Reptile Forum, Reptile Classifieds - CaptiveBred

[jackalpupz]

Hi, I'm new to this forum and also a new owner of 2 crested geckos. I always loved lizards/geckos and finally decided to set something up. The few other reptiles I was interested in getting were Bearded Dragons, Frilled Lizard and the veiled chameleon. My g/f really loves Crested geckos so we went with that choice. I did a little research before picking this little guys up and have been reading and reading to learn more about these guys every day. My setup goes like this....

18x18x36 glass & screen Enclosure
UV light for daytime
150w heat lamp w/ black night bulb
Heat pad that covers half the bottom
Temp controller
auto water mister
digital humidity & temp controller
Substrate - Coconut Husks then covered with moss

I keep temps around 78-80F during the day and 73-75F during night. I try and keep Humidity between 50%-70%. I have the heat lamp and heat pad on the same side of the tank so they have a cool side and hot side. The tank is pretty tall though, so they can just move up or down depending on temp. My two cresties are between 2-3 months old so I feed them every day. I picked up the CGD powder along with Calcium & multivitamins powder. Since their babies and may be picky, I leave crickets in a jar sprinkled with CAL & Vitamins along with the CGD every night. I've had these little guys for 3 days now and they seem to be doing great. Anyways, feel free to tell me how I'm doing so far. Here is a pic of my setup and the two little guys.




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http://www.myspace.com/jackalpupz

[jackalpupz]

BTW, I didn't know this was a UK forum. I was just looking around for the most active forum. I hope it doesn't matter that I'm from the US .
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[Robk]

Hi, welcome to the forum.

Nice set-up.

I would say keep a close eye on their growth as the cage might be a bit large. When i started with cresteds i used a viv which was to large which led to the young crested not feeding very well, i presume due to feeling insecure and having a hard time finding food.
However as long as they are feeding well i wouldn't worry.

Also UV is not needed unless you have live plants in the viv, as long as you are supplementing their food with D3 they do not need it. What temperature is the viv at?It is unlikely you need a heat lamp unless your house is quite cold.
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Geckos & Inverts

[grink dude]

mate that is the nicest tank i have ever seen in my life. Good Job.i would say that you should make the temps areound 76 in the day, and 65-72 at night. Also at night, while they are sleeping, put the humidity up to around 90-100%.

Apart from the good job and good luck with your cresties!!
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Steph

[grink dude]

Sorry i meant eating, not sleeping^^^
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Steph

[Jackie]

Your viv looks great.

I have a few pointers:

Is the heat mat on the outside of the viv? If you need to use it should be on the outside - the heat mat could cause damage to the lamellae on the feet of the Cresteds. Personally I don't use heat mats with my Cresteds as they only heat surface temperature and not air (temperature). What are the room tempertures without any heat source switched on?

Humidity doesn't need to kept at a constant. I only spray my vivs lightly on an evening and allow the furnishings etc. to dry out naturally throughout the day. Obviously during shedding humidity needs to be more closely monitored. I do provide a large shallow water bowl.

As has been mentioned, uv isn't needed provided their diet is supplemented with a vitamin D3 source.

Also keep an eye on their feeding. The substrate is a great place for crickets to hide in. Cresteds are clumsy feeders and may get a mouthful of substrate when to go to catch a cricket. A soloution would be to bowl feed the crickets. By this a mean use a high sided glazed bowl, large enough for the Cresteds to get in but not for the crickets to jump out (over here a dogs pot drinking bowl is ideal). You could also take the back legs off the crickets before you put them in the bowl.
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Best wishes, Jackie

3:4 Eublepharis macularius
1:0 Gekko gecko
3:4:1 R. auriculatus
1:3 R. ciliatus
1:1 R. chahoua
1:1 R. leachianus henkeli

[Jackie]

I've just reread your post - that'll teach me...lol.

You don't need to use the heat mat (pad). As it is underneath the substrate the Cresteds won't really feel any benefit from it. As you have an overhead heat source, being arboreal they are more likely to use that (should your room temperatures be cold).

You are more than welcome to visit and use this forum. It's nice to hear from other countries. Please post away.
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Best wishes, Jackie

3:4 Eublepharis macularius
1:0 Gekko gecko
3:4:1 R. auriculatus
1:3 R. ciliatus
1:1 R. chahoua
1:1 R. leachianus henkeli

[baloo]

hi m8

i guess CA is california
in that case i would really reset my stat to a lower temperature or u may get a problem with overheating
i'm 1 hr north of london and i don't have any heat source for my cresties
unless you count to energie saving bulbs i use as a light source
about 8 watt each
u could get overheating problems in warm weather
i did last year in our heatwave and had to use frozen water bottles and cool box packs to keep em down
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ULI

[jackalpupz]

Thanks for the warm welcome and compliments guys. I do live in california where its pretty warm during the summers but during the winter time, it gets pretty cold. Its been weird weather lately though. Right now its noon time, and its 62 degrees outside.

The heat pad is on the outside of the tank so I'm not worried about any burning. I know this is probably not necessary but just for security measures.

As for overheating, I have the heat lamp set on a temp controller set to 78 degrees so it will shut off if it gets any hotter. We have the heater set pretty low in the house, for example, my house is 62 degrees right now lol. So thats the reason for the 150w heat lamp. During nights, it gets pretty cold in my room, so even with the heat lamp on, the temps drop to about 70-72 degrees.

For feeding, I do not just throw the crickets in the tank to roam. They are way to small and would just go in hiding. I put about 8 dusted crickets in a jar every night. I have been watching them eat every day so, so far so good.

The UV bulb is for the 3 live plants I have in there . Those spikey looking plants are real.

Question, what is the lowest safe humidity dry level for them? If the enclosure doesn't get sprayed often, the humidity drops pretty quick all the way down to around 50%.
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[Jackie]

I've been keeping and breeding Cresteds for many years now and find that the humidity doesn't have to be at a constant. Providing you have a water bowl present and do nightly mistings there won't be any problems (obviously keep an eye on your Cresteds during shedding). I know others on here who don't mist at all (only provide a water bowl).
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Best wishes, Jackie

3:4 Eublepharis macularius
1:0 Gekko gecko
3:4:1 R. auriculatus
1:3 R. ciliatus
1:1 R. chahoua
1:1 R. leachianus henkeli