10 gallon?

[jben]

Hey, i'm doing as much research before getting into a crestie. i have (2) 10g tanks taking up space and have read that 1 adult crestie can be happily kept in one. now don't get me wrong i love the DIY from Steffe but since i already have tanks not being used, would it be ok to use them or just forget about it?
Thank you in advance.

[mlededee]

A 10 gallon would be okay for one average sized adult. If you happen to get one that grows to be on the larger side (60+ grams) you may want to give it something a bit bigger.

[jben]

would i be able to use a mesh screen with locks on the tank or install a custom plexiglass?

[mlededee]

You could use a regular screen lid or make something with partial plexiglass, just keep in mind that you need good ventilation.

[zeke]

I have seen people use the screen tops and add a piece of plexi that covers part or the screen from the inside.. I guess they used silicon to hold it in place..

I made this bad boy from a 20L it's all plexi and I used silicon type II from home depot to hold the plexi in place.. just rough up the contact areas a lil bit with sandpaper for a better hold.. here is a pic. it's a lil fuzzy



Good luck and post pics

Cheers

[Warocker's Wife]

Hey so here’s the problems I have seen encounter with 10 gallons. If not enough space the gecko will get 'flopsie' tail, a healthy adult just gets a tail that flops... this also can happen for other reasons. But this reason I am talking about is a healthy gecko too big for the tank. So in my opinion a 10gl is great for the first 2 years of its life after that a feel a 20 long is more appropriate. Not saying an adult won’t be fine in a 10gl. I have just seen they do better in larger arboreal space. Hope this helps!

Good luck.. Cresties are addictive.. Not sure but I got somewhere in the 50 range

[jben]

thank you all, looks like we'll just go with the DIY tub just to make sure that everything is correct.

[mlededee]

Floppy tail happens due to nutritional deficiency (mainly not enough calcium), hanging upside down or face down or just because of the mere fact that as the gecko grows its tail gets heavier and because the entire tail is only supported by one vertebrae, it sometimes just becomes too heavy for that one vertebrae to support. When it happens due to housing it is usually because there is not enough vertical climbing area (as in branches, vines, etc.) and so the gecko hangs at a 90 degree angle on the sides of the cage instead of at a lesser angle or no angle on perches, vines and whatnot. Sometimes there is nothing at all you can do to prevent floppy tail and it just happens because of the weight of the tail, but with proper diet and vertical climbing space and resting areas you are doing all that you can to prevent it.

A 10 gallon is probably the smallest you want to go for an adult, but I have not experienced that caging of that size is an actual cause for FTS when the cage is furnished appropriately. You could have a 50 gallon tank for your gecko, but if you didn't have proper climbing area and perches in it, the gecko would hang out on the the glass and become at risk for floppy tail. It's more about having the proper setup inside of the enclosure than the size of the enclosure.

[jben]

That's interesting, so as long as the enclosure has lots of branches, perches and nic-nacs there's less chance for FTS. hmmm. Also the tank would have to be setup on it's side just like the above pic from zeke, correct?

[mlededee]

For an adult I would set the tank up vertically. For younger geckos you could start out with it horizontally, and I would actually recommend keeping it horizontal for smaller geckos (under 10 grams or so). My number one recommendation for an adult would be something somewhat larger than a 10 gallon, but for the average size adult I think a 10 gallon is the minimum (or something like an Exo-terra 12x12x18 enclosure, which is a very similar size to a vertical 10 gallon). The more perches, branches and vertical climbing space you provide, the lesser the chances of your gecko hanging out on the glass (and they love to hang face down for some reason, which puts all the weight of their tail on that one vertebrae at the base of their spine), so the lesser the chance of FTS.

BUT, here is what I really think you should plan on. You won't be able to get just one crestie. It's just not possible. SO, plan on getting an 18x18x24 Exo-terra or some sort of screen or partial screen enclosure of similar size. Use your 10 gallons to grow up the babies/juvies that you get (or you can start babies in kritter keepers and move them up to the 10 gallons when they are ready). Then when they are old enough and sexable you can move your females into the larger enclosure, and if you don't have other larger caging by then as well you can keep single males in the 10 gallons until you upgrade them to make room for more babies.