One of the best reptiles to have as a pet are the geckos that are in the Rhacodactylus family.  This includes the crested, gargoyle, chahoua and leachianus geckos.  Crested geckos were thought extinct until discovered alive and well on the Isle of Pines in 1994. The Isle of Pines is part of New Caledonia which is comprised of several small islands located near Australia.

The geckos in this family are easy to care for, generally requiring no extra heat. Day temperatures for these geckos should reach no higher than 80 degrees and night temps should not fall below 65 degrees. These geckos are normally fairly calm creatures and can be handled for a short period of time each day. Rhacodactylus geckos are fed a commercially prepared diet and can be supplemented with appropriately sized crickets or roach nymphs. They can also be fed Phoenix worms. You should not be feeding your geckos baby food. 

These geckos can be housed in a variety of enclosures. Rhacodactylus geckos are arboreal so they require more height in their enclosure than width or depth.  Leachianus geckos prefer cork rounds or cork tubes in their enclosures.  You can place a 20 gallon aquarium on its end, after installing a secure screen type door and house a crested,gargoyle,chahoua gecko in that.  Leachianus do require larger cages as adults. There are also special cages made for reptiles. You should purchase the largest size enclosure possible,based on the size gecko you own. Gecko Haven houses them in planted vivariums. You can keep a couple of female crested geckos together if the size of your enclosure is large enough and the geckos are the same size.  Once again, you must have the proper sized cage. Male geckos need to be kept separately from each other as they may fight.

The care for all Rhacodactylus geckos is basically the same. 

We will be more than happy to answer any questions you may have on diet, housing, proper care, ect...for crested or gargoyle geckos.  Please do not hesitate to call or email us!