insects such as ants.
Drinking: Most Rhacodactlyus do not drink from ponds or streams, but from mist left over from rainfall on leaves. Mist the sides and leaves of the plants in the cage for drinking water. Also provide a drinking bowl provided with fresh water every other day.

Links to other caresheets
Crested gecko care by:Emerson Sy
Leopard gecko care at GeckoIsland.com
African fat-tail gecko's
Tokay gecko care

Other Links
The Lizard Lady Breeder and keeper of beautiful quality geckos.
Ron Tremper Breeder of quality albino leopard geckos.
Gecko Island Gecko community site.
Kingsnake.com Community site for all herps.
Redtailboa/Reptilehaven.net/org Community site for all reptiles.
Gexfiles