Crested Gecko

Looks how to spot one

Soft-skinned arboreal gecko with fringed crests

A slim tree-dwelling gecko with a large triangular head. A fringe of small spiky scales runs above each eye like eyelashes and continues as two crests along the neck and back. It has no eyelids, so a clear scale covers each eye and the gecko licks it clean. Sticky toe pads and a tail that can grip branches let it climb smooth surfaces and leap between twigs.124

Personality what they are like

A docile, gentle gecko that rarely bites. It spends the day dozing and wakes up around dusk. Young or nervous animals like to hop from hand to hand, which settles with calm, short handling sessions. It can make soft chirps or squeaks.53

Daily activity how busy a day looks

Most active at dawn, dusk and through the night, when it climbs, explores and jumps between branches. It mostly stays in the lower levels of the forest in the wild. Give plenty of climbing branches and foliage at different heights.431

Grooming and care the hands-on bits

Mist the enclosure once or twice a day so the gecko can lick water drops, letting it dry out between mistings. Keep a light cycle of about 10-14 hours. Low-level UVB is recommended. After bringing a new gecko home, give it about two weeks to settle, then start with handling sessions of around five minutes over a soft surface.65

Home where they are happiest

A tall terrarium, at least about 45 x 45 x 90 cm (18 x 18 x 36 in) for one adult, with branches, plants and hides. Warmer top around 28-29 C, cooler bottom 21-24 C, nights around 18-22 C. Humidity 60-80% after misting. Bigger enclosures are welcome.86

Food basics what goes in the bowl

An omnivore that eats fruit, nectar, pollen and insects in the wild. In care, the staple is a complete powdered gecko diet mixed with water (daily for juveniles, every 2-3 days for adults), plus calcium-dusted insects such as crickets or roaches now and then. Fresh fruit is an occasional treat.137

Company who they like around

A solitary species that is happy living alone. Males should never share an enclosure. Females can sometimes share a larger setup with extra hides and feeding spots, but single housing is the simple choice.83

The story where it all began

French zoologist Alphonse Guichenot described the species in 1866 from New Caledonia. It was moved to the genus Rhacodactylus in 1883 and then, after genetic work, back to Correlophus in 2012. For more than a century no new specimens turned up and it was widely thought lost. In 1994 an expedition including Robert Seipp and Philippe de Vosjoli found it again on the Isle of Pines. A small number of animals founded captive breeding lines in Europe and North America, and the species has since become one of the most widely kept geckos in the world. Wild export is no longer allowed, so pets today come from captive breeding.123

Recognised by the official bits

The Reptile Database

Valid species Correlophus ciliatus Guichenot, 1866; returned from Rhacodactylus to Correlophus by Bauer et al. in 20122

IUCN Red List

Vulnerable (wild population)1