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Ninalikescresties   Guido1090   Ninalikescresties   Janmccri   Squee  
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 #2046427


Ninalikescresties
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 In need of some legit, crested gecko expert info

My husband and I had got a baby crestie about two months ago, (my guess is that the gecko was 2 months old when we got him) and I have some questions, and want to make sure he is okay! He doesn’t seem lethargic, he is active, he morphs, he eats, he doesn’t seem stressed, but I still have concerns. I want to make sure I’m giving my gecko the best possible treatment I can. So let me tell you about the details of my treatment, and I ask that you give me feedback on each thing.

I know that this is huge to ask, but your feedback is GREATLY appreciated!!!

- Temprature on average is between 73-80 Degrees.

- I use Eco Earth substrate. At night I mist the cage with filtered water to 80+ humidity, and let it drop to about 60 during the day. Am I doing the right thing? Should I change substrate? Speaking of which, I had a mushroom grow in my substrate today!!!! I changed my substrate only 2 weeks ago....Is this something that I should be concerned about? Am I not changing it often enough?

- My gecko has not shed yet.

- My gecko has not yet learned how to drink water on his own from a dish, and I can’t get him/her to eat the CGD on his/her own yet either. I have sat there for like, 10 minuets trying to hand feed it, and it hardly goes for it. I have even tried baby food without any added ingredients. Sometimes it is impossible to get him to eat it, and it will only go for crickets. He/she really likes crickets, but I’ve heard that it isn’t healthy to just feed it crickets. (yes, I calcium dust them) If this is true, how can I successfully change this?

- I keep the gecko on a light schedule. From 9AM-9PM, I keep the gecko lit with a regular "energy saving" light-bulb. It gives off no heat. At 9PM, when needed, I will use a moonlight bulb that supposedly doesn’t disturb his lighting schedule. It is 75 watts. I keep the bulb far away enough to not affect the temperature, but it gives ample lighting so that I can feed it.

- I don’t know if this affects anything, but the things I have inside my cage are: A ceramic feeding rock, a ceramic dragon, a long twisty piece of wood with branches for climbing, fake kinda clothy like leaves that suction to the top of the cage. My gecko absolutely loves hiding in them.


Yeah, I can’t think of anything else. Thank you sooo much for taking your time reading this, and thank you if you decide to answer. If I’m a bad or good mom, let me know!!
07/28/09  12:08am

 #2046945


Guido1090
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   Message To: Ninalikescresties   In reference to Message Id: 2046427


 In need of some legit, crested gecko expert info

temp sounds alright. you want to try and keep it at the lower end of that temp range. 70-77 is the ideal temp range.

humidity sounds great. eco earth is a good substrate. im not sure why it grew a mushroom. i would get the mushroom and substrate near it out asap and watch for more. it shouldnt need changed that often if you spot clean.

he probably has shed and you just havent seen it yet. it only takes them like an hour at most to fully shed and they do it in the middle of the night.

if your feeding crickets when he doesnt eat the CGD then he has most likely learned that if he refuses the CGD that you will give him crickets. you should only offer CGD for at least a week with no crickets or baby food and see if he eats it then. dont feed him crickets on the exo earth substrate. they are clumsy eaters and will get mouthfuls of substrate.

the lighting sounds perfect. you dont need to use the night light for them but if it works for you to be able to feed them and it doesnt make the temp of the cage any hotter then thats great. i use a desk lamp on the other side of my bed room to have light to feed mine with.

can you post a picture of your cage? it sounds alright but without seeing it i cant give you any advice on it. maybe add more leaf cover.


over all it sounds like your doing pretty good
07/28/09  08:42pm

 #2047202


Ninalikescresties
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   Message To: Guido1090   In reference to Message Id: 2046945


 In need of some legit, crested gecko expert info

Thank you for the feedback!

As far as the CGD and the crickets go, I went about 5 days without feeding him crickets trying to get him to eat CGD, or even baby food. He hardly ate any, and I didn’t know how long he was able to live without eating an ample amount of food. So I gave in and bought crickets....haha....and I never feed him crickets on the substrate...I have noticed that he is a HUGE clumsy hunter!

Here are some pictures of the cage:
(we are planning on getting a bigger one when he gets bigger)



From the geckos point of view..........





And here are just some cute photos of my gecko to share:












:]
07/29/09  10:23am

 #2047225


Janmccri
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   Message To: Ninalikescresties   In reference to Message Id: 2047202


 In need of some legit, crested gecko expert info

It is really hard to tell if they have eaten the CGD or not. Initially, when Ezra was five months old, I used to spoon feed her and she would lick the food off the spoon. After I knew she was gaining weight, I stopped that and she started eating independently. It is very difficult to tell what part is missing from the food. However, she is now 34 grams and looks huge, so she must be eating something. Also, there are daily poops(often on me when I take her out in the evening). we have a ritual where I make the food and change the water in the evening and then I take her out for 15 minutes. When I go to put her back, I put her on the hammock where her food is located. I have a 30 gallon tank with pet hammocks on both ends with hide fake plants on both ends of the hammocks(about a quarter down from the top). Vines connect them and there are one large and two medium fake trees between the hammocks. I bought a feeding platform that is magnetically held on the side and holds a plastic cup for water and one for CGD. It is at one end of the hammock. So when I put her in, I place her on the hammock by the food cups. she also has no chance of accidentally eating any of the substrate. Now she enjoyed crickets once a week till she was about 19 months and then decided she didn’t want them any more. so she only eats CGD and is getting so big!!So I am suggesting that it is pretty darn hard to tell if any of the CGD is gone except by poops and weight gain. Right Guido? Also I used paper towels for substrate until about 10 or 11 months just to prevent any impaction. The pics are great and cresties don’t need too large of an enclosure. Yours looks great.
Janice



07/29/09  10:54am

 #2047581


Squee
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   Message To: Ninalikescresties   In reference to Message Id: 2046427


 In need of some legit, crested gecko expert info

the temps are fine when you get closer to the higher end make sure to have good air circulation around the cage though.

i never rocomend loose substrate for baby cresties especially if feeding crickets. i always use papertowel or non adheasive shelf liner even for my adults.. because ecoearth is a natural product somethimes through processing everything doesnt get taken care of. as long as you removed the mushroom you should be fine. just be sure to spot clean the cage at least every other day.

shedding half the time you dont notice or see they go through the process so quick you can miss it and not even realise that they have shed.

crestied dont normally drink water out of a bowl. they very much prefer to drink off the leaves and glass siding of the tank.. how often are you feeding crickets? when cresties are young if they can they will hold out for when you feed crickets if you feed them often and wont go to their mixed diet. the only way to get past this is to not feed crickets for a couple weeks and just keep the diet in the cage and hand feed every now and then if you want to make sure hes eating it. also alot depends on the tyoe of dish you put the diet in. if its too tall they wont eat out of it.. when i had babies i would use the plastic lids to the rectangle babyfood containers or the bottom of a mealworm dish container cut down to about 1/4 inch height and flipped upside down. those seemed to work best for me.

the lighting is fine form the sounds of it.

id get some more branches and plants in the cage if possible. they do live to hide in plants and should have more than one area where they can do so.



07/29/09  09:45pm


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