About Crested Geckos

The Crested Gecko, also known as the New Caledonian Crested Gecko or the Eyelash Gecko is believed to have originated from Southern New Caledonia. It was first described in 1866 by the French zoologist Alphone Guichenot and is also known as Guichenot's Giant Gecko. The species was long believed to be extinct until it was rediscovered in 1994 after a tropical storm revealed it along with several other species in the rain forest.

Since their rediscovery in 1994 they have become very popular in the pet trade. Although the exportation of wild Crested Geckos is now outlawed, the species that were imported around the USA and Europe before the ban are the ones that established the breeding lines we know today.

The Crested Gecko has an array of different color patterns including yellow, orange, grey, red, brown and many other different shades. They also all carry variable markings, such as blemishes, stripes and spots and the size and position of the crests may vary immensely. All these are naturally occurring and are not specific to any certain family or region of species. It is not rare for offspring of the same clutch to look totally different in pattern and coloration from their parents or siblings.

The Crested Gecko is very popular amongst the pet trade worldwide and this is because it comes from cooler climates and therefore prefers cooler temperatures, so replicating the living conditions is not so hard and the cost is very reasonable. During the day they like the temperature around 24oC (75oF) dropping to around 13oC (55oF) at night. Daytime temperatures can mostly be attained without any additional heating or just a tiny heat source