Crested Gecko Care Sheet
(Rhacodactylus Ciliatus)
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Diplodactylidae
Genus: Rhacodactylus
Species: Ciliatus
Synonyms: Correlophus Ciliatus
Also known as the Crested Gecko, New Caledonian gecko, Guichenot's giant gecko or Eye-lash Gecko due to its distinctive appearance and prolific history. These impressive geckos managed to live for many years untouched by man, and they we're thought to have gone extinct until 1994 when a large collection of these geckos were found in the isle of pines after a strong cyclone had hit the main land of new Caledonia. Crested Geckos are considered a vunerable species on the IUCN Red list.
Life Span: Under proper care, plan for your crested gecko to live 15 to 20 years.
Size: Adults can reach approximately 8-10 inches (Including the tail)
Active at: Nocturnal, Most active at night time.
Origin: Rainforests of New Caledonia and some of the nearby islands. Arboreal species that spends most of its time high in the trees.
Natural Habitat: Crested geckos originate from New Caledonia, a collection of islands found in the Pacific Ocean approximately 1,200 kilometers (746 miles) east of Australia and 1,500 kilometers (932 miles) northwest of New Zealand. Unlike many other island groups such as the Galapagos, they are not volcanic in origin. Instead they originally formed part of the continent Zealandia, which in turn formed part of the super-continent Gondwana. The lands we now know as New Caledonia then subsequently separated from Australia around 60-85 million years ago with the formation of the coral and Tasman seas, and from Antarctica between 130 and 85 million years ago. New Caledonia and New Zealand remain as the two largest parts of Zealandia that are still above sea-level. New Caledonia was named by the British explorer Captain Cook in 1744 because the rugged coastline of the main island Grand Terre reminded him of Scotland. In 1853 it became a french possession and now its political status is somewhere between independent country and part of the french republic.
Grand Terre is located in the second largest coral reef in the world (After Australia) which stretches 1600 kms. This massive lagoon completely encircles Grand Terre, however not only is the island surrounded by a coral reef it is also split into two climates by a spine of mountains that creates a lush eastern side with a drier western side. The island has an abundance of unique plants and animals, including crested geckos and other Rhacodactylus species. The average temperatures for the Isle of Pines can vary from as low as 20°C in July and August and as high as 26°C in January and February, however it may even reach 30°C on a really hot summers day at mid day. New Caledonia has a temperate climate with two main seasons: Cold (June to August) and hot (mid-November to mid-April). Water temperatures drop to 21°C in the cold season, and average air temperatures are around 24°C during the day and 15°C at night. In the hot season average maximum temperatures vary between 26°C and 30°C. The cyclone season occurs during the hottest months, January to March.
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Diplodactylidae
Genus: Rhacodactylus
Species: Ciliatus
Synonyms: Correlophus Ciliatus
Also known as the Crested Gecko, New Caledonian gecko, Guichenot's giant gecko or Eye-lash Gecko due to its distinctive appearance and prolific history. These impressive geckos managed to live for many years untouched by man, and they we're thought to have gone extinct until 1994 when a large collection of these geckos were found in the isle of pines after a strong cyclone had hit the main land of new Caledonia. Crested Geckos are considered a vunerable species on the IUCN Red list.
Life Span: Under proper care, plan for your crested gecko to live 15 to 20 years.
Size: Adults can reach approximately 8-10 inches (Including the tail)
Active at: Nocturnal, Most active at night time.
Origin: Rainforests of New Caledonia and some of the nearby islands. Arboreal species that spends most of its time high in the trees.
Natural Habitat: Crested geckos originate from New Caledonia, a collection of islands found in the Pacific Ocean approximately 1,200 kilometers (746 miles) east of Australia and 1,500 kilometers (932 miles) northwest of New Zealand. Unlike many other island groups such as the Galapagos, they are not volcanic in origin. Instead they originally formed part of the continent Zealandia, which in turn formed part of the super-continent Gondwana. The lands we now know as New Caledonia then subsequently separated from Australia around 60-85 million years ago with the formation of the coral and Tasman seas, and from Antarctica between 130 and 85 million years ago. New Caledonia and New Zealand remain as the two largest parts of Zealandia that are still above sea-level. New Caledonia was named by the British explorer Captain Cook in 1744 because the rugged coastline of the main island Grand Terre reminded him of Scotland. In 1853 it became a french possession and now its political status is somewhere between independent country and part of the french republic.
Grand Terre is located in the second largest coral reef in the world (After Australia) which stretches 1600 kms. This massive lagoon completely encircles Grand Terre, however not only is the island surrounded by a coral reef it is also split into two climates by a spine of mountains that creates a lush eastern side with a drier western side. The island has an abundance of unique plants and animals, including crested geckos and other Rhacodactylus species. The average temperatures for the Isle of Pines can vary from as low as 20°C in July and August and as high as 26°C in January and February, however it may even reach 30°C on a really hot summers day at mid day. New Caledonia has a temperate climate with two main seasons: Cold (June to August) and hot (mid-November to mid-April). Water temperatures drop to 21°C in the cold season, and average air temperatures are around 24°C during the day and 15°C at night. In the hot season average maximum temperatures vary between 26°C and 30°C. The cyclone season occurs during the hottest months, January to March.
Morphs & Varieties
Colours: Colours available include the following: Reds, Oranges, Yellows, Olive Greens, Brown, Lavender, White and Black. These colours can vary in shades from really pale to really dark colours, reds can vary from bright red to salmon pink, oranges can vary from pale to bright orange. Yellows include mustard to true yellow colours, greens are in varying shades of olive, its thought that crested geckos do not have the necessary skin pigments to make a true green. Browns come in tans, buckskins, fawn and chocolate, Lavenders are more of a grey-blue colour then actual lavender, whites can vary from pure white to cream. Blacks are usually extremely dark chocolates, how ever some rare occasions have revealed that black crested geckos are possible on a rare occasion.
Patterns: Patterns available include the following: Patternless, Bicolour, Flame, Harlequin, Tiger, and brindle. Patternless can have any colours and are a plain solid colour, bicolours are geckos that express two colours one that runs along the back in-between the crests and the secondary colour on the main body, Flames are geckos that display a coloured patterning along the back of the animal the colours are of a higher contrast than bicolours. Harlequins are an over exaggerated form of a flame which have more patterning on the flanks of the animal and even on the legs as well, Tigers are geckos that display stripes that run across the animals body and down the flanks, brindle's are geckos with increased amount of stripes.
Traits: Traits in crested gecko morphs are distinctive characteristics that can be combined with the other patterns, traits available include the following: Pinstripe, Reverse Pinstripe, White Fringe, Portholes/Lateral Stripes, Dalmatian and Blushing. Pinstripe crested geckos are geckos that display a white or creamy colour that creates a frame around the colours and patterns of the back. Reverse pinstripes are geckos with a darker outlining colour that frames the colours and patterns of the back this colour falls under the crest and acts as a shadowing effect. White fringe geckos display a white or creamy colour that lines the back edge of the hind leg, some may also display white colours on the knee of the hind leg this is often called the 'white knee' trait. Portholes also known as lateral stripes are spots or stripes of white colouration that are displayed along the flanks of the animals. Blushing is a trait that is displayed as a red colouration that appears under the chin and belly of the animal, Dalmatian is a trait that is displayed as black spots that cover the body these spots vary in amounts and may even occur in a red colour.
Physical Morphs: Physical morphs are morphs that effect the crests of the animals and effect the structure of the crests, physical morphs include the following: Crowned and furred morphs. Crowned geckos are individuals that have been selectively bred to produce geckos with wider heads the crests on the head are supported by fleshy flaps that droop down slightly. Furred geckos have been selectively bred too larger crest scales which gives and almost furry look, these crests extend all the way to the tail base.
Designer Morphs: Designer morphs are geckos that have been bred to produce attractive combinations of the above qualities, they have been selectively bred to produce animals that share these traits, these morphs have trade names to make it easy to identify them. The designer morphs can be very expensive and rare depending on how many people produce that morph. Designer morphs include creamsickles which are simply orange flame crested geckos that have a bright orange body with white or cream colouration along the back of the animal. Moonglows which are very pale white coloured animals as close to white as possible. Blondes which are dark chocolate, near black geckos with a white or cream colouration along the back of the animal, the base colour should be as close to black as possible. Halloweens which are dark brown near black harlequins with bright orange colouration along the back and sides of the animal, these may also be called tricolours if three colours are displayed. There are many more morphs out there and im sure there will be more created in the future!
Patterns: Patterns available include the following: Patternless, Bicolour, Flame, Harlequin, Tiger, and brindle. Patternless can have any colours and are a plain solid colour, bicolours are geckos that express two colours one that runs along the back in-between the crests and the secondary colour on the main body, Flames are geckos that display a coloured patterning along the back of the animal the colours are of a higher contrast than bicolours. Harlequins are an over exaggerated form of a flame which have more patterning on the flanks of the animal and even on the legs as well, Tigers are geckos that display stripes that run across the animals body and down the flanks, brindle's are geckos with increased amount of stripes.
Traits: Traits in crested gecko morphs are distinctive characteristics that can be combined with the other patterns, traits available include the following: Pinstripe, Reverse Pinstripe, White Fringe, Portholes/Lateral Stripes, Dalmatian and Blushing. Pinstripe crested geckos are geckos that display a white or creamy colour that creates a frame around the colours and patterns of the back. Reverse pinstripes are geckos with a darker outlining colour that frames the colours and patterns of the back this colour falls under the crest and acts as a shadowing effect. White fringe geckos display a white or creamy colour that lines the back edge of the hind leg, some may also display white colours on the knee of the hind leg this is often called the 'white knee' trait. Portholes also known as lateral stripes are spots or stripes of white colouration that are displayed along the flanks of the animals. Blushing is a trait that is displayed as a red colouration that appears under the chin and belly of the animal, Dalmatian is a trait that is displayed as black spots that cover the body these spots vary in amounts and may even occur in a red colour.
Physical Morphs: Physical morphs are morphs that effect the crests of the animals and effect the structure of the crests, physical morphs include the following: Crowned and furred morphs. Crowned geckos are individuals that have been selectively bred to produce geckos with wider heads the crests on the head are supported by fleshy flaps that droop down slightly. Furred geckos have been selectively bred too larger crest scales which gives and almost furry look, these crests extend all the way to the tail base.
Designer Morphs: Designer morphs are geckos that have been bred to produce attractive combinations of the above qualities, they have been selectively bred to produce animals that share these traits, these morphs have trade names to make it easy to identify them. The designer morphs can be very expensive and rare depending on how many people produce that morph. Designer morphs include creamsickles which are simply orange flame crested geckos that have a bright orange body with white or cream colouration along the back of the animal. Moonglows which are very pale white coloured animals as close to white as possible. Blondes which are dark chocolate, near black geckos with a white or cream colouration along the back of the animal, the base colour should be as close to black as possible. Halloweens which are dark brown near black harlequins with bright orange colouration along the back and sides of the animal, these may also be called tricolours if three colours are displayed. There are many more morphs out there and im sure there will be more created in the future!
Captive Environment
Housing: The best style of vivarium would be one that is tall rather then wide, crested geckos are an arboreal species and so require more height then they do length, as they will spend most of their time in the trees. I personal recommend the Exo Terra range of glass, tall vivariums as they have fantastic ventilation and come in a variety of sizes and shapes, however there are other brands available and the choice is completely up to you. A hatchling or juvenile would do well in a tank with dimensions of 12"x12"x18" and adults would do well in a tank with dimensions of 18"x18"x24" or 24"x18"x36", however if you wish to house multiple adults together you may require a larger tank to allow the animals to get away from each other occasionally so they don't stress each other out all the time. If you are planing on buying a crested gecko it is advised that you buy the tank in advance so that you can get it set up and ready for the animal to arrive, it is also advised that you leave the gecko a lone for about a week to two weeks to settle in, some people say leave them until you've seen them eat for the first time.I suggest that you should check out Exo Terra's range as I've never had any issues with their products in the past.
Substrate: Depending on whether you wish to create a natural bio-active environment or a simplistic easy to clean set up is completely up to you, if your going for the easy to clean and simplistic set up then the best substrate to use would be paper towels, however there are other things out there that you may prefer to use. If you are the kind of person who prefers to put some effort into your gecko's set ups then you may prefer the sound of the bio-active set ups which consist of live plants and Eco-earth or reptile friendly soil substrates, these are much nicer to look at and give the animals a more natural environment and allows them to act out natural behaviors. As I stated before the choice is yours, just be aware that lose substrates such as soil may be ingested by the animal and cause impaction, its a fairly low chance but if you don't want to risk it then any absorbent substrate that holds water will be suitable to use.
Temperature and Humidity: The most commonly used temperatures are anywhere between 21°C to 27°C (70°F to 80°F), however if you wish to mimic the wild temperatures then lowering the temps during the colder seasons of New Caledonia and warming the temps back up during the hotter months may be something you want to consider. This cooling and warming process may even help with getting your geckos to breed, its been proven to work in some species of frogs, and I've heard that it may also help with crested geckos. Putting both males and females through this cooling period seems to increase the fertility of the animals and encourages females to go into ovulation. That being said however there are many breeders who don't use this method and still manage to breed their geckos successfully, so it is unknown whether this has an effect on breeding conditions or not.
The humidity in your geckos enclosure should be between 60% to 80% humidity, though again if you wish to mimic the wild you may want to increase the humidity through January to March to mimic the cyclone seasons, however its not proven to effect the animals quality of life.
Heating and Lighting: Crested geckos are nocturnal and so do not require high amounts of UV's, and they can be kept without UV lighting as long as Vitamin D3 is being supplemented in their diet, as they need vitamin D3 to help them absorb Calcium. If you do wish to get a UV bulb make sure not to get one that is too strong for the animal as it may cause eye problems for the geckos if they can't shelter away from the light. I personally use the Exo Terra Day & Night light, it has a day time light function and blue night light function and can be turned completely off by simply clicking a button located on the top of the light, it is made up of 24 LED lights and comes in two sizes (Small & Large). Other lights are available for those who wish to make a naturalistic set up for their crested geckos, one of the best looking 'plant growing' lights would be the Arcadia Jungle Dawn screw in LED light fitting, this light helps to stimulate natural sunlight to help plants grow, but also lacks UV's so won't expose the geckos to high amounts of UV's. If you are interested you should check out the products I mentioned to see if they are what you are looking for.
Crested geckos can be kept at room temperatures depending how warm your house is, they require temperatures between 21°C to 27°C (70°F to 80°F). These temps can be changed to stimulate the natural change of seasons which may encourage geckos to go into breeding season and may increase fertility in the geckos. Some people use heat mats to offer a localized heated area for their geckos to sit on, but heat mats do not effect the air temperature in the vivarium they only offer a designated area of warmth. Other people use low wattage ceramic heat bulbs suspended over the vivarium to create a warmer air temperature inside the tank, with gives a natural gradient in temperature from the top of the tank to the bottom of the tank which allows the gecko to choose how warm it wants to be.
Diet and Feeding: There are three main ways to feed your crested geckos the first method is to offer insects along with a powdered or fruit diet being the main staple food, insects should be offered less than the fruit or powdered diet however as in the wild they would mostly eat fruits. Powdered diets are found in a wide range of brands from Repashy to Pangea or Gecko Diet to Gorment Gecko Foods, the list goes on and on, but the ones I personally suggest and recommend are Repashy and Pangea as those are what I use and I've found that they are really good for the nutritional content they have in them and the geckos love them too! Insects you can offer include; crickets, locusts, mealworms, waxworms (as treats only), phoenix worms, dubia roaches, silkworms and hornworms, there may be others too but these will give your geckos a good variety of insects to choose from. The second method to feeding your geckos is to simply feed the gecko repashy powdered foods as a full diet, this is a great method for people who don't like insects, and repashy is a complete diet so they do not loss any nutritional values or essential vitamins by not being fed insects. The third and final method is to simply create fruit purees and smoothies for your geckos, however these will need to be supplemented to give the gecko a full diet and should only really be attempted by experienced reptile keepers as it is very easy to cause mineral and vitamin deficiencies if the supplementation is done incorrectly.
Water: Crested geckos are unlikely to drink from a bowl of water as in the wild they would drink the water droplets off of the leaves of the plats around them, so its unlikely that you will see you gecko drinking, however it is advised to offer a bowl of water encase the gecko requires it. Giving the geckos tank a good spraying in the evenings before the lights go off will allow the geckos to find a drink when they require it, you can also give the tank a spray down in the morning to help keep the humidity up in the tank.
Substrate: Depending on whether you wish to create a natural bio-active environment or a simplistic easy to clean set up is completely up to you, if your going for the easy to clean and simplistic set up then the best substrate to use would be paper towels, however there are other things out there that you may prefer to use. If you are the kind of person who prefers to put some effort into your gecko's set ups then you may prefer the sound of the bio-active set ups which consist of live plants and Eco-earth or reptile friendly soil substrates, these are much nicer to look at and give the animals a more natural environment and allows them to act out natural behaviors. As I stated before the choice is yours, just be aware that lose substrates such as soil may be ingested by the animal and cause impaction, its a fairly low chance but if you don't want to risk it then any absorbent substrate that holds water will be suitable to use.
Temperature and Humidity: The most commonly used temperatures are anywhere between 21°C to 27°C (70°F to 80°F), however if you wish to mimic the wild temperatures then lowering the temps during the colder seasons of New Caledonia and warming the temps back up during the hotter months may be something you want to consider. This cooling and warming process may even help with getting your geckos to breed, its been proven to work in some species of frogs, and I've heard that it may also help with crested geckos. Putting both males and females through this cooling period seems to increase the fertility of the animals and encourages females to go into ovulation. That being said however there are many breeders who don't use this method and still manage to breed their geckos successfully, so it is unknown whether this has an effect on breeding conditions or not.
The humidity in your geckos enclosure should be between 60% to 80% humidity, though again if you wish to mimic the wild you may want to increase the humidity through January to March to mimic the cyclone seasons, however its not proven to effect the animals quality of life.
Heating and Lighting: Crested geckos are nocturnal and so do not require high amounts of UV's, and they can be kept without UV lighting as long as Vitamin D3 is being supplemented in their diet, as they need vitamin D3 to help them absorb Calcium. If you do wish to get a UV bulb make sure not to get one that is too strong for the animal as it may cause eye problems for the geckos if they can't shelter away from the light. I personally use the Exo Terra Day & Night light, it has a day time light function and blue night light function and can be turned completely off by simply clicking a button located on the top of the light, it is made up of 24 LED lights and comes in two sizes (Small & Large). Other lights are available for those who wish to make a naturalistic set up for their crested geckos, one of the best looking 'plant growing' lights would be the Arcadia Jungle Dawn screw in LED light fitting, this light helps to stimulate natural sunlight to help plants grow, but also lacks UV's so won't expose the geckos to high amounts of UV's. If you are interested you should check out the products I mentioned to see if they are what you are looking for.
Crested geckos can be kept at room temperatures depending how warm your house is, they require temperatures between 21°C to 27°C (70°F to 80°F). These temps can be changed to stimulate the natural change of seasons which may encourage geckos to go into breeding season and may increase fertility in the geckos. Some people use heat mats to offer a localized heated area for their geckos to sit on, but heat mats do not effect the air temperature in the vivarium they only offer a designated area of warmth. Other people use low wattage ceramic heat bulbs suspended over the vivarium to create a warmer air temperature inside the tank, with gives a natural gradient in temperature from the top of the tank to the bottom of the tank which allows the gecko to choose how warm it wants to be.
Diet and Feeding: There are three main ways to feed your crested geckos the first method is to offer insects along with a powdered or fruit diet being the main staple food, insects should be offered less than the fruit or powdered diet however as in the wild they would mostly eat fruits. Powdered diets are found in a wide range of brands from Repashy to Pangea or Gecko Diet to Gorment Gecko Foods, the list goes on and on, but the ones I personally suggest and recommend are Repashy and Pangea as those are what I use and I've found that they are really good for the nutritional content they have in them and the geckos love them too! Insects you can offer include; crickets, locusts, mealworms, waxworms (as treats only), phoenix worms, dubia roaches, silkworms and hornworms, there may be others too but these will give your geckos a good variety of insects to choose from. The second method to feeding your geckos is to simply feed the gecko repashy powdered foods as a full diet, this is a great method for people who don't like insects, and repashy is a complete diet so they do not loss any nutritional values or essential vitamins by not being fed insects. The third and final method is to simply create fruit purees and smoothies for your geckos, however these will need to be supplemented to give the gecko a full diet and should only really be attempted by experienced reptile keepers as it is very easy to cause mineral and vitamin deficiencies if the supplementation is done incorrectly.
Water: Crested geckos are unlikely to drink from a bowl of water as in the wild they would drink the water droplets off of the leaves of the plats around them, so its unlikely that you will see you gecko drinking, however it is advised to offer a bowl of water encase the gecko requires it. Giving the geckos tank a good spraying in the evenings before the lights go off will allow the geckos to find a drink when they require it, you can also give the tank a spray down in the morning to help keep the humidity up in the tank.
Handling & Health
Handling:
Health:
Checking the Calcium Sacs:
Tail Loss:
Metabolic Bone Desease:
Floppy Tail:
Shedding Problems:
Health:
Checking the Calcium Sacs:
Tail Loss:
Metabolic Bone Desease:
Floppy Tail:
Shedding Problems:
Breeding Information
Sexing your Crested Gecko: Male crested geckos display pre-anal pores and hemipenal bulges, though females will not show these bulges some females may still display pre-anal pores. Males generally have larger hemipenal spurs than females however this is not always the case and is not a reliable way of determining the sex of an individual.
Hibernation/Brumation: Generally most geckos should automatically go into brumation or hibernation on their own with the changing seasons, however sometimes we as keepers need to help mimic these cooler climates to give the geckos a natural lifestyle, this can be achieved by lowering the temps to around 20°C to 23°C or by changing the day and night cycles to copy the shorter days of winter. These changes can either be created in the animals normal living environment or you can simply move the animal to a cooler room over the winter months, brumation should last around 4-6 months. Reptiles must be in good health and have a good body weight before they enter hibernation. Several “Health Check” sidebars explain what that means for some common reptile pets. Sickly animals shouldn't undergo hibernation. They might not come out of it.
“Cold” means above 10°C and below 20°C. A little temporary fluctuation in temperature is fine. The hibernation period may depend on where you live and when the seasons change in your area, generally hibernation stops around spring time and starts around autumn/fall time. Either of these temperature ranges will work fine so just go with what you can as either of these will work fine. During hibernation your animal will slow down eating and may stop eating all together this is due to their digestive systems slowing down, make sure your animal has fresh water available at all times and keep humidity levels up as geckos can get dehydrated during hibernation. You should still offer food, but offer less then you usually would and give the animal a couple of days to digest their last meal, some people suggest to completely stop feeding your gecko, but it is up to you.
Breeding: Sexual maturity in crested geckos, like all reptiles, is dependent upon them reaching a certain weight, rather than age. Therefore sexual maturity can be as young as 5 months old if the geckos are well fed on a high insect diet, or as long as 12 months if slower growing on commercial diet. Once a snout-vent length of around 7 to 8 cm is gained, hemipenal bulges will begin to develop in the males. Adult females are often heavier than males and appear 'chunkier' with thicker-set bodies. Females should weigh a least 30 g, preferably more, before being bred. Smaller males may be sexually mature but may not be physically able, or allowed, to mate with larger females.
Sexual Behaviour - Mating occurs during night among most other things in a crested geckos life. It can be quite a noisy affair with both geckos vocalizing as they leap around the vivarium. This may be a behaviour designed to test the males strength and suitability, to father the females young. Crested geckos do not form bonded pairs so it is assumed that in the wild the females would have multiple suitors after her, leading them on a chase ensures that only the strongest male gets to reproduce with the female. Actual copulation (The act of breeding) last for several minutes. The male will climb on top of the female gripping her by her neck or shoulders whilst maneuvering his pelvis to one side of her tail so that he can insert one or the other of his hemipenes into her cloaca for a successful mating. These bites may leave superficial wounds on the female and if necessary these can be cleaned with salt water or a dilute iodine solution. Occasionally after mating the hemipene of the male will not retract immediately. He will usually clean it himself with his tongue and it should retract within a few hours. If it does not then consult a veterinarian.
Egg Production is quite a drain on a female's body resources. Fat is mobilized from stores such as the abdominal fat pads and carried to the ovaries, where it forms part of the yolk which has to nourish the developing embryo until after its post-hatching shed, when it can begin to feed. The egg shells are formed by calcium absorbed by the female and is the last layer to be placed around the egg, it is drawn directly from the skeleton of the mother and needs to be replenished from her food intake.
(More Information To Come!)
Incubation:
Hatchling Care:
Hibernation/Brumation: Generally most geckos should automatically go into brumation or hibernation on their own with the changing seasons, however sometimes we as keepers need to help mimic these cooler climates to give the geckos a natural lifestyle, this can be achieved by lowering the temps to around 20°C to 23°C or by changing the day and night cycles to copy the shorter days of winter. These changes can either be created in the animals normal living environment or you can simply move the animal to a cooler room over the winter months, brumation should last around 4-6 months. Reptiles must be in good health and have a good body weight before they enter hibernation. Several “Health Check” sidebars explain what that means for some common reptile pets. Sickly animals shouldn't undergo hibernation. They might not come out of it.
“Cold” means above 10°C and below 20°C. A little temporary fluctuation in temperature is fine. The hibernation period may depend on where you live and when the seasons change in your area, generally hibernation stops around spring time and starts around autumn/fall time. Either of these temperature ranges will work fine so just go with what you can as either of these will work fine. During hibernation your animal will slow down eating and may stop eating all together this is due to their digestive systems slowing down, make sure your animal has fresh water available at all times and keep humidity levels up as geckos can get dehydrated during hibernation. You should still offer food, but offer less then you usually would and give the animal a couple of days to digest their last meal, some people suggest to completely stop feeding your gecko, but it is up to you.
Breeding: Sexual maturity in crested geckos, like all reptiles, is dependent upon them reaching a certain weight, rather than age. Therefore sexual maturity can be as young as 5 months old if the geckos are well fed on a high insect diet, or as long as 12 months if slower growing on commercial diet. Once a snout-vent length of around 7 to 8 cm is gained, hemipenal bulges will begin to develop in the males. Adult females are often heavier than males and appear 'chunkier' with thicker-set bodies. Females should weigh a least 30 g, preferably more, before being bred. Smaller males may be sexually mature but may not be physically able, or allowed, to mate with larger females.
Sexual Behaviour - Mating occurs during night among most other things in a crested geckos life. It can be quite a noisy affair with both geckos vocalizing as they leap around the vivarium. This may be a behaviour designed to test the males strength and suitability, to father the females young. Crested geckos do not form bonded pairs so it is assumed that in the wild the females would have multiple suitors after her, leading them on a chase ensures that only the strongest male gets to reproduce with the female. Actual copulation (The act of breeding) last for several minutes. The male will climb on top of the female gripping her by her neck or shoulders whilst maneuvering his pelvis to one side of her tail so that he can insert one or the other of his hemipenes into her cloaca for a successful mating. These bites may leave superficial wounds on the female and if necessary these can be cleaned with salt water or a dilute iodine solution. Occasionally after mating the hemipene of the male will not retract immediately. He will usually clean it himself with his tongue and it should retract within a few hours. If it does not then consult a veterinarian.
Egg Production is quite a drain on a female's body resources. Fat is mobilized from stores such as the abdominal fat pads and carried to the ovaries, where it forms part of the yolk which has to nourish the developing embryo until after its post-hatching shed, when it can begin to feed. The egg shells are formed by calcium absorbed by the female and is the last layer to be placed around the egg, it is drawn directly from the skeleton of the mother and needs to be replenished from her food intake.
(More Information To Come!)
Incubation:
Hatchling Care: