New Crestie - everything perfect?

[JTB]

For Christmas I got my first crested gecko! He/she was hatched in October and appears to be a harlequin and he/she fires up to a dark, chocolate brown with striking orange dorsal a and laterals. He/she may fire up more than this; I don't yet know. I named him/her Splat and he/she weighs a whopping 1.5g. This weight surprise some a little as the pet shop owner told me the breeder he gets them from only sells them on once they are twice the hatching weight and 1.5g is a common hatching weight... It sounds like Splat should be about 5g if he/she (just going to refer to Splat as an 'it' now) has been kept correctly.

Yesterday I went out and got it for £35 which I think was a really good deal for a harlequin so young and brought Splat right home. His setup is a 45X45X60cm Exo Terra with 1 large hanging ficus, 1 large hanging ambutilon, 1 large hanging ruscus, an Exo Terra forest branch (large), a spider orchid, an anthurium, two small Boston ferns and a large Boston fern. These are all decorations by Exo Terra and are the fabric kind. The substrate is Eco Earth, he has a 30w standard house lightbulb that heats up a little area to 25.5*C in the day (I turn it off at night) and the yellow colour of the bulb looks very jungly. I did have a 2% UVB bulb that would give off a gentle heat and a more natural light but it was too long to fit in the dome fitting I bought!
He has a ledge with a pot on it serving Repashy CGD that smells really fruity. I'll also be feeding Splat the occasional jelly pot, mashed fruit and insect for variety.

When I put him in I sprayed it down with a pressure sprayer and he INSTANTLY started lapping up the water. Not hiding, not jumping away - drinking. I looked at his tail and I noticed that it was actually ever so slightly bent towards the end so I'm believing it was dehydrated. The drinking continued for a good five minutes and so I made up a tiny bit of Repashy for the first time and offered it to Splat and he licked a bit of it but then decided to climb off. I know you're meant to leave them for a week or two to get settled in but I thought it was a good opportunity for some early bonding and getting something into his system. For the next ten minutes he continued drinking!

The next six or seven hours Splat spent exploring, which I did not expect! My leopard gecko ignores new surroundings and just sleeps but this little lizard has a different agenda! I can certainly see why such a large enclosure is beneficial. After this time it settled down for the rest of the day to sleep.


The morning in which I am writing this I found a little tiny poo! No brown stuff, just the urates, illustrating the amount drank yesterday. I at least know that he is working properly which is good

Now I'm just going to let him settle in for a while and see what he does with the light and warm zone - I left the light off yesterday to allow him to get used to the brand new surroundings.

Is there anything anyone would recommend doing from this point onwards? Splat did not touch his food over night which I expected after owning reptiles for 3.5 years now (granted only a leo and a corn snake) but if there's any tips to get him into he diet I would be appreciative. Splat was fed a more traditional diet of insects, jelly pots, baby food and mashed fruit in the shop so I am hoping I will not encounter weaning issues. Also, is my hot spot a good temperature? Thanks in advance!

 

[JTB]

I've taken the bulb out because with the heating on it was getting up to 27.5*C and I felt that was getting too warm. I'm going to get a lower wattage bulb as soon as possible (well today) and hopefully it won't get as hot!

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

Welcome to the exciting world of cresties! Hope you love Splat! Wait till he lands on your face! :biggrin:

Consider Pangea's Complete Diet with Insects if you opt for another powdered diet. That and crickets are what my crestie George eats.

George has a 25 watt incandescent bulb directly above his chill bar. Frequently he hangs out there where the temps range between 26.7-28.9*C. The room's lows round the clock are 22.2*C.

 

[JTB]

Thank you So far he has not jumped once, but I've only moved him out of his carry box so far haha!

I put in a 25w Exo Terra Daytimr Heat Lamp and that has achieved a temperature of 24.5 which I am happy with and hopefully Splat is too. The light it gives off is much dimmer than the other bulb too so it looks more jungly and won't disturb him/her as much.

I would love to try Pangea, but the only UK source seems to be Gecko Diet which due to circumstances entirely unique to me I probably can't order from :roll:. However the Repashy seems popular and it smells epic - heck, I'd eat it if I was a crestie! I could not tell you the version I have; it does not say. The first ingredient is banana and the second is date if memory serves, so it's not version 3 I don't think (the one people say Cresties refuse). This is all I'll offer for the first two weeks at least and then if there's no signs of eating I'll look for other options.

Quick question - what exactly is a chill bar? I recall it from your care sheet but I don't really see what it's for. Thanks!

 

[Sakurahana]

My crestie, Plink, enjoys Repashy and often clears his plate. It's normal for cresties to sometimes ignore their food for a day or two at a time (or sometimes longer if they have recently moved house) but I put a fresh serving in every day for him and he gets crickets for a treat a couple of times a week.

Ideally you want a temperature gradient in the viv if possible, so that Splat can choose a warmer or cooler spot to sleep in during the day and thermoregulate.

A chill bar is some horizontal furniture that the gecko can sit and relax on. Plink has some bamboo tubes and a soap dish for this purpose.

 

[JTB]

Ah, understood! Splat can certainly thermoregulate, his light being at the very top of the terrarium. I already have a chill-bar in a sense - one of his/her plants is arranged to span the back of the enclosure and is more than adequate as a little basking spot, hence why I put it there in the first place!

So far Splat has not moved all day. Apart from hiding when I put the room lights on, I've only seen head movements, nothing more. Probably getting settled it! I'm looking forward to seeing if he eats today too

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

I use a section of bamboo for a chill bar. It's positioned diagonally across the screen top and suspended with a couple wires. That's where crestie George basks frequently under his 25 watt bulb. A PVC pipe or narrow cork bark tube work well too.

Cresties like to climb as high as they can go!!!

Once I took him to school for an outreach. As soon as the kids went to lunch, I noticed that George had escaped! Soon I spotted him 6 feet off the ground perched on an overturned aquarium looking down on us. He'd climbed a storage cabinet. We captured him; the outreach went as planned.

 

[JTB]

Bit like birds then - higher up the better! Splat does seem to have demonstrated this already, with both of his sleeping positions being as high up as he can be without being out in the open. Searching for his tiny webbed feet in the mass of plants is quite the challenge! In the wild they can climb as high as the tree they're on, so it makes sense for them to just want to go up and up. Not a good plan when there's leachies nearby mind you.

I'm now awaiting basking behaviour!

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

My crestie also sleeps in his long thick ~1.5 inch diameter bamboo tube, a "sleeping bag" of sorts. It leans against the enclosure at a diagonal. There he can easily thermoregulate.

 

[JTB]

That sounds like an interesting terrarium addition.

Splat seems to want to stay in his ficus hanging plant - in it when I got up today and in it all day yesterday. I know for a fact he's been exploring though: I found another poo! [I think it's only us gecko people that get excited over reptile excrement...] This time it was mostly urates but there's a bit of a marginally browner shade, which I think is the 'food part'. It's a much lighter colour than what my leopard gecko does but maybe that's because Splat's not are much yet or eats different things? Either way, it's better than nothing!

 

[JTB]

Now I am wondering something - how do you know when your gecko has settled in? I read it could be a week and upwards, but Splat seems really content. He must be eating because he poos, he comes to drink when I spray him down and does not pay any attention to noise around his enclosure or to my big face staring in at him haha. Maybe because his setup was so similar in the pet shop, just smaller and with MUCH less plants. I am at least going to give him today but I was thinking I could hold him for five minutes tomorrow? He's only been in since Monday, so this is his fourth day, but he seems far more settled than even my fish when I first got them!

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

Now I am wondering something - how do you know when your gecko has settled in? I read it could be a week and upwards, but Splat seems really content. He must be eating because he poos, he comes to drink when I spray him down and does not pay any attention to noise around his enclosure or to my big face staring in at him haha. Maybe because his setup was so similar in the pet shop, just smaller and with MUCH less plants. I am at least going to give him today but I was thinking I could hold him for five minutes tomorrow? He's only been in since Monday, so this is his fourth day, but he seems far more settled than even my fish when I first got them!

Add a shallow dish of fresh water to Splat's home so he can drink whenever he's thirsty.

One big plus in Splat's quick adjustment is having his new home already set up. :cheer:

Place your hand next to Splat. See whether he'll lick some food off your finger. Do that for a couple days. See whether he'll climb on your hand. Then gently lift him out.

Baby steps is best when taming.

 

[JTB]

Will do! Should I do that tonight or tomorrow?

I will add a water dish, there's a spare slot in his food holder. Just need the dish itself! Yesterday I actually seen him drink from the substrate - he climbed down and although his head was hidden behind a plant he was there for long enough for him to have been doing something. I'm pretty sure he was drinking as the substrate is the dampest part of the cage and there's no other explanation for this behaviour. A dish would make it easier for the little guy!

(Also you may have noticed I am calling Splat a 'he' - I don't actually know if he is a 'he' but that's just what I've got used to saying hehe)

 

[JTB]

I had a go of your suggestion!

It took me ten minutes to find the little guy. When I did, I made up some Repashy and put my finger in. I had to peel back some leaves to get to him and then I could not get my finger in front of him because of his position. He ended up just scuttling to the back of his cage where I can't get him. He did not seem particularly bothered by my presence - he just was not interested and I had not managed to get his attention with the food.

I have held him a few times over the past month and a half (he was in the pet shop for a good while!) so I know he's not a very flighty gecko considering his age, but today he was not in the mood it seems. I'll try again tomorrow when he is in a better position and hopefully report back with better news!

 

[JTB]

I just turned his light off, sprayed him down and changed his food. Shortly after, Splat peeped out more fired up than usual and I wiggled my finger at him, a gesture I use to say hello to most of my pets. Splat launched himself at the glass to eat me! Poor little guy hit his nose. I took it as a sign of hunger so I used the same trick to coax him to the front of the cage where I offered him a little spoon of his Repashy and he ate the lot!

You'll probably be familiar with the spoon I used: one of the white ones that come with Exo Terra supplements. I pretty much filled that little spoon and Splat gobbled it all down. Even got a video After this I put my hand in front of him to climb on but he ignored it and went off to his normal hiding place, so I let him be.

Anyway, if I can use this trick to get him out that will make life MUCH easier! Progress!

EDIT: Just caught him going to the loo! Double whammy, now he just needs to shed and I've experienced the full whack!

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

I just turned his light off, sprayed him down and changed his food. Shortly after, Splat peeped out more fired up than usual and I wiggled my finger at him, a gesture I use to say hello to most of my pets. Splat launched himself at the glass to eat me! Poor little guy hit his nose. I took it as a sign of hunger so I used the same trick to coax him to the front of the cage where I offered him a little spoon of his Repashy and he ate the lot!

You'll probably be familiar with the spoon I used: one of the white ones that come with Exo Terra supplements. I pretty much filled that little spoon and Splat gobbled it all down. Even got a video After this I put my hand in front of him to climb on but he ignored it and went off to his normal hiding place, so I let him be.

Anyway, if I can use this trick to get him out that will make life MUCH easier! Progress!

EDIT: Just caught him going to the loo! Double whammy, now he just needs to shed and I've experienced the full whack!

Splat no doubt thought you were a humongous insect wiggling your antennae. :yikes:

 

[JTB]

Haha he obviously did! Would have been funny if he actually bit me, probably would not feel it!

 

[JTB]

Had a mini handling session tonight, I.e. handled Splat for maybe thirty seconds inside his terrarium. He then jumped off so I let him be. I will now give him a few days undisturbed to process the event, then try again - is this a good first step? He was very quick and jumpy, as expected, but did not appear particularly stressed.

 

[xoxILoveCrestiesxox]

Only give Splat jelly pots rarely or not at all. I would swap them for fresh fruits (such as papaya, peach or blueberries mushed up). My old gecko got ill after I gave him a jelly pot and I found out that they are mainly sugar and chemicals. It's your choice but I thought I would warn you. Splat sounds adorable x

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

Had a mini handling session tonight, I.e. handled Splat for maybe thirty seconds inside his terrarium. He then jumped off so I let him be. I will now give him a few days undisturbed to process the event, then try again - is this a good first step? He was very quick and jumpy, as expected, but did not appear particularly stressed.

That IS a good first step!