help needed for a beginner owner

[gemgemb]

Hi everyoneNew here and to reptiles full stop! I brought a 4/5 month old crested gecko and need some SOLID care facts please. Loads of questions. please read and help xWoke up this morning and my crestie (stevie) was quite cokd to the touch he has a 24'18'18 viv with a heat mat. The viv temp was about 16c this was around ten am so I brought a 40wt heat lamp as recomended by pets at home. The temp has been around 23 all day. I am concerned as to whereto place the thermomiter though. I was told to put the light in the centre of the celling so I have done. The heat mat covers the left base of the viv and I have placed his bush to the right of his viv at the moment the thermomiter is next to his bush top right of the viv. Is this right? And will my baby go cokd at night with no light?I have brought moss and substrate and a buffalo skull with a shallow water dish and a shallow food dish currently with mango baby food in mixed with calcium and D3 vitamin. I want to +buy a complete food which one is best and how do I prepare it?+So far since I brought him he has eaten one small cricket and a very small amount of baby food off the spoon whilst I was holding him. I have had him three days tomorrow and have been misting and just handling him for a few moments at a time.+He was a gift for my ten year old son for his birthday I have never owned a gecko or repile befoe I have read countless amounts of care sheets but still feel verybout of my depth. He has been moving aound fine on hand with us and sleepin in his bush I have seen him licking the mist yesterday but not today and he has very little to eat.I am greatful to anyone who can tell me right from wrong and how to train him to eat crickets (dont want to leave them in the tank) whatbfood any fresh fruits temp wise and where to put the thermomiter. +I know this is alot and I have done homework on it im just very unsure and dont want to harm our lovely new family member.+

 

[Ghostoftangerine17]

A good care sheet with a lot of information can be found here: Crested Gecko Care Sheet // Gorgeous Gecko

Most people recommend that you do not handle reptiles for the first one to two weeks after purchasing. They need time to adjust to new surroundings and handling just adds more stress for them. It is also common that they may not eat immediately when they're first brought home.

If you're leaving the baby food mix in the cage the crestie could also be eating a bit at night without you knowing. Holding a lizard while trying to feed it is not something I'd recommend because of the stress factor. I don't think you'd feel like eating either if a giant creature had you in the palm of its hand and laid out a cake for you

I don't personally own any crested geckos, but what I said above is from my experience with my leopard geckos and applies to most of our reptilian friends. Please take a look at the caresheet I linked to for detailed information.

Also, just as a tip, try to break up your text into paragraphs because the white text on this black background isn't fun to read when it's a huge chunk of writing :main_lipsrsealed:

 

[gemgemb]

Sorry about the txt. I will look into the care sheet just feel sometimes thatbyou cant do right for doin wrong this is all so new to me.

Thanks for your help.