CARE SHEET

Thank you for your interest in our baby crested geckos! Crested geckos are amazing lizards that are friendly, unique and easy to care for. Here are some basic care instructions and tips for a baby crested gecko. View recommended supplies at the bottom of this page.

Housing

• Keep your baby gecko in a small container such as a 8x8x12 Exo Terra or a Small Critter Keeper.
• Line the small container with paper towels. It is important to keep them in something small so that they can find their food easily and you can monitor that they are eating and pooping regularly.
• Change the paper towels whenever it looks dirty.

Temperature & Humidity

• Crested geckos are comfortable at room temperature. 70-75 degrees during the day is perfect and they can handle as low as about 65 during the night.
• If you keep your house lower than 70, you will want to provide them with a heat lamp to ensure the ambient air is at least 70.
• Ideal humidity should be between 50-60%. This can be achieved by spraying the tank twice a day. You can also provide a humid box for your baby to help it with shedding. There are various ways to do this but an easy way is a small Tupperware container with damp moss.

Lighting

• There are some who believe that Crested Geckos need UVB while others in the industry say they do not. Having a low UVB will not hurt your gecko but we do not use UVB on our geckos. They get all the calcium they need from their crested gecko diet.
• It can be beneficial for them to get some sort of light source to help differentiate between day and night. As babies this can be placing them near a window for natural light or a small led aquarium light. We keep our lights on timers set from sunrise to sunset.

Food

• We feed the babies Pangea Fruit Mix with Insects Crested Gecko Complete Diet every night. You can mix up to a week’s worth in a blender bottle and pour into their food bowl. I like to make it a little more watery because it won’t dry out as quick. Be sure to remove any uneaten food the next day.
• Baby geckos can also be fed small crickets, dubia roaches or mealworms. This should not be their main source of food but an occasional treat.
• If it looks like your baby is not eating (either you are not seeing much poop or their weight isn’t getting higher), take some fresh food and put it on their nose. Sometimes they need reminding that their food is there!
• You can make a larger batch of food and freeze it into small cubes. If you choose to do this, pull a cube or partial cube and put in their food bowl at dinner time. It will be thawed by evening.
• You may not notice your baby eating much at first because it is so small. As long as you continue to see poop and it is growing, then rest assured it is eating fine. You can invest in a small scale to track it’s weight if desired.

Water

• Don’t use a large water bowl at this age. They can drown. Water bottle caps make great food and water dishes at this age. Alternatively, Stroodies makes some great feeder dishes and ledges. See the link below.
• Provide fresh water at all times but also spray the leaves with water. The babies will often prefer to drink the water droplets versus from a water dish.

Additional Info

• You may not notice your baby gecko shedding as they eat their skin. Pay close attention to their toes to ensure there is no stuck shed. If skin remains on their toes, they will have trouble climbing and could potentially lose their toes. If you notice stuck skin, provide them with extra humidity. If that fails, soaks or products such as Shed-Ease.
• You should be able to find out the sex of your baby around 6-12 months. Find out how to sex your crested gecko here.
• When they are little, weigh them weekly to make sure they are gaining weight. This can stop once they seem to be gaining consistently and eating their food.
• Baby crested geckos should be handled carefully. They are much more jumpy than adults. Hold your baby in a safe area close to the ground so that it cannot escape and does not fall far to the ground. Keep it away from other pets.
• If you adopt two or more babies, be prepared to separate them if they end up being male + male or male + female. They are siblings and should not breed. Males can fight. Occasionally, females can fight as well. If you keep more than one gecko, watch them constantly for signs of fighting and be prepared to separate them.

As They Grow

• Once they reach about 5 grams, you can upgrade them into a 12x12x18 Exo Terra or a 10 gallon turned vertical. As adults they will need a minimum of 18x18x24.
• Switch to a substrate that holds humidity better such as coco fiber.
• I highly recommend BioActive enclosures for crested geckos. A bioactive terrarium is a living enclosure that has plants, soil and a clean up crew (tiny bugs that eat waste). Not only does it look beautiful but it can help with humidity and reduce maintenance! Learn more about BioActive Enclosures here.

*I am not affiliated with any of these sites or links. I do not make any profit off any item you purchase and cannot be held responsible if anything goes wrong with your purchase from an outside source.