Tropical reptile · Arboreal gecko

Know whether your crested gecko's care is actually on track.

Your crestie can't tell you the tank ran too warm again or that it has quietly stopped gaining weight. baskr watches the pattern across your logs, temperature, humidity, weight, feeding and shedding, and shows you what needs attention before it becomes a problem.

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Doing okay

Crested Gecko

Tank running warm

30°C on three afternoons vs the 22–26°C range. Move it out of direct sun or heat.

Room temperature

22–26°C · 72–79°F

Humidity

60–80% with drying cycles

Heat lamp

No basking bulb needed

Ideal ranges for Correlophus ciliatus, the same targets baskr scores your logs against.

Basking and warm figures are surface temperatures at the spot; cool and ambient are air. Measure with a probe or infrared thermometer at the animal's height.

Crested Gecko: a few things worth knowing

Crested geckos were thought extinct until they were rediscovered in New Caledonia in 1994.
They have no eyelids, a crestie licks its own eyeballs to keep them clean and moist.
Drop the tail once and it's gone for good: unlike many geckos, a crested gecko never regrows it.
Microscopic hairs on their toes let them climb, and sprint across, smooth glass with ease.
They thrive at room temperature, which makes them one of the few reptiles that need no basking lamp.

When is your crested gecko active?

Nocturnal

Active by night

Where crested geckos come from

Rainforests of New Caledonia

Wild climate. Cool, humid tropical forest; never hot.

Why the care is what it is. This is why it lives at room temperature (22 to 26°C) and must never be kept hot, which is dangerous for it.

What baskr watches for your crested gecko

Logging is the input. The product is spotting when a single off reading becomes a pattern worth acting on.

Ambient temperature

22–26°C (72–79°F) at room temperature

Sustained warmth above ~28°C is genuinely dangerous, overheating stresses a crestie fast.

Humidity

60–80%, peaking after a misting

Constant saturation with no dry-down invites skin and respiratory trouble.

Drying cycles

A daily dip toward ~50% before the next mist

A tank that never dries out is as much a red flag as one that never gets humid.

Weight trend

Steady gain in juveniles, stable in adults

A downward trend across two or three weigh-ins is an early red flag.

Feeding & appetite

Fresh CGD offered every 1–2 days

A run of untouched dishes that isn't a shed or cool-spell is worth a closer look.

Shedding

Clean, complete sheds in one go

Stuck shed on toes and the tail tip points to humidity that's too low, baskr flags the run.

How to set up a crested gecko terrarium

Minimum size
45×45×60 cm (18×18×24 in) tall for an adult, vertical space matters more than floor area.
Temperatures
Room temperature 22–26°C (72–79°F); no basking bulb, and keep it below ~28°C. A slight night drop is fine and natural.
Substrate
A moisture-holding base like coco fibre or a bioactive soil mix that supports live plants and holds humidity.
Hides & décor
Plenty of cover up high: cork bark, dense foliage and horizontal ledges so it can hide and sleep off the ground.
Layout
Build upward, cross-branches, vines and broad-leaved plants for climbing, with a lightly cooler, shaded lower zone.

Plants for a crested gecko terrarium

Safe to include

  • Pothos
  • Bromeliads
  • Ficus (weeping fig)
  • Peperomia
  • Snake plant (Sansevieria)
  • Spider plant

Avoid

  • Ivy
  • Oleander
  • Pothos treated with pesticide
  • Most bulb plants (daffodil, tulip)

A crestie loves a densely planted, jungle-style terrarium, living plants hold humidity and give cover. Rinse new plants of any pesticide and skip anything you can't confirm is non-toxic.

What to feed a crested gecko, and what to avoid

Staples

  • Commercial crested gecko diet (CGD), rehydrated fresh
  • A rotation of CGD flavours/brands for variety

Occasional / treats

  • Gut-loaded crickets
  • Dubia roaches
  • Black soldier fly larvae
  • A little mashed fruit as a treat

Never feed

  • Avocado
  • Citrus
  • Insects larger than the space between the eyes
  • Wild-caught insects (pesticides/parasites)
  • Human baby food as a staple

Supplements. A quality CGD is complete on its own; dust any feeder insects with calcium (with D3 occasionally) so extras don't unbalance the diet.

Good to know. CGD is the staple, insects are an optional extra, not a requirement. Offer fresh food in the evening and remove it before it spoils.

The gear that matters for a crested gecko

The right kind of kit, pick brands you trust.

Tall terrarium

A front-opening, well-ventilated vivarium taller than it is wide, vertical climbing space is the priority.

Thermometer + hygrometer

Digital, ideally with a probe, track both temperature and humidity through the day, not stick-on dials.

Misting

A hand sprayer or automatic misting system to lift humidity in the evening and let it dry down again.

Low-level UVB (optional)

A low-output UVB tube (Ferguson zone 1–2) can benefit a crestie, mounted so it can move in and out of it.

Climbing décor

Cork branches, vines and broad-leaved plants so it can move through the whole height of the tank.

The kind of thing baskr will tell you

Grounded in your own logs and the ideal ranges above, plain language, never a diagnosis.

Tank hit 30°C three afternoons this week, too warm for a crestie. Move it out of direct sun or away from the heat source.

Humidity has sat above 85% for six days with no dry-down. Improve ventilation so the enclosure can breathe between mistings.

Kiwi hasn't touched CGD in 5 nights and isn't in shed, keep an eye on weight and evening temperature.

Is your crested gecko's setup on track?

Enter your own readings for an instant care score, the same check baskr runs for you every day.

Do you have a UVB light?

Enter a reading or two above to see Crested Gecko's care score.

A quick guide, not a diagnosis. Ideal ranges vary with age, morph and setup, and individual animals differ, so confirm anything critical with an experienced keeper or a reptile vet.

Crested Gecko vs other pets

More geckos

All geckos

Crested Gecko care questions

Does a crested gecko need a heat lamp?+

Usually not, crested geckos thrive at room temperature, roughly 22–26°C (72–79°F), and sustained heat above about 28°C is dangerous. Most homes need no basking bulb at all; only a cold room may call for gentle background heat on a thermostat. baskr flags a tank creeping too warm, but confirm your setup against a current care sheet.

How humid should a crested gecko's tank be?+

Aim for around 60–80% after misting, dropping back toward ~50% before the next cycle, a crestie needs that dry-down, not constant saturation. baskr watches the humidity you log for both extremes so stuck sheds and stale, wet air get caught early.

What do crested geckos eat?+

A complete commercial crested gecko diet (CGD) is the staple, offered fresh every day or two, with gut-loaded insects as an occasional extra. Avoid avocado, citrus, and feeders larger than the gap between the eyes. baskr tracks how often the dish is actually cleared so a quiet appetite stands out.

Will a crested gecko's tail grow back?+

No, unlike many geckos, a crested gecko that drops its tail never regrows it, though it lives perfectly well without one. If your gecko seems stressed, off its food, or is losing weight, log it and check in with an exotics vet, baskr is a husbandry assistant, not a diagnosis.

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Last reviewed August 2026. General husbandry guidance, not veterinary advice, and ranges vary with age, morph, subspecies and setup. Confirm anything critical with an experienced keeper or an exotics vet.