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BPnet Veteran
Crestie Questions!
I've read a lot of different care sheets and such, but everything is different. I know everyone does things different, but I'd like to get some opinions from some actual crestie owners.
-How often do I feed them? Every other day? I've heard some people only feed baby food, but feed the fruit and food with more protein in it like mashed turkey baby food etc. If I feed crickets I dust them with calcium, but how many do I feed at one sitting and how often during the week? Or the T-Rex food...do they carry it at Petsmart/Petco?
-I know the tank should be taller than wider and not too big, but do I feed them in their tank or out of it? I'll probably use newspaper for substrate because I have a phobia about my animals accidentally swallowing some of it.
-Handling cresties. Are they flighty? I would be afraid of them scuttling away and me not wanting to hurt them. Yes, I can handle 6 foot boas but forget a little gecko
Sorry about the rain of questions but I hope I can get some good answers and understand everything before I go out and buy stuff to prepare!
(Formerly HadesBP18)
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BPnet Veteran
Re: Crestie Questions!
Originally Posted by HadesBP18
How often do I feed them? Every other day?
Everyone does have their own system, but I hear most people offer some sort of food daily.
Originally Posted by HadesBP18
I've heard some people only feed baby food, but feed the fruit and food with more protein in it like mashed turkey baby food etc. If I feed crickets I dust them with calcium, but how many do I feed at one sitting and how often during the week?
I feed crickets 5 -6 days of the week dusted with calcium (minus D3) and crested gecko diet (cgd) 3 of the days and the other 2 - 3 days I dust with the same calcium, reptivite w/ D3, and cgd. Too much D3 can be toxic so make sure only one of your vitamin supplement or calcium supplement have it.
I usually offer 5 - 10 appropriately sized crickets (size of the widest part of the geckos head, though mine will each larger than this at times) per gecko and leave them overnight. The extras I remove in the morning.
The days I'm not feeding crickets with dusted supplements, I feed soupy cgd or baby food as a treat. Some of mine won't touch either of these and hold out for the crickets the next night but others love it. If their getting enough cgd and/or crickets mixing meat into the fruit baby food probably isn't necessary.
Originally Posted by HadesBP18
Or the T-Rex food...do they carry it at Petsmart/Petco?
Most all I have seen do.
Originally Posted by HadesBP18
-I know the tank should be taller than wider and not too big, but do I feed them in their tank or out of it? I'll probably use newspaper for substrate because I have a phobia about my animals accidentally swallowing some of it.
I feed in the tank, I tried removing them to make sure each was eating enough but that was stressful on everyone. Instead I purchased a scale and weigh them every other of week. I use papertowels myself, easy to clean up and no impaction worries (though those dang crickets will hold on to papertowels like there's no tomorrow so I remove them during feeding).
Originally Posted by HadesBP18
-Handling cresties. Are they flighty? I would be afraid of them scuttling away and me not wanting to hurt them. Yes, I can handle 6 foot boas but forget a little gecko
Babies are usually more jumpy than adults but mine settled in quite nicely after a few days of handling them. Just don't put them straight back in their enclosure if they get fidegty. Hand walk them, let them settle down and learn that you won't eat them. You can almost always tell when they're about to jump b/c they bunch up before they do. Also, may be a good idea to handle them first in a room that's easy to locate a maurading gecko.
Hope that helps, I have a 3 year old begging my attention and don't have time to proof read!!
Good luck!
Wendy
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BPnet Veteran
Re: Crestie Questions!
Btw, when you handle them, it might be easier if you have somebody else with you. It's a little tricky to get a crested gecko off of your back when you can't see them
Robbie Hamper's book is the best I've seen on the crested geckos, if you're interested in a book.
Using babyfood or CGD to get a gecko to lick it off of your finger is one way you can "kinda" get them used to you.
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Re: Crestie Questions!
just to add my system for feeding (and this is just what works for me--you have to find what works for you and your geckos):
-crickets dusted with vitamin and calcium powder twice per week (3-4 large crickets per adult gecko, 4-5 small or medium per baby or juvi gecko)
-cgd mixed with plain fat free yogurt, water and a very small amount of baby food (for flavor) 2 or 3 times per week
-baby food or baby food with a small amount of cgd mixed into it once a week as a treat (optional)
i feed babies and juvies more often than the adults because they need more nutrition for their growing bodies. i usually feed the adults cgd mixture twice per week max and the babies 3 times min.
i feed in the tank. i use paper towels as substrate so there is no chance of ingestion and because it is super easy to clean.
babies are flightly at first but they are usually easily tamed with short handling sessions. with my jumpiest geckos this is what i do to handle them: sit down at a table right in front of some of the taller cages that i have. this creates a small semi enclosed space for me to handle them in. if they jump away from me it will either be onto the table top or onto the front of one of the cages and i can easily pick them back up. let them do the hand to hand jump until they calm down enough to sit with you without leaping away constantly. it may help to have someone else present at first as mentioned in case they run up your arm and over your shoulder. they can be fast little boogers but generally calm down pretty quickly with short regular handling sessions.
- Emily
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