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New to lizards, got crestie and leopard questions!

V

vertexff

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I just got a leopard gecko, and am going to get a crested in the next couple days. So far my reptile experience has been corns and ball pythons. I have a rack system for my snakes with some empty holes that I had intended to put both geckos in. The shelves are for 32qts but I have some smaller 16qts and thats what the leo is in now.
First question, is this acceptable housing for either gecko, or do I need to rig something else up asap? My goal (when I have the hundreds to blow on it) for the crested is to get a huge exoterra thingie w live plants and have it be a pretty display piece also, but no real concrete leo plans yet.
Secondly, if the leo is OK in a 16qt bin, what can I give him thats prettier than paper towels (as was recommended to me). I don't like the look of the bright green reptile carpet either, I wanted to do something nice for him, realistic looking, log hide, moss, a small stick for climbing, etc.
What are my options?
And being that he is in a rack, is my heat tape an acceptable source of heat or is a lamp imperitive?
How often do I need to dust his crickets, OR, if I switch to dubias like I'd like to, do I need to dust those at all?

Don't have the crestie yet but I have all his stuff, spraybottle, crestie food, etc. I was told I should put him on bed a beast or something to hold humidity well-- any specific bedding recommendations? Does he need a hide or will a branch work better? Can he go in a 16qt too? Etc etc

Thanks in advance everyone!
 
Well, I don't deal with cresties, but I do deal with leopard geckos. I can tell you that a crested gecko would NOT do well in a rack system of 16 quart tubs. They need height, whereas leos need floor space.

The 16 quarts are fine for single geckos. Heat tape under the belly is perfect for them as long as it is controlled by a proper proportional thermostat. If you want to use something nicer than paper towels or repticarpet, try tile. Most places will cut the tile to fit the exact space you'd like it for.

The crickets should be dusted at every feeding. If you have a picky gecko, like some of mine, you can go every other feeding. You should be dusting with a calcium supplement that has D3 in it, and you should leave a container of calcium without D3 in the geckos enclosure.

There ARE racks that cresties can go in, but it's not the same type of thing that a leopard gecko or a ball python can go in. They really need the height rather than the terrestrial space.
 
What makes sense, thanks! I'll look for something different for my crested for now. Good to know I'm doing alright by my leo, but I'll definitely get right on the calcium powder. Do you need to dust roaches too? I'm hoping to switch to them
 
Yes, roaches should be dusted as well. They are SO much healthier than crickets and mealworms...but a varied diet of all kinds of insects is always best. :)
 
Awright I got her tonight and shes beautiful!! Will she settle down a bit? I almost dropped her like 3 times holding her trying to get her into her box. Do they get calmer about handling and less ..... spazzy?
 
Crested geckos do not do well in sweaterbox rack systems. They need height, not ground space. I keep my crested geckos in those nice ExoTerra glass cages (that open from the front), or lightweight PVC cages with plexiglass. At minimum, you want the cage 18" high for one gecko.

Single leopard geckos can be kept in 16qrt bins, but there's not a whole lot of room in there for fancy stuff. Plus, I don't think leopard geckos appreciate aesthetics in the same way we do. They just want someplace warm and dark to sleep in during the day with some space to wander at night. If you clutter the cage with "pretty" things, your gecko is going to get real cramped real quick.

If you don't want to use paper towels, Maia is right, tile works good. I've also used cocobark and ZooMed's reptibark. Just keep in mind that if you use coarse substrate that insects can hide, and your gecko may not be eating everything you put in there. Feeder insects lose nutrition really quick (within 24 hours) if the gecko doesn't eat them right away.
 
Yah, Im getting an exoterra in less than a week, like I said.

Is coco husk/bark stuff ok for both crested and leo?
 
For cresteds it's okay, but for leos it's too wet. If it dries out it turns into an unattractive dust bowl. It only looks good when hydrated. You can put it in a leo's humid hide, but it will raise the humidity of the cage too much for leos, especially in a rack situation where air circulation isn't necessarily the best. If you don't want to use paper towels for the leos, I would use ZooMed's reptibark or invest in some inexpensive tiles.
 
She should, although in my experience the cresteds require more work to tame them down than leopard geckos. Persistence pays off though!
 
How can I tell if the crestie is eating her food? The level looks the same the next day as when I put it in!
 
Don't worry, she's eating her food. Sometimes it's hard to tell, but she's eating it. Just keep an eye on her weight and you're good! Also, mixing her diet up with some gut loaded crickets or roaches would do her a world of good. ^_^
 
Oh yeah and--

What kind of plants can I put in with my crestie, and where can I get soil for said plants thats safe for her? Iv already been told I need to put those ball bearing looking things in the bottom for drainage and then soil and plants on top of that. is this correct?
 
Nope. They'd fight for sure. The amount of ground space even in an 18x18x24 is kind of small for two leopard geckos though. If you're going to get two, then I'd go with two girls if you don't want any babies.

I use snake plants for my crested gecko tanks. I keep the plants in the pots they came with and use ZooMed's reptibark as a substrate. That works pretty good. Cresteds won't eat the foliage, so poisoning isn't an issue. You'll want to get plants with sturdy leaves though.
 
Gotcha. No single exoterra for the leos then. I was eyeballing the beauties you have for sale (snowgyre) and wondering about a second male :) You don't, perhaps, have any female babies left?
 
Actually, I do have one girl left and I've been debating about selling one of my adult female breeders, but the reason I haven't updated the site is because I can't ship any reptiles out until spring. I don't ship unless the overnight low is >40F here and at the receiving location.
 
Can a male and female leopard gecko go together in an 18x18x18 desert exoterra? I got a tall one from work and planted it all up for my crestie, and now I'm thinking of another one and planting it up for my leo, and putting two in there. Or would it have to be the bigger one, and a long rather than tall? Input appreciated :) Also, if I did put two leos in one of those, what would I use for substrate and plants? I figure since this isnt a super humid set up, things like bromeliads or thornless cacti would be keen? And obviously not sand for substrate, correct? I'm told sand is a huge no no
 
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