Getting a crested gecko

[Stu]

Im getting a crested gecko and have done my home work but once again the internet has about 20 thousand different suggestions on how to care for them.. so I am going to ask all you out there. I know they like to climb and like to have it humid around 50 to 70%. I must get some crested gecko diet, and they like fruit but what is the best fruit for them. From what I understand I can use a cocohusk substrate. What I am not clear on is some of the places I looked for info said I need uvb but I know they are active in the pm so do I really need this or are they just trying to make a few bucks? Also from what I have been told I am to keep the temps around 70 at night and 75 day time.

Any other suggestions would be great, or any corrections to the info that I have obtained.
Thanks for reading

[Daybreaker]

I'm no Crestie expert as I've only had mine since November of last year, but here's what I've been doing:

I do keep my humidity between 50-70% roughly, I mist in the morning and at night when I go to bed.

I haven't fed mine any fresh mashed fruit, only CGD (original flavor). I heard some like strawberries though, and some people feed crickets (cresties that eat crickets regularly, along with CGD, do seem to grow faster).

I have my guy on paper towels personally. I recommend it for babies so they don't accidentally eat some substrate.

I do not use any UVB or heat bulbs for my guy: his temps stay between 70-75 where he is at and he does perfect. I believe temps under 70 are too cold for cresties but they are hardy. Hotter temps are more detrimental to them.

[Otolith]

I have never fed fruit. I give crickets occasionally (couple times a month) but cgd primarily. Check their calcium sacs periodically and offer additional vits/Ca dusting on their cgd and crickets especially when they are growing. Uvb isn't necessary in my experience. Sticking to cgd,supplementation and monitoring the sacs are best insurance against mbd imo.
Paper towels make great substrate when they are growing. Once they have some size I switch to cocofiber.

[EverEvolvingExotics]

Some people will give a rare offering of very ripe fruit to their geckos, but it's not needed and most recommend against it. Repashy superfoods is the only CGD I'd recommend. Most local stores don't carry it so you will need to order it online, many places carry it and it's incredibly cost effective. I provide this to them at all times in a milk cap for adults and water bottle lids for hatchlings. I switch it out for fresh CGD every other night. I also feed dubia roaches, they aren't necessary but it speeds up their growth rate and I enjoy watching them hunt.

You can use a variety of different setups for crested geckos. Anything from tubs, glass tanks turned on end, arboreal cages such as the R-Zilla acrylic atrium or the Exo-Terra and Zoo Med enclosures. The biggest things to keep in mind are keeping the humidity on point. I live in Arizona I just mist nightly and this keeps the humidity perfect for me. Provide lots of plants and climbing areas to make them feel secure.

Here is a cheap setup for hatchlings that costs around $5 total to make.


Here is a medium priced setup and my favorite, R-Zilla acrylic atrium.


Here is an Exo-terra, one of the more costly setups out there, but they look great. You can sometimes find them used on craigslist if you look long enough.


For hatchlings I use paper towel. They don't eat very much CGD at a time so it’s nice to be able to see their poop. It's usually the only way you know they are eating. For adult setups I really like rubber mulch mats you can usually find them at Home Depot or Lowes. You just cut it to size. It's easy to clean, doesn't leave a mess, and it looks natural.

UVA/UVB lighting isn't necessary because they are nocturnal, but I take them outside every now and then to give them some natural sunlight. It's seems to enhance their colors. I don't do it very often.

Besides those basics, crested geckos are a very hardy species and do well in a variety of husbandry techniques as long as the basic requirements are being met. You can find a ton of useful information over at Pangea forums: http://www.pangeareptile.com/forums/forum.php

JB's Cresties regularly posts video on youtube, they are very informational. Here is a link to her channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/stolenmilkcrate?ob=0

[Stu]

Thanks for the info.. dubia roaches are not legal in Canada so I wont be getting those and what is mbd?

[EverEvolvingExotics]

Thanks for the info.. dubia roaches are not legal in Canada so I wont be getting those and what is mbd?

Metabolic Bone Disease AKA MBD is an abnormality caused from a lack of nutrients, such as calcium, this is why feeding a quality diet like Repashy CGD is so important. Crickets work too if you decide to feed bug treats.

[Stu]

I dont think the cocohusk was such a good idea.. they are dive bombing the crickets I put in there and getting a mouth full of the substrate. Im going to go buy some carpet tomorrow

[EverEvolvingExotics]

That's another reason why some people don't like loose substrate. If you do really like loose substrate you can always feed in a separate enclosure.

[trousersnakes]

Have had creators forever. Start off with paper towel on the ground. When there small they will swollow it going after food. Spray twice a day an humidity should be okay. Put a little crested gecko diet in there every night as they don't eat a lot. Every few days put 3 or so crickets in there before bed. That's about it.

[sleepygeckos]

I second the papertowels as substrate - not only is there no worry about eating some (to tell the truth, our little girl ate some paper towel when she was only a few months because both her and the cricket wouldn't let go! All came out in the "end" just fine.) Also papertowels are much easier to monitor for mold growth.

I've used several iterations of enclosures as she's grown, but I think the investment in an exoterra glass one was really worth it. We mist only once a day, so she has a dry and wet cycle and she's never had shed or dehydration problems and letting the papertowels dry out limits mold and other nasties growth.

Crested Gecko Diet all the way. When they are young they will grow faster if you supplement with dusted insects every 3 feedings or so. (I like crickets.) After the crestie is full grown, we still like to give crickets once or twice a month for psychological stimulation.

No need for light or heat as long as you keep the enclosure in the 70s. Below 65F is deadly and above 85F as well - however I've seen cresties show signs of extreme heat stress as early as 80F, so I always err on the side of cooler. If you have another herp, it is nice to put them next to each other. Our current setup is one leo next to one crestie - the crestie is close enough to the leo's light to get an idea of a day/night cycle, but it doesn't really raise the temperature of her enclosure.

The only other thing I would add is my fiance's favorite line, "If you can find your crestie all the time, you need more leaves." I also tore apart a plastic thing from IKEA to make a ladder & horizontal surface as it is important to have horizontal resting places above "ground" to prevent the possibility of hip problems. Hope this ramble helps!