Zeppelin the Crestie.

[IamKaervek]

He's up in the top-left, rear corner:




I just picked Zeppelin up today from the pet shop - boy, breeders would be so much nicer to deal with! Anyway, he's setup with a synthetic vine, a live pothos, a hide, a water dish and his little ceramic food-dish. The substrate is coconut husk. Humidity is around 65%, and the heat is just over 70-degrees farenheit. From what I understand, these numbers are quite alright, but does anybody here disagree?

As for the physical arrangement of the terrarium, there are some definite upgrades to be done in the near future, including more foliage and a better (more 'interactive') back-drop. If you guys don't mind, could you tell me what might be wrong with the way it is for now? Anything that strikes you as the wrong way to do things?

I've got two lamps setup on a dimmer for day and night-time lighting. I hope to give him a companion tomorrow from the same place I purchased him. They're too young to get an idea of sex for now, but I'd really like to start breeding in the future with more experience.

Thanks for the comments

[mlededee]

congrats on your new crestie! i personally am absolutely addicted to them.

your humidity and temps sound fine. as long as the temps don't get below the mid 60s you should be fine.

the terrarium is very nice looking but pretty big for such a little guy. do you plan on feeding crickets or just the cgd (that's what is in his dish right?)? in such a big space he may have trouble finding the crickets. also you might reconsider your substrate for now. babies very easily get a mouthfull of substrate when they are trying to grab crickets and you don't want him to swallow that. again, if you aren't going to feed crickets then your substrate is fine. i use paper towels in all of my crested enclosures because i do feed both insects and cgd.

special lighting isn't really necessary for cresteds but you can give them a day/night cycle if you wish. just make sure that you aren't heating up the enclosure with your lamp--anything above 80-82 degrees is dangerous for cresteds.



p.s. how 'bout some close ups of zeppelin himself? i need to check that little cutie out.

[IamKaervek]

congrats on your new crestie! i personally am absolutely addicted to them.

I think I'm following suit!

your humidity and temps sound fine. as long as the temps don't get below the mid 60s you should be fine.

The temperature is hovering right around 70 degrees, which has me a little on the worried side. I don't want to be gone for a day, only to come home and find the temps much lower

the terrarium is very nice looking but pretty big for such a little guy. do you plan on feeding crickets or just the cgd (that's what is in his dish right?)? in such a big space he may have trouble finding the crickets. also you might reconsider your substrate for now. babies very easily get a mouthfull of substrate when they are trying to grab crickets and you don't want him to swallow that. again, if you aren't going to feed crickets then your substrate is fine. i use paper towels in all of my crested enclosures because i do feed both insects and cgd.

Yes, I do plan on feeding gut-loaded crickets. I'll have them in a kritter-keeper eating Nature Zone's Cricket Total Bites (little green gel-cubes). I've also got 2 different types of vitamins and calcium:

• Fluker's Calcium : Phosphorus w/ D-3
• Bone Aid MicroStick Calcium Powder (doesn't specify a source of D-3, should I assume it doesn't have any?)
• Rep-Cal Herptivite with Beta Carotene Multivitamins
• Zoo Med's Reptivite Vitamins

Are any of these better than the others per your experience, or do you have any others that you would recommend? Would you advise against anything in particular with respects to supplements?

Yes, the little ceramic dish you see in there is in fact CGD, and I'm happy to say that there were some spots where he had licked it out this morning I'm happy that he's comfortable enough to eat already!

Also, I plan on picking up one of his (or her?) little brothers (or sisters?) today, so do you think the increase of population will help the fact that the terrarium is so large?

Thanks so much for all of your input thus far! I look forward to giving these little buggers a long and happy life, and hopefully some babies in the future! I'll be sure to let you know if I'm in the market for a female

special lighting isn't really necessary for cresteds but you can give them a day/night cycle if you wish. just make sure that you aren't heating up the enclosure with your lamp--anything above 80-82 degrees is dangerous for cresteds.

Would you mind telling me exactly what you use for lighting / heat sources? Ambient room-temperature is probably sufficient, but I don't want to risk anything, seeing as how my room temp often changes.

p.s. how 'bout some close ups of zeppelin himself? i need to check that little cutie out.

You got it! Sorry for the minor blurriness, I'm still getting used to my new camera. Also, I didn't want to disturb him on his throne for other angles, so I'll get some better pics later today.

How cute is this little guy!!

[mlededee]

The temperature is hovering right around 70 degrees, which has me a little on the worried side. I don't want to be gone for a day, only to come home and find the temps much lower

as long as it doesn't get below 62ish for more than a day i wouldn't worry too much. if you come home one night and it's in the lower 60s just turn on a heat lamp or something similar until it warms up a bit in the enclosure. a few hours in the lower temps won't hurt them--they are tough little guys. too hot is much riskier than too cold with these geckos.

Yes, I do plan on feeding gut-loaded crickets. I'll have them in a kritter-keeper eating Nature Zone's Cricket Total Bites (little green gel-cubes). I've also got 2 different types of vitamins and calcium:
Fluker's Calcium : Phosphorus w/ D-3
Bone Aid MicroStick Calcium Powder (doesn't specify a source of D-3, should I assume it doesn't have any?)
Rep-Cal Herptivite with Beta Carotene Multivitamins
Zoo Med's Reptivite Vitamins
Are any of these better than the others per your experience, or do you have any others that you would recommend? Would you advise against anything in particular with respects to supplements?

the herptivite and reptivite are both good. i personally use the rep-cal herptivite in conjunction with rep-cal calcium with vitamin d3--they are made to go together. since i feed cgd regularly i dust with the herptivite every cricket feeding and the calcium and herptivite about every other feeding.

Yes, the little ceramic dish you see in there is in fact CGD, and I'm happy to say that there were some spots where he had licked it out this morning I'm happy that he's comfortable enough to eat already!

that's awesome!

Also, I plan on picking up one of his (or her?) little brothers (or sisters?) today, so do you think the increase of population will help the fact that the terrarium is so large?

increasing the population won't really help the individual find food. obviously finding the cgd hasn't been a problem so they may not have too much trouble with the crickets. i kept my very first cresteds in a rather huge (for them at the time) aquarium at first and they didn't have any trouble but they were both fiesty eaters. just keep an eye on them and watch to see that they are getting the crickets when you feed them.

Would you mind telling me exactly what you use for lighting / heat sources? Ambient room-temperature is probably sufficient, but I don't want to risk anything, seeing as how my room temp often changes.

i don't use anything at all for light or heat. my herp room stays at about 78 degrees year round so heat is not an issue for me, but like i said before, anything in the normal room temperature range is fine for cresteds. 78 is actually on the warm end for them unless you are breeding (they will breed at lower temps, but seem to produce better if it is a little warmer). the room that they are in get dim sunlight that is filtered through blinds and a dark sheet covering the window. it is enough light that they can tell night and day but it is still pretty dim in the room. since cresteds are nocturnal they really don't require any special or extra lighting unless it is to provide needed heat.


zeppelin is a cutie pie! i love the pic of him peeking over the leaf. they are SO easily addicting!

[IamKaervek]

I picked up a medium Exo-Terra waterfall today, and I was wondering if there's a limit to humidity for the Cresties. I read the care-sheet provided here, but all that's mentioned is how they like high-humidity, and no specifics were given.

mlededee (can I call you Bob? :p ), do you have any suggestions as to whom I should buy a female from? I've seen your website, but you don't seem to have any available.

[kavmon]

kevin dunne of dragon's den herp is in ca. he should have a selection of females to choose from. he's slow on email so call him if you want fast service.


vaughn

[mlededee]

you can call me bob if you want to, but i'd prefer emily or just mle.

those exo terra waterfalls are nice. i had one in my red eyed tree frog enclosure for a while but it proved to be too much of a pain because they defecate in their water and that whole thing is a lot to clean every day. anyhoo, i'd say you probably don't want the humidity to stay over 80% for extended periods of time. the biggest problem with high humidity is mold--in the substrate and in the food mostly. is the top of your enclosure screen or are there any adjustable vents in it? i've seen those before but can't recall the top... you may be able to mess with it and get your humidity right.

females, hmmm. i have several that look to be female but i can't absolutely guarantee it until they are older. shoot me a private message or e-mail (emily@cookreptiles.com) if you are interested. if you want a guaranteed adult female you could try garrick demeyer: http://www.crestedgecko.com/crestedg...d%20Geckos.htm or search here: http://market.kingsnake.com/index.php?cat=31.

[IamKaervek]

you can call me bob if you want to, but i'd prefer emily or just mle.

Fair enough, Emily. Nice to meet you

is the top of your enclosure screen or are there any adjustable vents in it?

The top is a full screen. Shortly after adding the waterfall, the humidity was at around 70%, but I'll be sure to check it again tomorrow afternoon when I get back home; the waterfall likely raised it by at least 5% (NW Washington state is generally quite humid as it is). I'll look into getting some airflow into the tank via a small fan or something if the humidity reaches the mid-70's for too long.

females, hmmm. i have several that look to be female but i can't absolutely guarantee it until they are older. shoot me a private message or e-mail (emily@cookreptiles.com) if you are interested. if you want a guaranteed adult female you could try garrick demeyer: http://www.crestedgecko.com/crested...ed%20Geckos.htm or search here: http://market.kingsnake.com/index.php?cat=31.

Thank you very much for the references, and I will certainly be keeping in touch!

[mlededee]

70% is a good humidity level--just keep an eye on it. you may not have to mist too much if the geckos will drink the water from the waterfall which will keep the humidity down some.

oh, and one more place you can look for females: http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/pp_c...cat.php?cat=27

[ballpythonandragon]

If you don't mind me asking where did you get that setup i love it. Would be really easy to view and what are the sizes of it? thanks Aaron