Sexing Your Crested Gecko

How can you tell if your crested gecko is a male or a female? Sometimes it's quite easy to tell, especially if your gecko is a bit older. Once male crested geckos hit maturity they develop very obvious hemipenal bulges just below the vent at the base of the tail. This can happen sometimes as early as 6 months old but generally doesn't show up until around a year or so old. Mature female crested geckos will have no hemipenal bulge. So if your gecko isn't too young, you're in luck and this should be easy. Here's what to look for.

Male Crested Gecko Hemipenal Bulge

Female Crested Gecko (No Bulge)

Now if you want to get an idea what gender your gecko is before it has neared maturity, things get a bit trickier. There are a couple of things you will need. The first thing is called a loupe which is basically a type of magnifier. We sell a nice one that has both 30x and 60x magnifications and LED lights to help you see what you're trying to see. 

Also recommended is a clear 8 oz deli cup and a foam buffing pad. This method was first shown to us by Limey of Royal Reptilia so we refer to it as "The Limey Method". These pads are used to secure the gecko and view the under bits a little more easily. So it's just a matter of placing the gecko in the cup, then placing the foam pad over the gecko while applying just a tiny bit of pressure on the gecko so that the area you are viewing is gently pressed up against the clear surface. If you are good at wrestling geckos and getting them to stay still you will not absolutely need these, but they sure do make things easier.

Now using your LED Magnifying loupe, view the area just above the vent and along the inner thighs. You are looking for femoral pores which develop on males between 6 grams up to about 15 grams. If you see pores you have male. If you don't see any pores and the gecko is over 15 grams, you likely have a female. I say likely because we've been tricked once or twice by a really late bloomer. So what do these pores look like you ask? They look like a tiny round circle within a scale. Here are few pictures to help you identify pores on your crested gecko. 

It can take a little bit of practice and patience but once you've done it a few times you will be a pro. I hope this article was helpful for you. As always, thanks for choosing Pangea!

How To Connect Heat Tape Tutorial

Of course the simplest way to connect the heat tape is just to have us at Pangea do it for you. When you order the connection kit for your THG heat tape just select "Yes Please" under the Connect it for us option.

You can Purchase the heat tape and all accessories HERE.

Place a mark on the copper strip of the heat tape about 1/4 of an inch in from the end.

Punch a hole through the copper strip where you have marked it. A regular old paper hole punch will work just fine.

Insert the eyelet BETWEEN the the plastic layers. It is important not to go on top of or underneath but actually get inside the and between the laminate.

Once inside line up the eyelet with the punched out hole and place the longer end of the rivet through the tape and eyelet.

Next, connect the smaller part of the rivet with the other end of the rivet.

Using a special crimping tool or a good pair of vice grips, crimp the rivet together completely.  The rivet should not move at all if this is done properly.

Use the provided insulation pieces to sandwich the connection on both sides

Use electrical tape to cover the ends of the heat tape and you are done.

It's all about wavelengths! Plants require wavelengths within the visible spectrum, roughly between 400nm and 740nm. UVA falls just under the visible spectrum, but is highly beneficial for faster growth, higher nutrient levels, and resistant to fungal infections. (source)

Crested geckos, and other New Caledonian gecko species, are considered some of the most hardy reptiles in the hobby and can be shipped overnight for next day delivery in the right conditions rather safely. When shipping these geckos, their health and safety should always be

One of the best aspects of keeping Crested Geckos is the fact that they do best at