Re: Some

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Posted by Tegan on February 24, 2003 at 19:20:35:

In Reply to: Some posted by Leo Lover on February 24, 2003 at 18:36:25:

:First of all I would just liek to say HI to all of you on this forum. Some of you may recognize me from the leopard gecko forum. I have always wanted a crested gecko, and I have been doing some research before I get one and if I ever do get one. I was hoping that someone on this forum could answer the questions that I have that I did not find my answers to. Thank You for all your help, and I will continue to read the forum as well. :o)

:1. What substrate is used best to keep the humidity up?

A mixture of peatmoss and potting soil is supposed to work well. I prefer to keep mine on newspaper or papertowel though and use a humid hide.

:2. How many times a day/night should their enclosures be misted?

If in a glass tank once to twice should be fine, if in a screen enclosure three or four (and make sure they have a humid hide)

:3. What kind of brand and also dimensions will be suitable for one crested?

A 20-high is good for one. Pairs and trios would be ok in a 30 or 40-high. I house a trio in a 48 high X 24 wide X 24 long screen enclosure. (that is just my preferance)

:4. How large do they get?

Slightly smaller then a leopard gecko, but they are proportioned differently so it's hard to compare. I think my smallest adult is 45 grams and my largest adult is 55 grams (roughly)

:5. Are they easily prone to illnesses?

I've had mine for over a year and they have yet to fall ill. With proper husbandry they should do just fine. They are (it's my understanding they are anyway) the hardiest of the Rach's.

:6. What do they need for a heating element? What specific temperature do you all keep yours at? I've read anywhere between 70-80.

I have a warm spot on the ground of 75 degrees, then the air temp of the room in the middle part of the cage (about 70 degrees) then at the top of the cage I have a low watt red bulb that keeps it about 80 degrees. With babies you dont want the temp to go over 80 or under 75 but with adults you can take greater liberaties. Not over 85 or under 65 though.

:7. Do they fare better alone or in a pair? Like 2 females?

I have a male and two females togeather that do just fine. Males will fight (and should never be housed togeather) Females tend to do ok togeather but should still be watched to make sure they are getting along. Also when introducing new animals keep an eye on them to make sure they get along.

:8. Which morph of crestie are the ones that are really really yellow, but almost have just a hint of light orange? I think those are soooo pretty.

I would call those yellow. The "morphs" are so diverse right now they are hard to define. You can group them into Browns, Greys, Yellows, Oranges, and Reds, but the shades within each vary so much. Really you'll just want to look at what the breeder has availible and pick out the one you like the best.

:9. Where did all of you get your crested geckos? What are the price ranges?

I got mine from Garrick at CrestedGecko.com. He has really good quality animals and his prices are very fair. Mine were kinda a special deal that cost me (if I remember correctly) $250.00 for the trio. I would really reccomend Garrick.

:Garrick from Crested Gecko lives about 3 or so hours away from my house and I was thinking that mayeb I'd take a trip over to his house someday if I am still thinking of getting one.

:Last but not least if any of you have pictures of your setups/enclosures, I would greatly appreciate it if you could please post the pics so I get an idea of how their enclosure should look, and also give them dimensions of your enclosure and how many cresties you have.

:Thank You for taking the time to answer my questions. Sorry if I asked too many. Like I said I am just asking questions that arose when I was doing my research.
:Leo Lover

I dont have any pictures of my setup now, but it's kinda plain. I have a lot of grape wood in it for climbing, some fake leaves in the branches to hide in, and a bunch of plastic flowerpot bases with holes cut in them for them to hide in. Water dish, food dish, humid hide and nest box finish out the furnishings.

I hope I've helped some.

Tegan

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