Crested gecko

- Correlophus ciliatus

The Crested gecko (Correlophus ciliatus) is located at the southern end of Grande Terre, the main island of New Caledonia, and on the island of Pins, what makes it endemic.

Although the natural habitat of the Crested gecko continues to decline due to permanent environmental degradation, unfortunately not subject to any international protection status. It is being considered in protected status by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

The Crested gecko usually measures between 15-25 cm length, including between 10-15 cm of tail. Among the most distinctive features of these geckos are the hair-like projections above the eyes., that look a lot like tabs. These projections continue in the form of two rows of spines that run from the eyes to the sides of its wedge-shaped head and continue to the base of its tail..

The Crested gecko no eyelids. In its place, a transparent scale, or glasses, keeps each eye moist, using the tongue to clean up waste.

These geckos have a semi-prehensile tail that they use to climb. Tail can be dropped (via caudal autotomy) to distract predators. The Crested gecko do not regenerate their tail once they have lost it; most adults in the wild lack a tail.

The toes and the tip of the semi-prehensile tail are covered with small hairs called setae. Each mushroom is divided into hundreds of smaller hairs (of about 200 nanometers in diameter) called spatulas. These structures are thought to take advantage of the weak van der Waals force to help the gecko climb most solid surfaces., easier in the flatter and smoothest, like glass or wood. The fingers have small claws that help them climb over surfaces that their fingers can't hold onto..

It is arboreal in nature and lives in the treetops of humid forests., hot and dense lowland vegetation.

The Crested gecko perches on tree branches, but also in the holes of the branches that serve as a hiding place. Its period of activity begins at dusk and ends in the early hours of the morning.

The Crested gecko it is a crepuscular and nocturnal gecko and less shy than the species of the genus Rhacodactylus.

She is a skilled climber. For this it has the help of its adhesive sheets and its claws, as well as his tail, which serves as an additional gripping organ and to maintain balance. Like most Geckos, the Crested gecko is able to release the tail in case of danger (autotomy). But, does not form a full regenerate, so there is only a short stump left.

The growth of the Geckos in general it has no comparison with that of many other reptile species.
Its nature is slow growing. While many species of Geckos of the warm regions of the world grow completely in 1 or 2 years maximum, all the Gecko of New Caledonia need more time for their development.

In the case of Crested gecko need 3 years until they have grown at all.
But, in general, each animal must be considered individually.
Even siblings born on the same day and raised the same way can grow up totally different.

There is a wide range of colors on the market, the following types have demonstrated their heritage over time.

The terrarium for him Crested gecko must be high enough, as they are inhabitants of trees and are almost never found on the ground. As a key to the size of the terrarium we recommend calculating with the head-torso length of the animal. The size of the terrarium is calculated as follows for non-adult animals:

Terrarium floor space: 4 x 3 times the head-torso length of the animal.
Height of the terrarium: Four times the head-torso length of the animal.
Observe the growth of the animal in the coming months (fast-growing animal/slow-growing animal).

The Crested gecko it is an excellent climber and needs several cork branches and cork tubes. The bamboo poles also have a decorative aspect and provide the animal with a space to walk, including the coveted heat point under a spotlight. As such, place a branch or root at the right distance from the light source so that the right temperature is created in it. Some vertical climbing possibilities should not be missing.

It also, the terrarium must be well decorated with plants. Artificial plants are a practical option, as they can be easily cleaned of feces.

The substrate suitable is the bark bed (also called “Cortex”) and the land of the terrarium. Moss cushions are decorative and regulate humidity. Droppings and food scraps should be removed daily.

Although they are twilight and nocturnal, the Crested gecko sometimes sunbathe and will gladly accept a spot of ultraviolet light. It also, only an optimal supply of UV-B light provides enough vitamin D3 for young animals to grow optimally and adults to also be in top shape and display their bright colors.. We recommend the JBL L-U-W Light, which is available in various powers and in the version “Jungle“. This type of lighting provides light, heat and UVA/UVB rays.

As a caregiver, can get an especially good climate (and easy to control) using a heating mat under part of the floor of your terrarium. Although the Crested gecko almost never goes to the ground to warm up there, yes it heats the basic temperature of the high terrarium -which by design is similar to a fireplace- from below. These terrariums usually have too low temperatures in the lower half of the terrarium outside of summer., so the fry have a hot back and a cold belly. The heating mat must be accompanied by a thermostat. In this way, always get the right climate, as the heating mat turns on automatically when needed.

A plus point is the more favorable energy consumption in terms of the environment, since terrariums operated in this way not only require lower power for point lamps, but also, usually, fix themselves with less energy. For one uniform lighting of your terrarium as decoration of your living space, we recommend the LED lighting across the entire terrarium. Light and heating sources are always turned on and off at a daily rate by means of a timer, 14h on, 10h off.

The Crested gecko seems very quiet, but he is a good hunter. Feeding insects (crickets, domestic crickets, grasshopper, etc.) they are always sprinkled with mixtures of vitamins and minerals. This is the only way to avoid irreversible deficiencies, which can often lead to serious illness or even death in young animals and pregnant females, for example.

Feeding animals must always be adapted to the size of the Gecko. Feed only insects that will be eaten directly. Otherwise, feeding animals would disperse in the terrarium, they would hide away and get rid of the attached vitamins/minerals – the result is malnutrition and malnutrition despite food supplies. They also like to eat fruit pulp, for example, food for the Crested gecko from Exoterra.

The Crested gecko can be held individually or in a group. Males are territorial and incompatible with each other. They can be very demanding with females, so it is not recommended to keep them as “couple”.
Females put 2 eggs several times a year, that burrow into the moist substrate. After 60-120 days at 21°C to 28°C the young hatch.

The price of a "Crested gecko" at the exotic animal market, bred in captivity, ranges between 60 – 80 EUR.

1. Eyelash gecko (English).
2. Gecko à cils, Gecko à frange (French).
3. Neukaledonischer Kronengecko (German).
4. Crested gecko (Portuguese).
5. Gecko de pestañas (español).