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Design a Vivarium For Your Crested Gecko Page
by
John Fowler & Rachel Barnes
The Crested Gecko is one of the most popular species of geckos kept in the world. Although uncommon in the wild, many morphs have been bred in captivity. They are native to New Caledonia which is in the southwest Pacific Ocean, about 1,210 kilometers (750 miles) east of Australia
Note that it is normally illegal to keep Crested geckos and other exotic (not native) species of reptiles in Australia, however much of the information about keeping Crested geckos applies to geckos in general.
Design a Vivarium For Your Crested Gecko
The Crested Gecko (Rhacodactylus ciliates), has become a popular pet among reptile lovers over the past few years. The natives from New Caledonian Islands near the Australian coast offer a variety of beautiful colors and patterns that captivate the owner's attention. These lizards are easy to house and handle and make excellent pets.
When you bring a crested gecko home, it may take some time to acclimatize or get used to the new surroundings practically now its new home. It is perfectly natural for the lizard to lose interest in eating or slow down its movements as it feels strange in the new environment. You can actually help your pet lizard get used to the new surroundings by setting up an exciting and fun filled vivarium.
If you have an enclosure that closely resembles the natural habitat gecko is used to, you will see it acclimatize faster, however, the process may take several days. The more you decorate the enclosure naturally, the more "at home" geckos will feel, and stay healthy and happy.
Most pet owners like to have glass enclosures where they can observe their new pet running and playing around. The problem with geckos is that they don't really appreciate changes in environment. They are not fond of bright light and even get stressed if a bright lamp is used as a heat source. You will see geckos hiding under branches and leaves when they are exposed to bright light so you need to keep their enclosures away from direct sunlight.
Even an enclosure with a simple setup will make geckos happy. Once you give your gecko time to adjust to the enclosure or the vivarium you can see them happy and satisfied. If you plan to decorate the enclosure and give it a "natural" touch, you can use objects such as clean branches, driftwood and living or artificial plants. This will give your crested gecko plenty of space to climb, sit and hide.
Crested geckos belong to the rain forests so it is not a bad idea to house them in tanks that are large and tall. A 20 gallon tall aquarium is ideal for a single gecko or even a pair. If you want to house a group of geckos, you can use a 29 gallons aquarium or even larger one to provide them with lots of space. Never put more than one male gecko in single enclosure no matter how large the tank is. Baby geckos should be kept in "similar sized" groups as adult geckos can intimidate or harm the smaller ones.
If you talk about stress, geckos are sensitive to temperature changes. They do well at room temperatures but become stressed if the temperature gets too warm. You may think they are reptiles and love warmer climates but it is not the case with crested geckos. Baby geckos are even more fragile than the adult geckos when it comes to temperature changes.
Dietary changes may also stress a gecko so try to feed your pet with the same food type it is used to. You can also feed them a variety of insects including crickets, mealworms and waxworms. You should feed your crested gecko every night (these lizards are nocturnal) and remove leftover food in the morning. Make sure you also supply clean water.
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