Newbie from Toronto and got some question

[Cookie_Gecko]

Hallo there I am new to the hobby and I am from Toronto, how you guys doing? Anyway I am planning to get a Crested Gecko but before I am buying this pet I have some question about them so I really need some advise from the expert like you guys!

I think I am going to get a adult one around 1 year old and I going to start with a Exo Terra Crested Gecko Habitat Kit (large). I am living in a condo and the living is the best place with it as the room temperature always stay at 24C during the daytime and a bit lower during the nighttime. But the thing is during the daytime the light in the living room will be on for 12-13hrs and then will be off for 11hrs so I wondering is it going to be a problem to the Crested Gecko?

During the room temperature will drop so should I add a underneath heat mat or a heat bulb for it?

For the substrate can I use reptile carpet or I must use those soil?

I did some research about their diet and many of them saying they only need to be feed CGD or Pangea and live insects once in a month or even can ignore feeding the live insects. Is this correct?

I also have a little dog with me which is a chihuahua so am I ok to have a Crested Gecko in the same house? For sure I am not going to let them contact each other but since they will get drop their tail when they get stress so I have a concern about it.


;-)

 

[PoppyDear]

Hello! I am glad to welcome you to the hobby!

1.) Housing
I personally bought the same kit in the small size, it was on sale and I bought a few other things and I was set! That being said, I do know a little bit about everything you are getting in this kit. A few considerations are the analog thermometers, I personally use my own good judgement when it comes to the humidity and my house thermostat for temperature. Just keep in mind those are not accurate. Secondly, this tank doesn't come with enough plants so I would purchase at least two more, primarily suction cup plants that hang from the side. Other than that, the tank is a perfect size for an adult Crestie (If you get anything less than a year, by over 2 months or so, you'll need a smaller temporary tank.).

2.) Temperatures
Your temperatures are perfect at 24°C, just make sure at night they don't drop below around 18.3°C. If temps drop below that, use a ceramic heat emiter, it emits heat without light. An UTH would not produce enough heat at all, so don't bother. With the CHE you will need a thermostat, that is, if it is even necessary.

3.) Lighting
Your current lighting situation is fine. A crested gecko needs light, around 12 hours in the day and absolutely none at night. Just make sure that enough light reaches the tank. In addition to that, you can turn on the LED that comes with the setup, only during the day. The "night light" that comes with the setup is unecessary, don't use it as LEDs produce virtually no heat, it's only purpose is for viewing. But they can see this light, I would compare it to us humans having an abnormal sun during the night, which as you can imagine, is very stressful. So to recap, living room lights are fine, in addition you may use the LED during the day but all lights must go off at night.

4.) Substrate
When you first get your Crestie, put him/her on paper towel and watch for poops. The poop should be a solid brown with a urate 1/2-1/3 the size of the poop. It should not be runny or abnormally colored, and there shouldn't be much of an odor. If you notice bad poops we can get into that. If poops are good to go, you may switch to a loose substrate like Eco Earth. Repti-carpet works, however teeth tend to get caught and it is difficult to clean. They can be kept on paper towels their entire life too.

5.) Diet
The crested gecko diet should be of high quality. Your options are Repashy or Pangea (Highly reccomended due to many flavors). You can stop feeding insects if you provide many flavors of CGD and I would even say some more fruit added to the diet. However I strongly reccomend you feed either crickets or dubia once or twice a week. Many Crested geckos enjoy insects and hunting is a perfect chance for excercise and stimulation!


All crested geckos have different tolerance when faced with stress, some may hear a dog bark and drop their tail or even come face to face with a dog and not drop their tail. The chihuahua is likely fine if he/shee is mostly kept quiet around the cage to avoid stress.

If you have any more questions ask!

 

[Cookie_Gecko]

Hello! I am glad to welcome you to the hobby!

1.) Housing
I personally bought the same kit in the small size, it was on sale and I bought a few other things and I was set! That being said, I do know a little bit about everything you are getting in this kit. A few considerations are the analog thermometers, I personally use my own good judgement when it comes to the humidity and my house thermostat for temperature. Just keep in mind those are not accurate. Secondly, this tank doesn't come with enough plants so I would purchase at least two more, primarily suction cup plants that hang from the side. Other than that, the tank is a perfect size for an adult Crestie (If you get anything less than a year, by over 2 months or so, you'll need a smaller temporary tank.).

2.) Temperatures
Your temperatures are perfect at 24°C, just make sure at night they don't drop below around 18.3°C. If temps drop below that, use a ceramic heat emiter, it emits heat without light. An UTH would not produce enough heat at all, so don't bother. With the CHE you will need a thermostat, that is, if it is even necessary.

3.) Lighting
Your current lighting situation is fine. A crested gecko needs light, around 12 hours in the day and absolutely none at night. Just make sure that enough light reaches the tank. In addition to that, you can turn on the LED that comes with the setup, only during the day. The "night light" that comes with the setup is unecessary, don't use it as LEDs produce virtually no heat, it's only purpose is for viewing. But they can see this light, I would compare it to us humans having an abnormal sun during the night, which as you can imagine, is very stressful. So to recap, living room lights are fine, in addition you may use the LED during the day but all lights must go off at night.

4.) Substrate
When you first get your Crestie, put him/her on paper towel and watch for poops. The poop should be a solid brown with a urate 1/2-1/3 the size of the poop. It should not be runny or abnormally colored, and there shouldn't be much of an odor. If you notice bad poops we can get into that. If poops are good to go, you may switch to a loose substrate like Eco Earth. Repti-carpet works, however teeth tend to get caught and it is difficult to clean. They can be kept on paper towels their entire life too.

5.) Diet
The crested gecko diet should be of high quality. Your options are Repashy or Pangea (Highly reccomended due to many flavors). You can stop feeding insects if you provide many flavors of CGD and I would even say some more fruit added to the diet. However I strongly reccomend you feed either crickets or dubia once or twice a week. Many Crested geckos enjoy insects and hunting is a perfect chance for excercise and stimulation!


All crested geckos have different tolerance when faced with stress, some may hear a dog bark and drop their tail or even come face to face with a dog and not drop their tail. The chihuahua is likely fine if he/shee is mostly kept quiet around the cage to avoid stress.

If you have any more questions ask!

Hey first thank you for the respond PoppyDear!

For the housing I think I am going to purchase just the EXO TERRA NATURAL TERRARIUM SMALL/TALL then purchase my own hanging plants and vines instead of the crested gecko kit as the kit doesnt including enough hanging plants and vines. Also I dont think I will get a JUV so I just stick with this size of hosuing.

For light I still going to purchase the leds on the side so I can have a light cycle.

For the room temperature I dont think there is a problem as during winter time the heat system will be on for all the time but I will still keep an eyes on it. I know that every light should be off at night but If the temp drop a little bit during at night can I use those blue or red night time heat lamp for it?

Do they poop lot? I think I will use paper towel first then see what is going to later.

I dont think I will let the gecko and my dog to get contact so I think is ok. I bought my dog with me to a local pet store today and we talked to the nice gentlemen about the care of the crested gecko. My dog doesnt bark at them when he seeing them so I think is fine.

For the diet I will give it a wide range of CGD and Pengea also. Live insect I might offer once in a month.

 

[Hilde]

I wouldn't worry about the temperature. I'm in K-W, similar weather, haven't had to worry about heating any of the Rhacs and relatives. They get whatever temperature the house is. The furnace is set at 20C during the day, 18C at night. My oldest Rhacs are 17 and 20, so the temperature range must be okay. It's somewhat like natural cooling in the wild. Nobody's suffered from that range in winter, they just slow down a bit, eat less.

You can feed bugs once in a while, or every other meal, if that's what you want. They do benefit from hunting, I find they seem to really enjoy stalking crickets. You won't find any roaches to feed them, they're illegal here. If you do find somebody who's got some, prepare yourself for possible legal trouble - I know somebody who got raided and charged for having some roaches, even though they were feeders. The only legal species are the ones you find in the walls, but they come with their own set of problems.

I have dogs and cats, one particularly active dog, and one that barks at anything, even falling leaves. None of the geckos have reacted to them.

 

[PoppyDear]

Hilde has done a great job covering everything!

The only thing I will add is that the Exo Terra small/tall is a bit small for an adult but perfect for a juvenile, you may consider upgrading or starting with a bigger tank if you are getting an adult.

As Hilde said, your temps are fine. If you ever needed to use heat at night, use a ceramic heat emiter. The "night" bulbs are pointless, it is almost the same as using a bulb during the day. The geckos can see them and they are extremely disruptive.

Careful that the employee at the pet shop knows what they are talking about, many are not informed on the subject, most of the time they are clueless.

Good luck!

 

[Cookie_Gecko]

That is great then so I dont need to worry about the room temperature! For live insects, can I offer them superworms?

 

[Cookie_Gecko]

The small/tall 18'' x 18'' x 24'' is still a bit small for an adult? What size of housing is big enough for one adult?

Ya if I just gonna stick with the ceramic heater if I needed.

By the way how often do I have to clean the whole enclosure and do I have to clean their poops everyday? I had seen many of them only poop on the glass but I am not sure am I right. For cleaning which cleaner is the best one to chose?

 

[PoppyDear]

I assumed you meant the 12"×12"×18" small/tall. The large Crested Gecko kit you talked about earlier has the same dimmensions as the "small/tall 18''x18''x24'' " tank you mentioned. I have never heard of it being called a small/tall so pardon my confusion! That is a perfect size!

Spot clean daily, they poop where ever they want, not just on the glass. Paper towels make it easy but you will have to do a bit of looking. I clean the whole enclosure every 2 weeks, use vinegar for water stains on the glass, I use a mild bleach solution (w/ water) for all cage contents (Rinse well and let dry) but there are other things you can use.

I wouldn't use superworms, they are hard to digest and have a tendancy to cause impaction, how about crickets?

 

[Cookie_Gecko]

Once again thank you for info and advise!!!

Sorry my mistake on the size of the housing lol. I definitely going to purchase the 18x18x24 housing. So do they poop a lot and their poop usually solid and should not be waterly? I going to clean once in a two weeks I guess. Or if I am free i can do it once a week. Actually do I need to offer them minerals and vitamins supplement for their healthy and if yes the only way is to dust it on the crickets?

 

[PoppyDear]

I notice poop every 1-2 days apart. The brown poop part should be pretty solid, sometimes the urate ends up sliding on things and leaves little white marks, that isn't a big deal. You just want to look at the poop itself.

As for suppliments, all of that will be in your CGD. The only time you will need to use it is on your insects. I use and like Repashy Calcium Plus which is well balanced.

I am happy to help!

 

[Cookie_Gecko]

Ok thats not a problem to me. I just going to do the dailu spot clean as best as i can!

Definitely get the Repashy Calcium Plus also it seem like a very good product. Repashy is just a awesome brand on the market!

Also do I need to be aware external parasite when I chosing my gecko? If I am not going to use any real wood and live plants for decoration and only use paper towel for substrate, do I still get those unwanted pest bugs like springtail, mites in the hosuing? Seriously dislike those pest!

 

[PoppyDear]

Repashy is a good brand in general!

I would get your gecko from a reputable breeder, that will almost eliminate the chance of parasites with your gecko. As for the wood and plants, using plastic ones or real wood from a pet shop will almost eliminate that risk. Same with using paper towel rather than a loose substrate. But springtails are not a pest if you use them in bioactive tank.

 

[Cookie_Gecko]

I plan to get an adult from the online private sale from someone who want to get rid of their gecko because it seem like rescuing a abandon pet but obviously no reputable from these private seller and I am new to the hobby which I cant tell if there is any problem since many of these seller wont tell the truth so I cant get things under control if something really going wrong.

So if I keep using plastic stuff and paper towel then I wont get any springtails and the other unwanted pest in the enclosure? I definitely dislike bugs running around in my gecko's enclosure.

 

[Cookie_Gecko]

Hello! I am glad to welcome you to the hobby!

1.) Housing
I personally bought the same kit in the small size, it was on sale and I bought a few other things and I was set! That being said, I do know a little bit about everything you are getting in this kit. A few considerations are the analog thermometers, I personally use my own good judgement when it comes to the humidity and my house thermostat for temperature. Just keep in mind those are not accurate. Secondly, this tank doesn't come with enough plants so I would purchase at least two more, primarily suction cup plants that hang from the side. Other than that, the tank is a perfect size for an adult Crestie (If you get anything less than a year, by over 2 months or so, you'll need a smaller temporary tank.).

2.) Temperatures
Your temperatures are perfect at 24°C, just make sure at night they don't drop below around 18.3°C. If temps drop below that, use a ceramic heat emiter, it emits heat without light. An UTH would not produce enough heat at all, so don't bother. With the CHE you will need a thermostat, that is, if it is even necessary.

3.) Lighting
Your current lighting situation is fine. A crested gecko needs light, around 12 hours in the day and absolutely none at night. Just make sure that enough light reaches the tank. In addition to that, you can turn on the LED that comes with the setup, only during the day. The "night light" that comes with the setup is unecessary, don't use it as LEDs produce virtually no heat, it's only purpose is for viewing. But they can see this light, I would compare it to us humans having an abnormal sun during the night, which as you can imagine, is very stressful. So to recap, living room lights are fine, in addition you may use the LED during the day but all lights must go off at night.

4.) Substrate
When you first get your Crestie, put him/her on paper towel and watch for poops. The poop should be a solid brown with a urate 1/2-1/3 the size of the poop. It should not be runny or abnormally colored, and there shouldn't be much of an odor. If you notice bad poops we can get into that. If poops are good to go, you may switch to a loose substrate like Eco Earth. Repti-carpet works, however teeth tend to get caught and it is difficult to clean. They can be kept on paper towels their entire life too.

5.) Diet
The crested gecko diet should be of high quality. Your options are Repashy or Pangea (Highly reccomended due to many flavors). You can stop feeding insects if you provide many flavors of CGD and I would even say some more fruit added to the diet. However I strongly reccomend you feed either crickets or dubia once or twice a week. Many Crested geckos enjoy insects and hunting is a perfect chance for excercise and stimulation!


All crested geckos have different tolerance when faced with stress, some may hear a dog bark and drop their tail or even come face to face with a dog and not drop their tail. The chihuahua is likely fine if he/shee is mostly kept quiet around the cage to avoid stress.

If you have any more questions ask!

For the temperature I just bought a Zoomed temperature gauge and it is reading at 26-27. Is this too hot for the Crestie? Do I need to setup the enclosure at another spot? I am wondering if is going to be hotter in the hot summer days.

 

[PoppyDear]

I appologize for the wait!

You will not, or shouldn't get any pests using plastic plants and paper towel. You can use real wood from a pet store as well, that should be safe.

If you really want to be be sure you can bake the wood.

Those temperatures are fine for a Crested Gecko, when you start pushing 29.4°C things are getting a bit too hot. You may need to consider what you will do with the Crested Gecko in the summers, maybe you have a cold room or a friend that could house your gecko? That is if things get too hot.

 

[Cookie_Gecko]

I appologize for the wait!

Oh thats not a problem everyone have their stuff to work on!

You will not, or shouldn't get any pests using plastic plants and paper towel. You can use real wood from a pet store as well, that should be safe.

If you really want to be be sure you can bake the wood.

Those temperatures are fine for a Crested Gecko, when you start pushing 29.4°C things are getting a bit too hot. You may need to consider what you will do with the Crested Gecko in the summers, maybe you have a cold room or a friend that could house your gecko? That is if things get too hot.

Well I just bought some hanging plants and a fake stone base plants already in the past few days. I just going to get a fake plastic wood.

For the room temperature, two of my household temperature gauges are reading at 25C right now and one of my fish tank thermometer (which is out of water) is also reading at 25C but the Zoomed temperature gauge that I bought from last week is reading at 27-28F. I wondering the Zoomed one might be wrong but i am not sure. I am consider to get another one but I have no idea which one should I get?

By the way I know Crestie are nocturnal but do they still move around during the daytime period?

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

Well I just bought some hanging plants and a fake stone base plants already in the past few days. I just going to get a fake plastic wood.

For the room temperature, two of my household temperature gauges are reading at 25C right now and one of my fish tank thermometer (which is out of water) is also reading at 25C but the Zoomed temperature gauge that I bought from last week is reading at 27-28F. I wondering the Zoomed one might be wrong but i am not sure. I am consider to get another one but I have no idea which one should I get?

By the way I know Crestie are nocturnal but do they still move around during the daytime period?

Hi Cookie_Gecko ~

Cresties are mostly active at night. My crestie George sometimes hangs out on his basking bar. During the day he mostly sleeps in his fat bamboo tube. If you are a night owl, this works fine!

Which Zoo Med temperature gauge do you have? A dial-type? Picture?

Silk plants work well too. Add a medium-tall sansevieria (snake plant) planted in a plastic or terra cotta pot. Plant it in a sandy-type soil. Snake plants like to dry out between watering. They also help with humidity.

This link includes photos from GU members of their 18 x 18 x 24 inch vivaria. Be sure to scroll all the way through it for additional crested gecko tips: Click: Correlophus ciliatus (crested gecko) Care Sheet Summary & Tips -- March 2017 update

 

[Cookie_Gecko]

Hi there the Zoomed one is at dial-type thermometer and two of my household thermometer are dial type also. today the zoodmed is reading at 27 and the household are 24 then I just moved them near the window the household ones reading at 23C but the zoomed one is reading at 26. The weather of my city is 22-23C at 5pm which I checked from the weather network app on my phone. I also dont feel as hot as 26C today tho.

I dont think I will get live plants as I dont really like to spend an extra time to take care of it. Fake hanging is ok for me. lol

Thank you for the link and I will go take a look later!

 

[Cookie_Gecko]

I know temperature gun works like a champ but it is kind of out of my budget so what else I can chose? Should I get those Digital Thermo-Hygrometer?

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

Hi there the Zoomed one is at dial-type thermometer and two of my household thermometer are dial type also. today the zoodmed is reading at 27 and the household are 24 then I just moved them near the window the household ones reading at 23C but the zoomed one is reading at 26. The weather of my city is 22-23C at 5pm which I checked from the weather network app on my phone. I also dont feel as hot as 26C today tho.

I dont think I will get live plants as I dont really like to spend an extra time to take care of it. Fake hanging is ok for me. lol

Thank you for the link and I will go take a look later!

I know temperature gun works like a champ but it is kind of out of my budget so what else I can chose? Should I get those Digital Thermo-Hygrometer?

You're welcome. Snake plants are extremely E-A-S-Y! I thoroughly water mine about every 3 weeks.

Please check out my link now. It will answer many of your questions, including some you might have not thought of yet.

Crestie vivariums require a lot of cover in order for your crestie to feel safe -- hanging plants, twisty vines, diagonally placed bamboo, driftwood, et cetera. With one click and a little scroll you'll see exactly what I mean.

Dial-type (analog) thermometers can be pretty inaccurate. They measure approximate temps at best! There's no need for a digital thermometer/hygrometer combo when keeping crested geckos. Just spray thoroughly at night. Let the substrate (Eco Earth's coco fiber) dry out during the day. Don't keep it constantly damp or wet 24/7. If you do, you'll end up with mold and funky smells.

Many GU members use this yellow Zoo Med digital thermometer with a probe that measures air and ground temps. It costs ~$10 or less at Petco.

• Click: https://www.chewy.com/zoo-med-digit...ts&utm_term=1100005111989&utm_content=Zoo Med