Hoping to be a new Crested Gecko owner - Help :)

Hello all.

I am looking to be a new Lizard owner. My pops has a few and they are definitely neat. I'm moving to a house in a few days and after I get everything set up and have verified I have a good spot for my little buddy, I am going pull the trigger and get myself a Crested Gecko.

The below link is the wishlist of what I am going to order before I get my little girl. (Hopefully, in the works on her )
http://amzn.com/w/1C28M3E3B7ZMP

Do you guys have any suggestions? Is the heat pad for under the tank necessary? Do you guys have any recommendations on a mister or temp gauges?

Thanks!!!

What are your ambient room temps going to be? They thrive in the mid-70's, so extra heat is usually not needed. You don't want to start approaching 80.
Any hand mister would be fine for one gecko. You can usually get spray bottles for a dollar at Walmart.
Best of Luck!

Noelle

You won't need to dust if you're feeding CGD. also, 2lbs with only one gecko is going to be a lot. My adult breeders get about 1-2 tablespoons each a week (1 in winter, 2 in spring/summer). babies eat less, obviously (most of mine each 1-2 water bottle caps full each week).

The only other items I could think of would be vines, plants, etc. I recommend going to a craft store (AC More, Micheals, etc). They usually have 6 foot vines for $5-6 you can cut. Maybe some cork bark. I use 1" PVC tubes (cheap, cleans easy), or you could go with bamboo or similar (craft store may have this as well).

Thank you guys for the assistance. I have since started another wishlist at Pangea that I have more updated. Not that that helps you guys when you're trying to assist me

I live in Iowa, but we're moving to a new house.. well we got the keys today, moving this weekend. We'll see about the temp. I'm a naturally hot person so I prefer it a bit cooler (high 60's is ideal) but my roomies gf is tiny and freezes so easily so we'll see

That's great info about the food. I wasn't sure.. I was going to freeze the extra because I don't wanna run out I'm the type to always have 1 extra. Lol

As for dusting, is it not recommended to do it at all? I thought a special treat once a week was a good thing? Or is that only gutloading, not dusting? See.. Questions/Suggestions are GREAT!

I have 3 vines on my Pangea wishlist. Looking at hanging plants.

Thanks for all of the help you guys!!!

I don't dust any insects I give mine, as the CGD has all the nutrients and minerals for a balanced diet, so you could end up over supplementing them.

Also forgot to mention food and water dishes. I use the glass ash tray at walmart (kitchen section). its nice and big and only $1! the only geckos that can move this thing are my leachies. Food dishes that I use are water bottle caps for babies or Gatorade caps for adults.

Very helpful, thanks!

Have you guys noticed if they like Banana-Papaya or Watermelon-Mango better? I imagine they are like humans and vary. Probably doesn't matter.
How much would you recommend I buy then? 1/8 lb or 1/2 lb?

The 1/8 lb should last a while for one gecko. Mine are on the Pangea Diet. You may want to research recent changes to Repashy CGD and breeder results on the new formula. You'll find plenty of opinions on both sides of the fence. But, if you're not breeding, there are several good formulas out there. (When I used Repashy, mine preferred peach).

Noelle

I'm going with Pangea. That's where I've moved my wishlist. Ordered the tank today. I have to wait until it's warmer here in Iowa until I can get my sweet baby but I'm going to start getting it ready so I can do it right and not rush.

Pangea offers both. Do you typically buy a kind and stick with it since they get used to it or do you switch it up?
Also, do you keep it in the fridge/freezer at all? If I were to buy two just for a backup, would you recommend freezing it until it's needed?

FINAL question (for now): Substrate. This seems to be the trickiest of all. I'm getting varying opinions on this and it's daunting to say the least.
Initially I was going to go with the Zoo Med Eco earth but I hear the "Impaction" word get thrown around.
I was recommended http://www.neherpetoculture.com/substratesother The peat moss. I can't do paper towels so don't recommend that. I have OCD and that's hideous.

Thanks!

I switched mine over to the Day Gecko Diet, which is the same as the Crested diet but cherry/fig flavored. They seem to prefer it over the regular CGD.

I don't have any substrate on mine, but I also keep them in sterilite containers in racks. I used cypress mulch back when I had one as pet before I started breeding them.