Why Your Crested Gecko Is Awake During The Day

Crested geckos are surely interesting pets to have. Whether you are handling them or just plainly watching them, they can surely provide you with endless entertainment due to their charming quirks. You might be even staying awake during the wee hours of the night, just to watch them be active.

Crested geckos are crepuscular lizards, so it might come as a surprise to you when they are awake during the day. Is this normal? Yes, this is normal. Even though they are active during the night and the early morning, they can still be awake during the day for a limited time. 

It is only when they are awake the entire day that you should observe your crested gecko for you to see if there is something wrong with him.

But before you worry yourself too much that you also end up staying awake during the day, you can take a look at the possible reasons why this is happening.

Keep on reading to see why your crested gecko is awake during the day!

Sleeping Patterns Of The Crested Gecko

You first have to familiarize yourself with the sleeping patterns of your crested gecko so that it will be easier for you to determine if their behavior is normal or not. As we mentioned earlier, they are crepuscular lizards. This simply means that they are active during dusk and dawn.

Therefore during the afternoon, you will not see them out and about as they are hiding somewhere to sleep. If you happen to chance upon their cage during the afternoon, you will see them nestled under leaves, inside their cave, or behind rocks.

The funny thing is, it is hard to tell when they are asleep because they keep their eyes open. The reason behind this is that they do not have eyelids. Which is why you will notice them licking their eyes to keep them moist or take out the dirt.

A trick to know if your crested gecko is sleeping is to look at their crest. When they are asleep, the crests are laid down and when they are awake, the crests are somehow stood up.

Moreover, it is important for you not to disturb your sleeping crested gecko as this might affect his sleeping pattern.

Why Is My Crested Gecko Awake During The Day: The Reasons

Let us now go over some of the reasons as to why your crested gecko is awake during the day. Keep in mind that this not an exhaustive list, so always trust your intuition in such a case where you think that their behavior needs medical attention.

1. New Crested Gecko

If you happen to just take home your new crested gecko, expect him to be a bit frisky for a week. This frisky behavior includes; not properly eating, not making use of enrichment activities, totally withdrawing in his cave, and of course not following his regular sleeping pattern.

Your crested gecko is getting a feel of his new place as well as his new owner. No matter how good you are to him in giving his needs and properly handling him, this behavior cannot be prevented.

The best thing that you can do is to just let him be. If you happen to play with your gecko when he is awake during the afternoon, this will just add to his stress. Just make sure that you feed him on time and there is water in his enclosure.

Eventually, he will find his groove and sleep during the day.

2. Too Much Light

Part of having a proper crested gecko enclosure or vivarium is the use of both UVA and UVB lights. The use of these lights will mimic the light and dark cycle found in the wild.

UVA is essential for the vision of your crested gecko as well as stimulating their appetite. As for UVB, it allows your crested gecko to produce Vitamin D3 in their body. Also, this is vital for them in order to use and produce calcium.

Therefore, it is not advisable for both of the lights to be turned on all day. They should be turned on for 12 hours and off for another 12 hours in order to simulate the natural light and dark cycle.

Your crested gecko might be awake during the afternoon due to the overstimulation of the UVA light. It makes them feel that it is already feeding time. Further, if the UVA light is too strong, they may find it hard to find a dark place to sleep.

3. Distressed

It is also possible that your crested gecko is awake during the day as he has a fungal or bacterial infection. You should also be on the lookout for Metabolic Bone Disorder where they have mineral and vitamin deficiency which also makes it hard for them to sleep.

In order to see if this is something to be alarmed about, check for sluggishness. If your crested gecko is awake during the day but he is not active and just prefers to lie around, then something is definitely wrong. Something might be stressing him or he is sick.

4. Working On Something

Another fascinating thing about crested geckos is that they make their own enrichment activities. Even though you have already provided them with lots of leaves, rocks, and textured substrate, they will still find different ways on how to make their enclosure interesting.

You might notice that they dig a lot during the night. This simply means that they are trying to make new caves out of rocks and their substrate. They might still be up during the day as their “project” is still not done.

Further, they might be moving things around their enclosure which takes a lot of time and effort. So he might stop to take a rest but then resume during the day.

5. Hungry

Crested geckos need a varied diet. So you cannot simply feed them live bugs all the time as this will not be enough to give them all the nutrients that they need.

Their diet should consist of live invertebrates, mashed fruits, and appropriate supplements. Your crested gecko might be awake during the day as he is still trying to “hunt” for insects to eat.

A good way to know if you are feeding your crested gecko enough is to offer him a bit of food once he is done with his full meal. If he takes it, then he is still hungry. Also, to be on the safe side, you can leave some crickets in his enclosure even after feeding him.

Make sure that you do not leave a lot as this may also result in overfeeding. Also, it is not advisable to always leave live food in the enclosure as this may result in the ingestion of substrate which can make him sick.

6. Overly Active

It is also possible for your crested gecko to be awake during the day just because he is still bursting with energy. He might have even slept the entire night, so he is packed with energy during the day. So just let him do his thing and eventually, he will sleep by the afternoon.

It is only a cause for alarm when he looks sluggish during the day. But if you see that he is scurrying around and exploring his enclosure, you have nothing to worry about.

Related Questions

How do I know if my crested gecko is stressed? A crested gecko with an arched back is a huge sign that he is stressed. He may also chirp, growl, or make squeaking noises. He may also immediately hide when you approach his enclosure.

Do crested geckos get lonely? They are very solitary creatures. Therefore, they do not feel the need to socialize as much. Just as long as there is ample food, water, enrichment, and hiding places, they will not feel lonely. However, if they seem down, you have to check with your vet if he is sick.