Welcome
About Us
Welcome to Heartland Crested Geckos. We are a crested gecko breeder located in central Illinois and have grown from a small hobby breeder and expanded to represent a large number of different morphs. While we may not have a large quantity available for sale we try to focus on quality and only breed geckos we believe to be an excellent representation of each morph.
Our breeding geckos are selected based on their structure, temperament and colors. We enjoy a wide variety of gecko morphs including pinstripes, harlequins, yellows, reds, oranges, super Dalmatians and of course the gorgeous Lilly Whites!
Crested Gecko Care
Feeding your Crested Gecko
We feed our crested geckos Repashy and Pangea Crested Gecko diets, These MRP diets have all the nutrients in it that your crested gecko needs and are very easy to prepare.
I have some adult crested geckos who enjoy crickets and Dubia roaches and some that do not. The adults that like live insects receive them once a week. All babies and juveniles get gut loaded crickets and or dubia roaches dusted with calcium at least once or twice a week. When feeding crickets be sure they are gut loaded (fed a nutritious meal) a day prior to feeding to your crested. Some local pet stores sell crickets that are already gut loaded. Never feed insects you caught yourself.
Housing
This is when a gram scale really comes in handy. Geckos less than 10g can be kept in a small kritter keeper. Adults should be kept in no smaller than a 20 gallon.
Height is more important than width as crested geckos like to climb vines, trees and plants. A hide box can be provided on the floor of the cage, they seem to enjoy a safe dark place to curl up and sleep during the day. We use paper towels or newspaper as a substrate, it's easy to clean up and haven't had any impaction problems using it.
There are many different types of cages that can be used. All screen cages do provide ample climbing room but it is harder to keep the humidity up in them, sterilite containers can also be used for housing but be sure to provide ventilation by cutting out a section for mesh or put holes in it using a drill or wood burning tool. If mold is growing you need more ventilation.
To help your crested gecko feel secure in his home be sure to provide plenty of climbing and hiding places. You can purchase fake silk plants from your local craft stores and repti vines from a pet store. There are many many choices when it comes to housing and decorations.
Temperatures
Crested Geckos do not need any form of supplemental heating or lighting, this is what makes them such an easy pet to keep. They do well at daytime temperatures ranging from 74 - 78 and night time temperatures around 70 - 72. Room temperature works well as long as your house does not get above 82 or below 60.
Humidity
There doesn't seem to be a magic number when it comes to humidity. What I do is provide fresh drinking water in a shallow bowl every day and I also mist the cage each night. In the winter I mist morning and evening because our house if very dry from the furnace. It is important to provide a humidity cycle. Let the cage completely dry out between mistings. Spraying too much will grow mold which can make your gecko sick. Dehydration can also have adverse effects so be sure to watch for wrinkling of the skin and lethargy. If you keep the temperatures within a safe range, provide fresh water every day and mist nightly you shouldn't have a problem with dehydration. You should try to shoot for around 60% humidity with spikes to 80% after misting.
One of our Crested Gecko grow out juvenile racks. 27q sterilite containers