An Introduction to How Long Do Crested Geckos Live
The crested gecko (Correlophus ciliatus) is a fascinating lizard that is native to southern New Caledonia. These unique geckos have become increasingly popular as pets due to their friendly disposition, manageable size, and minimal care requirements compared to other reptiles. When considering adding a crested gecko to your family, one of the most common questions is: how long do crested geckos live?
Understanding the average lifespan of a crested gecko is important for making the commitment to properly care for them throughout their life. With attentive care in captivity, crested geckos can live 15-20 years or occasionally longer. Their lifespan allows for many years of enjoyment and interaction when their needs are met.
Detailed Lifespan of Crested Geckos in Captivity
The average lifespan of a healthy crested gecko kept in captivity as a pet ranges from 15-20 years. Some exceptions have been reported of crested geckos exceeding 20 years, but this requires diligent care and optimal conditions.
Baby crested geckos from 0-1 years old are still developing and more vulnerable to health issues from inadequate housing, temperatures, stress or nutrition deficiencies. With attentive care, they mature rapidly and can live full, active lives into their late teens or longer.
Factors impacting lifespan include diet, habitat environment, humidity levels, temperatures, handling stress, and access to healthcare. High-quality diets, proper full-spectrum lighting, adequate space to exercise, routine health exams and an attentive caretaker are key to achieving their full lifespan potential.
Favorite Foods of Crested Geckos
In captivity, crested geckos are opportunistic omnivores that thrive on a varied diet including live insects, fresh fruits, fruit purees, and high-quality complete diets.
Their natural diet in the wild consists of tree sap, pollen, nectar and insects like moths, crickets, mealworms and cockroaches. They particularly relish feeding on live insects and still benefit from them as supplement to commercial crested gecko diet mixes.
Commercially prepared powdered diets for crested geckos provide balanced nutrition including proteins, vitamins and minerals. The optimal diet for a pet crested gecko is a mix of high-quality commercial formula, fresh fruits like chopped bananas, mango and baby food fruits, and live insects 2-3 times per week. This provides dietary enrichment important for their health and activity levels.
You can also introduce some DIY home made recipes to your beloved Crested Gecko.
Best Practices to Prolong Lifespan
To help ensure your crested gecko lives a full, healthy and active life, focus on providing the optimal habitat environment, nutrition, temperatures and gentle handling methods.
Enclosure
Crested geckos require a minimum 20-gallon tall terrarium, but often thrive in larger spaces with more vertical climbing room. Provide plenty of foliage, branches, hides and crevices for enrichment. Keep humidity around 60-80% and temperatures 70-80°F in the daytime, and no lower than 65°F at night.
Nutrition & Hydration
Feed a varied, high-quality diet low in phosphorus. Gutload any insects with nutritious foods 1-2 days before feeding for maximum nutrition benefits. Always provide a small dish of clean water, refresh often.
Habitat Maintenance
Spot clean waste frequently and completely replace substrate every 4-6 weeks. Disinfect décor items, water dishes often to prevent bacterial or fungal growth. Limit handling to short periods to avoid unnecessary stress.
Routine Wellness Exams
Have your exotic veterinarian examine your crested gecko every 6-12 months for signs of underlying health issues, even if they seem healthy. Preventative care greatly improves lifespan.
Signs of Illness
Monitor eating habits, activity levels and droppings consistency for signs of possible illness requiring prompt veterinary care. Weight and body condition loss are key indicators.
Common Health Issues and Their Prevention
While crested geckos tend to stay fairly healthy with proper care, they can develop certain conditions over their lifespan. Being aware of the most prevalent health issues will help you catch problems early and seek qualified treatment.
Metabolic Bone Disease
Lack of adequate calcium from poor gutloading of insects, or vitamin D3 deficiency causes weakened, deformed bones. Early signs include rubbery jaws, limp limbs or trouble walking. Without supplements, the bones keep weakening until the limbs fracture or the jaw becomes too soft to eat properly.
Prevent MBD by providing ample calcium supplements coated on insects at every feeding, use proper lighting including periodic direct access to natural UVB rays from sunlight or a reptile lamp. Feed crested gecko diet mixes containing Vitamin D3 and calcium routinely.
Infections
Bacterial, fungal and parasitic infections often result from unsanitary living conditions and can rapidly threaten crested geckos. Salmonella, parasites like coccidia or crypto, and funguses are common pathogens in crested geckos.
Prevent infections by spot cleaning waste and urates often, fully replacing substrate every 4-6 weeks, disinfecting water dishes 2-3 times per week and thoroughly scrubbing down enclosure decor items monthly. Any signs of illness should prompt an immediate exotic vet exam and treatment.
Egg-laying Issues
Female crested geckos can experience life-threatening egg binding if environmental conditions are not conducive to digging and laying eggs properly. Dystocia and post-egg laying calcium crashes also occur, demanding prompt exotic veterinary care.
Prevent egg-related disorders by always providing an appropriate snake laying substrate when housing females. Crushed walnut shells, peat moss and organic topsoil blends work well. Have calcium and vitamin supplements on hand to aid recovery after egg laying stress.
Tail Loss
Crested geckos can drop all or part of their tails when frightened or handled roughly. While the tail will regrow, it results in high stress and depleted energy reserves needing supportive care while regenerating the tail.
Always handle crested geckos gently by scooping under their body, never picking up by the tail alone. Move slowly and deliberately in their presence until they are resting comfortably in your hands. Repeated tail loss incidents should prompt review of handling methods and habitat enrichment.
Obesity
Overfeeding high-sugar fruits, baby food or ignoring feeder insect gut loading can cause obesity and fatty liver disease over time. Carrying excessive weight puts strain on the heart, lungs, liver and skeletal system long term.
Prevent obesity by sticking to a healthy crested gecko feeding regimen, relying on quality commercial diets rather than fruit-only offerings. Dust insects with supplements only lightly. Monitor your gecko’s body shape every few weeks and adjust food volume gradually if waist size expands.
Additional Concerns
Other potential health issues include hypocalcaemic seizures from low blood calcium levels, prolapsing of the cloaca or hemipenes, and eye caps not shedding properly. Any signs of illness deserve an urgent exotic veterinary exam to determine underlying causes and prompt treatment before it becomes critical.
With attentive daily care and husbandry, most issues can be corrected or managed for many healthy years of enjoyment with crested geckos. Their fascinating behaviors, easygoing manner and longevity make them very rewarding reptile companions.