Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have been thinking of getting a crested gecko within the next year. I own 2 bearded dragons, and I love them because I can take them out of their cage and "hang out" with them as long as I keep them warm. I'd really like to get a lizard that has different environmental requirements than a beardie, and cresteds seem perfect on everything. The one thing I haven't found out is this: Can I tame them down enough to take them out and handle them for, say, half an hour daily/every other day? Will this stress them terribly? In other words, I don't really want a "look-don't-touch" pet. Thank you very much for your time. I know cresteds are very long-lived and I don't want to get a pet that would be better off with someone else during its 20 years.

1.1.0 Bearded Dragons (Titan and Tiamat)
1.0.0 Ball Python (Parantachin)
1.0.0 Sinaloan Milksnake (Oryn)
1.1.0 Columbian Red-tail Boas (Diamond and Onyx)

Crested geckos are great pets, alot tamer than most lizards I have had, including bearded dragons. The crested gecko I had loved to climb up my arm and perch ontop of my head. It was cute looking in a mirror and seeing just a crested gecko head pooking up through the jungle of my hair. They deffinitely are not a 'don't touch, only look' type of pet.

When young they are a bit more skittish but once they are older (6 months or more) they are more likely to explore and accept handling. Just don't try and hold or catch them by the tail as they come off and dont' grow back. I think they make an excellent pet, just be careful with them as they are much more delicate than bearded dragons (certainly don't have the gecko out with your dragons, else it could wind up as your dragon's snack). They do jump so watch for that as well. DOn't want them to jump onto a wall and climb way out of reach.

Cresteds are probably not exactly what ur looking for. I say this only because the cresteds ive seen and mine will only tolerate being handled for 5-10mins. even this is a great deal of stress for them depending on how well they take it. I prefer enjoying my crested in his habitat than on me so i dont stress him out. They are very entertaining to watch though.
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0.1.0. Green Iguana (Ziggy)
0.1.0. Bearded Dragon (Dina)
1.0.0. Mali Uromastyx (unnamed)
1.0.0. Crested Gecko (Ilik)
1.0.0. Leopard Gecko (unnammed)
1.0.0. Veiled Chameleon (Bonzaii)
0.0.1. Eastern Painted Turtle (Piccasso)
0.0.1. Common Snapping Turtle (Spike)
0.0.11. Hermit Crabs (unnamed)
0.0.2. Goldfish
0.0.2. African Dwarf Frogs (unnamed)
0.0.8. Assorted Tropical Fish
0.2.0. Dogs(Brandie & Molly)
1.1.1. Birds

My cresteds don't tolerate handling very much at all. My adult female poops on me everytime i take her out to clean her cage. The adult male that is in with her just tries to run for his life when i move him for cleaning. The sub-adult male in the other cage runs and hides whenever i put my hand in his cage. I have heard of some people having cresteds that like to be handled, but this is rare in my opinion. A leopard gecko may be better suited for you, i think they tolerate handling much more. -Joe

I agree my Leos will see me and come out of their hides and willingly walk onto my hand. Leos will not sit like beardies though, they love to climb and explore.
I also have an adult crested and he doesn't freak out but he will definately try to get away and be very stressd (rapid breathing) when he's out.

They are gorgeous though and maybe you'll luck out but you'll prolly have better luck with the Leos

I just want to say thank you for the reasoned replies that you all gave me. I will mention that I did have two beautiful female high yellow leopard geckos. After 3 months of illness, repeated vet visits to 2 different vets, multiple diagnoses, and a great deal of trauma for both my geckos and me, my lovely subadult girls passed away. I miss them and I really don't want any more leopards at this time. I really was hoping to branch out into something without desert habitat requirements, but I don't currently have the space to get into any of the "tamer" monitors. Anyhow, thanks for the info. I need to decide if I can be happy with a lizard that's mainly on display, or if I keep looking for someone who specifically has an unusually tame crested.

1.1.0 Bearded dragons (Titan and Tiamat)
1.0.0 Ball Python (Parantachin)
1.0.0 Sinaloan Milksnake (Oryn)
1.1.0 Red-Tail Boas (Onyx and Diamond)
0.1.0 Tabby cat (Sorry, Jade!)

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1.0 Ball Python "Aragorn"
1.0 Kenyan Sand Boa "Gimli"
1.0 Saharan Sand Boa "Frodo"
0.1 Rough-Scale Sand Boa "Arwen"
1.0 San Felipe Rosy Boa "Legalos"
0.1 California Kingsnake "Gentoo"
1.0 Mexican Black Kingsnake "Indigo"
1.0 Snow Corn snake "Chile"
0.1 Okeetee Corn snake "Amazon"
0.0.1 Crested Gecko
0.0.1 Irian Jaya BlueTongued Skink
0.1 Australian Cattle Dog/Pointer "Kira"

My 2 little 1 month old cresites don't seem to mind handling, I can push them onto my hand and they will just walk around on me, no heavy breathing or running... I guess I am lucky?
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0.0.1 Eastern Painted Turtle
0.0.1 Indonesian Blue Tongue Skink
0.2.0 Leopard Geckos
0.0.1 Northern Water Snake
0.0.2 Crested Geckos
0.0.1 Ball Python
?.?.? Assorted goldfish, minnows and guppies
1.0.0 Ferret
1.1.0 Cats
1.0.0 Aussie Cattle Dog/ Border Collie Mix