crested gecko questions

[darkbookworm]

Hello all, I was wondering if you all could help me with some advice for crested gecko care. I was looking up what they needed online, but when I went to my local pet store, the geckos they have there are much smaller then I anticipated. Maybe 2 1/2 inches including tail.

My biggest worry is 1. the right size habitat, I was planning on using a 10 gallon tank with a screen lid, but I would be worried they would be in too big an enclosure and not find food. Would a medium sized KK work until the little critter grew up more?

2. Handling, how does one handle such a small lizard? I imagine that my hand would look like something that wanted to nom my gecko, and that would make handling difficult.

I am a little intimidated by the idea of having such a small reptile, how does one get past the fear of squishing them? Are there any other things I should know about having such a teeny gecko? Any help would be most appreciated.

 

[thegeckoguy23]

dont worry thats fine at a adult they need a 20gall tall yes a med size critter keeper would work, its best to not handle until a bit older but u can at the size perfectly waiting is just prefrence from some ppl, and there not to bad at that small he well grow to get about 10in ,AX proably around 8-9 and they eat many things like cgd fruit crix and other bugs witch is good

 

[darkbookworm]

Good to know, so instead of a 10 gallon tank a 10.00 KK will work. Saves on money for now, and I will be able to buy a larger tank later on. What about buying one of the vertical tanks, are those preferred to regular ones?

for eating bugs would pin head crickets work ok? Or would they need something a bit bigger? I know they need the CGD for most of their nutritional needs.

*is very excited and can't wait to bring home her first gecko soon*

 

[thegeckoguy23]

Good to know, so instead of a 10 gallon tank a 10.00 KK will work. Saves on money for now, and I will be able to buy a larger tank later on. What about buying one of the vertical tanks, are those preferred to regular ones?

for eating bugs would pin head crickets work ok? Or would they need something a bit bigger? I know they need the CGD for most of their nutritional needs.

*is very excited and can't wait to bring home her first gecko soon*

if u want they can live entirely on cgd ENTIRLY it would be best to just go with the 10 gall tho but the KK would work

 

[darkbookworm]

Alright, just need to get a lid then, I was worried the 10gal would be too big. It would give me the ability to use more hides and whatnot to make the gecko comfy. I would prefer not using crickets, they are smelly, and chirp A LOT...

What does the humidity need to be for CGs? I know they need a somewhat cool, temperate environment, what lvls of humidity should I shoot for? I live in NM, so I would need to make sure they stayed plenty moist. I was planning on getting a humidity and temp gauge set so I know what is needed.

I think I would wait a bit to hold the CG, just so they get used to me, and don't think I want to eat them. Don't need to lose it in my apartment because it got scared, jumped, and disappeared.

 

[thegeckoguy23]

60-80% humidty

 

[darkbookworm]

Very cool, thank you. I hadn't found anything with specifics so far. That's almost hermit crab humidity settings...

 

[TheRed]

If the crestie is 2.5" with tail, I would go with a medium or large KK til it gets bigger. It might have a hard time finding food in a 10 gallon at that size. Once it hits about 15g I'd move it up to a vertical 10 gallon which would suit it fine for awhile.
I mist my geckos lightly in the morning, and heavily before bed. The tanks need time to dry out or else you'll start to get mold.
You don't have to use crickets, but they usually grow faster if you feed live food. I prefer to use roaches and all my cresteds love both dubias and blatta lateralis.
Also, after you get your gecko don't handle it for a week or two. It'll need some time to settle in and get used to its new home. After that handling should be fine. I have a tiny garg and I usually take its tub to a wide open area on the floor before getting it out so that it can't get away and hide and that if it jumps I'm sitting down and it won't fall very far.
Hope these help and congrats on the new crested! I have three now and love them!

 

[darkbookworm]

That does help alot, and I wouldn't mind feeding live food if they need it, where do you get roaches? I will have to get a digital scale to weigh it, so I know it's eating and growing. That size was approximate, I didn't handle them, they were clutching the fake plant for dear life in the tank and I didn't want to freak them out.

I don't think the tank drying out will be a problem, there is little to no humidity where we live, lotion and bottled water are a must. Is paper towel ok to be damp like that, I didn't want to have the gecko eat substrate and get hurt or sick, but if I need eco earth, I can use it.

That did help, thank you. Oh one more question, do you use water treatments or just plain tap water? I always used the treatment drops, but wanted to see if CGs needed it or not. Don't have my gecko yet, waiting to get things purchased and set up before bringing him or her home. I will be a proud momma then though, with pics galore!

 

[TheRed]

I got my roaches from brothaT here on the board. He's somewhat local to me but I think he ships too. Other members usually have some for sale too. Roaches are much easier to keep alive than crickets and less annoying as well.
Most people prefer paper towel over eco earth, especially if you're feeding live food. Little cresties often miss their target and get a mouth full, which can cause impaction. I prefer the look of eco earth a lot more but my guys miss all the time so I just stick to paper towel.

 

[sammer021486]

At 2.5" total length, I think that the kritter keeper will be the best housing method for the gecko at the moment. I am keeping my 2 week olds in the small kritter keeper, I bought 12 of them for ~$36 at lllreptile not including shipping. Right now the small kritter keeper is big enough for the geckos, as they grow I will move them up to medium kritter keepers and eventually to larger arboreal tanks.

I would stick to paper towel as they are growing, it helps monitor if they are eating or not. I can clearly see with my 2 little ones when they poop because of the paper towel. For my adults I no longer use any substrate and just wipe the tanks out on a regular basis. The geckos were tipping their food dishes while I was gone on the weekend and the paper towel ended up sticking to the bottom of the tank. So now when they tip the dish, it only takes a minute to wipe the area up and spot clean the tank. Then every month the whole tank gets a vinegar cleaning and the geckos are good to go.

I did notice with my 2 geckos that I have raised from 3-5 weeks old, that the one that ate live food grew much faster than the one that did not eat a lot of live food. But I think studies have found that a gecko fed just CGD will grow just as large as a gecko feed CGD and live prey.

 

[Shadraak]

rather than length get a gram scale, and weigh them most of us can help more by weight rather than length ie.. at so many grams you move to this size enclosure etc..