How to care for crested geckos

Geckos Crested Geckos
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Hello everyone! I’m a Korean living in Europe, and I raise Crested Geckos. However, I’ve noticed there’s a big difference between the care information available here and the care practices in Korea, and with the overload of information these days, it can get really confusing. Haha… So, I’d love to hear your thoughts and discuss some ideas with you.

Here in Europe, the general consensus seems to be that Crested Geckos should always be kept in a terrarium, treated as display animals, and should not be handled to avoid causing them stress. Once they reach adulthood, it’s considered essential to provide them with a spacious enclosure, at least 45x45x60 cm, and to recreate a naturalistic environment, as it’s viewed as the keeper’s responsibility.

I understand that this is a good approach, but I have some questions about caring for them during their baby and juvenile stages. From what I’ve learned so far, large enclosures are generally not suitable for baby geckos, and it’s beneficial to handle them while they’re young. Here, however, they recommend at least a 30x30x45 cm enclosure even for baby geckos. But since I want to raise my gecko as a pet, not just a display animal on a shelf, I’m currently keeping it in a smaller enclosure where I can handle it regularly.

Additionally, in Korea, there are reports that Crested Geckos can develop Floppy Tail Syndrome if they live in tall enclosures, and that they may become more aggressive when housed in spacious terrariums.

Of course, I worry that my limited knowledge might be incorrect and that I might be unintentionally causing stress to my pet. I’d love to hear your thoughts on this. Thank you!

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While there are some decent keepers in Korea, unfortunately a lot of them seem to treat them as objects rather than living beings. Ive seen several breeders keep adults in tubs that are barely bigger than shoeboxes, with nothing but a single “branch” and maybe a lay box if they’re lucky.

They are living beings that need certain parameters to live a life where they can live somewhat according to their instincts. That means they need a certain amount of space, stuff to interact with, and places to hide among other things. ANY living being needs to be stimulated in some way, and there’s no good argument for keeping them in tiny, bare enclosures.

When it comes to whether to keep it natural or not, i don’t actually think it matters as long as they have space to move around, climb, jump, and hide.

Ive seen some korean keepers say that cresties shouldn’t be kept naturally at all, that it’s better to keep them on paper towels and with plastic decor, and while that isn’t necessarily bad, they do super well in natural setups.

Ive never heard anyone in Europe say that you shouldn’t handle your crested gecko, cresties are often recommended as one of the few reptiles that can actually tolerate daily handling. That being said, people recognise that they do not enjoy it as such, so many may not handle theirs regularly.

A bigger enclosure does not make the gecko more aggressive, and it does not make floppy tail syndrome more likely. FTS usually happens when the gecko sleeps head down a lot; that can happen in almost any enclosure of any size, if it isn’t set up correctly. If your enclosure is so small that the gecko simply cannot situate itself head down to sleep, then naturally it is less likely to develop it. But is that fair to the animal?

Also, most people i know in Europe do keep babies and juvies in smaller enclosures, but a baby can absolutely be kept in a larger enclosure as long as it’s set up correctly. It’s about how it’s set up, rather than the size. In the wild there are no walls, so even a 45x45x60 is tiny compared to what they’d be exposed to out there.

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I read your post, and I completely agree with you. Keeping a gecko in a plastic box like a shoebox doesn’t seem like the right way to care for a living creature. There’s currently a Crested Gecko boom happening in Korea, and some people view geckos purely as a means to make money. You’ve probably seen care videos or photos from such people. I don’t understand or like that approach either. My English isn’t perfect, so I might have misunderstood some information here. When I got my gecko from a breeder, I was told that Crested Geckos are more for display. I think they meant that, unlike dogs or cats, you can’t let them roam freely in your house, pet, or cuddle them.

I might have been overly concerned about Floppy Tail Syndrome. Your post has eased some of my worries. Now, I’ll focus on providing my gecko with a spacious, nature-inspired environment with plenty of hiding spots. Thank you so much!:grin:

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Yeah i think you’re right, lots and lots of expensive morphs being produced there as well. It’s too bad, but all you can do is make sure you do better yourself, can’t change someone else’s actions or views…

Yes exactly, when people say they are display or hobby animals, they mean as opposed to pets like a cat or a dog.

No need to worry about FTS, it’s mostly cosmetic anyway, and if it gets really bad you can make the gecko drop the tail. It doesn’t affect their life whatsoever. In the wild the majority of them don’t have their tails, so them keeping their tails into adulthood might actually be kind of unnatural

Have fun setting up the enclosure, Im sure your gecko is gonna love it :blush:

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Thanks so much for reading my long post and for replying so thoughtfully! Really appreciate it! I followed your Instagram😄

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