Crested Gecko Price and Factors That Influence The Price
Reptiles can cost a lot of money, but crested geckos are usually relatively cheap. Until a decade ago, the number of crested geckos in captivity was relatively low and prices were high. But crested geckos are easy to breed and have a low startup and recurring cost compared to other reptiles. So today, there are a lot of crested geckos in captivity and the prices are pretty low.
Crested geckos cost on average between $50 and $100. The price of a crested gecko will depend on the morph, age, gender, and availability in your region. Unique “designer” morphs have prices that start from $500 and cost up to $5000.
You’ll also need to buy several supplies for your crested gecko, such as an enclosure, substrate, plants, and certain accessories. If you’re interested in learning what you need and the average cost of an entire setup, you can find everything on our shopping list. You’ll notice that the price of a crested gecko is only a (tiny) part of the entire cost.
In this article, I will only focus on the price and pricing factors of crested geckos. You’ll learn what determines the price of a crested gecko so you can make an informed decision when buying one.
If you’re interested in stickers or other products of crested geckos, you can always visit our Etsy Shop, which is called Artful Animalia. We currently only send stickers in the United States. If you’re interested in certain crested gecko-related products, don’t hesitate to contact us.
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Crested Gecko Price
As I’ve mentioned above, the average price of a crested gecko lies between $50 and $100. This price is for a common morph that is perfectly fine for a beginner who doesn’t plan to breed crested geckos.
Compared to pet rodents, this price is high, but this price is very reasonable compared to pets like dogs and cats. Crested geckos cost a little more than another gecko commonly kept as a pet, the leopard gecko, which costs around $30.
Before I get more in-depth into this price, you should understand that the price of a crested gecko doesn’t determine how “good” it is. A crested gecko that costs $50 will make an excellent pet, just like a crested gecko that costs $5000. The only real difference is the look of the crested gecko (also called the morph).
Crested Gecko Pricing Factors
The price of a crested gecko depends on four main factors:
- the morph
- availability in your region
- gender
- age
A crested gecko can also lose its tail and this seems to have only a minor influence on the price of a crested gecko.
Morph
Crested geckos in the wild have a specific primary color and pattern. Nowadays, crested geckos are available in different morphs (color and patterns) like a pinstripe, dalmatian, harlequin. Morphs that were uncommon in the beginning are now widely available for a low price.
Today, breeders are still creating unique and special-looking morphs, like the Lilly White, through a process of selective breeding. But, unfortunately, selective breeding requires a lot of time and effort from the breeder, which results in a higher price. So, although beauty is in the eye of the beholder, a beautiful and unique-looking crested gecko will cost a lot more.
The morph of a crested gecko will have the most influence on its price. Although it’s not entirely possible to put a percentage on it, I would say that the morph determines roughly 80 percent of the price. Breeders often buy crested geckos with a unique morph to start their breeding line. These breeders are also willing to pay something more.
Availability in your region
Crested geckos are very popular in the United States and are still increasing in popularity. To meet the demand, a lot of breeders have found their origin in the United States. You can quickly notice this by the fact that:
- there are many online sellers of crested geckos in the United States,
- one of the largest selling platforms for crested geckos, MorphMarket, has the most sellers in the United States.
In other parts of the world, like Europe, the crested gecko market is still in its infancy, although the popularity also seems to be rising in certain countries.
Supply and demand are essential to determine the market price. For example, if there are only a few crested geckos in your region, but demand is high, the price of a crested gecko will be higher. Conversely, if there are many crested geckos available in your area and demand is low or equal to the supply, the prices will be lower.
Although the availability in your region will influence the price of a crested gecko, it shouldn’t be overestimated as a pricing factor. Crested geckos are easy to breed and in most countries, where there is a certain interest in them, there are enough crested geckos to get prices around $50.
Gender
Hatchlings and young juveniles are sold “unsexed”. This means that there’s no certainty on the gender or sex of the crested gecko. Most of you will get a young crested gecko and it probably won’t be sure what the gender is until later.
Unsexed crested geckos usually will be sold for a lower price than females and males. The reason for this also has to do with the age of the crested gecko. Hatchlings and young juveniles usually sell for less than adults.
Female crested geckos usually have a slightly higher price than male crested geckos. The reason for this seems to be pretty simple. Female crested geckos are easier to keep together in a small group, contrary to male crested geckos. More importantly, female crested geckos can lay eggs so buyers can start their breeding lines.
Age
A closely related pricing factor is the age of a crested gecko. Hatchlings and young juveniles are usually cheaper than adult crested geckos. As soon as you or the breeder can sex a crested gecko, the price can be influenced by gender. Older crested geckos also show their true morph.
Tips and Tricks
Although the price of a non-designer morph crested gecko ranges from $50 to $100, there are some tips and tricks you can use to pay the best price for your crested gecko:
- get a male or unsexed crested gecko: if you don’t plan on breeding crested geckos and only plan on keeping one, your best choice is to get a male crested gecko or an unsexed crested gecko. Both are usually priced lower than female crested geckos.
- visit reptile expos: you can sometimes make great deals at reptile expos by negotiating the price. Sellers can also have fluctuating prices, for example, lower prices on the last day.
- consider getting a crested gecko from another location: if you can’t find a crested gecko in your region for a reasonable price you can always buy one from another region or country where prices are lower.
- get a common crested gecko morph: unique-looking crested geckos have a higher price than common morphs. If you aren’t looking for a particular morph, you can buy a crested gecko with a common morph to lower the price.
Want to Learn More?
If you want to learn more about crested geckos as pets, please read the following articles.
If you’re interested in getting crested geckos as pets you should also definitely read our article about baby and juvenile crested gecko care or (adult) crested gecko care.
