I need crested gecko help ASAP :c!!

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Booplesnoot

New member
Hey guys :D
So, today I added a crested gecko to my family (I have a leopard gecko, as well).
There are a few things I am confused about with the care, I have literally 50 tabs open of care sheets, and I still cannot seem to get some questions answered clearly.

I know a lot of you have different opinions on how to take care of them, so, I would just like to see what you guys have to say and why you choose that way of caring for them and stuff. c:

I currently live in north Florida, and even though it is hot and humid outside, it is not inside. I live upstairs in the attic, and it gets cold up here.
It is summer, and from what I have seen, the room temps are about 70-75°F in the day and about 60°F-65°F at night (so my gecko's thermometers say).
I know you are supposed to keep them at about 72-82°F in the day, and I have read that they can be okay at night as long as it does not go below 60. (true or untrue?)
I have a 12x12x18 tank.
He is still growing, I am unsure of his age, but he is a little guy.

So!

Questions:
** there are questions within questions, sorry! **

1. How do I make it hotter?
I currently have a Light and Heat Halogen Mini Dome from Zilla with a 25W mini halogen day blue bulb from Zilla as well.
I am not sure if the blue light will bother the gecko if I have it on (since most posts I have read there are arguments about whether they can see red or blue light blahblahblah, it totally confuses me). I have not used it yet, since I am unsure about how safe it is. Also, I do not want him to climb up there and get burned from the direct contact since I will place the lamp on top of the tank until I can get a dome for it.
He likes to climb on the netting, since I have not finished adding more things for him to climb on just yet.
- Some people say to just not use a light, but how am I supposed to make it hotter then?

2. So what do you guys recommend for using as a heating source if not a light?
- What is this about a gradient? (I know leopard geckos do have a gradient with their UTH, but how do you do that with a crested, since they do not spend much time on the ground?)
- Ceramic light bulbs, infrared, what what? Can I just have a clear answer T___T...

3. Humidity levels?
The humidity level in my tank easily reaches 80%, and it is actually at about 100% right now.

4. How often do I spray, and how much?
I put a moist hide in there, too, which has moss inside and surrounding the outside of it.

5. Diet?
I bought baby crickets (have not fed him these yet), and some Crested Gecko food from Zoo Med for juveniles came with my tank.
- I keep reading about this balanced diet stuff everyone buys, but then people say you should still give them crickets and baby food? What?
- Will they be okay with just crickets or do they only eat the balanced diet things?
- Also how often do I calcium powder the crickets if they need it?
- I have calcium with and without d3, so which do I use?


6. Is my set-up okay? :D
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Sorry for all the questions! I just want to have the closest to perfect set-up that I can for my little guy.
Thankfully he already ate today after moving :D, so hopefully that continues once I get everything set up for good.
 
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acpart

Well-known member
1. How do I make it hotter?
Based on your temps, I don't think you have to worry about making it hotter. That range should be fine. I live in New England without air conditioning. I only have 1 crestie, but I also have gargs and a leachie (in addition to about 10 other species). In the winter, the temps in the room are about 65-75 and in the summer it can get into the mid-90's. (I put ice packs in the cages when it gets really hot and that's worked fine). They are fine at those temperatures. I only have a light because they are planted tanks. If there weren't plants in there I wouldn't use a light.


2. So what do you guys recommend for using as a heating source if not a light?
I don't think you need another heat source. Since hot air rises, it's likely that it will always be a bit warmer closer to the top, but the nice thing about cresties is that they are comfortable at what humans consider to be "room temperature"


3. Humidity levels?
The humidity level in my tank easily reaches 80%, and it is actually at about 100% right now.
That sounds fine to me

4. How often do I spray, and how much?

I would imagine you don't have to mist as much as I do given where you live. You could mist lightly every evening or every other to make sure he has something to drink.


5. Diet?

Crested Gecko Diet (available from a variety of places, the most common being Repashy and Pangea; I don't know about the zoo-med) is the staple for cresties. As long as it says "complete diet" it should be OK. Don't be surprised if it doesn't look as if your crestie has eaten any. They sometimes eat very small amounts and clean the dish at other times. Cresties do seem to enjoy crickets as well. With the 2 foods listed above, there is no need for baby food. I feed my crestie (and all the other CGD eating geckos I own) the diet on Mon,Wed,Fri and feed crickets on Sun and Tues. My crestie is about 8 years old and very healthy. The complete crestie diets should have calcium and D3 included with the powder (you may not find "D3" listed in the ingredients; there are other names for it). You can dust the crickets with calcium to be sure he's getting enough.


6. Is my set-up okay?

Your setup looks fine to me.

Aliza
 
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Booplesnoot

New member
Phew, I was really worried about the temperature for tonight.
What about in the winter when it gets really cold, though? Then should I get something? It is the middle of summer right now and it is 60°, and I know in the winter time it gets colder up here in the attic. xD
I don't want my little dude to freeze T__T.

I will definitely have to look around and get the Crested Gecko Diet.
I am guessing the bottle of zoo med juvi crested gecko food is not good enough?

Also, I do have calcium with and without D3 for my leopard gecko, no phosphorous :D !! So, I will dust his crickets when I feed him.

When he gets older, will he need a new substrate? Or will paper towels always be okay?

Sorry for more questions. >.<
 
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Booplesnoot

New member
I just bought a CHE and clamp lamp for when it gets colder c:

I do not want the light to bug him if I have to have it on all night ^^
 
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CrestedRick

Active member
In the winter he will be fine. I also live in new England and my room has reached 55F in the morning and they are fine at that temp but obviously not for extended periods of time. I use 23W CFL bulbs and they give off some heat which is nice in the winter months to help raise the temps in the tanks.
 
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Booplesnoot

New member
I also took out the moss and just put in paper towels for his moist hide, since today he actually ate some crickets and ended up getting moss in his mouth >_> DO NOT WANT HIM IMPACTED.
 
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CrestedRick

Active member
Get the petco one. As for The hide, cresteds are arboreal so they won't spend much time on the ground unless for hunting. I feed dubia so they either go in a small deli cup on the feeder ledge I have or I out my geckos into separate Kristen keepers to feed to avoid impaction.
 
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Booplesnoot

New member
Well he actually likes to hide behind his moist hide. Kinda weird since it's pretty close to the ground. The humidity should still be fine without the moss, it's really messy anyways. :p
 
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Booplesnoot

New member
I got his food though :D also do you know if his crickets can be fed with bearded dragon food/dandelion greens like the leopard geckos or should the crickets be fed all different things depending on what reptile?
 
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CrestedRick

Active member
I gut load my roaches with bug burger and I only feed those once a week. If you're feeding more often I would gut load them
 
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Booplesnoot

New member
well apparently it counts as gutloading, too, from what i have been told in the leopard gecko part of this forum. :eek: i just wanted to make sure it would be safe for him to eat those crickets. i mean i assume it would still be healthy but since they are different lizards...yeah.
 
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CrestedRick

Active member
I would avoid crickets though, if possible, I would try dubia roaches. They are more beneficial for the geckos, they offer better nutrition.
 
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