Crested geckos also known as eyelash geckos were thought to be extinct until 1994 when the species was rediscovered in New Caledonia.
The crested geckos average lifespan is ,on average, 15 years (there have been reports of them living as long as 25 years in captivity) and typically grow to be around 8 inches including their tail, but only 4-5 inches without the tail.
Tank set up
They are arboreal so they do need a tank that has more height than width.
They need to be provided with plenty of things to climb on in their habitat. They do best housed alone, as tank mates can sometimes fight and stress each other out.
Juveniles do well in 10 gallon tanks or 12X12X18
Adults do best in an 18x18x24
Due to the high humidity requirements of the crested gecko a bigger tank is not always better, bigger tanks tend to make it harder to keep the humidity levels high enough for the geckos
They are considered a room temperature pet by many with their temperature requirements being between 70-85 degrees f or 21-29 degrees Celsius, so many do not require any additional heating, although if your home does fall below 70 degrees you can use a heat lamp with a low wattage night bulb or infrared bulb.
Since they are nocturnal they do not require a uvb light, although many argue they can still benefit from a low wattage uvb bulb. They do need a proper day night cycle, so if you keep your gecko in a very poorly lit room you may need to purchase led lighting to provide this for them.
Substrate
Some will line their tank with paper towels for easy clean up, but coconut fiber substrate works well for helping to hold in humidity and will give a tank a more naturalistic look, this substrate usually will last a few weeks before needing to be changed.
Humidity
Crested geckos do have higher humidity requirements of 50-80 percent, for most tanks spraying in the evening to get the humidity to around 80 percent and allowing a drying period for the tank to reach 50 percent during the day is said to help prevent any respiratory problems.
Water
Crested geckos tend to get most of their water from you misting the tank and them licking the glass or leaves however it is always a good idea to keep a small dish of clean water in the tank.
Diet
There are different ways that breeders like to feed their crested geckos, but most go with offering crested gecko diet daily and feeding them insects dusted with a calcium vitamin d3 supplement weekly or biweekly to give them balanced nutrition.
Recommended Diet: Crested Geckos can be fed the Powdered Crested Gecko Foods along with crickets or other insects. Offer Pangea Fruit Mix Complete Diet3-4 times per week and insects 1-2 times per week.
Feeding Insects: The best insects to feed are either crickets or feeder roaches. The insects that you offer your geckos should be no larger than the distance from the geckos nose to its eye. All feeder insects should be dusted with a good calcium vitamin d3 supplement. Insects should also be fed a high quality "gut load" diet for at least 24 hours prior to being offered to your geckos. Gut Loading enhances the nutritional value of the insects.
Handling
They tend to be very docile when handled although can be jumpy (especially juveniles) it is recommended not to handle them before they are 2 weeks of age, recently purchased, or have recently moved into a new tank. You will want to start slowly with handling (about 5 minutes per day handled) and work your way up to about 15 minutes. I would not recommend daily handling, while crested geckos tolerate being handled quite well, too much handling can stress them out and could cause them to drop their tail.
Tail dropping
Crested geckos cannot regenerate their tail so you will want to be careful when handling, take care not to accidentally pinch the tail when closing the habitat, and keep your gecko in a low traffic, quiet area. Loud noises and stress can also lead to the gecko dropping its tail. If your gecko does drop its tail, it should be fine and will relearn how to balance without the tail.