🏠Housing a Crested gecko: 45 × 45 × 60 cm, 25-27°C basking

Crested gecko : A vertical terrarium of at least 45 x 45 x 60 cm for an adult, densely planted, usually needing no heater in most homes. Low daytime UVB is a welcome bonus.

In short: 18 to 22 cm including tail as an adult, 15 to 20 years of lifespan, beginner level. A small nocturnal arboreal lizard, docile yet quick, readily leaping from branch to branch after dusk. It thrives at room temperature without heating in most homes, but once its tail drops, it never grows back.

45 × 45 × 60 cm and a strict thermal gradient

For an adult Crested gecko: 45 × 45 × 60 cm minimum, with a basking spot at 25-27°C and a cool zone at 20-22°C. That gradient is not comfort: it is how a reptile regulates temperature, by moving. No cool zone means overheating; no hot spot means no digestion.

Heating, UVB, humidity: the technical trio

Heating ALWAYS runs through a thermostat — the least negotiable equipment in herpetoculture — with thermometers at both ends. On light: low-level UVB (2-5 rating), now recommended by modern care guides: not vital, but beneficial to calcium metabolism. Humidity held at 50 to 80% via misting (manual or automated) and the right substrate, checked with a hygrometer, not by feel.

Substrate and layout

A moisture-holding substrate (coco fibre, soil-sphagnum), two hides minimum — one warm, one cool — a branch network using the full height, and a structured background for security. Place the enclosure somewhere calm: the species sleeps by day and hates vibrations.

Frequently asked questions

What enclosure size for a Crested gecko?

45 × 45 × 60 cm minimum for an adult — sized for the adult from day one; a juvenile does fine in it with extra hides.

What temperatures for a Crested gecko?

Basking spot at 25-27°C, cool zone at 20-22°C, all on a thermostat with a natural night-time drop. Humidity sits at 50 to 80%.

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