New crestie owner, questions.

Girlfriend surprised me with a baby crestie for valentines day. I'm assuming by its size it is around a month of so old. I am not a new herp owner but I have never had a gecko that needs the humidity to be kept between 55 - 80.

I give him 90 humidity in the morning that last about 3 hours to ensure he sheds well an drinks the moisture from the leaves, but throughout the day it drops down to below 50 an if I have to spray around every 2 hours to keep it around 65. I'm using Eco earth as his substrate an I have covered the tank in some moss from the pet store. I use it for my Leo when he is shedding. It helps hold the humidity up a little better but still not enough.

I have read live plants, and to put Plastic over the top of the tank, but how would i do it since he is currently housed in a 10 gallon with a screen top until he gets a little bigger? When he grows some I will buy a taller tank, like the ones that have the opening door on the front.

Any ideas or critique in his tank setup are welcome. Im feeding him rapashy cgd. He isn't eating it willingly that I've seen so I rub it on his nose an he licks it off. Thanks!

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So my baby crestie is having trouble climbing the glass? It is because the substrate gets stuck to his feet?

Take the light off of the top and maybe run that plastic down the middle where the light is now but leave the two sides open for ventilation. There are several reasons for them not to stick but I'm sure it is just low humidity at this point.

What temps is he being kept at?

Everything else looks good. Just keep offering him CGD (and CGD alone <--- Important) mixed in a 1:2 ratio CGD:Water by weight.

At his size you will not be able to tell on a regular basis if he is eating because his stomach is super small. You can switch to paper towels once your humidity situation is worked out and then you can monitor for defecation.

Its not the humidity. I ran plastic across one half of the top side and it stays around 70 I give him 90+ with his first spray of the morning. His temp never goes below 70 and never above 80.

I am going to switch to paper towels. Do I need to worry about mold? How often should I change them?

I do feed him rapashy cgd it is offered at all times in his tank and changed every 30 hours. I also offer him small dusted crickets daily.

Should my humidity gauge be near the top? Middle? Floor? I have it around the middle and it always reads around 70ish.

Bump. Anyone?

Those analog thermometers are notoriously inaccurate. I'd get one with a probe, like the Accurite

I'm new to to cresteds also. From what I have found while researching on the internet is that they need a dry period mid day as much as they need the humidity during the morning and evening hours. As long as you mist twice a day you should be fine. I wouldn't use any heat bulbs unless where you keep him/her is extremely cold (below 65-70 degrees). Other then that looks like you've got it pretty much. The live plants do help regulate the levels of humidity in the tank and for that reason I have one in mine. I use eco earth and as my girl does make a mess of things by digging a lot it looks nice and she seems to really enjoy it. The others that I have are all on paper towel as a substrate and have a few live plants in each of their tubs. I just make sure to spray the walls of their tubs so as to not saturate the paper towel cause this can cause illness if the cresteds decide to stay on the ground level for long periods of time.

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Originally Posted by OctagonGecko729

Take the light off of the top and maybe run that plastic down the middle where the light is now but leave the two sides open for ventilation. There are several reasons for them not to stick but I'm sure it is just low humidity at this point.

What temps is he being kept at?

Everything else looks good. Just keep offering him CGD (and CGD alone <--- Important) mixed in a 1:2 ratio CGD:Water by weight.

At his size you will not be able to tell on a regular basis if he is eating because his stomach is super small. You can switch to paper towels once your humidity situation is worked out and then you can monitor for defecation.

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^^ This is correct. Crested geckos do not need a light for UVB and they live quite happily at normal room temperatures (so around 70-75 is perfect for them). In fact, they will stress and suffer serious health problems or even death if exposed to temps at or over 80. Take the lamp off and cover the rest of the screen top with wax paper or whatever else you're using. Just mist once daily - usually in the evening is best. They need the drying out period just as much as the humidity or you will end up with mold issues. I only mist mine once a day for 2-3 days in a row, then skip a day - although I do keep mine in tubs which helps with the humidity. But still, if you take that lamp outta there, once a day should be enough for your little fella.

The Eco-earth is fine, but you can use paper towels too. Baby cresties do have some trouble on the glass - even adults will at times. These guys are not the most brilliant glass climbers. Stick some moistened sphagum moss plus a pothos plant, small ficus, or some other live plant in there and that'll do a lot of good too. You can just have the plant in a small pot for now and just set it inside the tank. I would crowd up the tank with more plants and branches. Cresties are shy and this baby is in a large tank for his size. He will eat better if he feels secure. Many breeders will keep baby cresties in a Kritter Keeper until they are at or over 10 grams or so. But if you add more stuff in there, the 10gal should be ok.

And, yes, offer ONLY CGD until he is eating well on that and that alone for a couple of months before offering the occasional appropriately sized cricket or roach. They need to eat CGD well so they get the proper nutrition.

To more specifically answer your questions......

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Originally Posted by mhinkle

Its not the humidity. I ran plastic across one half of the top side and it stays around 70 I give him 90+ with his first spray of the morning. His temp never goes below 70 and never above 80.

I am going to switch to paper towels. Do I need to worry about mold? How often should I change them? Whenever they begin to look messy. It's important to maintain a clean environment. If you put the towels down in layers, you can just pick up the top layer to "spot clean" as needed and change them all out once every 2-3 weeks. Keep an eye out for mold. In a higher humidity environment, mold is always a possibility.

I do feed him rapashy cgd it is offered at all times in his tank and changed every 30 hours. I also offer him small dusted crickets daily. I would ONLY offer the CGD right now until you know he's eating that well. Cresties love their bugs and if offered too many too frequently, he'll start eating them only and even if they are dusted, that's not good enough. Don't give the crickets until he's eating the CGD consistantly for a couple of months. This will provide him with all the nutrition he needs so the crickets are just supplimental.


Should my humidity gauge be near the top? Middle? Floor? I have it around the middle and it always reads around 70ish. Get rid of the gauge. They are notoriously unreliable. Pick up an Accurite and put the unit on the floor of the cage and the probe up near the top.

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Hope this is helpful for you! :gj:

I don't own a crested (yet), but our herp society just had a speaker last week that is one of the top gecko breeders in the area. He breeds hundreds every year, and has a great success rate. I don't remember much of what he said about humidity and such, but the temp range they keep them at is 72-76 degrees.

For the Repashy, try hiding it in the leaves if you're not already. A little baby might be shy and not want to really come out to eat. Also, changing it every 30 hours might be too often. They feed every 48 hours because in the wild, their food is mostly rotting fruit. They don't have the jaw strength to eat fresh fruit, so they wait till it starts rotting. He had said that many of their geckos won't touch the Repashy until it's been sitting for two days and getting stinky.

I switched to paper towels. I will remove the lamp, does he not need any daylight lighting to know his day from night? I covered half the screen minus where the light is, but does he not need a flow of fresh air or can I really just wrap that off as well?

Like I said I give him high humidity in the morning hours roughly 80 - 90 for 2 to three hours, then the daytime stays around 50 - 70 but I have to mist every few hours or it will drop down to low 30s.

As long as he is in a room with a window to the outside he is fine as far as light cycles go. If you want you could put a lamp on a timer to click on and off as well elswhere in the room.

I wouldn't cover the entire top of the enclosure. Should be ok with just removing the light you have. Your cage is only drying out because of that lamp, normally you only need to spray once nightly to achieve proper humidity so I can tell that the light is the main issue if you need to spray every few hours.

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Originally Posted by mhinkle

I switched to paper towels. I will remove the lamp, does he not need any daylight lighting to know his day from night? I covered half the screen minus where the light is, but does he not need a flow of fresh air or can I really just wrap that off as well? No, he doesn't need any extra lighting at all. The daylight coming in through the windows is enough. So unless he's in a closed room that is pitch dark 24/7, don't worry about it. He does need a little fresh air. Cover about 90% of the screen top. You only need a small "vent". Perhaps a 1" opening at either end would be a good choice so there is some circulation.

Like I said I give him high humidity in the morning hours roughly 80 - 90 for 2 to three hours, then the daytime stays around 50 - 70 but I have to mist every few hours or it will drop down to low 30s. As I said before, once a day is fine. You're going to be constantly misting all the time if you try to keep that up. It is fine for the humidity to drop as long as a once-a-day heavy mist is consistent. Humidity is often way over thought. Again, I would mist once at night instead of in the morning - geckos are more active at night and will drink better at that time. If you cover 90% of the screen top and add a couple of live plants, that will also help with the humidity very much. Misting will only go so far - cover the top and put in live plants and some sphagum moss to keep moist. You'll be all set. :gj:

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The light is a 20 watt on a dimmer all the way turned down.. I really doubt that's drying his tank out. It puts out 0 heat. I'm not a novice as I have other reptiles just none that require a constant humidity.

Already have moss inside it as well.

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Yeah I hide the food in his leaves and I finger feed him every couple of days.

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First off, the moss is great. But you still need more plants and branches in there. ;)

Also, it takes hardly any heat at all for the lamp to dry out the enclosure. The light combined with even a tiny amount of heat, plus the open area where the lamp sits, will SUCK humidity out of there almost faster than you can spay it. You are seeing that result first hand. If the humidity is falling so much that you're going from 80-90% down to 30% in 2 hours, then it's the lamp!! Take the lamp out and mostly cover the screen top, stick some live plants in there, and you will see almost instant results.

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The light is a 20 watt on a dimmer all the way turned down.. I really doubt that's drying his tank out. It puts out 0 heat. I'm not a novice as I have other reptiles just none that require a constant humidity.

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We never said you were a novice - I didn't get that impression. ;) But cresties do NOT require constant humidiy. They really do need that drying out period. I am only answering the questions that you ask....

We aren't trying to be critical - we are just trying to help you have the best experience with your little guy that you can possibly have. Cresties are super easy to care for, but the babies can be delicate. We want you to have great success with your little one. :gj:

I wasn't saying you guys were being rude. Just some comments were repetitive.

I plan on getting him one of the tall tanks with the opening doors on the front once he gets a little older and larger. He has gained a noticeable bit of weight since I bought him, but I'm going on the assumption they weren't feeding him correctly.

As for now I keep the tank somewhat open so he can feed on crickets more easily.

Curious as to what are the best plants I can use for such a small enclosure?

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Originally Posted by Evenstar

Take the lamp out and mostly cover the screen top, stick some live plants in there, and you will see almost instant results.

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Sorry to hijack the thread. Just want ask a quick question. If you put live plants in the enclosure, don't you need to keep a lamp/have UVB in there for the photo period? Even if a room has windows, is it really enough ambient light? What if its north facing? Doesn't get any direct sunlight? Has another house or tree or obstruction in the way? Lol

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If you put live plants in the enclosure, don't you need to keep a lamp/have UVB in there for the photo period? Even if a room has windows, is it really enough ambient light? What if its north facing? Doesn't get any direct sunlight? Has another house or tree or obstruction in the way?

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There are tons of houseplants that don't need direct sunlight to thrive. Most types of philodendron and hosta are two I can think of off the top of my head, mostly because I have them, :) My philo lived 3 years a few feet away from a north facing window and did just fine.

I'm Going to buy a small UVB light and cut it on for 2 hours a day, also a "critter light" which is a very small 10 watt light that I can mount to the Inside of the tank. Still waiting on ideas for what kind of plants are best.

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Originally Posted by mhinkle

I wasn't saying you guys were being rude. Just some comments were repetitive.

I plan on getting him one of the tall tanks with the opening doors on the front once he gets a little older and larger. He has gained a noticeable bit of weight since I bought him, but I'm going on the assumption they weren't feeding him correctly.

As for now I keep the tank somewhat open so he can feed on crickets more easily.

Curious as to what are the best plants I can use for such a small enclosure?

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Originally Posted by mhinkle

I'm Going to buy a small UVB light and cut it on for 2 hours a day, also a "critter light" which is a very small 10 watt light that I can mount to the Inside of the tank. Still waiting on ideas for what kind of plants are best.

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I like pothos a lot - it'll grow in almost anything. Brumelaides are good sturdy choices and hosta are also nice.

Some of the answers I've given you are repetitive because you continue to dwell on a couple of points - the crickets and the lamp. Why would you keep the enclosure open for easier hunting of crickets if you shouldn't be feeding crickets right now? Your baby need CGD only for now. And he needs to feel more secure. And why are you going to continue to put a light over, or in, the cage when you've been told repeatedly that a light is not necessary (and is even detrimental to the humidity - which is more important)?? None of the plants I or Sita mentioned need UVB and therefore a light is in no way necessary at all. I absolutely do NOT intend to sound rude, but if you think you're frustrated that you're getting repetitive answers, it's just as frustrating for someone who's trying to help you to continue to repeat those same answers. My apologies - sincerely. :gj:

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Originally Posted by Orenshi

Sorry to hijack the thread. Just want ask a quick question. If you put live plants in the enclosure, don't you need to keep a lamp/have UVB in there for the photo period? Even if a room has windows, is it really enough ambient light? What if its north facing? Doesn't get any direct sunlight? Has another house or tree or obstruction in the way? Lol

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Originally Posted by Sita

There are tons of houseplants that don't need direct sunlight to thrive. Most types of philodendron and hosta are two I can think of off the top of my head, mostly because I have them, :) My philo lived 3 years a few feet away from a north facing window and did just fine.

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Many plants do not actually need UVB light. Sita mentioned a couple and pothos vines are another great example. You can stick pothos bare root on eco earth or coco fiber and it'll grow. A little water is all it needs, but it'll grow in wet environments too - and will stand up to crushing so it's a good choice for arboreal snakes as well. ;)

I get what you're saying.

I've read many places stating that a small UVB light for a hour or two a day can help healthy growth in crested geckos, epically babies that are not eating well.

I have never seen him eat the cgd directly from his dish. I have hidden it in his favorite spot behind his fake vines. I offer him a few small dusted crickets weekly gutloaded with various fruits and gutloading formula. He shows a lot of interest in them when they are in a bag beside his tank but I've only seen him eat a few in his tank. Since I have changed from the Eco earth to the paper towels he spends most of his time hiding underneath the paper towels.. I get him out and take small amounts of cgd an smear it on his nose daily to make sure he's feeding.

I insist on having a light because he is the highest tank in the room an does not get any light except the rooms light being turned on an off all day. I would rather put a 15 or smaller watt bulb on a 12/12 timer.

I will check out those plants. Is there somewhere specific to get them? I'm not much of a green thumb kind of guy so I know absolutely nothing about anything plant like.

Thanks for all the help so far, sorry if I came off ignorantly.

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Originally Posted by mhinkle

I get what you're saying. I'm glad - I really was not trying to be rude. ;)

I've read many places stating that a small UVB light for a hour or two a day can help healthy growth in crested geckos, epically babies that are not eating well.

I have never seen him eat the cgd directly from his dish. I have hidden it in his favorite spot behind his fake vines. I offer him a few small dusted crickets weekly gutloaded with various fruits and gutloading formula. He shows a lot of interest in them when they are in a bag beside his tank but I've only seen him eat a few in his tank. Since I have changed from the Eco earth to the paper towels he spends most of his time hiding underneath the paper towels.. I get him out and take small amounts of cgd an smear it on his nose daily to make sure he's feeding.

I insist on having a light because he is the highest tank in the room an does not get any light except the rooms light being turned on an off all day. I would rather put a 15 or smaller watt bulb on a 12/12 timer.

Ok, that explains a lot. Thank you for clarifying.

I will check out those plants. Is there somewhere specific to get them? I'm not much of a green thumb kind of guy so I know absolutely nothing about anything plant like. Most greenhouses will have pothos. It is very common and not hard to get at all. They should be able to order some in for you if they don't have any in stock. It is available nearly any time of the year as you can take cuttings off the original plant and sprout it in a vase of water. As I said, lol, it's easy to grow! As spring moves along, you should have no trouble finding brumelaides or hostas either. All are very common. :gj:

Thanks for all the help so far, sorry if I came off ignorantly. You didn't. I was just getting concerned that everything was ok. Thanks again for explaining more!

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Your pictures ^^ are very cute! He looks really great and should have some nice creamy partial pinning as he grows older. :D

So left the light off all day yesterday. Heavily misted the tank around 8 am, that rose the humidity to around 90. Slowly made its way to 60 by 2 pm, and then by 4 it was around 40. Almost the exact same as with the light.. Maybe half a hour slower.

Looking into some plants today.

From everything that I read online about crestie care it said most in the am and again in the pm cause they need a dry period in the middle also. If the lights aren't causing them to dry out then I don't see any harm in leaving them be.

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Originally Posted by mhinkle

So left the light off all day yesterday. Heavily misted the tank around 8 am, that rose the humidity to around 90. Slowly made its way to 60 by 2 pm, and then by 4 it was around 40. Almost the exact same as with the light.. Maybe half a hour slower.

Looking into some plants today.

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Sounds pretty good. :gj: