Correlophus ciliatus
Rango, Spike, Lola, and Erik
C ciliatus are endemic to the islands of New Caledonia. This species was noted by herpetologists in the 1860s. It thought to be extinct until it was again spotted in the 90s. Since that time, "crested geckos" or "eyelash geckos" have become common in the pet trade. Keepers and breeders can find crested geckos captive bred in many different "morphs", or colors, including browns, tans, reds, oranges, spots, and more. Their colors lighten and darken depending on their "mood" and environmental conditions.
Above: Lola peeking out from her favorite cork tube.
Below: Cresties are usually chill, but some of the hatchlings can be fiesty!
Rango, Spike, Lola, and Erik, and a smattering of hatchlings represent the species at Extant Relatives. Lola, Rango (yes, named after the movie), and Erik (named after the Phantom of the Opera, as his morph is "phantom pinstripe") are easy going and great reptiles to get up close with. Spike tends toward the jumpy side, which is why his photo is missing from this site. He is an escape artist and an all around lovable guy, and we will get a good photo of him someday. All of our adult C ciliatus were produced by LAC Herps.
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Crested geckos are easy to keep in the proper enclosure and environment. They have every ability to bite, though their bites are rare and usually do little to no damage. These are a kid-favorite at ExRe, as they are soft, beautiful, athletic, and easy to handle. Make sure you are okay with a tail-less gecko before you get one - crests do NOT regrow the appendage and will have a "frog-butt" for life.
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Above: Rango showing off his darkest colors. Crested gecko colors "change" with mood, temperature, humidity, and light!
Below: Erik doing his best to avoid the human with a camera.
Interested in keeping a crested gecko? Below are general parameters for making your gecko comfortable. For more information, Extant Relatives recommends Reptifile's detailed care sheets.
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Life Span: 20+ years
Cage Size: Minimum 18" x 18" x 36" (High rather than wide)
Day/Night Hours: 12/12 OR 14/10 (Summer) to 10/14 (Winter)
Active times: Most active at night
Day temps: 70-75 F
Hot Spot: 82-85 F
Night temps: 65-72 F
Daytime humidity: 60%
Nighttime humidity: 80-100%
UVB: Low
Substrate: Organic topsoil or coconut fiber (or mix)
Diet: Meal Replacement Powders with insects for enrichment.
Decor: Arboreal - branches, cork tubes, plants.​
Our setup: ExRe houses crested geckos individually in 10 gal/gecko minimum, vertically-oriented enclosure. These arboreal reptiles spend most of their time exploring cork bark tubes and branches or hiding among potted Pothos vines, spider plants, and other strategically-placed plants. Their enclosure floor consists of cocofiber substrate, a soaking/drinking bowl, and an isopod clean-up crew. Their enclsoures are heavily misted 2-4 times per week, depending on the season, to maintain a general humidity of around 70%. Temperatures range from 70F at the bottom of the enclosure to 85F at the top. They use the full range of their enclosures to regulate their temperature and hydration. A single puck light provides enough light for their plants and their day/night cycle. We do not use UVB with our crested geckos, though they are closely monitored and receive Vitamin D supplementation. ExRe's cresties enjoy rotating flavors of Repashy MRP 2-3 times per week. Once every 2 weeks, they gets everyone's favorite flavor: Banana Cream Pie. Environmental enrichment is provided by adding vitamin- and mineral-dusted crickets, dubia roaches, mealworms, waxworms, or silkworms to their diets.