Crested Gecko Questions

[mira_kaylee]

Hello, I plan on getting a Crested Gecko soon and have a few questions about it's set up. I plan on keeping it in a 10gal tank (until it needs bigger, obviously) and am just getting a rough idea as to the cost of the habitat set up. Here is what I would like to know please:

1.) Which live plants are both easy to take care of and safe for my gecko?

2.) Would it be wise to invest in an undertank heater at some point? My home usually stays between 70 and 75 degrees and the geckos would be located next to my Russian Tortoises, who have a heat lamp on during the day (since the geckos are nocturnal, I wasn't sure how that would affect them).

3.) If I wanted to avoid feeding crickets to my geckos, how would I go about making sure that they get the necessary amount of calcium? If it is absolutely necessary then I am willing to feed them crickets, but if there is an alternative then I would like to hear about it.

Preemptive thank you's to all who respond

(Also, this exact post was put on geckotalk.com and no one answered and it's been a bit. As such I thought that I may get an answer if I
posted it somewhere else where I've always gotten answers before.)

 

[yellowfoot]

I'm not sure about the plants. I have always used fake plants. I wouldn't use an under tank heater either. Safe temps for cresteds are between 65-80. If your house stays between 70-75 that should be perfect. A heat lamp next to their cage should be okay as long as their cage does not get any warmer than 80. I don't use any supplemental heat for mine. I feed them crested gecko diet every other day. You really only need to feed the cgd. I do feed mine calcium dusted crickets once a week. This is more for their mental stimulation. You can also feed them roaches but the crested gecko diet provides all their dietary needs. I also feed fruit baby food occasionally. It really doesn't have much nutritional value for them but they love it. I mist every night around 8pm. This is usually when they wake up and start exploring. I have a water dish in the cage but I have never seen them use it. Cresteds are a lot of fun and very easy to take care of.

 

[ckidd_1999]

So I don't know about the plant part

The under tank heater isn't a must have, but it would still help in the rare case that your house gets cold during the winter. I would personally use a red heat lamp because iv heard that the bright white/blue ones can hurt there eyes if its too bright, but I don't know if thts 100% true.

You can feed them meal worms, but they aren't as healthy as crickets or Dubai roaches. I don't like feeding reptiles the premade store bought diets because it doesn't give them the natural hunting experience tht they (and you) will enjoy to experience. I would personally go with crickets, but that's just my choice. The CGD is still very Healthy and good for them, I would still use it.

 

[Kate]

Crested geckos do not need crickets at all, as long as you properly feed them crested gecko diet, and they are not egg laying adult females. The Crested Gecko Diet is nutritionally complete. Check out the Pangea forum.

 

[mira_kaylee]

So if they ARE egg laying adult females (at some point in the future) then will they require crickets?

 

[ckidd_1999]

So if they ARE egg laying adult females (at some point in the future) then will they require crickets?

The best thing to give them is calcium in EVERY feeding when they are laying eggs. They will be wiped out because of egg laying and they need calcium because the used alot in making the eggs. Crickets r good to give them whenever u want, but they never "require" crickets to live or during egg laying periods

 

[bmt123]

This is my adult females setup. All live plants in a custom enclosure(2,w 2,l 2.5,t)

 

[Vegasarah]

I have a crested and I highly recommend feeding the Crested Gecko diet like Replashy or something similar. If you have a dog or a cat, you just feed them dog and cat food because it's nutritionally what they need. Can you give your dog a piece of meat every once in a while? Sure! That's how I see crickets- not needed at all but a nice treat for a Crestie every once in a while. I use fake plants in my enclosure and that seems to work great for me. If your house is between 60-75 that's perfect- any warmer than 80 is a BAD thing and can stress them and even kill them. So you are good to go there, just make sure you monitor the temps inside the enclosure to see any fluctuations outside of this range. Good luck with your Crestie, they are awesome pets!