# Crested gecko help!!



## Mcadam1222 (May 17, 2012)

Crested gecko setup questions help
Hi there,
So I have my 38 gallon flexarium setup with coco fibre as the substrate,lots of vines and plants to climb on and have been told this is fine but I have a few more questions. 
Main diet will be crested gecko diet but I will feed her/him crickets 2-3 times a week,how many should I feed?
I have a 38 gallon cage so how many geckos could I put in this?
Can I use a 5.0 UVB bulb for display purposes as they would benefit form this as well as I have no other lighting as my house is hot enough
Any answers would be much appreciated 
Thanks


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## corny girl (Aug 30, 2009)

First of all when you say flexarium do you mean the mesh ones? If so then you really need to do some more research as these are no good at all for Cresties who like humidity & you won't get any with one of these flexariums :whistling2:. They are better being kept in the Exo Terra glass terrariums. Also Cresties need to be kept on their own as they can fight & you then risk them dropping their tails which won't grow back (you may be able to keep 2 females of similar size & weight together but i wouldn't do it if you are inexperienced with them).


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## Mcadam1222 (May 17, 2012)

corny girl said:


> First of all when you say flexarium do you mean the mesh ones? If so then you really need to do some more research as these are no good at all for Cresties who like humidity & you won't get any with one of these flexariums :whistling2:. They are better being kept in the Exo Terra glass terrariums. Also Cresties need to be kept on their own as they can fight & you then risk them dropping their tails which won't grow back (you may be able to keep 2 females of similar size & weight together but i wouldn't do it if you are inexperienced with them).


Thanks and yes flexarium, I have been recommended by a few people and others have said its fine so I will be using the 38 gallon flexarium, there is a lot of vines/plants to clim on and the humidity is not a problem as my chameleon was in a flexarium and I have had no problem with humidity,so can I use a 5.0 UVB during the day? Thanks


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## Cleo27 (Jan 9, 2010)

Mcadam1222 said:


> Crested gecko setup questions help
> Hi there,
> So I have my 38 gallon flexarium setup with coco fibre as the substrate,lots of vines and plants to climb on and have been told this is fine but I have a few more questions.
> Main diet will be crested gecko diet but I will feed her/him crickets 2-3 times a week,how many should I feed?
> ...


Hello! first of all congratulations & well done for doing some research before actually going out and buying your new pet! Always a good start! 



Mcadam1222 said:


> Crested gecko setup questions help
> Hi there,
> So I have my 38 gallon* flexarium* setup with coco fibre as the substrate,lots of vines and plants to climb on and have been told this is fine but I have a few more questions.


When you say " flexarium" are you meaning a mesh set up such as this one : Flexariums Because, if so sadly this is not suitable for a crestie. Crested geckos need humidity to stay healthy and the mesh on a flexarium cannot hold it in.

Are you planning on getting a hatchling or adult crested gecko?
If your looking at purchasing a hatchling, it will have to be housed in something such as the Exo Terra faunarium, which can be bought pretty cheaply, until it is big enough to be transferred into his/her adult set up. My crestie is in a 45 x 45 x45 exo terra. He is a male and this is perfect for him. Males cannot be housed together or they will fight however they can be housed with females if your wanting to breed. However as this is your first crested gecko I wouldn't really reccomend this.
If your hatchling turns out to be female ( You cannot tell if a crested gecko is male or female until they are slightly older, its just your luck really) & you are looking to house with other females then you would be best getting a 45 x 45 x 60 which can house 2 or 3 female crested geckos comfortably when provided with multiple hiding places. 

If your looking to purchase an adult crested gecko then ask the breeder or previous owner what setup they have originally been living in and try and match this. For cresties persoanally I just feel Exo Terra range is spot on for maintaining temps & humidity.

If you like feel free to PM me & I'll send you a few pictures of Rios set up




Mcadam1222 said:


> Main diet will be crested gecko diet but I will feed her/him crickets 2-3 times a week,how many should I feed?


If your in the UK then " Oxford Geckos " is an excellent stockist of Clarks Crested Gecko diet, my geckos favourite flavours are fig & papaya however geckos preference will probably vary. As for live food I feed my crested gecko calcium dusted locusts, around the same width as his head, never any bigger. What I find is I just place my gecko in a suitable " feeding area" as I do not let the live food hop around in his viv and basically just keep dropping them in one - by - one until he is no longer interested. Sometimes he will eat five or six and others he'll only eat maybe 2 at the most, it just depends! You can also give your geckos "fruit smoothies" as a wee treat. I find my crestie likes strawberry & mango blended together best. As a treat you can offer a tiny drizzle of honey to tempt them into trying your smoothie too. 

As for the UVB, to be honest I'm not too sure on this. I know many crestie owners give their cresties UV light but personally mines does perfectly fine without, its entirely your option but I can't really comment on something, best leaving that to someone else lol!

Hope this helps a little & if you have any questions or anything please don't hesitate to drop me a message on here & I'll try my best to answer & point you in the right direction! & Pleaseeee post pics when you get your crestie! Lol.

Thanks , Brooke .


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## Mcadam1222 (May 17, 2012)

Cleo27 said:


> Hello! first of all congratulations & well done for doing some research before actually going out and buying your new pet! Always a good start!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Wow great info thanks! There is ways of keeping the humidity in,you can put a Flextray on the back as well and my chameleons humidity is always high with me spraying her so I honestly don't think it will be a problem housing her/him in my flexarium,*
Thanks again


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## corny girl (Aug 30, 2009)

Mcadam1222 said:


> Wow great info thanks! There is ways of keeping the humidity in,you can put a Flextray on the back as well and my chameleons humidity is always high with me spraying her so I honestly don't think it will be a problem housing her/him in my flexarium,*
> Thanks again



Sorry but they are NOT suitable for Crested Gecko's. You will need to keep it in an Exo Terra glass terrarium. I don't know who has told you they are suitable but they are not, they are useless at holding humidity to the degree that Cresties need. Why not post up in the Lizard section as there are plenty of Crestie keepers & breeders in there if you don't believe me :devil:. If you keep a Crestie in a flexarium then you are risking it's health & welfare, also the mesh won't allow them to climb which they love to do & it could damage their feet.


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## Mcadam1222 (May 17, 2012)

corny girl said:


> Sorry but they are NOT suitable for Crested Gecko's. You will need to keep it in an Exo Terra glass terrarium. I don't know who has told you they are suitable but they are not, they are useless at holding humidity to the degree that Cresties need. Why not post up in the Lizard section as there are plenty of Crestie keepers & breeders in there if you don't believe me :devil:. If you keep a Crestie in a flexarium then you are risking it's health & welfare, also the mesh won't allow them to climb which they love to do & it could damage their feet.


Thanks agin for the info,it's not metal mesh,it's a soft mesh and my chameleon can climb on it and have looked all this up on google,so should it not be fine?


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## Cleo27 (Jan 9, 2010)

Mcadam1222 said:


> Thanks agin for the info,it's not metal mesh,it's a soft mesh and my chameleon can climb on it and have looked all this up on google,so should it not be fine?


Sorry, but its totally NOT suitable at any cost. Is it a hatchling or adult your planning on getting? 
Please if your getting a hatchling stick to the Exo Terra FAUNARIUM & then transfer to a suitably sized terrarium when needed.

If its an adult: Exo Terra terrarium all the way!


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## Xerse (Sep 22, 2010)

Mcadam1222 said:


> Thanks agin for the info,it's not metal mesh,it's a soft mesh and my chameleon can climb on it and have looked all this up on google,so should it not be fine?


A flexarium is not suitable in any way for a crested gecko.
You have definitely been given bad advice in regards to this.

Just because the humidity is fine for a chameleon in a flexarium, doesn't mean it's okay for a crested gecko, by any means.

I wouldn't dream of keeping a crested gecko in a flexarium.


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## corny girl (Aug 30, 2009)

Mcadam1222 said:


> Thanks agin for the info,it's not metal mesh,it's a soft mesh and my chameleon can climb on it and have looked all this up on google,so should it not be fine?




Crested Gecko's are totally different to Chameleons & should be treated differently, Chameleons have toes they can grip with, Cresties don't so it won't be able to climb very easily on the mesh & if it does it risks damaging it's toes & feet or worse falling & injuring itself. So no that mesh viv is not suitable for a Crestie. You really do need to get an Exo Terra for it, it will be harmful to the Crestie to keep spraying the viv which you would have to do to keep the humidity at the desired level in a mesh viv. Sell the flexarium & get an Exo Terra, plenty for sale in the classifieds section :2thumb:. Also if it is a very small hatchling then it will need to be kept in a small faunarium until it is bigger or it will have trouble finding it's food.


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## Mcadam1222 (May 17, 2012)

Cleo27 said:


> Sorry, but its totally NOT suitable at any cost. Is it a hatchling or adult your planning on getting?
> Please if your getting a hatchling stick to the Exo Terra FAUNARIUM & then transfer to a suitably sized terrarium when needed.
> 
> If its an adult: Exo Terra terrarium all the way!


Well I'm not to sure, I live in Glasgow and the only place I know for crested geckos is petsathome, but I'm going to try neon gecko when everything is sorted and see if they have any,Because I have bought reptile from there before


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## Cleo27 (Jan 9, 2010)

Please please PLEASE don't go to Pets At Home. I'm in Glasgow myself and the Parkhead branch is an absoloute joke! I have personal experience on their lack of knowledge & basically just lack of wanting to learn or take on board any other opinions other than what they have learned in their " reptile test " which is, frankly, laughable. I don't really want to post the pics of what the gecko was like which I rescued as to be honest its highly distressing. I went in to buy dog food and came out with a tiny crested gecko for FREE which died a few hours after coming into my care, it was basically the definition of neglect and abuse! Had been eaten by geckos & was If your wanting to get it from a pet store Neon Gecko is the way forward, however there is plenty of brilliant breeders on here on the classifieds which is definitely worth having a look at. Also some online sites, Lillyexotics in particular. Lillyexotics ::crested gecko, gecko, crestie,gecko breeder,ciliatus,panther chameleon,chameleon breeder,vivarium


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## Mcadam1222 (May 17, 2012)

Cleo27 said:


> Please please PLEASE don't go to Pets At Home. I'm in Glasgow myself and the Parkhead branch is an absoloute joke! I have personal experience on their lack of knowledge & basically just lack of wanting to learn or take on board any other opinions other than what they have learned in their " reptile test " which is, frankly, laughable. I don't really want to post the pics of what the gecko was like which I rescued as to be honest its highly distressing. I went in to buy dog food and came out with a tiny crested gecko for FREE which died a few hours after coming into my care, it was basically the definition of neglect and abuse! Had been eaten by geckos & was If your wanting to get it from a pet store Neon Gecko is the way forward, however there is plenty of brilliant breeders on here on the classifieds which is definitely worth having a look at. Also some online sites, Lillyexotics in particular. Lillyexotics ::crested gecko, gecko, crestie,gecko breeder,ciliatus,panther chameleon,chameleon breeder,vivarium


Really! That put me off going there! So you think maybe neon gecko or ?


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## Cleo27 (Jan 9, 2010)

I just don't think the staff at the Glasgow branches have a clue on what they are selling or doing with their reptiles, I know in other places the staff are really good, but we're not as fortunate. Now that I've had that experience I'd never ever fund them by purchasing anything from them. If you really want to see the extent and sheer state this animal was in then I'd be more than happy to e-mail anyone the photos, but its really not for the faint hearted & is really distressing. 

Neon Gecko are a bit expensive in my opinion, they are not too bad, but I wouldn't fork out more on an animal which I'd get considerably cheaper from a good breeder. Its a good enough shop though, so, aye, Neon Gecko would be your best bet. 

It really depends on what sort of morph your looking at getting, if your not too bothered then NG is perfectly fine, but if your looking for a particular morph or whatever then Lilly exotics is a good shout, and have brilliant prices.


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## Mcadam1222 (May 17, 2012)

Cleo27 said:


> I just don't think the staff at the Glasgow branches have a clue on what they are selling or doing with their reptiles, I know in other places the staff are really good, but we're not as fortunate. Now that I've had that experience I'd never ever fund them by purchasing anything from them. If you really want to see the extent and sheer state this animal was in then I'd be more than happy to e-mail anyone the photos, but its really not for the faint hearted & is really distressing.
> 
> Neon Gecko are a bit expensive in my opinion, they are not too bad, but I wouldn't fork out more on an animal which I'd get considerably cheaper from a good breeder. Its a good enough shop though, so, aye, Neon Gecko would be your best bet.
> 
> It really depends on what sort of morph your looking at getting, if your not too bothered then NG is perfectly fine, but if your looking for a particular morph or whatever then Lilly exotics is a good shout, and have brilliant prices.


Thanks for that advice,I will definitely not going to petsathome,and I think I will just go to Neon gecko as I'm not looking for any amazing morph or anything,maybe just a flame or something,
Thanks again*


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## emmilllyyy (Oct 9, 2010)

do not use a flexarium. theyre completely inadequate for a geckos needs. they also do not need uv but can benefit from it, and will require lots of branches and plants to hide in! a 45x45x60 exo terra is a commonly used enclosure which is perfect for a gecko  these can be bought online from places like swellreptiles. 
What is your setup like, decor wise and heating wise?

If you aren't going to change your mind and get a suitable habitat for a crested, its plain and simple, do not get one.


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## Cleo27 (Jan 9, 2010)

No problem. In Neon Gecko you'll be getting a hatchling/juvenile. Neon Gecko normally do some sort of deal on a setup but just so you know you will need:

*Exo Terra faunarium*: you'll get this in Neon Gecko no problem

*Substrate* - kitchen roll or paper towels to monitor feeding & to ensure your crestie is going to the toilet properly etc. 

*Food* - highly recommend the Clarks crested gecko diet! ---> Oxford Geckos but I'm not too sure what Neon Gecko have theirs on, obviously first few weeks keep them on whatever your gecko is being fed previously in the store then gradually wean them on your prefered food choice.
Locusts in my opinion are better than crickets, personal preference though, either way, dust them with some calcium which you'll easily be able to buy in store too. 

*Cage decoration* - To be honest I bought my plants from hobby craft lmao! I have a few exo terra plants though. Heavily decorated is definitely the way forward, cresties LOVE to hide, and thrive having as many hiding places as you can provide. 

Food dishes, personally I just use like plastic bottle lids though you can get Magnatural mushroom dishes, I have these & they love the fact they are elevated. 

Have a wee heat bulb & stat just in case your house gets a little chilly, I've never needed it but I always have it there just in case.

Obviously you'll need to pick up the basics (thermometer etc.) but Neon Gecko will defo help you get everything you need.


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## Mcadam1222 (May 17, 2012)

Cleo27 said:


> No problem. In Neon Gecko you'll be getting a hatchling/juvenile. Neon Gecko normally do some sort of deal on a setup but just so you know you will need:
> 
> *Exo Terra faunarium*: you'll get this in Neon Gecko no problem
> 
> ...


That's great thanks,I will do some more research of my own as well.to get to learn more before I get him/her


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## Cleo27 (Jan 9, 2010)

Just avoid a flexarium at all costs, lol! Theres plenty of caresheets on here you'll be able to read, all of which are great & really helped me when I got my crestie. Any questions please feel free to PM me on here, I'm no expert, but I'll do my best to give you a hand


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## Mcadam1222 (May 17, 2012)

Cleo27 said:


> Just avoid a flexarium at all costs, lol! Theres plenty of caresheets on here you'll be able to read, all of which are great & really helped me when I got my crestie. Any questions please feel free to PM me on here, I'm no expert, but I'll do my best to give you a hand


Lol, thanks again


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