IS OUR CRESTED GECKO CARE WRONG? Impaction, Heating & More! 

This is so important, just because something can live doesn’t mean it’s thriving and enjoying themselves.

The veterinarian told me something a little bit eye-opening: "Humans use stuff we don't need all the time. Because we want to. Give your crestie the option to be warmer or cooler as it wishes, give it the option to go into a humid hide, give it the option to do different things, not because it necessarily NEEDS it, but because it WANTS to."

THIS. THIS is why I always go to you for animal care guides

I've never seen your face, but for some reason I imagine you looking like Emma Watson. I've realized it's because you're super knowledgeable with what you're talking about so my brain associates you with Hermione Granger😂

I had to do a crash course last May when my son wanted to adopt from his science teacher. You have truly helped us give Hope a chance to be a thriving, happy girl!! Thank you for this!!

Really love this video, I work in a pet shop and I always strive to update people's care when it comes to animals in general not just reptiles. The way I go about it is by bringing the dated care up in conversation and explaining why that isn't sufficient whilst giving advice on what is better, also my team are trying to push the fact that uvb lighting and supplements are an absolute must 🙌🏻

THANK YOU SOOO MUCH!!!! ive had my crested gecko for almost a month now and ive noticed he has times where he doesnt move around much and doesnt really eat. ive been thinking about getting a heat pad for the side of the tank to help for heating just to try it but this helps so much. ive also tried to give him dusted crickets and he didnt seem interested so now i have something to try the next time i get more! uve helped me sooo much when it came to reseach into what to do and what not to do before getting my first reptile and i appriate for making videos on helping ppl to get into the hobby!!!!

Rather then say "there is a difference between surviving and thriving" I say "I can keep a shark alive in the bath tub doesn't mean it's right"

Thank you for these very thorough videos on crested gecko care. I’m hoping in the next few months to start working towards getting a crestie, and have been doing a ton of research. I always seem to find myself back at your channel!

Thank you! I appreciate your video. I just got a Crested gecko and I want him to be as happy and healthy as possible!

Cant wait till I've moved out of my tiny apartment and I'll be able to get a Crested Gecko! They're such cool little dudes. I know its a long way off before I'll be able to do so, but I'm dreaming

I'm still waiting on the DHP to come to the US...I'm currently using a ceramic heater and a thermostat though. It's great but I'm sure DHPs are the best. Thanks for the latest information about leos and cresties! I just purchased the ceramic heater with the thermostat a couple weeks ago because of winter coming soon. I have a huge window in my bedroom and the cold that has been coming through even with plastic window insulation has been around 55F - 65F. To no surprise, it has made a huge impact. Thank you very much for keeping everyone updated!!^.^

Something you might find interesting is I give my crested and gargoyle gecko heat during the colder months. They're chicken brooders that I put outside next to the cage and it warms up like half the tank making a nice gradient. On the glass next to the brooder, it's about 80-85 degrees Fahrenheit and they loveeee it. They will just flatten themselves onto the warm glass for a couple hours before their nightly exploration of their enclosures.

I don't even have a crested gecko but thoroughly enjoyed this none the less. I do have a leopard gecko though :)

I just set up a heater for my crestie since it's gotten cold faster this year. Such an improvement!

Extremely competent information. After indepth research I believe this channel to be wholly reliable. All crested geckos should be kept so well.

Your cresties are so cute! It’s crazy how many people get the care wrong! Thank you for all these helpful videos without you many cresties and leopard geckos would be suffering!

There was a time when a man in a pet store said “you dont need lighting only a heat mad for leopard geckos “ so i hade the whole half her tank with a heat math and half without later he acted od and i came to this channel and found out she needed a uvb and heat lamp so thank you for saving my geckos life 😊 i kinda feel like a bad gecko mom ...

As a Canadian, I keep my house at 18°C (about 65°F) or even cooler so I have a heat emitting coil set up near my crestie's tank. I monitor the temperature to make sure the warm part of the tank is about 25°C. The other side is always a few degrees cooler, usually around 20°C since I have a pretty big enclosure for her. She's very happy! I see her hanging out in every part of her enclosure during the evening.

I love the information you give in your videos. I have a leopard gecko which is why i started watching you. Lately i have become interested in getting a crested in the near future and truly appreciate the educational information you share. I have heard the no heat necessary for them but wondered how that was even possible. So glad you explained the misconceptions. Thank you!

I was wondering my crested gecko sleeps high up (usually in his coconut hide) and then when it becomes dark he always first climes out of his coconut hide down towards the ground and sits there for a bit (not on the ground on the wood that is there for climbing) And the rest of the night he climbs back up jumps eat stuff that you would expect (and moves around a lot). Do I need to worry that he always goes towards the ground at the beginning of the night ? (also loved the video have a great day)

Thank you so much! Really helpful info. I just got a gargoyle gecko who needed to be re-homed and was researching what to do about heat.

I love the look and simplicity of crested geckos, but im getting a leopard gecko.

My intuition was right about keeping a warmth lamp above my gecko's tank, i keep the range between 22-24 degrees celsius and only had her for a week or so. Have noticed her eat many times

I bought a DHP for my Crested gecko and I would highly recommend, they are great and my gecko is very active.

I just got my gecko a few weeks ago I live in LA but some nights in the winter it gets chilly so I’m researching ahead of time and this video is so helpful!

Right on! It's freezing here in the Midwest USA during winter and I use a ceramic heat emitter to keep the enclosure around 75f. I also feed my crestie bugs and worms along with the food mix.

Love it! Doing all my research and prep for a crested gecko right now. The no insects was a big plus for us, because this is our only gecko and getting a big set up felt excessive. What are your thoughts on instead providing a bio active set up with some larger isopods to allow for those to provide the gecko with hunting opportunities?

great vid, presentation of info was excellent. Ty

I’m thinking of getting a crested gecko, but I was wondering does a thermostat lower the temperature at night or should we lower it down manually or just leave it at the same 24/7

This was an amazing and informative video and it made me feel really good cos I do the right things and my little baby is very happy. Also I love when my crestie drinks her standing water, it's so cute!

This is super important for the gecko cause if it lives than it’s not always thriving and enjoying themselfs

Great video! These are all several conclusions I came to myself but wasn't able to confirm it

I totally agree with the heating. Where I live it's kind of cold most of the time and my apartment is drafty. Room temperature is usually in the low 60° or lower in the winter. I don't have heating in the room he lives in so I have a CHE hooked up to a thermostat on her terrarium. It's usually set around 78°-80° but it depends on the season. He loves to hang out on the ledge under his heater and will sleep there too. One time his thermostat broke so he was out of heat for a few days and he barely moved. He hung out on a plant for hours before I moved him to his cave and he was cold to the touch. Because his terrarium is tall the bottom gets around 63°-65° so he has heating options. He does have a water bowl and I have caught him many times coming down for a drink. I think anything should be offered the option of water bowl. I wish mine would eat insects. I have tried different methods over the years but he's still not interested. He's a little strange.

I’m in Hertfordshire my room temperature is around 21-25°C without having the radiator on 🤙🏻

Another big misconception is the "small cage propaganda". I'm keepin my crested gecko in a 36x36x18 exo terra since he was a hatchling and from the beginning (!) he used the whole tank. In my opinion it is pretty sad to see those animals (that love to run and jump around their cage) very often in way too small cages... A 24x24x18 exo terra should be the bare minimum to keep those animals.

I could listen to you talk all day :) Love your care video's! Do you have or would you have a Scorpion?

Hi I just got a crested gecko 🦎 I was so excited 😆 I was so blessed with a wonderful crested gecko

I agree 💯 I have my Crested Gecko on a ZooMed ceramic emitter 25w and it keeps him right at 75-80 Only on cold Seasons

Very awesomeness informative video. Since you do bio. I'm in the middle of setting mine up now. What light do you use for the plants? I also want the best where my baby can thrive the most

Love this video very helpful

Great video, a crested gecko reminds me of a “lil trex of the bushes”

All my Herps live in vivariums, they love the leaf liter, at night, I can hear them rumaging like lil dinosaurs in a jungle, my eurydactylode ,mourning gecko clan and crestie love to be on the top part half of their vivarium on their vines and sticks and pothos.

What’s your opinion on moonlight bulbs for night? Do the bulbs throw off their cycle? And any help with the daytime lighting I would appreciate the help , I’d like to have some sort of light on him but I don’t want to harm him..thank you for your help!

I’m setting up a bio active terrarium and getting it dialed in before I add anything more than isopods and spring tails. So I have this grow light (aquarium led light) inside the enclosure (it’s a vision cage). At the peek of the day (it ramps up and down) very close to the light it gets to 83F but at the bottom of the enclosure it never gets more than 75 and about 77-79 in the middle. So I understand a gradient like that lets them thermo modulate as they move to an ideal spot. But is it dangerous to have it at 82-83 anywhere inside? I turned the intensity down a bit hoping it will cool it a little more. But I wanted to see if I’m over thinking it.

First, thank you so much! I've been wanting a crested gecko for a while and you've been one of my primary sources of research, I find your videos so informative and helpful and I've got a lot of my information from you (I have also used several other sources, just to be certain of the facts). I'm finally nearing the time to get my first crestie but before I do I want to check I've got everything right, so sorry, this is gonna be a bit long. I'm housing my crestie in an 18x18x24 inch Exo terra (I know this is the minimum size, but I'm getting a juvenile, so I want to make sure he/she is healthy and finding it's food, then I will upgrade as he/she grows to either a 18x18x36 or 24x18x24), with a canopy which will have an Arcadia jungle Dawn for the plants and an Arcadia 7% uvb. I know there is a debate about UVB with cresties and that many don't use it, I will be using uvb as the breeder I will get my gecko from has always used uvb and will not sell to anyone who does not provide it, and I've visited the breeder many times with more knowledgeable people and his reptiles seem to be in perfect condition. I will be providing a heat mat controlled by a thermostat (my house is about 18-20°C in the winter and about 22-25°C in the summer, so the mat will be adjusted as necessary), on the outside wall of the Viv. I will be doing a bioactive setup (earthmix, Springtails, dwarf white woodlice, leaf litter in the substrate), as I'm quite confident in my plant keeping and already have several thick and broad leafed plants ready to go, and I will use only natural wood from reptile specific shops. I will be feeding both repashy and Pangea, which is what the breeder feeds, and I'll try to provide a variety of flavours. My brother has a panther chameleon, so there is always insects available so I will have no problem feeding them to the crestie about once a week. I will provide water in a raised dish (food dish will also be raised) as well as misting (all water is treated with reptisafe). I think that's everything, if anyone spots anything I've missed, or has any advice or improvements, please let me know. Thank you!!😁

I have a heater on my cresties tank because room temp in winter is like 17C here. It definitely makes her more active than if she didnt have it too!

My house is too hot for a crested gecko it’s like 80 in here 😂

i use eco earth mixed with coco husk n my crestie has drank out of a water bowl on bottom...my hse stays between 70-80 dgr ...love your gecko

I’m getting a crested gecko in 2 days and my mom says that I don’t need a heater but I told her that he would thrive without one and this should help convince her to get a heat lamp

I live in the US in chilly Wisconsin (colder temps around half the year). Even though I keep the central heat at 68 I run a ceramic heat emitter with a thermostat set around 75 for my gargoyle gecko. Many times I will see her bask in the corner right under the bulb either on the tank wall or on a branch under it. I think I read the average temp in New Caledonia is 75. Sure it can get colder but most of the year averages 75. I feel that adding a little heat helps keep them happy and healthy. 🦎🦎🦎

I use ecoearth with pillow moss covering half of it. My crestie prefers to bury herself when shedding instead of using her humid hidey. And sometimes she just seems to enjoy digging around at night lol

I love your jumper. My room doesn’t even have a heater, the heater is outside in the hallway so I may just move in Lyra’s tank with her 😂 it shouldn’t matter about the cost, surely if it’s necessary then you can’t have the pet if you can’t afford the necessities. My cat Loki is allergic to fleas so we HAVE to buy flea stuff once a month otherwise he will rip his fur out of his body, he won’t eat and he will lose so much weight. At least heat mats/projectors/thermostats etc, won’t be bought monthly. Gizmo may be my girl but Lyra is absolutely amazing I love her.

It's about how much care you give them. I used to house a leopard gecko I found I was more stressed then he was lmfao guy had a fat tail and good size. But the heating a had problems with at first but as week went by I got it to where it it needed to be

You don't get anything, but you should.

I've been debating getting a heater for my crestie for a while, but I worry that it will be completely pointless. I'm in South East England and it was 2c outside last night, and even with no heating on and my bedroom window wide open at 3am, it was still 21c in my room, and that's about as cold as it gets. I can't decide what to do 🤔🤔

"we aren't those makeup people" absolute legend lol

My crested gecko baby wasnt eating since I purchased it, lastnight I introduced a heating source to the enclosure and it started eating .my room temps use to be 22 degrees to 26 degrees Celsius ,now after introducing a heating device up to 28 degrees it started eating ,and yea it's mid summer this side.

I got 2 and they love their cages. Vet said they’re healthy as can be but this makes me feel like I’m not doing enough...

So is a thermostat required for a DHP or can I just have DHP by jtself?

Where I live it dose not snow but it drops below -6 every night

I know I am a little late but next week I will get a crested gecko and I am still questioning myself if I am ready for him. I am not sure if I should get something to warmth up the terrarium (maybe in winter). Is it all right to keep the crested gecko in a room that has 23 degrees? The temperature of my room in summer increases to 33 degrees, what can I do to cool it down? Does it cool down if I just put a fan in the room?. I believe you're right about feeding baby crested geckos with insects. (Sorry if I wrote too much and sorry for my bad english) :)

Such a great video! 100% agree about the heat!

I have three crested geckos!! My geckos had no heating and stayed at room temp! I added heat mats to the back of the glass, not underneath. I have the temp of the heating pad set to 82-85F depending on how cold my room is. My geckos have become more active and genuinely seem so much happier!!! From experience, I can say they NEED heating. In the wild, they live around ~85F and 80%+ for humidity!

Another one that applies to cresties is that nocturnal reptiles don't need UVB. I've caught my gargoyle several times up on the background, like an inch below the UV light. Seriously people, it's okay that care changes, as we learn more.

I’d like to be able to just drop a few crickets in the bottom of my tank for my crestie because she goes to the bottom of the tank only to hunt. But there’s been two times where she’s went after a cricket and missed it and got a mouth full of eco earth instead and I was worried sick until she poops. What is a good substrate that’s good for her to hunt on? Love your educational videos!💞

If I have a conversion tank, how do i heat my tank?

Do you have any recommendations for the wattage when it comes to the Deep Heat Projector? I know that when I've read up on this, that the wattage should be low, so any recommendations for how low though? I want to make sure my gecko is thriving, and growing more, so I want to make sure that I don't negatively impact his health by having something super high. Any links to either bulbs or projectors would be greatly appreciated as well.

Greta video! I am getting some of your merch for Christmas!

I have a Mack Snow Leo and I'm wondering if he need things to climb. I wouldn't expect Leos to, but if it would make his life more "entertaining" then that would be nice. :)

Sooo many good points!

Ps love your vids! Keep up the great work! I am wanting a crested gecko should I get a baby or an adult? Are baby’s too jumpy ?

Hi I’m gonna plan about getting a gecko but not sure which type Which may be better a Leopard gecko of a crested gecko?

I use eco earth for my crested gecko enclosure and always have a ceramic heater hooked up to a temperature regulator just in case it does get too cold.

My gecko loves the warm spot in his tank. I have a low wattage heat emitter with a thermostat

Ok i know this was from 3 years ago but hoping someone can answer. How do u keep her little coconut hut from getting moldy? Mine got moldy after just 2 weeks

So I have a leopard gecko and i am 13 but since they can live for almost 20 years what should i do with when im gone for time or say college like where should i put them / can i bring them?

I watched this while giving my gargoyle gecko crickets. He doesn't have a water bowl but I'm thinking about adding one. I've got it in a bioactive tank that I mist twice a day.

my house stays at around 65-68 degrees fahrenheit or 20ish degrees celsius during the winter days, i am wanting to purchase a crested gecko. what are some recommendations to keep it heated through out the day’s and nights?

Where do you put the temperature sensor for the thermostat being used with the DHP?

Hi, I have a few questions I hope you could answer about the slate rocks you put in your Leo's enclosure. How did you design the slate rock setup? Did you make a slate rock hide out of it? If so, how did you adhere it, and keep the hides support strong from caving in? I want to create something similar out of slate, but I am concerned and trying to figure out how to go about it.

what kind of moss do you use? also what kind of lighting do you use? i have lots of questions, im very concerned about my crested gecko. i have a 25 watt exo terra Sun Glo lamp and a 13 watt UVB lamp and a 25 watt Zoo Med night lamp, i use Zoo Med Eco Earth loose coconut fiber with Thrive Tropical Reptile Decorating kit. & i feed him Flukers Created Gecko Premium Friut & Insects Diet. ive had my crested gecko for about 6 months im very concerned about MBD because my geckos limphs look a bit swollen, can you give me feedback about what u think?

I’ve had my crestedgecko for a week now. He’s hiding all the time and I was wondering about putting some lighting for his enclosure on a timer. What would you recommend in terms of type of lighting?

Genuine question: does having a water dish help with humidity?

Thanks for this video!!!!

would all of these be the same for gargoyle geckos? also, your videos are awsome and you convinced me to get a leopard gecko :)

Do you ever have trouble with your gecko sitting on the thermostat probe and the deep heat projector getting too hot? I noticed the other day my dhp was glowing hot because my gecko decided to perch on the probe.

Hi, Could you put links for the safety cage, ceramic holder and bulb you use please? Specifically the bulb (deep heat projector) as I can see from the video the Arcadia cage and holder, many thanks :-)

I live in Florida... Cheers 😊

I wish I could get a DHP here. Arcadia products are hard to get in the US (aside from shadedweller)

Whats your opinion on them needing UVB i am getting loads of mixed options on it and i really want to be sure before i get my crestie

i only use the heat bulb (not light) in the winter because i’m in canada i don’t need it in the summertime

My crestie likes to bathe in her water bowl. its so much fun to have to clean it every 5 mins lol she also loves to walk around on the bottom of the tank for some reason and stare at me

Thanks for helping out like always you are awesome 👏 🥰

Would FL be a good warm year-round place to not need a heat source? I'm planning on getting a crestie and I live in FL and the room it'll be in doesn't get cold from a small sunlight in the room.

I love your advice and I trust you very much. I do have one question though. I am 14 and in order to have a crested gecko (which I do) I have to pay for it. I really want my crested gecko to thrive, but I have to pay for everything. Evolving my crested gecko tank means money and I don't have money. Do you have any cheap suggestions that could help my gecko. I don't believe he is not happy since he is very active and he eats his food. But, I have a paper towel substrate (my humidity is fine) and I feed him crickets not very often. Any suggestions?

What size and brand is the enclosure at the end of the video??

I didn't feed dwagy my crestie incects for a while. He did not grow... hardly. I started feeding him crickets and he started growing more.

questions, for anyone who has an answer: i have a friend getting a frog, and it probably wouldn't be too hard to organize getting a couple of feeders from her now and then. do i have to buy vitamins to dust these, or could i just use calcium? also, as a person who hates cold, my room sits pretty steadily at 72 degrees. i want to eventually get a heater, but do i have to do that right away?

I have a gargoyle gecko and I try to leave a heat lamp on whenever I can for her but it lowers the humidity quite a bit so I can't leave when the lamp is on... she is getting a bioactive upgrade and I plan to slap a heat mat with a thermostat on the side of the tank for now and eventually when I upgrade my leopard gecko (she's a large girl so I'm getting her a 40 gallon size enclosure) I'm planning on getting both of them a deep heat projector.