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#1089146
Gecko Chris
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I got him or her! 
I’m so excited..cage’s all set-up with Eco-earth on the bottom, a humid hide, a UTH, a lamp with a "night" bulb, and a reptile den (the one that has a part that sticks on the outside and has "tunnels") that its in right now, a hanging plant, a ground plant, and a water dish!. After it calms done a little I’ll take some pictures plus my camera’s dead and my sister has hers out with her for another hour and a half or so. It’s so cute. My mom, a disapprover of reptiles, even thinks so. I have 2 dozen crickets that I’m gut loading for later on maybe Monday although I’ll try one or two early tomorrow morning. I’ll try to tell the sex of it when it calms down a bit, with all this excitement I don’t want to stress it more than necessary. I’ve got to say I’m very happy with this early Christmas present. I think for a boy I would name it Drake (which means dragon but besides that I like the name) and I’m still deciding for a girl. I’m going to try to measure it later on so check this thread later for updates. Thanks and BTW I only use the term it to refer to my gecko because I don’t know the sex although I think that term is rude.
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12/09/06 09:18pm
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#1089281
Gecko Chris
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Message To: Gecko Chris In reference to Message Id: 1089146
I got him or her!
Here’s some pictures!
I’ll get some better one’s in a couple of days!
Its about (no ruler involved i just eyeballed it) 5 inches
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12/09/06 11:08pm
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#1089324
Gecko Chris
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Message To: Gecko Chris In reference to Message Id: 1089281
I got him or her!
ahh and tank setup pics
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12/09/06 11:40pm
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#1089791
Gecko Chris
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Message To: Gecko Chris In reference to Message Id: 1089324
I got him or her!
He’s a boy. I noticed when he was sleeping and his tail was against the wall that there was two OBVIOUS bulges at the base of his tale. So I took him out and he had also obvious V-shaped pores. I’m happy, now it’s official, his name is Drake. Now, I’ll leave him be to get acclimated for about a week. Oh and BTW, very surprisingly he ate the cricket I threw in last night, I’m positive. Tonight I’ll try a little more.
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12/10/06 01:57pm
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#1090638
AFT~413
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Message To: Gecko Chris In reference to Message Id: 1089791
Congrats...
Hey Chris, congratulations. Merry early Christmas! The pix were up last night, but now they’re down for some reason, but everything looked good. Drake iis looking nice and healthy. He’s got some meat on him. He seems a little dry looking though. I’m sure that will clear right up now that he’s in a nice sub-tropical vivarium, unlike the crappy pet store setup!
I know a 10 gallon is sufficient for life, but you should’ve gone with a 15 minimum. That’s what I’ve got and it’s MUCH roomier than a 10, but most will tell you 20L should be a minimum. It’s not like they really move around too much, but some say with more room they will be more active. All I have to say about that is that I’ve RARELY ever seen Cuweena just roaming around. I used to catch her wandering about after dark, but as of late she just hangs out in the hides. Her favorite is the Reptile Den, but she took a liking to the 3-in-1 shelter lately. Anyway, bottom line - you’re all set with the 10, but don’t try to put ANYTHING else in there or you will lose too much ground. Drake will NEVER come out if he has no space to walk and hunt.
You need to dust your crickets a lot more. I saw the cricket you put in there in the pictures. It was in the Reptile Den. A properly dusted cricket is thick with dust, almost ghost-looking. The brown should be completely covered. You need a good shaker. What I use is a Parmesean Cheese container. You can also use a tall rubbermaid drinking container or something similar. You just drop the crickets in, sprinkle some dust, swirl around a bit both ways and gently sprinkle them in. Try not to waste your dust. A little goes a long way and I read that it’s not good to dust the vivarium. I forgot why...
Also, make sure when you buy new crickets that you gutload them for 24 hours prior to feeding. They are not properly cared for at the pet stores, rarely fed enough to be eaten right out of the bag. You need to leave a bowl/jar lid full of cricket diet gutload and a hydration source in the cricket tank. I noticed you’re using the Flukers Cricket Cubes. Good choice. That’s what I use mostly. It provides great nutrients and hydration all in one convenient package. 
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12/11/06 12:29am
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#1090777
Gecko Chris
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Message To: AFT~413 In reference to Message Id: 1090638
Congrats...
Yeah, I’m expecting Drake’s colors to come up nicer now. I will dust the crickets better and they have been being feed the cubes for two days so tonight I’ll try about 5 crickets around 9. I was wondering if I should take them out or leave them all night and if I should keep a cube in there so that they don’t bother Drake?
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12/11/06 07:33am
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#1091011
AFT~413
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Message To: Gecko Chris In reference to Message Id: 1090777
Congrats...
If Drake is sleeping at 9pm, just dump 5 or 6 in and leave overnight. And yes, drop a few cubes in there, near the 4 corners and 1 in the middle. You can rinse and re-use them after the feeding. Good luck. I’m quite surprised Drake ate that cricket so soon after being home. They usually take some time getting acclimated, sometimes WEEKS!
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12/11/06 01:37pm
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#1091142
Smurfzilla
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Message To: AFT~413 In reference to Message Id: 1091011
Congrats...
for some reason the pics arent up now, but i saw them earlier. hes a cutie. good luck!
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12/11/06 04:10pm
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#1091276
Gecko Chris
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Message To: Smurfzilla In reference to Message Id: 1091142
Congrats...
Thanks Smurfzilla! Uhh, Should i repost the pics? I’ll see if they come back and if they aren’t back up by later on tonight I’ll post them. And Brandon, thanks for that advice, feeding is one of the things I haven’t done yet so I needed to know about that. By 9 I’ll have 5 crickets in there...ohh na done more question. I have a thermometer with a probe and it was right above the UTH and right below the lamp (btw is it okay that they are focused in the same area?) dug under a little but still above the glass and it read 96.7 degrees! I moved it to the "cool" side and now its only 74.1! If i feel the ground on the cool area it’s pretty "cool" there and it’s still damp. The hot side on the other hand is of course very warm and the substrate keeps on drying out. I’m trying to find a way to raise the lamp but hten there is less of a "hot side cool side" factor because more light and heat will be reaching the other side. One last thing, how can I keep the humidity up because it within an hour of spraying drops to about 50?
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12/11/06 05:57pm
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#1091386
AFT~413
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Message To: Gecko Chris In reference to Message Id: 1091276
Congrats...
First, the pix. Where are they located? Are they on the RZ photo server or somewhere else like Photobucket? If you moved or changed the names of the pix from the original locations, they will not be available for viewing.
Next, the heat. If you put the probe between the UTH AND lamp, it will read much higher than normal. It is reading the "basking area" temp. 100 Degrees is fine for that location. Just move the probe away from under the lamp for a more accurate reading. As far as 75 degrees in the cool zone, that’s perfect. Even if one side was 100 and the other was 75, that’s cool. As long as Drake can move to a warm or cool zone to thermoregulate, it will be fine. He won’t stay where it’s not comfortable.
Finally, the humidity. You can just put something, preferably a piece of Plexiglas cut to whatever size you see fit, over a portion of the top over the warm zone. Are you using a screen-top? If so, you can also safely use Saran Wrap type plastic food wrap. Obviously, don’t put it under or too close to the heat lamp. You have a bit more leeway to do that with the Plexiglas, but it’s not recommended.
Brandon
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12/11/06 06:59pm
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#1091423
Gecko Chris
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Message To: AFT~413 In reference to Message Id: 1091386
Congrats...
I am using a screen top. For now, I put some plastic wrap (not near the light more so that the light is covering one fourth of the tank and the plastic wrap is covering next to it, also one fourth). I raised the lamp a little but I might bring it back down because of what you depending on The next temperature reading
I’ll re-post the pics now, now the they are on the photo server and not from photo bucket
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12/11/06 07:26pm
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#1091528
Gecko Chris
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Message To: Gecko Chris In reference to Message Id: 1091423
Congrats...
ohh, i have more dead crickets than wanted. Any tips for keeping them alive? I have cubes in their with them, what will make them last a week. They poop a lot! I got large sized which aren’t really large at all and the people said that the small were too small and the large are perfect. That’s one thing i guess I can trust Petco on. I have the orange cubes in their with them so what else will those crickets need. Ohh, and can the crickets climb walls. I was just wondering because there was poop on the ceiling of their container. As A precaution I taped near the hinge of my screen top because it has it so that each side can fold up so there are little spaces.
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12/11/06 08:39pm
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#1091566
AFT~413
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Message To: Gecko Chris In reference to Message Id: 1091528
Congrats...
Crickets can’t climb glass. I use Eco-Earth on the floor of my cricket tank. It eliminates odor and keeps my crickets alive longer. You will definitely have die off. It’s inevitable. Use DRY Eco Earth, not moist at all. About 1/2" deep, if that. Crickets can’t handle humidity or moisture well at all. I learned that the hard way... Oh, crickets also like it warmer rather than cooler. Around 75-80 is good. Aside from that, they need used paper towel/toilet paper rolls and/or the bottom part of an egg carton. They thrive in dark hideouts.
A little trick for you. If you still hate touching them, use the towel rolls. Just pick one up and tap (flick the roll with your finger) as many as you need into your cricket duster. I did that for a week before I was brave enough to pick them up! lol
They definitely do poop a lot! That’s the main reason to use a bit of Eco-Earth...
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12/11/06 08:57pm
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#1091722
Gecko Chris
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Message To: AFT~413 In reference to Message Id: 1091566
Congrats...
the toilet paper roll is a good idea...its not that I’m "afraid" to touch them, its just that I don’t like to. I picked up a few escape crickets. I used tweezers to pick them up but that was too damaging to them so I’m going to use the paper towel/toilet roll method. They are extra dusted right now and two went in the cave with him. THey are well feed plus five cubes are in the cage with them. I think I’ll buy (for now two dozen each week) and feed every other day until I find out how much he likes to eat. I think he’s really getting acclimated.
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12/11/06 10:24pm
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#1091761
Gecko Chris
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Message To: Gecko Chris In reference to Message Id: 1091722
He ate all 5!
He ate all 5 in less than an hour!! I’m trying 3 more. It was amazing all the lights in my room were out and it was quiet and I watched each of those crickets go in the moist hide...and then 10 minutes later they weren’t in there anymore! Magic?...No! They were eaten. I think this is a major improvement with his acclimation. He moves form hide to hide occasionally during the day and explores licking some things at night! Eventually he settles down in one hide but still he is doing pretty good. I’m not going to lie, I did take him out and hold him for 15 minutes today and he was great. He licked my hand, walked around my shirt and pants and crawling into some crevices. He was so nice. He’s adorable, curious, and healthy, what more can you ask for. Now that he’s eaten all I need is some cr*p and then I know things are great. I’m going to hold off on holding him for the next two or three days and I’m hoping he will really feel at home by then. Well, time to go prepare 3 more crickets!
! ~chris~!
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12/11/06 10:40pm
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#1091768
Gecko Chris
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Message To: Gecko Chris In reference to Message Id: 1091761
He ate all 5!
Sorry, No Message.
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12/11/06 10:42pm
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