Growing Well? Diet Advice?

[bobberly1]

So, I have a crested gecko that was hatched by a breeder on 8/03/08, therefore almost six months old. There are no visible hemipenes, so at this point I'm assuming it's a female. I'm just a little concerned because it was kept well into the sixties for a while because I thought this was acceptable, and I just recently added a bulb to bring the heat up. It's just shy of 2 1/2" SVL, is it growing at a good pace? I feed it CGD as well as a few dusted crickets or a whiteworm a couple of times a week. Are the whiteworms a good idea to help it grow faster? My goal is to breed it soon. Thanks in advance for the help.

 

[DoubleZ]

Considering you didn't know what temp it was supposed to be kept at it sounds like you're new to the species. I would recommend not thinking about breeding until you have built up substantial knowledge about the animals. You don't want to get into anything over your head, it's no good for you or the animals.

 

[Pepper]

If the white worms you are talking about are wax worms, no, those are pretty bad for reptiles, they should be used sparingly as treats because they contain high levels of fat.

And 2 and a half inches sounds kind of small, but I'm not sure.

 

[bobberly1]

I thought that would be an okay winter cooling tempurature and was going to wait for the spring to warm it up.

And sorry for saying whiteworms, I just got a starter culture of whiteworms and was googling their care before I was writing this.

 

[Pepper]

So what are the worms, are they waxworms? Or something else.

Temps should remain 70-79 about.

 

[bobberly1]

Yeah, they're waxworms. Whiteworms are tiny and only really suitable for terrestrial amphibians and fish.

I've got the temperature thing straightened out.

So you think that snout to vent length is a little small?

 

[Valley Reptiles]

That temperature is ok for the winter. They can tolerate temps in the low 60s and is a good idea to keep them at that temp for a few months when they do start breeding so the female will stop laying and have a break.

Each gecko will grow differently and will have growth spurts at different times. As long as it's not thin and sick looking it is fine.

A diet of CGD and crickets will be enough for it to grow. I dont know what white worms are but mealworms and super worms arent the best diet for Cresteds so I would do without feeding them.

 

[Pepper]

I'll have to go find a ruler, could you take some pictures?

Yeah, waxworms should only be given like twice a month, a lot of animal can get addicted to them and they don't have enough protein or nutrients to be a staple.

 

[bobberly1]

I'll have to go find a ruler, could you take some pictures?

I'll have to find the camera, but I'll try.