Golden geckos are rainforest lizards and require high humidity in their enclosure. Daily misting should be performed, and a water dish must also be made available (though only few golden geckos actually drink from it).
These live insects include crickets, mealworms, super worms and wax worms; feeder insects should all be gut loaded with calcium and multivitamin supplements before being offered as snacks to your birds.
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Live Prey
Golden geckos feed on an assortment of insects and small creatures, with dubia roaches and crickets being their favorite snacks (often found at pet stores), but golden geckos will also enjoy eating waxworms, mealworms and tropical insects as snacks.
Reptile keepers often recommend offering these reptiles fruit treats, like mashed bananas or pureed baby food, to keep the gecko interested in its food; try feeding every other day instead of daily, then skipping one day altogether.
An adult gecko can fit comfortably into a 20-gallon tank; however, younger specimens require additional space and should be kept separate from mature male geckos (males are territorial). A substrate that retains moisture such as coconut fiber bedding or pure soil is ideal; some keepers opt for regular misting of the tank to keep humidity levels within 60-80%; temperature should range from 75 to 90 degF during daytime and gradually drop at nighttime.
Fruit
Addition of fruit to a golden gecko’s diet can be an excellent way to provide additional vitamins. Fruit such as apple, orange, pear, banana and mango will offer your reptile all kinds of important nutrition. However, these items should only be fed occasionally due to being high in sugars that could overfill its stomach.
As with all reptiles, golden geckos require a specific habitat. Since these creatures grow fairly large compared to many of those kept as pets, a tank with at least 20 gallon capacity and an adequate mesh screen top would provide ample protection from escape or injury.
Golden geckos may not make suitable pets due to their anxiety-inducing tendencies and fragile skin that could be damaged from an accidental drop or rough handling. Furthermore, their tails grow back if cut or bit. Therefore, you could create an environment similar to their natural habitat with plants and hiding spots to ensure they feel at ease and don’t experience stress or anxiety while you create their home environment.
Vegetables
Crested geckos make an excellent pet for beginners as they are relatively low maintenance. A high-quality diet will ensure their wellbeing.
Golden geckos feed on live prey such as crickets, superworms, cockroaches and fatty wax worms as part of their diet, with these insects fed three or four times each week in the form of gut-loads or weekly feedings of insects; fruit chunks may also provide additional treats.
Crestied geckoes should also receive fresh vegetables to provide optimal health benefits, with mango being particularly good, since they contain low calories while being loaded with essential vitamins and antioxidants. Pears provide additional sources of fiber while boasting higher protein contents than many fruits.
Crested geckoes need an environment in their cage which provides moisture-retaining substrate, such as shredded coconut fibre bedding or reptile bark. Potting soil contains perlite which may cause life-threatening impaction of reptiles.
Supplements
As well as the diet described above, it is also essential that geckos be given various supplements. You could offer mangoes which contain high levels of vitamin C and antioxidants but are low-cal fruits; or green peas which are high in fiber content as well as being an excellent source of vitamins B1 and B2.
Mealworms and waxworms should be fed a light dose of calcium powder each week. You should also feed super worms, which contain more protein and fat than mealworms – these treats may help underweight golden geckos gain weight faster.
Zilla Reptile Vitamin Supplement and Fluker’s Repta Vitamins both offer comprehensive multivitamin solutions to provide your pet gecko with all of the essential vitamins and minerals that he requires, including folic acid, niacin and beta carotene-derived Vitamin A along with calcium and Vitamin D3. In particular, Vitamin D3 assists your gecko in digesting all his diet components more easily.
