Some crestie questions

[jason221]

Hey all you people who own crested geckos... I've got some questions for you. I may be getting a crested gecko (or two) in a couple weeks, so here goes.

1. Is CGD enough to feed? I.E., no insects, etc.? If so, how many times a week?

2. Is a cage 18 inches tall by 12 inches by 12 inches enough for one? How about 18x18x18 for two?

3. Is the humidity allowed to drop into the mid-high forties during the day? I'd mist the cage in the morning and evening.

4. If the temperature's in the 70 range, the gecko will be fine, right? What about high sixties at night?

5. What about vacations? Will a crested be fine with no misting/eating for about a week?

I've read the care sheet several times, but I still wanted to run these questions by to make sure. Sorry if they seem obvious.

[tigerlily]

1. Yes you can feed CGD only. It's designed to be a complete and balanced diet. I mix up a small dish, and put it in every other day. You don't want to leave it too long in the cage as it will dry up or mold. Either way not good. I do offer crickets every now and then, but mostly as a treat.

2. Those cage measurements seem a bit small to me.

3. That sounds ok.

4. 70 range is good for cresties, but don't let the temps get too low. I wouldn't go any lower than 68.

5. That's a bit long for cresties to go without food.

I hope that helps.

[jason221]

Is it bad for them to go that long without food? I don't think I could convince my mom to take a shorter vacation than a week, which is already fairly short...

Is the CGD every two days for their entire lives? Or can it be twice a week when they're adults?

[tigerlily]

That's how I feed my adults. I feed the babies the same, unless it dries up quicker and then I'll replace for babies. You could probably go a week if you tossed in some crickets and CGD, but it would be pushing it.

[jason221]

Alright. We usually don't take week-long vacations more than one or two times a year, so they should be good.

By the way, the cage sizes I'm referring to are the Exo-Terra hinged-door cages found here.

Thanks for your help.

[mlededee]

just to add a few things:

1. if you mix enough cgd to last for 2 days you can go a few days between each feeding, since one feeding will actually last for 2 days.

2. 12x12x18 would be ok for a single adult but for 2 adults i would go with the 18x18x24--you could actually house 3 adults in this size comfortably as long as you provide plenty of climbing space and hiding spaces.

3. mid 40s during the day is fine

4. temps in the 60s at night are fine and short periods down to about 65 are okay, but like christie said, 68 for the low is best

5. a healthy adult crested should be okay for about a week on it's own if you prep it first. i WOULD not recommend this for anything other than a healthy, well established adult. for 2 weeks prior to going on vacation feed and water the gecko more than usual. right before you go out of town place a good sized portion of cgd in the cage along with about 2 feedings worth of crickets. if the gecko doesn't eat the crickets in the first few days they shouldn't bother it as long as they can reach the cgd--the crickets will eat the cgd as opposed to chewing on your gecko. also leave several shallow water dishes so that there is plenty of water available. the gecko should be ok for 5-6 days if you do this but i only recommend this for adults and only on the rare occassion that it is absolutely necessary.

[Rhapsody]

Since all the other questions were answered completely, I thought I'd throw my two cents in on number five:

If you're going to go on vacation for a week, dont mix the CGD with water. Put the powder only in the dish with some mealworms (or just by itself) and add some crickets to the enclosure as well. The CGD wont dry out or grow mold (which can be dangerous to your cresties if they eat it). Dont forget to mist before you leave, and leave a couple of water dishes in the enclosure as well.

[mlededee]

feeding the cgd powder dry can actually present a choking hazard. think of it like this--pour a cup of protien shake powder into your mouth and try to eat it without any water or other liquid--not pleasant.

[Rhapsody]

Thank god cresties dont pour it down their throats...

Cresties lick pollen off of flowers in the wild, and it's similar to them licking cgd out of a small dish. I know some breeders who use dry cgd on a regular basis and have never had any problems.

I myself use dry cgd with mealworms (and the occasional bout of crickets) as the main food source for months now, and mine are all healthy and growing nicely...

[mlededee]

ok, so lick some protein powder--still not pleasant.

it is also a little different if you put it in a dish with mealworms--when the gecko chews the worm liquids come out of it and mix with any food that they might have picked up. this is also pretty much the equivalent to dusting the worms, so no big deal.

you are right though, some people do feed their cresteds dry cgd and haven't had any problems with it as of yet. however, it was not made to be fed this way and the very person who developed it advises against feeding it dry. i'd rather take his advice and feed the product as it is intended to be fed and not take any risks.