Crested Gecko Care
Everything you need to keep a crested gecko healthy: biology, a tall enclosure, temperature, humidity, diet, health, handling and breeding.
- Level
- Beginner
- Study time
- ~6 hours
- Modules
- 5
- Lessons
- 32
- Assessment
- Module quizzes · graded certificate
- Version
- v1.0 · reviewed 2 November 2026
What you'll learn
- ✓Describe the crested gecko's biology, natural history and behaviour, and what they mean for its care
- ✓Set up a tall, well-furnished enclosure and keep temperatures safely below the overheating range
- ✓Manage humidity as a daily cycle and keep a crested gecko properly hydrated
- ✓Feed a complete crested gecko diet with suitable insects and avoid over-supplementing
- ✓Recognise good health and common problems such as metabolic bone disease, floppy tail syndrome and egg binding
- ✓Explain incubation, morph genetics including the Lilly White lethal gene, and the responsibilities of breeding and ownership
About this course
A practical five-module guide to caring for the crested gecko (Correlophus ciliatus), a tree-dwelling gecko from New Caledonia that was feared extinct until 1994.
The course is written by HWA, the Herpetological & Wildlife Academy.
You'll study the crested gecko's biology, natural history and behaviour, setting up a tall enclosure, avoiding overheating, humidity cycles, misting and low-level UVB, complete diets, live insects, supplements and weight monitoring, handling, tail loss, shedding and common health problems, and finally breeding, incubation, morphs and responsible ownership, including UK law.
Every lesson is written in plain English with tables, diagrams and photos. Each module ends with a glossary and a multiple-choice quiz. When you've passed all five quizzes you receive a verifiable certificate of completion graded Pass, Merit or Distinction, based on your average quiz score.
This course is general education. It does not replace advice from a specialist reptile vet about an individual animal.
Cover photo: A crested gecko on a leaf at night. Photo: Lennart Hudel, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Course content
5 modules · 32 lessons · ~6 hours study time
Module 1Understanding the Crested Gecko6 lessons
- Introducing the crested geckoClassification, size and lifespan, and where crested geckos come from.Free preview8 min
- Habitat and behaviourThe forests crested geckos live in and how they behave.8 min
- Anatomy, temperature and sexingToe pads, tails and other adaptations, how they control body temperature and how to tell males from females.8 min
- Wild diet and conservationWhat crested geckos eat in the wild, and conservation and captive breeding.8 min
- Module 1 glossaryThe key terms from this module. Learn them and be able to explain each one in your own words.6 min
- Module 1 quizTest your understanding of Module 1: 10 multiple-choice questions. Pass mark 60%.10 min
Module 2Enclosure Setup and Environmental Requirements8 lessons
- The enclosureWhy height matters, and how to size and lay out the enclosure.8 min
- Heating and temperatureAvoiding overheating, heating equipment, thermostats and monitoring.8 min
- Humidity and mistingManaging humidity as a daily cycle, and misting for hydration.8 min
- Lighting and UVBThe photoperiod, low-level UVB and measuring UV Index.8 min
- Substrate, furnishings and bioactive set-upsChoosing a substrate, building a climbing network and bioactive enclosures.8 min
- Housing alone and setting upWhy crested geckos are best kept alone, and preparing the enclosure before arrival.8 min
- Module 2 glossaryThe key terms from this module. Learn them and be able to explain each one in your own words.6 min
- Module 2 quizTest your understanding of Module 2: 10 multiple-choice questions. Pass mark 60%.10 min
Module 3Nutrition and Feeding5 lessons
- Complete diets and feeding routinesNutritional needs, commercial crested gecko diets, preparing them and how often to feed.8 min
- Live insects and supplementsFeeder insects, prey size, gut loading and supplementation.8 min
- Fruit, water, body condition and recordsFruit as a treat, hydration, weighing and keeping feeding records.8 min
- Module 3 glossaryThe key terms from this module. Learn them and be able to explain each one in your own words.6 min
- Module 3 quizTest your understanding of Module 3: 10 multiple-choice questions. Pass mark 60%.10 min
Module 4Health, Behaviour and Everyday Management6 lessons
- Health, handling and behaviourRecognising a healthy gecko, handling, tail dropping and colour changes.8 min
- Shedding and hydrationHow shedding works, retained shed and dehydration.8 min
- Common health problemsMetabolic bone disease, diet problems, parasites, skin infections, floppy tail syndrome and egg binding.8 min
- Quarantine, routine and recordsQuarantine, a daily, weekly and periodic care routine, vet care and record keeping.8 min
- Module 4 glossaryThe key terms from this module. Learn them and be able to explain each one in your own words.6 min
- Module 4 quizTest your understanding of Module 4: 10 multiple-choice questions. Pass mark 60%.10 min
Module 5Breeding, Genetics and Responsible Ownership7 lessons
- Preparing to breedReproduction, sexing, breeding condition and courtship.8 min
- Eggs and incubationEgg laying, collecting eggs, incubation and candling.8 min
- Hatchlings and young geckosHatching, hatchling care and growth.8 min
- Morphs and geneticsColour and pattern varieties, how traits are inherited and breeding for health.8 min
- Responsible breeding and ownershipBreeding complications, placing hatchlings, UK law, transport and lifelong care.8 min
- Module 5 glossaryThe key terms from this module. Learn them and be able to explain each one in your own words.6 min
- Module 5 quizTest your understanding of Module 5: 10 multiple-choice questions. Pass mark 60%.10 min
Who this course is for
- New and prospective crested gecko owners
- Keepers who want to check their set-up against current good practice
- Reptile shop staff who advise customers
Assessment & certificate
Each module ends with a quiz that is marked automatically: multiple-choice questions plus a written section where you explain what you've learned in your own words. You can take each quiz once and cannot retake it, and you'll see the correct answer to any question you got wrong.
When you've completed every module, you receive a certificate of completion with a unique verification code, graded on your average score across all the module quizzes:
- PassUp to 69%
- Merit70–79%
- Distinction80–100%
Everyone who completes every module receives a certificate.
This certificate confirms completion of an online, theory-based course and a passed online assessment. It is not an accredited qualification and does not certify practical competence.