"Lord Ascalon" is home! [Couple of photos and questions!]

[iNSOMNiAC]

So…Repticon was a HUGE success yesterday.

This is His Royal Highness, Lord Ascalon Johnathan Stickyfeet.

“Lonny” is an un-sexed Halloween Harlequin crested gecko, my favorite morph! I got him at a steal from Big Fat Geckos and I couldn’t be happier.

He’s extremely laid back and is going to be a beautiful gecko when he gets older. He’s only about half-fired in these photos, but when fired-up he gets really, really dark brown and his markings light up like fire. It’s amazing!

His enclosure is a 12x12x18 ExoTerra tall. Me and my pal Emi made the vines ourselves by twisting small floral vines from Jo-Ann’s. His two hides and feeding dish are from Goodwill. The stand his dish is on was a gift from his “grandma”, my mom! I like shaking things up with non-traditional hides and stuff, it's fun.

The leaves are maple and ginko leaves plucked from some faux branches I bought at Big Lots. He also has a little pumpkin. :>

The red hide is a candle holder and has a dip in the top that I will leave water in, in case he wants to drink it, and also to keep the humidity up!

Like I said, he’s very relaxed and an astoundingly beautiful gecko already. I almost cried at the con because I never thought I’d get my hands-down favorite morph today, let alone at the price I did. He was only $40!

I’m so so so happy. This was totally worth all the trouble it took to get things organized. :’D

Now, of course, I have some questions!

Mostly...What can I do for display lighting at night? I know they are nocturnal, and I worry that the regular light I have in at the top of that alcove might confuse or upset him. So what lamp and/or bulb would be best so I can watch him at night, without emitting too much heat? Or will his day/night cycle not rely on lighting?

Also, is there anything off about his enclosure that you can see?
To note:
--He has plenty of cover, hiding spaces, and climb-y things. [I think.]
--He has a food dish that he hopefully won't fall into, and a water "dish" in case he wants it. [It's shallow so he can't drown.]
--I'm using really fine coco substrate. I was going to get moss to mix in with it, but it was ten bucks [I'm on a tight budget] and the lovely ladies at BFG said it wouldn't be needed unless I was having trouble keeping the humidity up. If that's the case I will get some! He doesn't seem at all inclined to try and eat it, especially since both his food and water dishes are elevated, so I'm not too terribly worried about impactation. If I do spot him giving any of it a nibble, I'll switch out to paper towels for a while.

Any advice or comments are welcome. I'm elated to finally be part of the rhac club!

 

[Adinar]

Wow, that is a nice looking set up he's got going on there. I love the vines/leaves. That is awsome looking compaired to the ones that you can buy at the ones at stores. What did you happen to do to them to make them stay like that or do they stay in that position when you twist them?

 

[iNSOMNiAC]

Wow, that is a nice looking set up he's got going on there. I love the vines/leaves. That is awsome looking compaired to the ones that you can buy at the ones at stores. What did you happen to do to them to make them stay like that or do they stay in that position when you twist them?

Thank you! It was really fun to put together. I can't wait until he grows up and I can upgrade his setup.

As for the vines, Emi had a specific technique--she's more tactile than I am--but it was a specific kind of floral wire and was made to keep the shape it's bent into, so it wasn't too tough! Just had to twist them tight around each other. :>

 

[Adinar]

Now with those vines is the material waterproof? Since cresties should be misted at least twice a day is it something that might harbor mold at some point?

 

[iNSOMNiAC]

Now with those vines is the material waterproof? Since cresties should be misted at least twice a day is it something that might harbor mold at some point?

I'm honestly not sure...It seems like they're wire wrapped with some kind of natural husk? They may be temporary, honestly. I only grabbed them on the way home and made them since I couldn't find any small vines at ReptiCon when I went. If I notice anything off, they'll be replaced accordingly. :>

 

[Adinar]

They do look cool, I may have to look into something like that. That is the only thing that I would worry about though.

 

[iNSOMNiAC]

They do look cool, I may have to look into something like that. That is the only thing that I would worry about though.

I'll keep everyone posted if they do start molding or something, no worries.

 

[Varekai]

Great setup, love big fat geckos, I got 3 cresteds and a Leachie from Vickie. Also love how you put the name of the state your in, and the name of your crested. Are you going to the Fire Expo? Also is that baby food in the container in your tank?

 

[iNSOMNiAC]

Great setup, love big fat geckos, I got 3 cresteds and a Leachie from Vickie. Also love how you put the name of the state your in, and the name of your crested. Are you going to the Fire Expo? Also is that baby food in the container in your tank?

Hehe, thanks! BFG's Mufasa was the first crestie I ever handled, so it was only right for me to get my first from 'em!

I am hoping to go to FIRExpo with a friend of mine, so we'll see.

And no, that is the new 3.0 Repashy CGD. I would never feed a crestie baby food, and no one else should, either.

Lonny is doing pretty good right now. He's settling in a bit now and I've moved his terrarium next to my computer desk, opposite of Rose. He's a cute little bugger. uwu

He's kind of funny because, sometimes, he'll curl up as tight as he can and sleep like a cat.

He doesn't mind me poking my head in for a shot here-and-there like Rose does, too, which is nice.

And his enclosure looks great next to my desk!

I'll probably keep updating this thread like I do my photo thread on Pangaea to track his progress. :>

 

[Varekai]

Ah okay, that's why I was asking, I haven't seen the new 3.0 food, and that looked alot like baby food. He's a cute gecko, love the cat pose.

 

[iNSOMNiAC]

Ah okay, that's why I was asking, I haven't seen the new 3.0 food, and that looked alot like baby food. He's a cute gecko, love the cat pose.

That was actually my first time mixing it, so it came out a little thick-looking. Prolly why.

 

[Varekai]

Actually it was more the color than anything, the 2.0 is more brown.