Correlophus ciliatus
Crested Gecko
Crested geckos need no live-food colony and no complex heating, making them one of the simplest reptiles to keep well in a planted vertical vivarium.
DiplodactylidaeLifespan 15–20 yearsCare complexity 2/5Suitable for beginners
At a glance
- Scientific name
- Correlophus ciliatus
- Family
- Diplodactylidae
- Origin
- New Caledonia
- Lifespan
- 15–20 years
- Adult size
- 17–25 cm
- Weight
- 35–55 g
- Temperament
- Calm but jumpy; tolerates short handling
- Activity level
- Nocturnal and arboreal
- Social needs
- Solitary; never house males together
- Intelligence
- Learns feeding stations quickly
- Noise
- Occasional chirps and barks
Housing and environment
- Housing
- Minimum 45 x 45 x 60 cm tall for an adult, heavily planted
- Space requirement
- Height over floor area
- Temperature
- 22–26°C; above 28°C is dangerous
- Humidity
- 60–80% at night, drying out during the day
- Exercise
- Vertical climbing space with dense foliage
- Grooming
- Needs high humidity for clean sheds, especially on toes and tail
Diet and feeding
Complete powdered crested gecko diet mixed with water, plus occasional insects
Behaviour and compatibility
Jumping between branches, licking eyes clean, dropping the tail when stressed
- With children
- Supervised handling only — they jump unpredictably
- With other animals
- House alone
- Training difficulty
- Not applicable
Health
- Metabolic bone disease
- Floppy tail syndrome
- Retained shed
- Impaction
- Heat stress
Reptile vet required; a dropped tail does not regrow in this species
Special care requirements
No special heating is usually needed in a room kept at normal household temperature