The crested gecko is native to Australia and New Caledonia (a small island near Australia).
I also happen to own one and every day I continue to fall in love with it.
This article will give you a thorough view of all you should know about crested geckos,
How Soon they Grow to Full Size and What you can do to make them Grow Faster.
Full Grown Crested Gecko Size
A crested gecko can grow as large as 4 to 4.5 inches snout-to-vent length (SVL) and 8 inches (in total length). Males can grow up to around 25grams, while females can grow as large as 35-55grams. How large your crested gecko gets depends on many factors such as diet, humidity, temperature, genetic factors, and geo-location amongst others.
A newly purchased baby crested gecko, like other pets, is expected to grow in size after a few months. Full-grown crested geckos are very easy to care for and do not require a high-level management technique. They have very thin and smooth skin that sheds once a week when at a tender age, and once in one or two months when they are fully grown.
How big do crested geckos get?
Crested geckos, if well cared for can grow fairly large. Although crested geckos grow at their own different rates, fluctuations in humidity and temperature can retard their sizes. Male crested geckos can grow to as large as 25 grams.
At this stage, they can successfully mate with a female gecko and are therefore classified as adult male crested geckos. A female crested gecko can grow to as large as 35 to over 55 grams! A baby gecko weighs around 1.5 to 2 grams.
How can I make my crested gecko grow faster?
Certain factors otherwise known as environmental conditions affect the growth rate of crested geckos. The following tips will help your geckos to grow faster:
Pay attention to your crested gecko’s diet.
Crested geckos can feed on small insects and fruits. Also, feeding your crested geckos with Repashy or Pangea will make it achieve adulthood in as short time as 2 years. Repashy and Pangea are highly recommended Crested Gecko Diets (CGDs), they are dry powders which you mix with water and give to them to take in. These diets come in many assorted flavors.
Baby crested geckos have a higher demand for foods than adults crested geckos. As your gecko approaches adulthood, you will no longer need to feed them daily; thrice a week is enough for an adult crested gecko.
Provide them with a suitable temperature
Temperatures of 78 to 82 Fahrenheit’s during the day are suitable to grow crested geckos. However, in summer seasons, they should be placed in a cool room if the temperature exceeds 87 degrees. Use a ribbon thermometer to monitor these room temperatures.
Another way to do this is to place a low-wattage incandescent bulb on the screen top over one side of its tank. Also ensure that one side of the tank is left unheated or without an incandescent bulb, this is important to enable the geckos to choose cooler areas to regulate their body temperature. A sub-tank reptile heat pad or heat tape can also be placed under one side of the tank and regulated by a thermostat, this will perform the same function as the incandescent bulb.
Other Tips
- Do not to clean geckos too often, especially young crested geckos.
- Ensure continuous hydration of crested geckos. Chronic dehydration can lead to renal disease, and reduce gecko’s appetite for food thus leading to undernutrition. Also, too high humidity, combined with inadequate airflow, can lead to serious respiratory complications and the death of geckoes. There is a need for you to purchase a humidifier in order to keep the room humidity neutral.
- Watch out for parasites such as pinworms. These worms are capable of slowing down the growth of your geckos.
- As much as possible, minimize stress and changes in the immediate environment of your geckos.
How long does it take for a crested gecko to grow to full size
Highly professional breeders have speculated that baby geckos take about 1 to 2 years to become an adult gecko. However, this is not always the case. The locations where these geckoes are grown also affect how fast they grow.
You do not need to bother so much about how long it takes your geckos to grow to an adult stage, only ensure that they are feeding well and free from diseases. If these two things are in place, their growth is guaranteed and they will strive well.
For emphasis sake, ensure your gecko feeds primarily on Repashy Crested Gecko Diet or Pangea.
Do Crested Geckos Make Good pets?
Crested Geckos can be excellent pets, they come in a variety of color patterns of which the most sought after are yellow, vibrant reds, oranges, and dark black, otherwise known as chocolate. Crested geckos also come in a combination of different patches such as yellow and cream, black and cream, red and cream, red and orange, etc.
Another beautiful feature of full-grown crested geckos is their stylishly curved eyelashes, a hair-like projection above their eyes. These lashes give them a peculiar look and distinguish them from other species of geckos.
Crested geckos make excellent pets. Not only do they have small body sizes, but they are also easy to handle and very affordable too.
How long do crested geckos live
This home-friendly reptile can live for as long as 20 years. The minimum lifespan of a crested gecko is 15 years; you do not need to worry about making another purchase in months or ten years, you must however ensure that you take proper care of your crested geckos.
Where should I keep my crested gecko?
Newly purchased crested geckos are best kept in a 20-inch, 10-gallon reptile tank with a screen top or in large plastic terrariums.
When these geckos grow to become adults, they should be transferred into a 20-gallon tank with a screen top. This is to allow for better display of your crested gecko thus enabling you to appreciate their amazing features and beauty.
A male crested gecko can be put together with a female counterpart, but groups of male geckos should not be put together with the female crested geckos to avoid competition on who gets to mate with the female.
How do I handle my newly purchased crested gecko?
Newly purchased crested geckos should first be allowed to settle in their new location for about three to four weeks before handling or playing with them. This is to enable them to adjust to the environment as well as to make sure they feed regularly.
After you have had your crested geckos for three to four weeks, you can start handling them for short periods of time such as 5-6 minutes. If they are baby geckos and very small in size, handle them with extreme carefulness as they are fragile at this stage and can easily get injured in the course of handling. Preferably, wait until they get to at least 3 inches SVL before handling.
Children and toddlers are advised not to handle the geckos for a very long time as these crested geckos can get nervous and jumpy while handling. If they are frightened or become extremely nervous, then they can drop their tails and they will not be able to grow another.
Do not leave geckos out in cold weather; they can get too cold if kept out for a long time.
For the sake of hygiene and safe health, you are advised to wash your hands before and after handling your crested gecko. An antibacterial hand wash is perfect.
