Crested Gecko Supplies

Crested gecko supplies include appropriate housing and food and the following decor, feeding and cleaning supplies. Here is a quick “cheat sheet” for gecko supplies, but cruise around the site for more information!

Crested Gecko Decor

Crested geckos can do fine in a Kritter Keeper or a completely natural terrarium. Whatever your fancy, you should provide hiding spots, climbing spots and cover on the ground as well as up top, since crested geckos are arboreal by nature. However, they are all individuals and some may prefer to sleep curled up in a hide or clinging to a branch, vine, or even stuck to the side of the tank!

You don’t want to cram your enclosure completely full of stuff, you should provide space for your gecko to jump, which is part of their natural nightly roaming behavior. Strive to provide 50% or so of branch or plant cover, with open spaces for jumping.

You can buy cage furnishings or make your own. Cresties love toilet paper tubes and paper towel rolls! These are simple, cheap and disposable hides. Throw them out when they become soiled – many geckos love to poop in or on them! Pet stores have a great selection of hides and decorations, just be aware of the crested gecko’s propensity for wedging themselves inside of things, such as hollow castle statues and other cage furniture.

Coconut half shells with a small “door” can be bought or made at home. Be careful cutting them open! Another really cheap cage accessory are egg cartons or flat egg crates (available if you buy eggs in bulk, discarded from restaurants, or purchased from feed stores). Be sure they don’t have chicken poo on them. You can sanitize them with Chlorhexidine (see below) or vinegar, water, and drying in the sun. Do not use bleach or other chemicals as egg carton is porous and it will soak in and remain there, releasing harmful vapors.

Perching spots or basking spots can be provided with bamboo branches, twisty driftwood/grapewood or fake vines. Geckos will also climb over and cling to paper towel tubes, so they serve as both hide and perch.

Optionally, you can provide a thermometer and hygrometer to measure temperature and humidity. However, crested geckos prefer room temperature so as long as you feel comfortable, you probably don’t need one. However, be careful of temperature extremes in the summer and winter. Temps should not go above 80. If you provide a heat or light source you will need to make sure you are not cooking your reptile! Misting once or twice a day should keep the humidity at 80% after spraying to 50% during the day. It is important for the cage to dry out during the day to avoid respiratory problems.

Crested Gecko Plants

Plants are very important cage accessories. Choose plants with wide leaves that crested geckos can hide under or cling to. Fake plants from craft stores and dollar stores are fine, but be careful they do not have any wires poking out or any decorations or glittery bits that can come off. Pet stores carry very nice and realistic plastic plants. These are easiest to clean and last the longest.

Real plants can also be used. If you use a natural substrate they can be planted into the soil. If you choose paper towel, you can provide small potted plants and swap them out if they get droopy or trampled. Pothos is the best choice, as it grows well in pretty much any setup. Snakeplant is a tall-growing plant that is strong enough to hold an adult gecko.

Feeding Supplies

You definitely need to provide a bowl for Repashy CGD or other prepared diet. This can be as simple as a water bottle cap for baby geckos or ceramic bowls for adults.

When feeding multiple geckos, it makes sense to make their food ahead of time and refrigerate for a week or so. A shaker bottle (used for protein shakes) is perfect for this!

A calcium dust supplement is necessary only if you are feeding insects such as crickets. Gutload is also important when feeding insects!

Watering Supplies

Crested geckos need high humidity, but not constant humidity. You want to spray or mist them with a common spray bottle enough to wet the inside of the enclosure and form droplets on the sides of the tank and the plants and other decor. The geckos mostly drink water this way at night, so it makes sense to spray at night and let the tank dry out during the day.

A water bowl (again, bottle cap or ceramic bowl) is good insurance when you leave for more than 24 hours. It can also help raise the humidity in screen top enclosures. Buying distilled water is good for avoiding water spots or hard water buildup on glass, but filtered home drinking water will be fine for your geckos.

Cleaning Supplies

Paper towels are great for cleaning, whether or not you use them as a substrate or simply use them to wipe down your tanks! Paper towels are the best cheap crested gecko supplies, as the tubes can be used as a hide when you’ve used up all the towels! Use a separate Kritter Keeper or bin to house your geckos when you clean their permanent enclosure. This can also be used for travel and vet visits.

You should spot clean and replace paper towel substrate weekly. For natural substrates, you can spot clean weekly and turn the soil. Replace monthly depending on mold growth or bad smell. If you have a bioactive terrarium, you do not need to clean anything other than the glass, as insects and microbes in the soil break down the wastes.

Use Chlorhexidine (available online, see Resources) as a pet-safe cleaner and disinfectant. You simply spray and wipe down. Rinse as necessary, but Chlorhexidine is safe to use without rinsing. If your crested gecko had an illness, it is important to make sure it is completely disinfected and washed thoroughly. Bleach is most effective; use a 1:10 bleach solution of one part bleach to 10 parts water. Let sit for 5-10 minutes and be sure to rinse until no bleach smell remains. Also disinfect when putting a new animal in a cage that was previously occupied by ANY other animal to prevent cross-species infections or parasites.

Vinegar and water (50:50) or just vinegar can be used to clean glass – do not use Windex or other glass cleaners on the inside of your enclosure. You can wet a paper towel with vinegar or use a SEPARATE spray bottle to saturate the glass. Do not use too much as it can damage live plants.