Ok, why aren't my geckos growing?

[Turtlestork]

I am starting to think I might be doing something wrong.

I have quite a few geckos right now, mostly small. Some of my geckos, however, are now over a year old and they are still not near adult size. I want to know why they aren't growing fast.

Yes, I know that quick growth is not the best, but isn't this a bit much?

I have fed them all CGD since hatching, it has always been offered and changed every other day to every second day. I keep them all in spacious tanks where they have plenty of room for activity. I mist them lightly every night so they can drink and all but the smallest are kept with water bowls.

What could be wrong? This seems by the book. I incubate the eggs at room temperature, which is in the 68* area. Could it be that they just aren't eating enough? How should I get them to eat more? None of the geckos appear unhealthy, just small!


TS

 

[cilatusguy]

All cresteds have different personalities and growth rates, some take more time to reach adult size than others mines about a year and three months and is just short of his full size.

,hope this helps

 

[Debbie]

Like said above. They all grow differently. When fed CGD only they tend to grow a bit slower. Which is good in our opinion. It takes ours almost 2 years to reach their mature size.

 

[Turtlestork]

Thanks for the responses! I thought they were all different, it just worried me. Glad to see that it looks like everything is going fine. I like them to grow slower as well, makes healthier geckos in the long run. Thanks!

Levi

 

[norea]

Like said above. They all grow differently. When fed CGD only they tend to grow a bit slower. Which is good in our opinion. It takes ours almost 2 years to reach their mature size.

I hope mine takes 2 years to reach mature size too... im also beginning to think why mine isnt growing big as i want it too :banana:

 

[Hardknox]

What could be wrong? This seems by the book. I incubate the eggs at room temperature, which is in the 68* area. Could it be that they just aren't eating enough? How should I get them to eat more? None of the geckos appear unhealthy, just small!
TS

So I cannot help but notice you say room temperature is 68 (its more typically considered 72-74). Even though that is specifically referenced to incubation, considering most people keep their cresties at room temp are they being kept around 68 all the time? If so there has been a notable bit of conjecture by keepers that they will grow faster if kept in the high 70s during most of the day with nighttime drops to low 70s. Reptile metabolism is highly dependent on their environment and if you are keeping them that cold all the time that could certainly explain low growth rates.

 

[Turtlestork]

68 is ball park when it comes to room temperature. My reptile room varies in temperature, as my other animals heat lamps during the day keep it around 72 and then it drops to around 67 at night. I have actually posted here prior about incubating, and I've been told by quite a few even low room temps such as this (Its a basement) are good for incubation. I have found my hatchlings hatching much more healthy than they were when I incubated them at slightly higher temps with a heat source. I also guess that it could be a factor in growth, but I feel like the temperature wouldn't have so much to do with it as so many keep their geckos at whatever "room temp" may be.

Thanks for the replies, everyone! I think I am going to start feeding crickets more regularly. I just always fear working with live food, mainly because I don't want my little guys getting refusing other foods. I also heard Clark's gecko diet for Cresteds has a bit more protein in it, and many have had success in using it. Do you think that may be something else I could try?

Levi

 

[Hardknox]

68 is ball park when it comes to room temperature. My reptile room varies in temperature, as my other animals heat lamps during the day keep it around 72 and then it drops to around 67 at night. I have actually posted here prior about incubating, and I've been told by quite a few even low room temps such as this (Its a basement) are good for incubation. I have found my hatchlings hatching much more healthy than they were when I incubated them at slightly higher temps with a heat source. I also guess that it could be a factor in growth, but I feel like the temperature wouldn't have so much to do with it as so many keep their geckos at whatever "room temp" may be.

Thanks for the replies, everyone! I think I am going to start feeding crickets more regularly. I just always fear working with live food, mainly because I don't want my little guys getting refusing other foods. I also heard Clark's gecko diet for Cresteds has a bit more protein in it, and many have had success in using it. Do you think that may be something else I could try?

Levi

Yes low temperatures are great for incubating, not for keeping your reptiles at all the time. 68 is too low to keep them at all the time. The average home room temperature is mid 70s which is why its normally fine for them to be kept at room temperature. Also as I stated before, 72-74 is considered a standard when referring to "room temperature" and your variant of room temperature is too low. They will survive but not thrive.

As for the alternative, one thing that works very well for packing on weight in geckos is to take mealworms and coat them in CGD and then tong feed them. A single mealworm can be coated with several mouthfuls of CGD and can be a good way to "trick" them into eating a lot more where I find they eat the bare minimum they need to survive and grow slowly. The only thing to watch for is that the extra nutrition is going for growth and they are not getting overweight. I do this with underweight rescues, breeding females and growing geckos with excellent success. Also I am sure you could swing this with crickets but I have not really tried that. Anyway I find they eat with the passion they eat other live prey but they only really get the CGD taste so its not a huge habit changer just a great way to put on weight without feeding huge volumes of live prey.

 

[norea]

i dare not feed my cresty mealworms . i dont want to take the chance of them getting impacted... i only give mine molted mealworms...

 

[Spyral]

Boosting the temps to about 75 could definitely help with growth.

Clark's may help, but it's not because it has more protein, they are both about 20%. Some geckos prefer one brand or the other, but my vote of confidence is with Repashy's products. Incorporating bugs would be a great option, as long as they are gutloaded and dusted.

Good luck, let us know if you try anything new.