Just got a new little guy...needing help?

[ZombiexKat]

Hi so Me and My boyfriend decided to get a crested gecko, He's not a baby but we're not really sure how old he is. Overall he seems to be taking to the move nicely except to our knowledge he hasn't eaten anything, we've been trying to feed him meal worms because we were told that's what he was eating but no luck, and we've had him for a little less than month now. Also we can't keep the humidity high where it needs to be. We can't have a humidifier in the room because of my boyfriend as well as don't really have a lot of spare funds. Can anyone help at all???

 

[Caleb C]

Have you read care sheets on them? They should be fed the Crested Gecko Diet by Repashy. Insects shouldn't be fed as a staple.

 

[Cheryl Frain]

As far as feeding goes , giving your crestie Repashy is the best thing you can do. It is perfectly balanced and they can live very healthily on that alone.It can be hard to find where I live (western Canada) so I ordered it off of Amazon. I think it was around $15 for a bag that should last one crestie about a year. I put mine in a very small , shallow container so it's easy to reach. My crestie seems to only like to eat from it on the second day , after it's sat around for awhile but not moldy. He only ever takes a few small licks. Their stomach is only the size of their eyeball. As far as humidity goes , I was having abit of the same issue of keeping it up. It should drop to 40 - 50% during the day so it has a chance to dry out and not start getting moldy. I recently covered part of the screen lid with a towel to lower the ventilation slighty - it was a huge screen. I also put in a very small , very shallow bowl with a bit of water for it to drink from. I don't know if he drinks from it or not but at least there's water on hand. Just make sure it's VERY shallow so that there is no risk of drowning. Keep doing research too. There's lots of awesome places on the web and I'm always reading more.

 

[ZombiexKat]

Okay thank you both. All of the care sheets i got (Pet store ones) said insects work and they enjoy them but i was wondering why he seems to brush them off. Makes me wonder about the previous owner. Also whats the Ideal humidity for the little guys? Once again my sheets say 50-80% and its really hard keeping it up to 80% it likes to go down to 40% and i thought that was horrible so i kept freaking out. So it can go down to 40-50% and he'll be fine? Do pet stores carry that food...Repashy?

 

[Amanda1]

Some pet stores carry CGD, but most of the chains don't. It's easy to find online. I don't give mine insects at all, and in the wild adults eat more fruit and pollen than insects anyway, so Repashy CGD is ideal. If you still want to give some as a treat, they prefer to eat bugs that move a lot (crickets or roaches), and that may be why he's not very excited about worms. What kind of enclosure is he in? If it's a glass tank with a screen lid, which is most common, you can mist him once or twice a day and the humidity will be fine.

 

[ZombiexKat]

I just feel horrible now, i don't know why the old owner would lie that just not right, poor little guy. Why i'm trying to find it at a pet store so it's here sooner. and he's in a long tank with a screen lid with most of the lid covered. We mist him like 5 times and it still tries to go down to 20% humidity it.

 

[Cheryl Frain]

The humidity is not supposed to stay at 80% constantly. That would cause mold and health problems. I only bring mine up to 80% at night and let it dry out until the next night. If you do want to put in a dish of water , just make sure it is small and VERY shallow. I know I already said that earlier but geckos can definitely drown in water dishes , especially young ones. Also , are you sure your hydrometer is working? I had one that was garbage.

 

[Caleb C]

Big chain pet stores won't carry cgd. Specialty reptile stores will, but online might be your best option. Always do research before getting your pet and learn from many different sources.

 

[ZombiexKat]

Yes i'm sure its working, and okay i was wondering about the 80%. I have a big bowl that he likes to climb on that has a very small amount of water, just enough o get his feet wet. I've been trying to do research but obviously not having a laptop was pointing me in the wrong direction.

 

[Cheryl Frain]

I`d keep up with the ``foot bath`` bowl. At least he`ll know where to go when he`s thirsty. Maybe just check the humidity once or twice during the day. If it`s lower than 30% you might want to spray a bit but keep it lower during day. Sounds like you`re getting everything figured out. If you get a chance , post some pictures so we can all admire your crestie.

 

[Amanda1]

Don't feel bad, you're doing the right thing for him now. Unfortunately a lot of pet stores give out bad care advise so they can sell more of their products, and that's probably what the previous owner was following. While you're waiting for the CGD to come in, try giving your guy some crickets dusted in calcium and multivitamins (if you're not already), and you could try offering smashed up bananas or other fruit, although mine have never gone for that.

 

[ZombiexKat]

Yeah he loves that foot bath bowl. lol and okay I've been keeping an eye on it every now and day yesterday and today seems like he's looking better. I don't have any bananas but would smashed up Nectarines work? Only fruit I have here. There's the only good pictures I have so far. The big bowl in the picture is the foot bath bowl.

 

[ZombiexKat]

Oh and his name is Brewster, Brewsky for short.

 

[Cheryl Frain]

what a cutie. He has a very nice home , too. I've never fed my crestie fruit before but I do remember reading not to give them an citrus fruit. He looks like he's having lots of fun exploring. Thanks for posting pictures.

 

[ZombiexKat]

Thank you =] I just love him, he's so adorable and acts so funny.

Okay so i cut up half a Nectarine (which is like a fuzzy-less peach) and threw it in the blender with a little water and it made a lot of blended fruit....i gave him a shallow bowl of it..and he actually ate it...honestly i think he liked it because he sat there for quiet a bit eating. I was so happy my boyfriend walked in the room and i pointed at Brewsky going "Honey he's eating"... he smiled lol once i get the humidity down i'll take more pictures of the lil guy. I'm also trying to find other things to put in there for him to climb on.

 

[Cheryl Frain]

Good job , gecko Mom. You made it through your first mini crisis. Some people use untreated bamboo sticks in their cages. I have one of those bendable reptile vines and then I add some bird cages sticks. I don't know what they're really called but they were in the bird section and had little plastic ends that I popped off. My son has a bird ladder in his cage. They're very reasonably priced. Once you get the Repashy , if he is favoring the fruit and doesn't want the new stuff , you can mix them together for awhile and slowly wean him off the fruit.

 

[Caleb C]

Yep, Repashy is the best thing you can feed them, as it's made specifically for them and will provide them with nearly all the nutrients they need.

 

[ZombiexKat]

Thanks =] Hmmm I never thought of that, Now i'm definitely gonna spoil him with stuff. And with feeding him the Repashy do i jut put a little bowl in and leave it in for a fews and give him a new bowl or wait till he finishes that bowl first?

 

[Cheryl Frain]

I keep mine in for 2 days then change it. Too long and it will mold. My little guy seems to only eat it the second night when it has slightly "aged."

 

[Amanda1]

What a cutie! He's a little skinny, but looks pretty good considering where he came from.

For climbing, I've used plastic vines, driftwood, and sticks from outside. If you pick something up outside, you can bake it in the oven at 250 for 30min, and that will kill any nasty stuff on it so it's safe for your little guy. Have fun decorating (I know I do)!