[ben_schwem]

I just purchased my first crested gecko a few weeks ago. I did a lot of research on the internet but if anyone has any good tips for me that would be great. The biggest thing for me is trying to find the best substrate for my little guy. I noticed the one day he was going to eat a cricket he caught his mouth in the reptile carpet.

[lauraleellbp]

I'd recommend paper towels. Much easier to keep clean and monitor for poop. If you want to switch to a more naturalistic setup later on with live plants and all I'd go with organic soil/peat/Eco Earth (something with very fine grains to reduce the chances of impaction should he swallow some). But I'd start him on paper towels at least for the first few weeks.

I'd also recommend feeding crickets in a separate enclosure to reduce the risks of any escaping and biting him while he's sleeping. Cricket bites can be nasty. I use a little kritter keeper for feeding crickets to mine.

I also have a pretty detailed care sheet on my website, linked in my signature.

Best of luck with your new little guy, we'd love to see some pics!

[JSmithGirl]

I would also highly recommend paper towel especially if he is a smaller guy. As well, with a mix of crickets I would try to Repashy Crested Gecko Diet, it works great has a lot of nutrition and is easy to mix up and serve. Good luck

[ben_schwem]

I've been giving him a mixture of the Repashy food with the crickets. It's hard to notice if he's eating the Repashy though. Would he not eat very much because he's only 2 months old? I attached a few pictures of him as well.

[lauraleellbp]

What a cutie!

No, they don't eat very much- their stomachs are only about the size of one of their eyeballs, and they don't need to eat every day.

I would hold off on feeding crickets till he's well established on the Repashy. Crested geckos eat more fruit and nectar in the wild, so the Repashy CGD is more balanced nutrition for them. He is likely to develop some serious deficiencies if he eats more crickets than CGD, but some geckos prefer crickets (same way we prefer junk food) and just eat those instead of the Repashy if you let them. So you need to make sure they don't have access to crickets every time they are hungry and eat the CGD instead.

Once you do get him eating CGD regularly (don't look for missing food, look for poop- if he's pooping, he's eating), then you can feed crickets about once a week. I personally only feed crickets a few times a month.

[Elizabeth Freer]

Ben ~

A hearty welcome to Geckos Unlimited. Enjoy the ride.

[ben_schwem]

Laura, thank you for your very informative posts. Also your website is very well done. It's always nice to talk to someone rather than in a person in a pet store about these guys. I want to make sure I can give my little guy the best care possible. Just on a side note...I'm not sure how much you pay for you Repashy but you can get it on eBay for $11 for a 4oz bag. I think that's a great deal. I paid $15.99 plus 13% tax in Canada here. Thanks again for everyones help.

[ben_schwem]

Laura,

Just one question for you. I've been looking into the right temperature for cresties and I keep seeing different opinions about heat lamp vs no heat lamp. Right now I don't have a heat lamp but my house is at 70 degrees. It's going to start getting colder within a month and I will have my temp set at 74 in my house. Just wondering what your opinion is on heat lamps or if I should be fine without one. Thanks.

[lauraleellbp]

As long as your temps don't drop below the low 60s F you should be fine without.

70s is perfect for them.