chibicricket
New Member
- Messages
- 6
Hi!
New here, not new to geckos. I used to have quite a few leopard geckos and had successfully bred them for a while about 15-20 years ago. I used to do reptile and amphibian rehab and took in a lot of rescues as a foster mom. Currently, I have a few turtles, spiders and mantids, but I've cared for nearly every type of reptile/amphibian over the years.
I had lost my bearded dragon of 15 years last summer to old age, and since this is the first time I have not had a lizard since I was a little kid, I opted to get a crested gecko, something I've never actually owned before. And that's my purpose for being here. Just want to make sure he or she is getting the best care possible.
I got him from a breeder, he's almost a month old and weighs 2.8 grams as of yesterday. He is eating Pangea Gecko Diet - the kind with insects as that was what the breeder had him on. I have seen him eat at night so I know he is eating. He is housed in one of those micro zilla habitats (larger arboreal one) as he's really tiny now - I'll upgrade later. The substrate I'm using is coconut fiber with sphagnum moss for humidity. I have pothos and fake ivy with branches for him to climb on. I have a tiny floating food and water dish (I know they most likely don't drink standing water but it's there if he wants it). I'm misting once in the morning, and once at night. I have a few other critters that need higher humidity so it's kind of a routine for me to mist everyone before I go to sleep. All my animals are in my at home office room that stays about 70-75 during the day, 65-70 at night.
Two questions I have that I can't find a good answer about. I used to have day geckos and they required special lighting. I've done research on crested geckos and I've found either they don't need lighting or they could benefit from lighting. What is best? Also, should I be also adding live insects to the pangea? I have a constant supply of fruit flies and pinhead crickets available, but that's been another controversial thing I've read about crested geckos.
Thanks in advance for any suggestions you may have!
New here, not new to geckos. I used to have quite a few leopard geckos and had successfully bred them for a while about 15-20 years ago. I used to do reptile and amphibian rehab and took in a lot of rescues as a foster mom. Currently, I have a few turtles, spiders and mantids, but I've cared for nearly every type of reptile/amphibian over the years.
I had lost my bearded dragon of 15 years last summer to old age, and since this is the first time I have not had a lizard since I was a little kid, I opted to get a crested gecko, something I've never actually owned before. And that's my purpose for being here. Just want to make sure he or she is getting the best care possible.
I got him from a breeder, he's almost a month old and weighs 2.8 grams as of yesterday. He is eating Pangea Gecko Diet - the kind with insects as that was what the breeder had him on. I have seen him eat at night so I know he is eating. He is housed in one of those micro zilla habitats (larger arboreal one) as he's really tiny now - I'll upgrade later. The substrate I'm using is coconut fiber with sphagnum moss for humidity. I have pothos and fake ivy with branches for him to climb on. I have a tiny floating food and water dish (I know they most likely don't drink standing water but it's there if he wants it). I'm misting once in the morning, and once at night. I have a few other critters that need higher humidity so it's kind of a routine for me to mist everyone before I go to sleep. All my animals are in my at home office room that stays about 70-75 during the day, 65-70 at night.
Two questions I have that I can't find a good answer about. I used to have day geckos and they required special lighting. I've done research on crested geckos and I've found either they don't need lighting or they could benefit from lighting. What is best? Also, should I be also adding live insects to the pangea? I have a constant supply of fruit flies and pinhead crickets available, but that's been another controversial thing I've read about crested geckos.
Thanks in advance for any suggestions you may have!
