Strange Crestie Behavior?

[see_nat_run]

Hello, I have had my sub-adult male crested gecko for about two moths, and he does things that none of my friends' cresteds do. I was curious to see if anyone else's behaved similarly. Perhaps he is just different or maybe something is wrong.

Examples:
- He doesn't follow a regular schedule, even though I do. Sometimes he will be awake during the day, sometimes he comes out early (say 4:00), and sometimes I don't even see him before I go to bed around 11:00.
- Though his expensive cage is lushly decorated (with many hiding spots), he buries himself in the substrate during the day.
- While he is out at night he sits on the edge of his water bowl (which is freshly changed each evening), just staring into it. Sometimes I catch him actually in the water, just chillin.

If anyone has any clues, let me know. Thanks.

 

[Mokele]

Sounds like a humidity issue to me. What's the substrate? How are you keeping the cage humid?

I'd recommend finding some way to seal off any screen lid or vent holes at least partially to keep the humidity up, and finding some sphagnum moss (also sold as 'orchid moss') for the bottom - that stuff holds moisture like you wouldn't believe and never molds.

Henry

 

[smith710]

Don't cover the screen too much. Ventalation is very important with cresteds. A friend of mine covered the screen all the way up because he thought the humidity was too low and it ended up dying in the end. How often do you spray the cage? Get a humidty gauge and keep an eye on the humidity in the tank.

 

[see_nat_run]

The substrate is Repti-Bark, and I keep it humid by misting it 2-3 times every evening. Are humidity guages very expensive?
He is housed in an ExoTerra 12"x12"x18", and I don't really want to cover the top of that, that sounds nearly suffocating.

 

[Mokele]

Humidity gauges are pretty cheap, and just experiment with covering various screen portions. I have a pair of cresties in a 29 gallon long turned to be as tall as possible (so the top screen is now the front door), with wet sphagnum moss covering the floor and a sheet of plexiglas covering most of the screen, leaving a 6" x 12" screen area for air exchange, which is plenty for the lizards and plants.

I'd definitely ditch the Repti-bark in favor of some sphagnum if you can find it. This stuff is a godsend; I use it for my carnivorous plants (*not* in the same tank as the geckos), for egg incubation, for the floor of the gecko cage, for moist shed boxes, everything. It can hold *huge* amounts of water, stays moist very well while raising the humidity, and contains tannins that inhibit mold growth (I've *never* had any go moldy, regardless of what I'm using it for).

Henry

 

[ColleenT]

does not sound like a problem at all. he is an individual with a brain, he does what he wants to do. he's not doing anything that a normal gecko does not or would not do. if he is eating, drinking, looks healthy, is up to a good weight, and is getting the correct nutrition, i am sure he's fine. if you are worried take a fecal sample to the vet.

 

[Otter_23]

I have several that will bury themselves or even lay upside down under the paper towel. You can keep a humid hide in the cage which mine use to lay eggs and when they are shedding. I mist mine every night other than that they are in pretty open cages.