making a nice home for a crestie

[Kagez28]

i plan on getting a crested gecko in the near future, so i'm doing my normal research, supply hunting, setting everything up till it's perfect thing. before i got my 1st corn snake i had his tank set up for like 2 weeks, my friends would stare into it trying to find the snake.... i let them sit there confused for a while till i told them nothing was in there. any way i got a nice and freshly clean 10gal tank i have turned on it's side, a screen top (which is now a wall) that bends half way to open. i got a ton of fake plants, and some jungle vine. i am in the hunt for some bamboo (will waterproof when i get it). i was just going to use paper towels for the substrate, if something else is better please let me know. i have (or will have in 3-5 days) a magnetic ledge that will hold the food and some water. and an acurite w/ humidity. i am sure i forgot something, but this is the jist of it. everything sound good?

also how do you attach the fake plants to the top or sides of the tank, would a glue gun work? and do they need any sort of hide on the ground? also a question about feeding. i was planning on just the CGD mixed with water, and fresh fruits when ever i would be getting them. i would like to give him crickets every once in a while (like once a week or so) would that be ok? just like a little hunting experience here and there.

thanks for all the help in advance.

[ZEKESMOM]

Hello and welcome to the ever expanding club of crestie keepers Sounds like you are on the right track!
Ok on to some of your questions.......
I use paper towels for subtrate and know that quite a few keepers here on the site do also. It is very cheap and very easy to clean up....just scoop up the old ones rip off a few new ones and viola...done lol
As for attatching your vines to the glass...I use the small window suction cups...they work very well. I'm not sure on using the glue gone unless you do it waaaay before you get your crestie so that there are no harmful fumes.
Depending on the size of the crestie that you get you may want to lay your tank back horizontal. If you get a hatchling or juvie they really do not need all of the vertical space yet. But an older juvie or adult is going to love all the vertical space.
On to your supplies.....Sounds like you have everything...except for food...unless I missed it there somewhere LOL
Make sure to have GCD, phosperous free calcium with vitamin D, and you can feed any of these,,,crickets, mealworms, superworms.
I wish you the best of luck with your new crestie
Just went back and reread your post...did miss where you mentioned food...sorry
GCD mixed with water is good....make it a little on the runny side as they like to let it set for a couple days and start to "spoil" I have not given my cresties any fresh fruit but I have given them yogurt as a treat. Crickets once a week is good...all depends on how often you want to offer them and how often it will eat them....I have one crestie that hardley touches his crickets but will eat meal worms and an other that devours crickets and he gets them every other day. With my one that gets crickets every day I dust one time with calcium, one time with nothing, one time with GCD and then repeat the process.

[mlededee]

a few things: make sure to get some clamps/clips for the top and use a water-based latex polyurethane to seal the bamboo. paper towels are fine (and safest) for substrate.

i secure fake plants to vines or bamboo with small zip ties. that way i can pull everything out to clean it. you can also use suction cups, but i find that they usually come unstuck over time.

i do provide hides on the ground--some will use them, some won't.

you feeding plan sounds fine, just make sure not to feed any type of citrus fruit, as citric acid is bad for cresteds.

[ZEKESMOM]

Darn!! I knew I would miss things.

[Kagez28]

thanks.

i haven't even started shopping around for them yet, so i don't know how old he/she would be getting. does age matter at all? is it easier to start off with a little older one to get experience then maybe down the road get a younger one?

and just another quick question, do you keep your cresties in the same room as your snakes, if you have any? i was just wondering cause i tend to keep my snakes room a little warmer and i read anything above 82-84 is bad for the crestie. i was planning on just keeping in my room with i let get a little cooler, but i do a lot of school work in there and the lights might be on pretty late, can they handle light at night? i am just having a little trouble figuring out where to put the lil guy/girl. any suggestions?

[mlededee]

hatchlings and juvies are definitely jumpier, but adults that haven't been handled much can be totally wild. if you can either start with one that is between 2-4 months old or get one from a breeder who handles their geckos on a regular basis that would be your best bet.

i do keep my cresteds in the same room as my snakes. the room has a warm side for the snakes and a cooler side for the geckos. it's an interesting balance.

in your room should be fine--cresteds are nocturnal so they will be up late at night anyhow and as long as you aren't leaving the lights on all night long they should be okay. if you are having a super late night you could always temporarily cover the cage with a dark sheet or towel.

[Kagez28]

Mlededee, where are you located?

i am looking for a breeder near michigan, so the lil guy(or girl) doesn't have to be shipped.

P.S. your collection is amazing!!!

[mlededee]

thanks kevin! i'm in georgia, so unless you are planning a trip down south i'd have to ship. honestly though--shipping isn't a big deal for cresties. they are pretty tough little boogers.

[frankykeno]

Kevin if you are anywhere near Taylor, MI you can always attend the herp show that's held monthly there. Matt from Pangea vends there and he sells wonderful cresties. We got our Sprocket from him last year. Emily is right though, cresties shipped by an experienced person, ship just fine and tons of them are shipped quite safely every year so don't make that stop you from ordering online.

[mlededee]

here's a link to matt's site: www.pangeareptile.com. i'd definitely recommend him as well!