Crested gecko
Correlophus ciliatus · Rhacodactylus ciliatus
The crested gecko comes from New Caledonia, where it was thought to be extinct until 1994. Today it is bred in large numbers and is popular with beginners. It climbs at night, likes mild and humid conditions, eats a complete diet and insects, and can drop its tail, which does not grow back.
Contents 11 sections
Quick tips
- Never grab the tail: Crested geckos drop it when threatened, and it does not grow back.
- Avoid heat: From 30 °C (86 °F), crested geckos become stressed. Put every heat source on a thermostat, especially in summer.
- Complete diet first: It is the simplest way to cover what they need. Add insects once or twice a week.
- Best kept alone: Living alone is the least stressful for crested geckos.
- Once a year, take your gecko for a checkup at a vet practice with reptile experience. Problems are noticed earlier there.
Profile
- Length
- snout-vent length 10–12 cm, up to 13.5 cm; 19–21 cm including the tail
- Weight
- adults about 35–60 g
- Life span
- 15–20 years
- Activity
- active at dusk and at night, climbs
Climate and light
- Day
- 20–25 °C (68–77 °F)
- Night
- 20 °C (68 °F)
- Basking spot
- 28–30 °C (82–86 °F)
- Humidity
- 50–80%
- Light
- About 12 hours of light. A low-output UVB lamp (for example 6%) is recommended, plus a basking spot on a thermostat.
Crested geckos get too warm if it stays above about 26 °C (79 °F) for long, and from 30 °C (86 °F) they become stressed. Not below about 20 °C (68 °F) at night. Sources differ on humidity: 50–70% (Royal Veterinary College), 60–80% (Exo Terra), 70–80% (PetMD). Mist regularly and measure with a hygrometer.
Enclosure
Crested geckos climb, so height matters more than floor space. For a pair with a snout-vent length of 12 cm, the German guideline works out to about 72 × 72 × 96 cm (L × W × H). The animal hospital of the Royal Veterinary College gives 45 × 45 × 60 cm as the minimum for one animal. Glass enclosures with a mesh top and good ventilation work well.
- Substrate
- A substrate that holds moisture, for example a soil-sand mix. Don't feed directly on the substrate, so the gecko doesn't swallow any of it.
- Setup
- Branches and plants for climbing, hides up high and down low, one of them with damp moss for shedding, a water bowl, a guarded basking spot, a thermometer and a hygrometer.
Minimum sizes
GermanyGuideline
Length 6 × snout-vent length, width 6 ×, height 8 × for a pair, as a nocturnal climbing species from humid habitats. About 15% more floor area for each additional animal.
Source [4]
AustriaLaw
The Second Animal Keeping Ordinance does not list the crested gecko by name. The general requirements apply: a temperature gradient with a drop at night, places to climb, hides, a thermometer and a hygrometer.
Source [6]
SwitzerlandLaw
The Animal Protection Ordinance does not list the crested gecko by name. The enclosure must be large enough for all the necessary structures. Expert reports serve as a guide.
Source [7]
Feeding
Juvenileup to about 1 yeardaily
Complete diet, House crickets, Roaches · insects no wider than the head
Adultfrom about 1 yearevery 2–3 days
Complete diet, House crickets, Field crickets, Roaches · insects no wider than the head
- Prey size
- no bigger than the width of the head
Feeder insects are no wider than the widest part of the head.
Source [5]
The basis is a complete diet for crested geckos, a powder you mix with water. Insects are offered once or twice a week, gut-loaded beforehand and dusted with calcium and vitamins. Mealworms only in moderation, waxworms and superworms only rarely because of their high fat content. Remove uneaten insects after about 30 minutes. Fresh water every day.
Shedding
Before a shed, the gecko turns pale. The shed is usually over within 24–48 hours. A humid hide helps. If skin stays stuck on the toes or tail tip, check the humidity and see a vet.
Brumation
No true brumation. For breeding, a cooler period of one to two months is often recommended, with the temperature up to 5 °C (9 °F) lower.
Source [2]
Breeding
- Sexual maturity
- females at about 12 months or around 35 g, males at 10–15 months
- Clutch
- 2 eggs
- Incubation
- 60–100 days at 25 °C (77 °F)
The young usually hatch after about 70 days. Cooler incubation takes up to 100 days, warmer about 60. Never incubate eggs above 29 °C (84 °F).
Source [2]
Protection status and registration
As of October 21, 2026
EU
Not listed in CITES. Listed in Annex D of the EU Wildlife Trade Regulation (still as Rhacodactylus ciliatus), so imports into the EU must be declared at customs. This has no effect on keeping.
Germany
No duty to register and no proof of origin required under species protection law.
Source [10]
Austria
Report to the authorities within two weeks that you keep reptiles. Since July 1, 2026, you need to take a training course (at least 4 × 60 minutes) before your first reptile. A thermometer and a hygrometer are required.
Switzerland
No permit needed.
Source [7]
This is not legal advice. Rules change, so check with the responsible authority if in doubt.
Health
No substitute for a vet. If your animal seems sick, refuses food for an unusually long time or loses weight, see a vet with experience in reptiles.
Calcium deficiency (metabolic bone disease)
Signs soft or crooked jaw, bent legs, tremors, poor growth
What to do Feed a complete diet and dusted insects, check the UVB and see a vet.
Stuck shed
Signs pale rings of skin on the toes or tail tip
What to do Offer a humid hide and raise the humidity. If there is swelling, see a vet.
Constipation
Signs no poop for days, swollen belly, not eating
What to do Check substrate and temperature and see a vet.
Intestinal parasites
Signs weight loss, diarrhea, poor appetite
What to do Have a vet test a fecal sample.
Heat stress
Signs the gecko seems lethargic, the enclosure gets warmer than 30 °C (86 °F)
What to do Move it somewhere cooler right away and limit the heat source with a thermostat.
Sources
- The Reptile Database: Correlophus ciliatus
- Crested Gecko Care Guide (Correlophus ciliatus)
- Crested Gecko Care
- Gutachten über Mindestanforderungen an die Haltung von Reptilienofficial
- Crested Gecko Care Sheet
- 2. Tierhaltungsverordnung, § 5, § 8 und Anlage 3 (Mindestanforderungen an die Haltung von Reptilien)official
- Tierschutzverordnung (TSchV, SR 455.1), Art. 89 und Anhang 2 (Vorbemerkungen, Tabelle 5 Reptilien)official
- Verordnung (EU) 2026/1383 zur Änderung der Anhänge der Verordnung (EG) Nr. 338/97 (CITES-Vertragsstaatenkonferenz 2025)official
- Verordnung (EG) Nr. 338/97 über den Schutz von Exemplaren wildlebender Tier- und Pflanzenarten durch Überwachung des Handelsofficial
- Bundesartenschutzverordnung (BArtSchV), § 7, §§ 12–13 und Anlagen 5 und 6official
- Tierschutzgesetz (TSchG), § 13 und § 25official
Values without a source are common experience from keeping and breeding. Every animal is different, so watch yours and adjust its care. As of October 21, 2026.
More species.
All species
Ball python
Python regiusThe ball python from West and Central Africa is the most commonly kept python or boa: small, calm and bred in many color morphs.Day26–32 °C79–90 °FHumidity60–80%
Corn snake
Pantherophis guttatusThe corn snake from the southeastern United States is probably the most commonly kept snake: adaptable, curious and bred in countless color morphs.Day24–28 °C75–82 °FHumidity50–70%
Common kingsnake
Lampropeltis getulaCommon kingsnakes come from North America, belong to the genus Lampropeltis and are considered hardy snakes for beginners.Day24–28 °C75–82 °FHumidity50–80%
Carpet python
Morelia spilotaCarpet pythons come in many forms, from the jungle carpet at 1.5–2 meters to the coastal carpet python at up to 3 meters.Day25–30 °C77–86 °FHumidity40–60%