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

H

Hustle

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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 :p

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 :p

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 :p 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.
 
I use regular peat moss. If you get it from a hardware store, just make sure it doesn't have fertilizer added. Eco-earth is okay; what you want to avoid is the coco fiber stuff (it's too stringy). If you don't intend to feed insects, you shouldn't have impaction issues. Even with insects, I've never had issues with peat. It tends to happen the most with fibrous substrate and coarse sand.
Having a gecko may cure your OCD ;). You do realize it's going to poop all over the glass, right?
As far as food, yes, you can freeze it. I make one bottle at a time and freeze the rest. I've only tried watermelon-mango, but all of my cresteds like it.
Please don't make it your last question! We love to hear from people wanting to do this right!

Noelle
 
HA! Deal. I have a million questions.

Regular peat moss huh.. Yeah I really don't like this substrate part. Most of my shopping list is getting complete, but this substrate is tricky.
Preferably, I would like to ONLY use GCD. I've got Gutload & Calcium on my shopping list (and they both are so cheap I may end up getting them just to have just in case) but I would really like to avoid any insects at all.

For hanging plants - http://www.pangeareptile.com/store/zoo-med-natural-hanging-plants2.html Any recommendations on the type? If it doesn't matter at all that would be great I'll just pick. Wasn't sure if some were sharp or pokier than others (Probably a stupid question but I wouldn't like it if I was put in a cage with thorns. :p )

As for poop. My roommates have a little lab mutt and an Irish Wolf Hound. I'll take lil Gecko poo all day, any day vs Fay's monstrous turds that she occasionally leaves for us in the house. Sorry >.< lol
 
Both of the phyllos are great plants.

Don't sweat the substrate. Organic peat. If your hardware stores have frozen stock like ours, you can get Eco-earth in the mean time.

Noelle
 
Awesome. Phyllos it is. You guys are so welcoming here it's refreshing. This is kind of a sporadic/impulse buy (though I don't actually get her until most likely March,April ish) so the questions are flowing. I really really appreciate each of you =D

Do you guys have any brands/stores that you trust to get this stuff from? Perhaps even a picture of the packaging so I know what I am looking at?

I walk into a hardware store and I'm lost. I go to Best Buy and I'm home. :p
 
Not sure what hardware stores you have up there. You could also go to plant nurseries. Just ask for peat without fertilizer (aka organic). Any brand will do. Plastic plants are cheaper at any home/garden store, or garage sale, if you can find them. Most places are going with silk or other materials, which don't hold water droplets for drinking. Your most expensive choice, for everything, will be Petco or Petsmart. Enormous markup, and, with few exceptions, they're clueless.
Are you near any non-chain pet stores? They're often pretty good.
Powdered gecko diets are price regulated by their manufacturer, and should be roughly the same everywhere (within brand) online and at expos. There are plenty online retailers for supplies: Pangea, LLLReptile, Big Apple Herp, Underground Reptiles. I have found the good deals at Big Apple and LLL, but shop around.

Noelle
 
Will do, cheers.

As for local pet stores, I imagine there are but I'm not from here so I will have to do some searching around. So far I have ordered the tank from Amazon but I believe I will get the rest from Pangea. Money isn't such a problem. Single 25 year old with no pets/dependents and a big boy job = money to spare :p I've heard great things about Pangea so I'd like to support them with my business.

I'll check on the substrate, otherwise I think most of my questions have been answered.

You're all the best =D
 
Random update for anyone that cares :p

The last of my supplies get in tomorrow from Pangea and then I just need it to warm up a bit for my lil raptor to get here :)

So stoked!!
 
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