introducing.. mercury..and me :)

[mercury]

hi all. newbie here to geckos and to the forums. i bought a juvenile flame crested 2 days ago. 3 months old. about the size of my thumb (so cute!) she's still warming to her new home and wont eat for me. i recently raised the temps a bit to 75 bc she was looking stressed and ive been keeping the humidity up to make her comfy. can anyone tell me if a 2.5 gal is okay for now? its what they had her in at the store and recommended. they said while shes this small its less stressful and she'll eat better. im using eco earth so it stays moistened and she has a hiding place though she hasnt used it yet. mostly likes to hang out on the sides of the tank.

ive been hand feeding. not force feeding but just swabbing small amounts at a time of CGD along her mouth to allow her to lick it off. its helping but shes not completely thrilled and will only eat a few dabs at night. she wont eat crickets yet either. any suggestions would be greatly appreciated also, when is a good time to get her into the 10 gal.? i want to make sure shes comfortable and eating as she should.

thank you and pleased to meet you all

going to try to add a pic later from my computer as i am using mobile web now. thx!

 

[gixxer3420]

Welcome to the forum.

 

[prettyinpink]

Welcome to GF!

 

[mercury]

not sure if this worked, but...

some pics..

 

[mercury]

thx for the warm welcomes!

 

[mercury]

anyone want to help me out on the feeding issue?

 

[Metal_Gecko]

Welcome to the forum!

Sometime Cresties take a bit to get used to their new surroundings, and aren't big eaters at first.
Just be patient with him/her, and she'll eventually come around for you.

-Wes

 

[WulfSC]

Hi, Sarah and welcome. Mercury is a cutie.

As for the feeding, what time of day do you usually feed and do you leave the CGD in her enclosure overnight? Do you see any feces in the enclosure?

 

[mercury]

hiya Wulf and welcome to you, too! I think he looks a lot like yours.

to answer your question, i keep the food available and fresh at all times. I've been hand feeding at night about sundown. he'll take a few clumps but then shakes his head as if to say "no! im full!" so either he's full or just annoyed. idk. i found a dropping about an hour ago after moving him to a 5.5 gal with a blue night bulb for a little warmth (25 w). for the day i'll be using the blue daylight in a 40 w. he seems more at ease in the 5.5 and it could be due to all the foliage i put in there. plus the bulb. still not moving around much but im not quite sure how active they get. im new to cresties as well

 

[WulfSC]

Yeah, Crested Geckos are aboreal (they're climbers) and love lots of foliage and things to climb on. They're also nocturnal, which is why I asked about her feeding time. If you leave the CGD in overnight, chances are, she's eating --- you just don't see it.

Finding poo is a good sign that she's eating as well. As long as you find feces on a regular basis, she should be fine. I've heard there can be as much as three days between bowel movements.

PLEASE, someone correct me if I'm wrong. I don't want to give out false information.

Also, take into account that geckos are little critters. Their stomachs are about the size of a pea/bean, so it doesn't take much to fill them up. I'm not sure which brand of CGD you're using, but Repashy is pretty much a complete diet, so Mercury really doesn't need to eat crickets. If eventually, she does, that's fine... just make sure to dust them with calcium (I dust alternatelly with calicum and calcium w/ D3).

I hope this helps. And best of luck with that cute little gecko.

P.S.

It takes about two weeks (give or take a few days) for a new crested to become acclimated to their new enviroment. She may just be stressed from moving from one place to the other. In this two week period, it's best to handle them as little as possible. Limit the handling to about 2 - 3 times a day. Just enough to get her use to being picked up and use to you.

 

[mercury]

thx for all the info Wulf

Ive only had Mercury since Wednesday, thats three days...and the day I bought him/her she was eating normally. that couldve been why she poo'd tonight. very docile, and very sweet. I held her at the store and she turned her head to look right at me. she did it yesterday too, when I took her out to see if she'd eat a bit.

I didnt feed her tonight because I wanted her to relax to her new 5.5 gal, well foliaged (if that is even a word?) environment. I also read you shouldnt worry too much abt feeding or handling the first week. Just seems like a long time for these guys not to eat!! Im tempted to take her out again, but she hasnt moved since 10 PM last night and its now 5 AM. lol you must think I dont sleep. Its just a mild case of insomnia, and possibly worry about my little guy ..or girl. who knows. She hasn't moved at all tonight for food or even a climb, which worries me

And you probably are right in saying it doesnt take much to fill their little bellies. The girl at the pet shop said when they shake their heads to get the food off their mouth, they are done eating. And that is just what she did the last time I fed her SO...
hopefully its a good sign. Does Lizzy eat good for you?

I'm going to try to feed Mercury again tomorrow evening. thx again for your imput!!!

 

[WulfSC]

Do you know what they were feeding Mercury at the petstore? I know alot of them feed their Crested Geckos baby food...which is bad. They become addicted to the sugar, and it's hard to get them to switch to a healthy food and eating habit.

Lizzy eats well for me. I got her from a breeder at ReptiCon in Charlotte, NC (Concord actually). She was already started on Repashy. And the first time I gave her crickets, she dive bombed them. LOL!

If Mercury doesn't seem to start acclimating to her surrounds, and it continues to worry you... try to find a local vet that works with reptiles, or a herpetologist.

Best of luck.

 

[mercury]

they were actually feeding him some baby food but it was mixed in with the CGD. the kind you mentioned which is what Im feeding as well. they also mashed bananas in with the CGD, and added in bee pollen. I dont know where to get the pollen but I hear they like it and its good for them! Baby food is going to be my last resort if shes not eating by wednesday(ate nothing last night but her coloring still looks nice) and i will occasionally treat her.

I hear if you feed them naturally with pollen/fruits/protein sources such as crickets and waxworms, you have to pay careful attention to the ratios so they get all the correct nutrients, or they can get sick and possibly die D:

anyone have info on how I can correctly feed this way? though the CGD can take care of all their needs in one little powder- *Amazing*- I'm still interested in other methods especially if it'd make feeding time more fun for he and I both

 

[WulfSC]

You can try mixing a little bit of baby food in the CGD, and slowly try to ween him/her on just CGD. However, I'd only add a little...

Unfortunately, I'm not familiar with feeding cresties bee pollen. Sounds interesting though, I'll see if I can find some information about it. Thanks for the tip.

 

[mercury]

yep, i read it somewhere on the internet. cant remember what site or else I'd post a link. Im not familiar with it either. how much to use, why peope use it, where to buy etc. etc.

wanted to give you an update. im still hand feeding but shes taking to it a little easier. this makes me happy because i know she's warming up to her new home and things should progress from here.

thanks again for your advice and suggestions. Oh and also for sharing the names of two more great forums. Im going to check out ciliatus right now! best of Luck to you and your Liz.

- peace

Sent from my DROID2 using Tapatalk

 

[WulfSC]

Thanks, Sarah. And no problem...again, I'm far from an expert on the subject of crested gecko care. I just pass on what I've learned, in hopes that it helps you too. Good luck with Mercury, and please, keep us updated on his/her progress. Ryan (of Retribution Reptiles) gave me the link to Ciliatus.com...so, technically, I guess you need to thank him. LOL!