Feeding Help...

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69Mouette69

New member
Hey Guys!
Well I have 2 Cresteds that have been together for a year now (Male and Female) and the female has never laid eggs yet... I noticed that shes been digging alot lately but my concern is that she hasn't been eating much and don't seem to want to eat any crickets... Do they stop eating right before laying? I jsut ordered CGD so I should get it in the next few weeks... I would leave crickets loose in cage but if I do the male eats them all before the female has the chance... What would you guys suggest?
Thanks alot!
Cya;-)
 
Royal-City-Reptiles

Royal-City-Reptiles

New member
I'd suggest taking the male out for a little while... maybe setting him up in a little temporary home for a couple days... that way you'll be able to tell if she's the one eating crickets, or if it's all him.
and if she's just recently stopped eating, and has been digging a lot, you should definitely put in a laying box just incase (maybe a big margarine or tupperware container?... some soil mixed with non-fertilized vermiculite. make sure it's at least 4 inches deep so she's got some room to dig and lay...
Does her belly look a little more plump and solid than usual?

-Deb
 
6

69Mouette69

New member
Hey!
Yeah her belly is plump... I don't have another Aqurium for the female and I know that the male ate them all since I hand feed him... I tryed hand feeding with her and she didn't want it (she turned her head) and well I throught in a cricket and watched she looked at it but when the male spoted it he grabbed it... then I through in another and the same thing happened...
Cya;-)
 
Smith710

Smith710

New member
Well you're going to need another aquarium anyways. You can't leave the male in there to breed her all year long. Sooner or later you will need to seperate them either way to give your female a break for a few months. How old are the geckos?
 
6

69Mouette69

New member
There about a year old... They have always been together and she has never laid eggs... But I read that you can always leave them together as long as you give them a cooling off period..(Cooler Temps and Shorter days) from Adam Black's crested gecko book. Also I noticed that the male was bither her by the neck but that they weren't "doing it" I know this is normal and all but could it be the cause of her not eating?
Thanks!
Cya;-)
p.s. I'm gonna try and feed her again and see is shes hungry now!
 
Smith710

Smith710

New member
69Mouette69 said:
There about a year old... They have always been together and she has never laid eggs... But I read that you can always leave them together as long as you give them a cooling off period..(Cooler Temps and Shorter days) from Adam Black's crested gecko book. Also I noticed that the male was bither her by the neck but that they weren't "doing it" I know this is normal and all but could it be the cause of her not eating?
Thanks!
Cya;-)
p.s. I'm gonna try and feed her again and see is shes hungry now!
Click to expand...

You got lucky she never layed eggs, you could have really hurt her leaving her in their with the male at such a young age. If they would have mated and she layed eggs at too young of an age you could have killed her.. I don't mean to be rude, but you should have done alot more research before getting Crested Gecko let alone breeding them. And the Adam Black book, throw it away, it's garbage, the worst crested gecko book I've ever read. But seriously, you need to do alot more research before jumping into owning an animal and then breeding them comes even further along with the research. Breeding an animal is a big thing, if you screw up it could mean your pets life, you got lucky this time, but you need to start reading up b efore doing something like this again. And yes, the cooling off thing works, but you have to have a place that gets cool enough, but not too cool.
 
6

69Mouette69

New member
Ok Look,
First off I bought these Geckos 2 Weeks ago from a Pet Shop... Its not my fault if they were together before that... Second off all I find his book very helpfull and well there alot of websites that have the same stuff wrote in them... Yes I'm a begginer but I'm trying I did a good month and a half of reading books and various sites on Breeding and having Crested Geckos... I personally beleive that I have the knowledge to own and breed them... And Besides everyone starts somewhere! I don't need your opinion about the book I have is crap and I should of research more and this and that... I want to know what the possibilities where of why she hasn' ate in 3-4 days.
Thanks you!
 
Royal-City-Reptiles

Royal-City-Reptiles

New member
Everyone does start out somewhere...
And there is a lot of different info on keeping and breeding cresties, because people seem to have very different views on it. You only got them 2 weeks ago so it seems to me that you've bred them successfully! But now that she is not eating, and looks plump, it's almost certain that she is gravid. So in order to ensure her safety and health, you'll need to invest in at least one other tank for either her or the male... Because she'll need to have her time to lay. (remember to put in a laying box ;)).
But you'll need another tank to put the babies in either way, so you may even want to invest in 2 more tanks. then you'll have yourself a GREAT system, and it would be well worth it. 1 tank for the female, with a laying box... one tank for the male for when she's having her resting periods... and one tank for the offspring before they become sexually mature.
That's what i'd highly recommend anyways, it's how we do it :p and tanks are NEVER put to waste :p

-Deb
 
6

69Mouette69

New member
Thanks for the info!
well I'm getting another 10g tank given to me in a few more weeks but until then do you think that a lay box in this setup would do it? I mean even with the male present? And as for the seperation do they absolutly need to be seperated at all if I add a lay box or will there still be problems? Shes been digging alot lately...
Thanks alot!
Cya;-)
 
Royal-City-Reptiles

Royal-City-Reptiles

New member
i'd definitely seperate them... kuz he'll be trying to mate the poor girl... even if you go to like a walmart or zellers or something and get a rubbermaid that's about 10gallon size... (only about $10) drill some holes in the top, set it up and there you go! that would also work for keeping the babies in after/if they hatch :)
But i'd suggest doing that REALLY soon, tomorrow or within the next couple days. it'll stress her out to have him in there, and could affect her and/or the eggs. But a rubbermaid will work just as well! just MAKE SURE they're no where near the lid when you go to close it... :| had that problem before and caught the tip of a leopard gecko's tail :(
 
Smith710

Smith710

New member
Ya know what, I will say that I am sorry, but when you say they have been together for a year now, next time you might want to mention that you have only had them for 2 weeks...
But still, yes, people do start somewhere, but before you just buy a couple geckos and start breeding them, you should own 1 or 2 of the animal first and learn about them, not breeding, before you just right off the bat start breeding them. You have to be more knowledgable and have more experience than to just go out and buy a couple of geckos anbd start breeding. Whether you believe you have the knowledge or not, you don't have any experience whatsoever.... Breeding is a serious deal, very bad things can happen to your geckos if you don't know what you are doing.
Yes you have to seperate them sooner or later because he could over breed her.
 
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69Mouette69

New member
Alright I'll have to figure something out for seperation... BTW, Smith I've owned a Leopard Gecko for 3 years now so I decided to try a different species out that is supposed to be easier...
Thanks alot for your help guys!
Cya;-)
 
Smith710

Smith710

New member
Yes but Leopard Geckos and Crested Geckos are completely different. You need experience in the new animal before you just throw a couple together and start breeding them. The way you made it sound was that you owned 1 Leopard Gecko for 3 years, so you still have no experience in breeding, so if you have had the one Leopard Gecko for 3 years, you should have tried breeding that, something that you do have experience with, before throwing 2 animals completely different to Leopard Geckos together and start breeding a reptile you have no experience with whatsoever.
 
Royal-City-Reptiles

Royal-City-Reptiles

New member
he's trying to dominate her... it'll really stress her out... :(
could you please post a pic of what she looks like?? ...like a good top view, showing her stomach, it'll really help & i'll be able to tell you right off the batt... :)
have you gotten a bin to transfer him into yet?

-Debb
 
6

69Mouette69

New member
Hey!
Well I'm going to go buy another Exo Terra enclosure for the male tomorrow after school...
She stil doesn't wanna eat so I put some banana Baby food in a dish for her with some Calcium mix in it...
Cya;-)
P.S. Heres the pic:
 
Royal-City-Reptiles

Royal-City-Reptiles

New member
hmmmmm... kinda hard to tell there, but she definitely LOOKS prego from that pic :p
i'm really glad you're getting another tank tomorrow!! i can guarantee you it'll never go to waste ;) lol. Once you get him outta there you'll be able to tell if she's eating at all... did you put a lay box in?? (check her every day now, since she's been digging, to see if she looks any thinner. if she does, VERY GENTLY run your fingers through the soil/vermiculite to see if there's any eggs... she will only lay 2 at a time :)
Here's a link... i read through it and it's a pretty simple guide to incubation of your eggs. You should DEFINITELY read through this... and do EXACTLY a it says for the incubation :) JB's Crested Gecko Info

-Deb
 
6

69Mouette69

New member
Hey!
Thanks for the link! I'm using damp Sphag. Moss for laying substrate since thats all I had but its supposed to work fine... I accualy make a laying site by making a type of bowl with the exo terra vine its the same size in diameter/depth as a 2lb margarine dish!
Thanks alot I'll keep you posted!
P.S. I'm taking the male out tonight!
Cya;-)
 
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