Crested geckos and bearded dragons are both very popular pet lizards. But if you need to make a choice and choose only one, which one will you choose? In this post, we will discuss which one makes a better pet – crested gecko or bearded dragon, by comparing all the requirements and characteristics.
Bearded dragon or crested gecko as a pet?
To answer it in one sentence, both crested geckos and bearded dragons are great pet lizards. One can be better than the other depending on what you are looking for and how much work you can put in.
Size
Crested gecko: Crested geckos are very small. Hatchling crested geckos are 3-4″ (7.6-10cm). Adult crested geckos reach 7-9″ (17.8-29cm).
Bearded dragon: Bearded dragons are not large or small. Hatchling bearded dragons are around 3.5-4″ (9-10cm). Adult bearded dragons can reach various sizes, depending on a morph.
Classic bearded dragons reach 17-24 inches (43-61cm). Dwarf bearded dragons reach 10-14″(25-35.6cm), while German giants – 22-24″ (56-61cm).
Summary: Bearded dragons are larger pet lizards than crested geckos.
Weight
Crested gecko: Hatchling crested geckos weigh around 1.5-2.5 grams. Adult crested geckos weigh on average 55-65 grams.
Bearded dragon: Hatchling bearded dragons weigh 2-3 grams. An adult bearded dragon will weigh anything from 250-850 grams, 250 grams being a bare minimum, and 850 grams being a very big dragon.
Summary: Bearded dragons are much larger and heavier pet lizards.
Lifespan
Crested gecko: Live for approximately 10-15 years on average, depending on care.
Bearded dragon: Live for approximately 10-15 years on average, but as little as 7 years with below average care.
Summary: Both crested geckos and bearded dragons have a similar lifespan.
Appearance
Crested gecko: Crested geckos have a soft skin with crests and no eyelids. They have their famous eyelashes and thick and sticky toes that help them climb on surfaces.
Crested geckos do truly look unique, and also have various color morphs, such as tiger, flame, brindle and more. Read about crested gecko morphs in this post (new tab).
Bearded dragon: Bearded dragons are yellowish orange in color, with spikes on their body, especially beard. But spikes are not sharp as they seem. Bearded dragons also come in various morphs (find a list here, in a new tab).
Summary: Both bearded dragons and crested geckos are truly gorgeous lizards.
Diet
Crested gecko: Crested geckos are omnivores, so will eat both bugs and fruits, but no vegetables or greens at all. The plus is that most crested gecko owners feed their crested geckos complete crested gecko diet from Pangea or Repashy like this.
CGD is nutritionally balanced and just needs mixing with water. While it is beneficial to offer live bugs at least once a week, some owners that don’t want to keep live bugs do well entirely on CGD.
This makes feeding crested geckos very easy. Crested geckos also eat little amounts only. Also, crested geckos don’t need to eat often – babies eat 4-5 days/week, while adult – 2-3 days/week. You can read all about crested gecko diet and supplements here (new tab).
Bearded dragon: Bearded dragons are omnivores, and will eat both live bugs and veggies/greens and some fruit. Young bearded dragons until around 12 months of age will primarily eat bugs, while adults – mainly veggies/greens.
Bearded dragons need to eat live insects. Bearded dragons will eat 1-4 times a day, with younger ones eating much more.
Summary: Bearded dragons have more requirements for their diet. Crested geckos can be fed entirely on CGD, while bearded dragons will require live bugs. Bearded dragons also eat more often than crested geckos.
Activity time
Crested gecko: Crested geckos are crepuscular. This means that they will be mostly inactive during the day and will become active at twilight. During the day will be mostly hiding in foliage and sleeping. At night, will be ‘hunting’, jumping, eating etc.
Bearded dragon: Bearded dragons are diurnal, which means they are active during the day, and inactive at night.
Summary: Bearded dragons are active during the day, while crested geckos become active towards the end of a day.
Terrarium size
Crested gecko: Crested geckos don’t need much space at all. A smaller crested gecko can live in a 10 gallon tank. But an adult will need a 40-50 gallon Vertical terrarium like this. Crested geckos are avid climbers and need high spots.
Bearded dragon: Bearded dragons will take more space. They need a wide horizontal tank as they don’t climb much. An adult bearded dragon will require a 55-65 gallon tank like this to add enough accessories for stimulation. A 40 gallon breeder tank is the minimum size for one bearded dragon, but it can still be too small for a fulfilling life.
Summary: Bearded dragons will take more space than crested geckos. Crested geckos require vertical tanks, while bearded dragons – wide tanks.
Depending on how much you can afford and how much space you have, you can get a much bigger tank for your crested gecko or dragon than mentioned.
Humidity, temperature and heating needs
Crested gecko: Crested geckos are tropical species and need rather high humidity – 65-85%. Optimal temperatures – 74-79 F (23.3-26.1 C) degrees in the warm spot. Cool spot can be as cold as 68-70 (20-21.1 C).
If you can keep your crested gecko’s tank warm without using any heat, that is fine. Otherwise, only heat bulbs/heating mat will be required. UVB lighting is not crucial for crested geckos, as they hide most of the day anyway (although can use a 5.0 low output UVB).
Bearded dragon: Bearded dragons are desert inhabitants, so need low humidity – 30-40%. Bearded dragons require high basking temperatures of 92-110 degrees F (33-43 Celsius) and cool side temperatures of 75-85 F (23.8-29 Celsius).
What is more, bearded dragons require a UVB light tube fixture that will cover most of the tank’s length. This is crucially important to prevent vitamin D and calcium deficiencies. Bearded dragons require both heat bulbs and a high output 10.0-12.0 UVB tube like this.
Summary: Bearded dragons require higher temperatures and UVB lighting. Crested geckos though, will need higher humidity, so you will need to mist the tank 1-3 times a day and probably get a fogger for automation.
Personality
Crested gecko: Most crested geckos become tame and tolerant of handling. Crested geckos can be shy and jumpy, but this will depend on each crested gecko.
Bearded dragon: Most bearded dragons become very sociable and most enjoy being outside of the tank and having contact with people. Owners often do various activities with bearded dragons (find out about bearded dragon toys and activities here!). Most owners even enjoy watching these amusing pet lizards.
Summary: Both crested geckos and bearded dragons have interesting personalities, but bearded dragons tend to be more sociable and amusing. Crested geckos are more display pets.
Handling and tail dropping
Crested gecko: Crested geckos often become docile and tolerant of handling. However, crested geckos are fragile, and should be handled with care. This is because they can get scared easily and drop their tail. They are also very good jumpers, so it’s better to handle when sitting down.
Crested geckos are not the best pet lizard to handle for children or easily scared people. Small crested geckos tend to be shy and jumpy. You shouldn’t handle your crested gecko until it reaches at least 10 grams.
Crested geckos don’t regrow their tail, either. But it won’t impact their lifestyle at all.
Bearded dragon: Bearded dragons also often become docile and very tolerant of handing. Unlike crested geckos, bearded dragons don’t drop their tail and are easily handled as they are larger and often calmer.
Summary: Bearded dragons are much easier to handle than crested geckos due to their size and personality. Also, bearded dragons don’t drop their tail like crested geckos do, and not as jumpy.
Health
Crested gecko: Crested geckos are quite hardy. If you take good care of your crested gecko, it is likely to be healthy for a long time.
Some of the health issues that can affect crested geckos are Metabolic bone disorder, skin and internal parasitic infections, impaction, tail loss, floppy tail syndrome and more.
Bearded dragon: Bearded dragons are also quite hardy. Depending on care, bearded dragons can suffer from conditions such as Metabolic bone disorder, parasitic infections, impaction, gout and more.
Summary: Both crested geckos and bearded dragons are hardy pet lizards. If you take good care of your pet lizard, it is less likely to get sick.
Costs
Crested gecko: Apart from initial setup, crested geckos will cost few dollars in electricity. Depending on what you feed, food costs can differ. If you feed complete crested gecko diet from a bag only, it can cost around 15-20$ for 1-2 months!
You can choose to add some live bugs 1-2 times/week, which will cost extra 5-10$ a month. Crested geckos don’t eat much, and will cost little money to maintain.
Bearded dragon: Bearded dragons will cost few dollars in electricity a month and will need their UVB light replacement every 6 months. Food for babies (eat mainly bugs) can cost up to 20$ a week.
For adults, who eat bugs only twice a week, will cost around 20-30$ a month. Other days, you will need to buy veggies/greens/fruit. You can read all about bearded dragon diet here.
Summary: Crested geckos are cheaper to keep. But adult bearded dragon (12months and over) will cost much less than babies which eat mainly insects. At this point, difference in costs will be small. You can also breed your own bugs to cut down costs on buying live food for your dragon.
Also, don’t forget about vet bills. You never know when your crested gecko or bearded dragon can become sick. It can be good to save up for vet bills or get a reptile pet insurance.
Breeding
Crested gecko: Crested geckos reach maturity at 6-10 months old (males reach sooner). But breeding should only be attempted at the age of 18-24 months. Breeding season in crested geckos lasts through March to October.
A crested gecko will lay eggs 6-7 times through these months, and each clutch will have one or two eggs. Female crested geckos can become gravid without mating with a male, but will lay infertile eggs.
Bearded dragon: Bearded dragons reach sexual maturity at as soon as 8 months of age but should be bred at minimum 18-24 months old. Male bearded dragons reach sexual maturity sooner than females. Minimum weight for breeding bearded dragons – 400 grams.
Bearded dragons can also lay eggs without mating with a male. In this case, a female will lay infertile eggs.
Summary: Bearded dragons and crested geckos reach maturity at a similar age, and can be bred also at similar age. Both pet lizards are rather easy to breed.
Ability to live in groups
Crested gecko: You can house few females or one male and few males together (but will attempt mating). Never house two or more males together, as they will fight.
All the crested geckos must the of same size. But remember, males can reach maturity at as soon as 6 month of age, but females should not be breeding at this age. So keep them separate until they are both ready to breed.
Also, you will need a larger tank and separate accessories for each, to prevent competition. Quarantine is important before mixing crested geckos. Each gecko will require at least 10 gallons of space in a tank.
Bearded dragon: No, you shouldn’t house more than 1 bearded dragon per tank. Bearded dragons get territorial, can injure each other and will become very competitive for a basking spot, food and space.
Summary: While crested geckos can be successfully kept together, bearded dragons shouldn’t live in groups.
Cleanliness
Crested gecko: Crested geckos tend to poop in various spots. It can sometimes become harder to clean because crested geckos climb everywhere, and can poop on the glass, branches, foliage etc.
However, poop cleaning can be simplified with a bioactive setup that helps break down waste (read more here in a new tab).
Bearded dragon: Bearded dragons will also poop in various spots, but often on the ground. Their poop is often smelly and you will need to remove it as soon as possible.
You can make your bearded dragon poop in baths to make it much easier, though. But you must not keep your bearded dragon on loose substrate, as it will only cause bacterial growth.
Summary: Both pet lizards poop in various spots.
Brumation (winter slowdown)
Crested gecko: In natural crested gecko habitat, the temperatures stay pretty much constant throughout the year. So crested geckos don’t naturally brumate as there is no need.
However, if temperatures in the tank/house drop significantly, your crested gecko will become slow and eat less. This is more for survival.
Bearded dragon: Bearded dragons often start brumating at the age of 12-18 months. However, not all bearded dragons will brumate. Bearded dragons can brumate from few weeks to 2-3 months.
Some bearded dragons will be mildly active, while others will be mostly sleeping. However, your bearded dragon is not likely to lose any weight at all during this time.
Summary: Bearded dragons can brumate, while crested geckos naturally don’t.
Good for beginners?
Crested gecko: Crested geckos are good for beginners, but not always good for children. Children can get easily scared when a gecko jumps, or can scare a crested gecko making it drop the tail.
Crested geckos make better display pets, but most become docile and tolerant of handling. In general, crested geckos are great for beginners and older children/teenagers (over 13-14 years old) with supervision.
Bearded dragon: Bearded dragons are also good for beginners. They can become very docile and sociable, and are tolerant of handling. Good for children over 10 years old (with supervision) and beginners.
Summary: Both crested geckos and bearded dragons are good for beginners, but crested geckos are more challenging to handle. Feeding crested geckos is easier than bearded dragons.
Summary – what is a better pet lizard – bearded dragon or crested gecko?
To summarize, both can make great pet lizards. If you are looking for a pet lizard that you want to bond with and handle frequently – you might need to choose a bearded dragon.
Cresteds are jumpier and harder to handle and not as sociable. If you want a display animal that is easy to care for, go for a crested gecko.
Crested geckos are also cheaper to keep – can be fed only Repashy or Pangea diet and don’t need special lighting. Bearded dragons eat more and require special lighting.
Crested geckos can however easily drop their tail, which won’t grow back. But some owners actually find ‘frogbutts’ cute! Bearded dragons don’t drop their tail.
Each pet lizard is unique in its own way. Making your choice might be very hard, but hopefully pros and cons of each listed in this post will help you with your decision.
To start, you can read about choosing and getting a crested gecko, buying its tank and setting up heating & lights. You can also find a full crested gecko resource page here.
To learn all about bearded dragon care, find a full resource page here.