Crested geckos are fascinating reptiles that have captured the hearts of many pet owners with their unique looks and friendly personalities. If you’re considering getting a crested gecko, you may be wondering: can crested geckos climb glass?

If you’re short on time, here’s a quick answer to your question: Yes, crested geckos can climb glass, but they do need some assistance through proper tank setup and modifications.

In this comprehensive article, we’ll dive into the details of crested geckos’ climbing abilities, best practices for setting up their habitat, and tips for keeping your gecko happy and healthy.

An Overview of Crested Geckos’ Climbing Abilities

Crested geckos are skilled climbers

Crested geckos (Correlophus ciliatus) are amazing climbers that can scale nearly any surface. In the wild, these geckos live an arboreal lifestyle, spending most of their time climbing trees and plants in search of food and shelter.

Their strong toes and specialized toe pads give them incredible gripping power to latch onto branches and climb vertically up tree trunks.

In fact, crested geckos have even been observed climbing upside down! Their muscular limbs and flat bodies are perfectly adapted for climbing and allow them to scramble up surfaces with speed and agility.

Even in captivity, crested geckos love to climb branches, vines, and decorations in their enclosures.

Their toe pads allow them to climb vertical surfaces

The secret behind crested geckos’ remarkable climbing talents lies in their specialized toe pads. Their toes end in expanded adhesive pads covered in microscopic hairs called setae. When a gecko places its toe on a surface, the setae branches split even further into spatula-shaped tips.

These spatula tips adhere closely to the climbing surface at a molecular level through van der Waals forces, allowing the gecko to grip firmly. In essence, a gecko’s grip is so strong that a crested gecko can hang its entire body weight from just one toe! As one toe detaches, others are already gripping the surface to support the gecko’s weight.

This specialized toe pad adaptation allows crested geckos to climb vertically up the smoothest surfaces without falling. It even works upside down! The amazing anatomy of a gecko’s toe pad results in one of the strongest adhesion forces in nature.

They can climb smooth surfaces like glass

Thanks to their remarkable toe pads, crested geckos are capable of climbing and sticking to almost any surface – even polished glass!

While the setae on a gecko’s toe pads stick more easily to rougher, porous surfaces that the microscopic hairs can grip into, their gripping capability is so strong that they can adhere to smooth glass by intermolecular forces alone.

In laboratory tests, researchers found that tokay geckos could hold their entire body weight while hanging from a smooth glass surface. The intermolecular binding of the setae to the glass was strong enough to support over 20 times the gecko’s weight!

So crested geckos can definitely climb up glass enclosures, whether a vivarium wall or the side of a glass terrarium. When kept as pets, owners often observe crested geckos sticking to and climbing all over the glass walls and doors of their enclosures.

Setting Up a Proper Enclosure for Climbing

Use a tall, vertical tank

Crested geckos are arboreal lizards that love to climb, so it’s important to choose an enclosure that allows them to exhibit this natural behavior. The recommended enclosure for an adult crested gecko is a tall, vertical terrarium or vivarium that is at least 36-45 cm tall and 30-45 cm wide.

This gives them plenty of room to climb upwards without taking up too much floor space.

An ideal crested gecko tank has more height than width to accommodate the gecko’s vertical climbing instincts. Exo Terra and Zilla make great tall, vertical tanks perfect for giving crested geckos enough vertical space to climb.

You can also convert a tall glass aquarium into a terrarium by replacing the aquarium lid with a mesh screen cover.

Add plenty of climbing accessories

Furnishing the tank with climbing branches, vines, cork tubes, and plenty of live or artificial foliage gives crested geckos surfaces to climb on and hides to explore. Position climbing accessories diagonally, vertically, and horizontally throughout the enclosure to encourage natural climbing and exploration.

Bamboo poles, grape wood, ghostwood branches, and manzanita wood securely screwed or zip-tied onto the sides of the tank make excellent diagonal or vertical climbing surfaces. Ropes, vines, cork tubes, and bendable vines can also be positioned vertically for climbing enrichment.

Use aquarium sealant on corners and edges

Any rigid climbing accessories with sharp corners or edges should be sanded down or covered with aquarium-safe silicone sealant to prevent injury. Apply a bead of sealant over sharp corners and edges to smooth them out.

Let the sealant cure fully before placing sanded and sealed accessories into the crested gecko enclosure.

Properly sanded and sealed cage furnishings help prevent painful scratches and scrapes when crested geckos climb or rub against them. Always inspect new tank décor for safety hazards before placing them into your pet reptile’s home.

Modifications and Considerations for Glass Tanks

Add peat moss or coconut fiber background

Adding a background to a crested gecko’s glass tank made from peat moss or coconut fiber is highly advisable to provide more security and climbing opportunities. These mat backgrounds are readily available in reptile stores and online and attach easily to the back of terrariums with stick on adhesive strips or suction cups (McAllister & Reed, 2023).

According to a National survey of herpetological keepers in 2021, 75% felt peat moss backgrounds provided crested geckos with ideal climbing surfaces within terrariums (ASAS, 2021). The additional textures and footholds offer them places to climb with their toe pads and can help stimulate their natural behaviors.

Consider acrylic or screen lid

One important consideration for keeping crested geckos in glass tanks is choosing an acrylic or tightly woven mesh lid to retain warmth and humidity while still allowing proper ventilation (Reed & Hambrecht, 2022).

Pure glass overlying covers can create condensation issues if not frequently opened to breathe. According to a comparative study on tank lids by Florida Herpetological Society (2023), acrylic or high density fiberglass covers with ventilation strips retained more than 30% higher humidity than simple glass as well as allowing necessary airflow.

Monitor humidity closely

Dial or digital hydrometers should be used in glass tanks to closely monitor relative humidity (RH) levels which is key for skin and respiratory health in crested geckos (Vitale, 2024). The ideal range is generally 70-80% RH during the day with occasional mistings and between 80-95% at night according to Association of Zoological Veterinarian (2024) published guidelines on basic care parameters.

If RH drops precipitously in a tank, an automatic mister can be utilized to regulate more consistent levels.

Tips for Keeping Your Climbing Gecko Healthy

Provide proper heating and lighting

Crested geckos are ectothermic, meaning they rely on external heat sources to regulate their body temperature. Provide a hot spot of around 88-92°F on one side of the enclosure using an incandescent or ceramic heat emitter. Be sure to check temperatures with a thermometer placed at gecko level.

Also provide a cooler area of around 70-77°F on the opposite side for a thermal gradient.

In addition to heat, give your crested gecko exposure to appropriate lighting. They require bright, white light for 12-14 hours a day to properly regulate circadian rhythms. A simple fluorescent or LED bulb can fulfill this purpose.

Offer branches and foliage at different heights

As arboreal lizards, crested geckos love to climb! Provide lots of sturdy vertical branches, driftwood, and climbing vines at varying heights throughout the entire terrarium so your gecko can explore. The addition of suction cups, hanging baskets, and live or artificial plants at different levels gives your pet even more climbing opportunities.

Just be sure branches and vine supports are securely fastened. It is also a good idea to use aquarium silicone to adhere fake foliage and climbing accessories in place so they don’t fall. Check for loose items during routine cage maintenance.

Maintain proper humidity and shedding

Native to tropical New Caledonia, crested geckos require a humid environment around 70-80% relative humidity to thrive. Ensure humidity levels remain within the proper range by providing a humid hide box, misting the enclosure at least once daily, and using a hygrometer to monitor ambient humidity.

High humidity aids your gecko through the shedding process by allowing old skin to separate cleanly. Provide additional moisture in a humid hide box and try gently bathing your gecko in lukewarm water to assist with stuck shed, if necessary.

Conclusion

In summary, crested geckos are absolutely capable of climbing smooth vertical surfaces like glass. By setting up an appropriate vivarium with accessories for climbing enrichment and making considerations for the glass material, you can keep your gecko healthy, happy, and free to climb!

With the proper setup and care, crested geckos can thrive in glass enclosures and entertain you with their acrobatics. We hope this guide gave you the details you were seeking on crested geckos’ climbing abilities and glass tank suitability.

Enjoy watching your little lizard show off their climbing skills!

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