3 Reasons That Crested Geckos Make the Best First Pets

When you think of "reptiles", unless you've grown up around them or have had previous experience yourself, chances are that you think of snakes and "scary" or "dangerous" animals, not a great first pet for your child. The best news? Most reptiles are actually completely harmless and make more interactive and entertaining pets than fish.

According to a study worked on by the American Heart Association in 2022, they found that having pets in a household actually help to make you and your family more healthy over time. By working in combination with creating a consistent routine and helping to calm stress and anxiety, they found that pets actually help to keep us more healthy over time. How cool is that?

Ease of Care

Crested Geckos are very easy to take care of, I have house plants that are more difficult to keep alive! These geckos are mostly fruit-eaters, in captivity, we have developed several "complete diets" that are commercially available. Here at Gecko Fancy, we use and recommend Lugarti Premium Gecko Diets! These complete diets are designed to encompass all of the nutritional needs that your gecko has, making it super easy to feed them. Plus, you won't have to add any live insects -- eliminating most exposure to parasites and salmonella. 

Outside of feeding, you'll need a spray bottle or mister, hides, and plants. But that's about it! Feed your gecko three times per week, mist when you feed, and that's about it. 

Want to learn more about the ins and outs of Crested Gecko Care? Check out our care guide below.

Crested Gecko Care Guide

Affordability

One of the coolest things about Crested Geckos are that they're very affordable to take care of. When you eliminate the need for fresh fruits and veggies or live insects, you effectively cut the cost of ownership by more than half. As of writing this in May 2025, feeding a Bearded Dragon a nutritionally complete diet with all of the vitamins, minerals, proteins, and other things that they need to function as designed, it costs upwards of $120 per month to feed. A Leopard Gecko? Roughly $20 per month -- but that doesn't include the additional costs of other items like specialty UVB lights or heating mats. 

Typically, once you have set up your Crested Gecko, there aren't really ongoing things you'll need to purchase outside of gecko diet, and since it lasts quite a long time and is rather cheap to purchase, even that keeps costs down. 

Let's take a look at how much it costs to set up your gecko!

Coming out to see us in person at one of our shows? When you buy a gecko and an enclosure with us, you get all of the extras needed for FREE! 

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Personality

Every Crested Gecko has a unique personality and with endless possibilities when it comes to colors, patterns, and other morphological traits that make Crested Geckos so variable, there's truly a gecko for everyone. 

Here at Gecko Fancy, we hand raise all of our babies, so they're already tame and significantly more docile than an unhandled or infrequently handled gecko would be. Ever seen those videos of a Crested Gecko just jumping all over the place without a single thought or plan in place? Yep, that's what an untamed gecko looks like!

Whether you're someone who appreciates a sassier friend or someone who's more into a calm and cuddly buddy, we can guarantee there's a gecko that has your name on it amongst our geckos here at Gecko Fancy! 

When it comes to yours or your child's first pet, there's going to be some mistakes somewhere along the lines. Why start with something that might negatively respond with a reactive behavior that could injure you? Better yet, why start with something that might not survive a feeding "oopsie"? When you choose a Crested Gecko, you choose a pet with a non-aggressive personality, easy and forgiving care, and a pet that remains one of the cheapest to take care of in modern days! 

Have a question? Reach out to us! We're always happy to educate and help you make the right decisions for you and your family.