Crested Gecko for Sale: What to Look For Before You Buy
| Common pattern price | $40–150 |
| Premium morph price | $150–500+ |
| Special research needed | Lilly White welfare check |
Signs of a healthy gecko
Look for a full, rounded body and tail base (or a cleanly healed tail stub if already dropped), clear bright eyes, alert response and movement when approached, smooth even skin with no widespread stuck shed, and confident grip when climbing.
Pet store vs breeder
Pet stores are convenient and usually cheaper but morph identification and lineage are often unreliable. Reputable breeders cost more but offer confirmed genetics and generally a well-established, health-checked animal.
Realistic price ranges
Common patterns (basic Pinstripe, Dalmatian, standard Harlequin) typically run $40–150. Premium, well-expressed combinations run $150–350. Rare or exceptional lines can exceed $500.
A special note on Lilly White
This popular, striking morph carries a documented welfare concern in some lines around jaw structure and feeding difficulty. If considering one, ask the breeder specifically about the individual's feeding history and jaw structure before committing.
After you buy
Plan for a minimum 60–90 day quarantine before any contact with other reptiles, and budget for an initial vet checkup and fecal exam even if the gecko looks outwardly healthy.
See the full care guides guide, or browse all 440 info pages.
A single adult crested gecko needs a minimum 18"x18"x24" front-opening, well-ventilated enclosure — taller matters more than wider since this species is highly arboreal — furnished with cork bark, branches, and dense foliage for climbing.
A complete crested gecko setup needs a tall 18"+ front-opening enclosure, cork bark and branches for climbing, coco fibre/moss substrate, a misting routine to hold 50–80% humidity, and complete CGD powder — no heat lamp is required in most homes.
Hatchlings can start in a small (roughly 8"x8"x12") enclosure to make food easier to find, juveniles move up around a few months old, and adults need a minimum 18"x18"x24" vertical enclosure.
Crested geckos generally do best at normal room temperature, roughly 72–78°F, and can suffer heat stress above about 82°F. Most homes need no basking bulb or heat mat at all — just monitoring during hot weather.
Low-level UVB (roughly 5–6% output) is increasingly recommended as good practice, though it isn't strictly mandatory for crested geckos the way it is for a strongly basking desert species — their diet's built-in D3 from CGD covers much of the gap.
Crested geckos need roughly 50–80% humidity, achieved through misting once or twice daily, with good ventilation to prevent the dampness from turning stagnant.