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Tsunami KrazyKelli KrazyKelli Tsunami KrazyKelli Tsunami KrazyKelli Geezle Geezle Tsunami Tsunami Tsunami Geezle Tsunami Tsunami Gecko_gangsterbitch KrazyKelli Tsunami |
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Tsunami View Profile |
I started out with two golden geckos. I had no idea what gender they were, or even how old they were. The man at the petshop had them for the longest time and they wouldn’t sell, so he decided to give them to me. I’m no pro and measuring tanks or anything, but I’m pretty sure what they were kept in wasn’t anything as big as 20 gallons, and what I have now is about the same size. Long story short, one had died a little after, and I think the one that survived is soon on their way out. The situation is this. It’s living in a tank that I’d say, in a very rough estimate, is maybe a little over 5 gallons? I’m assuming that’s what it is, because it looks like it could hold as much water as a 5 gallon bucket, or a little more. It’s got small bits of stripped wood for "flooring" with a few rocks tossed in among it. Three sides of the tank have cardboard taped over them, and I can’t find a sensible cave-like accessory to put in, so I have a clean, empty cookie bag put in. There’s a small dish of water, and a florescent light as the light source. I know myself that these are less than desirable living conditions, and I’m in desperate need of help. At the time this is written, I had recently cleaned out the tank and replaced all the rocks and such after washing them. Since then, this gecko has not eaten, BUT before the most recent cleaning, it would eat whenever there was food laid inside. Food consisted of diced peaches and oranges. This gecko doesn’t seem interested in meal worms. During the day, the gecko is a brown-ish color, keeping the golden color along their neck and back. During the night, the gecko is a bright yellow golden color, as it should be. I’m sorry if this is all jumbled, but I’m in a bit of a panicked state because I don’t want this one to die as well. I’ve been considering giving this gecko away, but I don’t know anyone around this town that knows enough to look after them. I’d like to keep it myself and look after it, but I don’t know if I actually have the things I need to do it. Please help... |
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| 11/03/07 03:37pm |
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KrazyKelli View Profile |
Message To: Tsunami In reference to Message Id: 1499767 A whole slew of issues
Currently your goldie is stressed out. They are a stubborn, high-maintenance gecko and if they are unhappy, they will try to starve to death. They’re also mostly wildcaught and you will need to eventually find and see a reptile vet for a checkup and fecal test to rule out parasites. The vet will teach you how to forcefeed if it indeed becomes a necessity. The gecko has to eat insects. Fruit is addictive to goldies and they cannot live off of it as it does not provide the required proteins and other good stuff that insects provide. Crickets are another option, as are Superworms. The bugs have to be alive. The more cover and hiding places in the tank, the better. I have 6 ft of pothos vine, a fake tree log in the tank propped up, other fake plants, a hammock, and the required dishes for feeding, water, and calcium. The goldie will need hiding places, plenty of them, especially around the top of the tank. If this wasn’t previously known, you will end up spending loads of cash on this lizard. If you want some actual caresheets on what you’ll need and requirements for this specific species, checkout the caresheets section of this website. In the golden gecko section, look at the ones by DragonD, CroB. and myself. If the goldie becomes way too much of a problem and you can’t pay for it, call up the aspca and ask for assistance. You could also visit your local shelter and ask if they’ll take it in. |
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| 11/03/07 05:30pm |
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KrazyKelli View Profile |
Message To: Tsunami In reference to Message Id: 1499767 A whole slew of issues
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| 11/03/07 05:35pm |
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Tsunami View Profile |
Message To: KrazyKelli In reference to Message Id: 1499860 A whole slew of issues
My friend told me to try wrapping a blanket around the tank for a few days, because it might reduce stress. I guess these guys really like to hide a lot, huh... How much would a new tank cost? I also have the problem of not being sure where to put it. It shouldn’t matter though, so long as it’s set up the way they’d like it, right? |
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| 11/04/07 11:36am |
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KrazyKelli View Profile |
Message To: Tsunami In reference to Message Id: 1500769 A whole slew of issues
A 20 gallon tank will be between 20 to 30 USD with a 10 to 12 USD mesh screen lid. Aim for the fish type of tank as the fully vented lizard one will be far more expensive. But still get the screen lid from the lizard department of the store to cover it. If you don’t already have one, buy yourself a digital thermometer and hydrometer (should come in the same package). It’ll be around 10 USD, and the digital ones will read the correct temps while the sticker and dial ones can be way off. Most of the tank accessories you can buy far cheaper at a hobby store or garden store. My 6 ft fake vine I got from a hobby store for 3 dollars compared to the 3ft of the same vine for 10 at a pet store. I get my water dishes as those little ceramic or plastic pot holders that are easily 35 cents to a dollar. And for substrate I buy a 30 to 50 lb bag of peat moss (the dirt variety) at home depot for 3 dollars. The only accessories short of the thermometer that I bought from the pet store was the 17 dollar fake log and 5 dollar hammock. And yeah, the species of gecko loves to hide. It can take them anywhere from 2 months to half a year to settle in completely and you’ll usually see him come out in the night once he’s comfortable. I also found that my gecko peeps when he’s at the epitome of happiness, like a little bird. It startled me at first, but now I’m use to the rare and random peep. |
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| 11/04/07 11:52am |
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Tsunami View Profile |
Message To: KrazyKelli In reference to Message Id: 1500782 A whole slew of issues
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| 11/04/07 12:13pm |
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KrazyKelli View Profile |
Message To: Tsunami In reference to Message Id: 1500793 A whole slew of issues
Either way, expect to spent loads of cash on this lizard regardlessly. |
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| 11/04/07 12:35pm |
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Geezle View Profile |
Message To: Tsunami In reference to Message Id: 1500793 A whole slew of issues
Quote: I called the cheapest place and asked for the price on a tank. It’s 99 dollars. Apparently the "stronger Canadian dollar" isn’t all that strong after all...
Where do you live? Just go into a petsmart or whatever and take a poke around...I’m pretty sure a 20 gallon tank is less than $30 and a basic mesh lid should be under $20. The price you’re quoting sounds more like the price you should pay for a full aquarium starter kit for fish. Plain tanks are CHEAP. Another thing to mention is that these guys are nocturnal. He could be getting dark during the day due to stress from the bright fluorescent light you have there. Also, the florescent light doesn’t give off much heat. Try putting low wattage (around 40watts or whatever you can find) red light on him instead of the florescent one and he might calm down a little. When you do get a bigger tank stand it on end to give the goldie more climbing space, with lots of branches and so on for climbing/hiding. What about humidity? You should mist the tank a couple times a day to provide moisture and humidity. Some goldies won’t drink from a water dish but they will lick up the drops of water on plant leaves etc. Good luck with your little guy and keep us posted on what you’re doing with him and how you’re making out. |
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| 11/13/07 11:27am |
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Geezle View Profile |
Message To: Geezle In reference to Message Id: 1512354 A whole slew of issues
I just wanted to add that if you change out your lighting to a red bulb, the heat should increase his metabolism and appetite and hopefully you can get him off the fruit and back onto the bugs. Maybe try feeding some maggots too, or phoenix worms, which are basically just a different type of maggot as a lot of picky eaters tend to like them. |
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| 11/13/07 11:30am |
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Tsunami View Profile |
Message To: Tsunami In reference to Message Id: 1499767 A whole slew of issues
I’m sorry I haven’t replied in a while. It wasn’t that I gave up, I just didn’t have much news to report. But I’m back with some good news! My gecko is eating again. Worms, too. Though I put some fruit in last night. Not sure if I should have or not, but he really seemed to like it, since it was all eaten when I check again. I’ll be getting paid this Thursday, so I’ll go tank-hunting then. Also, I don’t know where to find a low-wattage bulb for the tanks, so I’m wondering if putting something over the window the bulb shines through would help? Like a piece of transparent red... plastic or something? It’s only until I can get a new tank. |
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| 11/19/07 12:07am |
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Tsunami View Profile |
Message To: Tsunami In reference to Message Id: 1499767 A whole slew of issues
I’m sorry I haven’t replied in a while. It wasn’t that I gave up, I just didn’t have much news to report. But I’m back with some good news! My gecko is eating again. Worms, too. Though I put some fruit in last night. Not sure if I should have or not, but he really seemed to like it, since it was all eaten when I check again. I’ll be getting paid this Thursday, so I’ll go tank-hunting then. Also, I don’t know where to find a low-wattage bulb for the tanks, so I’m wondering if putting something over the window the bulb shines through would help? Like a piece of transparent red... plastic or something? It’s only until I can get a new tank. |
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| 11/19/07 12:08am |
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Tsunami View Profile |
Message To: Tsunami In reference to Message Id: 1499767 A whole slew of issues
I’m sorry I haven’t replied in a while. It wasn’t that I gave up, I just didn’t have much news to report. But I’m back with some good news! My gecko is eating again. Worms, too. Though I put some fruit in last night. Not sure if I should have or not, but he really seemed to like it, since it was all eaten when I check again. I’ll be getting paid this Thursday, so I’ll go tank-hunting then. Also, I don’t know where to find a low-wattage bulb for the tanks, so I’m wondering if putting something over the window the bulb shines through would help? Like a piece of transparent red... plastic or something? It’s only until I can get a new tank. |
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| 11/19/07 12:08am |
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Geezle View Profile |
Message To: Tsunami In reference to Message Id: 1519363 A whole slew of issues
As for the bulb - I usually get my red bulbs at the dollar store here, I think around with the party supplies and stuff like that. Red bulbs shouldn’t be that hard to find, I’m sure you could get one at walmart or something like that as well. If you’re really stuck you can get a bulb from the pet store too, they’re just a little more expensive. Look for something around 40 watts. |
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| 11/19/07 08:56am |
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Tsunami View Profile |
Message To: Geezle In reference to Message Id: 1519591 A whole slew of issues
Also, with regards to tank size, I believe I may have been off when I described it earlier. I went to a store and saw an actual 20 gallon tank... it isn’t a whole lot bigger than what he already has now. But what I’ll do to make this easier is take some pictures and show everyone just what it is I’m talking about. |
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| 11/20/07 08:33pm |
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Tsunami View Profile |
Message To: Tsunami In reference to Message Id: 1521421 A whole slew of issues
The tank is a little less than 20 gallons... or maybe more than a little, but judging by the look of the box of a 20 gallon tank at the store, it didn’t seem much smaller. I’ve opened the blanket up a little, as you can tell. Inside is a small container with fake leafs glued on. I made sure to cut a hole that was big enough for him to crawl in, but I may need to cut something bigger. Something strange though, he’s since gotten much more active, and I can tell that he’s thirsty. I tried to put a water dish in just a few minutes ago, be he was moving around too much for me to get it in. He saw the water though, when I laid it down next to the tank. I squirted the sides of the tank for now, but I really would like to get some more water in there... |
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| 12/08/07 04:34pm |
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Gecko_gangsterbitch View Profile |
Message To: Tsunami In reference to Message Id: 1539732 HELP 411 I need info. on golden geckos!
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| 12/14/07 05:05am |
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KrazyKelli View Profile |
Message To: Tsunami In reference to Message Id: 1539732 A whole slew of issues
Person that just joined the thread, make your own. Don’t hijack other threads, make a thread in the monitor forum for your b/fs new lizard, and I need to warn you that your name (with the b-word) is a violation of the ’no swearing’ rule. I need to warn you that Nile monitors can be huge and need a custom-build cage, they can also leave bite wounds so bad that you need stitches. As for your goldie, do research. There are many caresheets on this website alone. Look at other threads. |
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| 12/14/07 01:41pm |
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Tsunami View Profile |
Message To: KrazyKelli In reference to Message Id: 1546418 A whole slew of issues
Otherwise, whenever I peep in through the blanket (during feeding or spraying) I see that he’s a bright gold/yellow color. I think I might be doing something right after all. |
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| 01/07/08 12:30pm |
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A whole slew of issues
