Printable owner manual
Forgiving in some ways. Unforgiving in others.
A 48-page printable manual with the humidity cycle and the 85°F ceiling a crested gecko actually needs, diet powder on a real schedule, choosing a healthy gecko, the law in every state, and health triage, not a setup that quietly punishes small mistakes.
Not sure yet? Download the first 5 pages free, contents page included.
- 48 pages, print or view
- Beginner friendly
- No external links inside the PDF
Edition 3.1
Oct 2026 · 48 pages
Care-sheet roulette
- Humidity that spikes and crashes instead of cycling
- Diet powder treated as a rough guess, not a schedule
- Stuck shed and MBD (metabolic bone disease) nobody explained how to spot
- Floppy tail syndrome dismissed as "just how they sit"
This guide
- A real humidity cycle, with misting, ventilation and the temperature ceiling stated plainly
- Complete diet powder mixed, portioned and rotated on an actual schedule
- Stuck shed and MBD called out where you cannot miss them
- Floppy tail syndrome, impaction and overheating treated as real signals
What's inside · 48 pages
Everything from first setup to daily routine.
Humidity cycling
Temperature and the 85°F ceiling, heat control, the daily humidity cycle, misting and airflow, and UVB (ultraviolet B) light and day length.
Diet on a schedule
Feeding by age, complete diet powder mixing, rotation and refusals, feeder insects and gut-loading, the never-feed list, and calcium on its own page.
Health and red flags
Metabolic bone disease, floppy tail syndrome and tail loss, stuck shed and respiratory infection, impaction, parasites, overheating, and reading droppings.
Housing and handling
The vertical enclosure and where it goes, substrate and bioactive setups, cleaning, handling and taming, body language, and enrichment.
Arrival, eggs and the law
Choosing a healthy gecko and quarantine, sexing, eggs and egg binding, shedding and the winter slowdown, and where a crested gecko is legal.
Owner tools
Setup checklist, emergency card, budget and shopping list, first 30 days, symptom reference, pet-sitter sheet, and the logs.
Every page, section by sectionThe package's own contents page, all 48 pages of it. Nothing here is a teaser for something sold separately.
Getting Started
- How to Use This Package
Profile
- Quick Profile & Cost Overview
- The Species, Morphs, Size & Lifespan
Housing & Environment
- The Vertical Enclosure & Where It Goes
- Temperature, the 85°F Ceiling & Heat Control
- The Humidity Cycle, Misting & Airflow
- UVB Light & the Day Length
- Substrate, Furnishings & Bioactive Setups
- Cleaning & Hygiene
Feeding
- Diet & Feeding by Age
- Complete Diet Powder: Mixing, Rotation & Refusals
- Feeder Insects & Gut-Loading
- Fruit, Treats & the Never-Feed List
- Calcium, Vitamin D3 & the Supplement Jar
- Growth, Weight & Body Condition
Handling & Behavior
- Handling & Taming
- Body Language & Normal Behavior
- Enrichment & Common Mistakes
Arrival & Life Stages
- Choosing a Gecko, Quarantine & the First Vet Visit
- Sexing & Females That Lay
- Egg Binding
- Shedding & the Winter Slowdown
The Law
- Is a Crested Gecko Legal Where You Live?
Health & Common Issues
- Red Flags & Finding a Vet
- Metabolic Bone Disease
- Floppy Tail Syndrome & Tail Loss
- Stuck Shed, Respiratory Infection & Skin Trouble
- Impaction, Parasites & Overheating
- Reading Droppings, Urates & Hydration
Quick Reference
- Setup Checklist & Targets
- Emergency & Quick Targets Card
Owner Tools
- Budget: Setup & Shopping List
- Budget: Monthly Costs
- First 30 Days
- Symptom Quick Reference
- Daily, Weekly & Seasonal Routine
- Heat Waves, Power Outages, Travel & Transport
- Pet-Sitter Sheet
- Owner Log
- Equipment & Vet Log
- Enrichment Checklist & Log
Reference
- Glossary, A to G
- Glossary, H to Z
- Sources
- Where the Sources Disagree
- Version History & About
Take a look inside
Print-first pages, clearly marked.
Click a page to see it at full size. The contents page is complete; the others fade out where the paid content starts.
The first 5 pages, free
Pages 1 to 5 as a PDF: the contents page and the opening pages before the care sections start, so you can see every page the full package covers.
Who this is for
- New crested gecko owners setting up a consistent enclosure
- Keepers who want one real humidity and feeding standard
- Anyone who wants to catch stuck shed or MBD early
What it's not
- Not a substitute for a reptile-experienced veterinarian
- Not a live website mirror, a clean printable package instead
- Not a subscription, one purchase and every corrected edition is free
What changed
This is edition 3.1.
Bought before? Re-download free from your library. State legal status as of October 2026.
- 3.1, Oct 2026. Now 48 pages. Safety: UVB tube now 12 in, about two-thirds of the 18 in top. Costs: every item priced and rounded to the nearest $5; setup $355 to $590, monthly $40 to $55, the budget now over two pages. Other changes are wording only.
- 3.0, Oct 2026. Rebuilt on the current outline, 47 pages. Safety: lamps 4 to 6 in above the gecko, probe clipped, never taped; over 80°F too warm, lamp off once the room reaches 82°F; overheated gecko cooled with all heat off and a shallow dish of room-temperature water, vet if unresponsive or breathing hard after 10 to 15 minutes; one heavy mist at lights-out, humidity 45 to 50% by late afternoon; dish water tap, filtered or spring, never distilled alone; UVB 24 in low-output T5 HO, UVI 0.6 to 1.4, replaced every 6 to 12 months; substrate at least 2 in; hatchlings in 12×12×12 in until 12 to 13 g, handling from 10 to 15 g in sessions from about 5 minutes, sexing at 18 to 25 g; insects no wider than the space between the eyes, gut-loaded 24 to 72 hours, calcium-dusted, no D3 or multivitamin; no mealworms or superworms; hornworms captive-bred only; dishes disinfected daily, enclosure weekly, bleach wet 10 minutes; weigh monthly; dropped tail on paper towel, swollen stump to a vet; lay box half moist coconut fiber, half fir bark; gravid female off food, weak or straining to a vet same day. Legal: a new page, all 52 jurisdictions. Costs: most geckos under $100, rare morphs from $1,000; vet visit $40 to $70. Other changes are wording only.
- 2.1, Sep 2026. Safety: quarantine for a new reptile now 3 to 6 months, no longer ended by one clear fecal test; children under 5 kept from handling; a gritty or discolored urate corrected with misting. Other changes are wording only.
- 2.0, Sep 2026. Rebuilt, 34 pages. Safety: nothing dusted into the complete diet powder.
- 1.0, 2026. First edition, 21 pages. Replaced by 2.0.
Coming in the next edition
The site has been corrected on the points below and the book has not caught up yet. They ship together in edition 3.2, free to anyone who already bought this one.
- The line that says to skip the bulb and thermostat when the room holds the range adds that the thermometers stay in either way. From: Crested Gecko Tank Setup
- The space for two females changes from double an 18x18x36 inch enclosure to double the 18x18x24 inch single-adult minimum. From: Crested Gecko Tank Setup
- The cool area at the floor changes from 70 to 75 F to 72 to 75 F, so the floor sits at the line where lethargy sets in rather than below it. From: Crested Gecko Tank Setup
Ready when you are
Crested Gecko Care Package
48 pages. PDF. Print it or keep it open on your phone, tablet, or computer. Yours the moment you check out.
Edition 3.1, published October 3, 2026. Paid through Stripe. The download link arrives on the next page, and it stays in your library for as long as the package exists, always as the current edition. Not a substitute for a vet.
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Same format, other animals.
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Russian Tortoise Care Package
An animal that can outlive its owner deserves the setup right.
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The free crested gecko guide is still free
This package is the same research as our crested gecko care guide, reformatted into an offline manual with the checklists, logs, and triage tables the web pages do not carry. Read the free guide first and buy this only if you want it in your hands.