crested gecko questions and update

[cantthinkofone]

Hello folks! After taking about a month or two break from arachnoboards I decided to come back. Did you miss me? Any way back to why I came back to make this form. All my reptiles are fine but a new addition has come among us and I have a few questions. I used to breed garg geckos many many years ago and recently got a baby (and I mean REALLY young) crested gecko and I have some questions to make sure I'm doing alright. First baby hope (that's its name) is in a ten gallon sleeping well on some paper towels (I remember this part is fine) I have given two somewhat shallow bottle caps filled with water in one and repashy in the other. I have held hope twice and can confirm hope is fine and healthy. She has one hide rock thing and that's it. Tell me what you think and if I should change anything. I'll post pictures soon
Cheers,
Nate

 

[Redneck101]

sounds great! how long have you had it?

 

[CarpeGecko]

Cresteds are awesome! I need one soon I breed leopard geckos and I don't have any direct experience with cresteds directly but from what I gather from a gecko forum I'm on: they're an arboreal species and their tails can develop FTS (Floppy-tail Syndrome) if they're not given something to climb on from the day they're hatched. Also a 10 gallon enclosure may be a bit overwhelmingly large for a baby. I've read they may feel insecure and exposed in a large enclosure a lot like a sling. I think its suggested to keep them in something smaller and more manageable until they're a decent size (although I have no clue what size that would be...haha).

Best of luck with him! Post pictures soon!

 

[Redneck101]

very true.. you could either put more in the tank to give him more to climb on and hide in or, get a rubbermaid container about 3-5 gallon size, drill plenty of air holes and keep it in that. some breeders only use something like this to house their geckos. =)

 

[cantthinkofone]

just some photos
I had never used cling backgrounds before as they aren't needed but because she is the newest addition i spoiled a bit.

 

[Redneck101]

beautiful little guy!!

 

[bwd]

Definitely add more to climb on. Vary the sizes of items if you can and include something that is wide enough to allow the gecko to fit on top of completely.

Some can be stubborn about drinking from dishes.so misting the side of the enclosure lightly once or twice a day may be helpful, if you haven't seen it drink from the dish. The humidity wouldn't hurt either. Debatably not a huge concern since the Repashy is 2:1 water to mix (if I recall correctly.)


-Brian

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[Redneck101]

Definitely add more to climb on. Vary the sizes of items if you can and include something that is wide enough to allow the gecko to fit on top of completely.

Some can be stubborn about drinking from dishes.so misting the side of the enclosure lightly once or twice a day may be helpful, if you haven't seen it drink from the dish. The humidity wouldn't hurt either. Debatably not a huge concern since the Repashy is 2:1 water to mix (if I recall correctly.)


-Brian

Sent using Tapatalk

eh, just make sure you mist it twice a day and they wont ever have to worry about drinking from a water dish. mine never would. and all you need is atleast some kind of branch that he can climd on. nothing special is needed. the set up looks fine, i kept mine for years in a Rubbermaid tub with paper towels and a few branches, thats it. keep it up!! you will really enjoy him! they are a real treat to have.

 

[cantthinkofone]

Hope is doing fine and seems to enjoy the new tree that is in the picture. but i have one question. one day i was watching her and she was sitting on the tree starring at the backround. she got into jump formation and i started to get worried she might jump into the glass. then she jumped head first into the glass and landed sorta hard on the substrate. will this hurt her or is she fine? Oh and i have seen her drink and eat already out of the bottle caps. need to get a spoon to mix the repashy though...

 

[Aredtomato]

Hope is doing fine and seems to enjoy the new tree that is in the picture. but i have one question. one day i was watching her and she was sitting on the tree starring at the backround. she got into jump formation and i started to get worried she might jump into the glass. then she jumped head first into the glass and landed sorta hard on the substrate. will this hurt her or is she fine? Oh and i have seen her drink and eat already out of the bottle caps. need to get a spoon to mix the repashy though...

Hahahaha, ah geeze, I'm sorry I shouldn't laugh. But I imagined that little cutie getting ready for a big leap only to bumble into the glass. Too adorable, but I hope shes fine . Maybe if she keeps attempting to jump, take it down.

 

[bwd]

They usually figure out that there is a barrier there. If it keeps happening, you may want to cover some of the sides with a background (fish tank style), colored paper, or coat them with bark/coco for a natural look.


-Brian

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[Redneck101]

He should be fine, just keep an eye on him. not hard to do, i love watching these guys when they are out. lol

 

[cantthinkofone]

recently had a bit of a fright. i was holding hope just enjoying her company and went to put her back in her cage when she jumped out of my hands and hit the wal and fell all the way to the ground. besides being heavily startled she seems okay. it was just funny ow she thought to jump at the wall.

 

[Anonymity82]

I work with these and they're definitely my favorite reptile. Easiest reptiles you can get. Then Leopards. I guess it's pretty even being that one needs a heat gradient while the other needs higher humidity.

I always tell customers about these awesome little guys. I like your tank but I think it would look really nice with some vine type of plants plus I think the crestie would appreciate it too. What I would do (just a suggestion) is add a piece of drift wood angled up into the back corner with a bunch of fake fines tied to it and around it. These guys are arboreal and live in the trees so a hide on the ground may not feel very secure to them. Personally, I think if he had a bunch of things to climb on he would be less inclined (idk if yours does this) to hang on the glass. When they hang on the glass they may hang nose pointing down and the tail will hang next to them. This could cause back problems plus the tail may literally get stuck in that position. Not too worry you of course!

If you wanted to get into live plants it wouldn't be too difficult either. Just get some hydroballs, eco earth and a piece of pvc piping to pour water in. Pothos are nice and leafy and I'm sure your cresty would really enjoy climbing in and around it. You could just plant it right in the corner. Sine you would want some light (not much needed) for the plant overhead the you could hang some fake vines on the other side so it can get away from the light when it gets full grown. I wish I had the money! I would set up an awesome cresty tank. I love these guys. They're so cute. They love leaves and vines to hide behind too. Petsmart sells some fake vines you can stick around. in a bunch.


I've only seen ours drink off of the leaves and walls when I spray in there. They do come down to eat the food so if there's a dish of water I don't see why they wouldn't take a drink but that doesn't mean they will.

For the set up you currently have I would possibly add a larger shallow water dish for some increased humidity. I know paper towels are acceptable with leopard geckos but I just don't how one is supposed to keep the humidity up without having any type of substrate that both holds and evaporates water.

Hope I helped!