garg and crested questions

[shadowdragon619]

a few quick questions about gargoyle and crested geckos...

im used to leos, so i need to do some researching before i get one of each...

1. can you use reptile carpet as a substrate?

2. how often do they shed? (i'm guessing the young ones shed more often than when they get older)

3. I have well water...would you recommend me using bottled water to mist the hide since they'll drink the droplets from the leaves?

4. the great baby food debate....i plan on starting off with just straight CGD, but if they wont eat that plain, is it okay to mix it with baby food and ween them off the baby food...ie, half baby food half CGD, then keep switching to less and less baby food?

5. Are both garyoles and crested nocturnal? If so, is the D3 they need in the CGD and with the diet, can they overdoes on D3 like leos can?

um, i think thats it for now. If you can help me on any question, it would be much appreciated! thank you!

 

[darkridder]

You can use carpet but their little toenails get stuck really easily.

They shed quite often, they eat it like the leos, but often you wont catch them shedding

I would recomment making the CGD and using the misting water from bottled water, well water you often use a water softener for it, which requires the use of salt.

Avoid baby food at all costs. If you get your geckos from good breeders, they dont use CGD anyways, and ask, I just pasted on the trade for a male garg for one of my female cresties because 1 they make CGD with baby food, and 2 I dont want my female to be fed that (a responcible person I am!). If your geckos dont take to it, try mixing it with mango nectar from the grocery store, I use looza brand and mix it according to the normal direction, just in the water part mix that half water and half looza. Or try the part two diet. Normally these two methods work with ease.

Both are nocturnal and added calcium to the diet is not needed if CGD is the main diet. If you offer crickets once a week, you can just dust them with the CGD, if you offer crickets twice a week you will want to offer a calcium with D3 in it.

 

[Trunks]

From what I've heard, the biggest problem with baby food is that it is really high in sugar. If you absolutely have to, go with a natural one, and try to find one with as little sugar as possible. And I wouldn't go half and half with it either. Just a small amount to help get them interested should be enough. I used to just put a small helping of baby food on the side of the food bowl, just long enough for them to learn where it was in their new tank.

 

[darkridder]

baby food is still baby food, if it were meant to be for geckos it would be called gecko food. Yes organic baby food is a step up, but it is still has un-needed sugars i it, it is just natural sugars. The major problem with it is that it is not a nutritionally complete food and there is plenty of pictures to back that up. And I know that in the reptile mag they say it is OK, it seriously isnt a healthy food option and is long out dated information and often times they have articles submitted from years previous they decide to use.

If you run into the issue of them not eating and loosing weight the better options are to try a different flavor using part 2 diet, or mixing the CGD with either a purred fruit (mangos work well, kiwi, peaches, apricots, catus fruit) mixed with water (50% CGD,25% water, 25% pureed fruit), or take a fruit nectar (any of the types of fresh fruits listed nectar works also) along with water (50% CGD,25% water,25% nectar). With these last two over time remove less and less of the fruit/nectar in the equation.