# Added a crested gecko to the mix



## lvandert (Feb 23, 2012)

Hey guys, and gals! :wave: I know its been a super long time since I've been on but I've been busy. Summer vacation came just in time for me to start working my butt off. Well as I stated in the title we've added a crested gecko to our little family. I dont know if its a girl or boy but their name is Yoshi, because the bf and I are complete nerds


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## kjg1029 (Jun 14, 2014)

how cool ..ive always wanted some sort of geko or lizard.....but I don't care much for bugs haha...is he freindly? Or is he like oh hell naw u ain't holding me?? There so pretty!!c:...nd lol his namexD!


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## lvandert (Feb 23, 2012)

Right now he's still acclimating to his environment but they are not know for being bitters. They "tame the easiest" and being he's such a little guy he'll run before biting. As for food these guys aren't bug eaters. In the wild they eat fruit off the forest floor, in captivity they eat a formula type substance. Just mix the powder with water and serve! Lol


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## Islandgaliam (Jan 27, 2014)

lvandert said:


> Hey guys, and gals! :wave: I know its been a super long time since I've been on but I've been busy. Summer vacation came just in time for me to start working my butt off. Well as I stated in the title we've added a crested gecko to our little family. I dont know if its a girl or boy but their name is Yoshi, because the bf and I are complete nerds


I love gekkos! We had a leopard gekko for many, many years; he escaped once when my son was cleaning his tank; found him in a closet months later; he and his tail were very skinny, but we nursed him back to health; he got sick when my son added a new one he got from a friend to the tank, we were very sad when they both passed away.


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## thekinetic (May 22, 2012)

It's so cute, I just got a leopard gecko myself last week! I love the name Yoshi it's very fitting. Yall aren't nerds just nostalgic, heck I named mine Elliott after the dragon from Pete's Dragon (still a fav movie of mine).


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## Islandgaliam (Jan 27, 2014)

thekinetic said:


> It's so cute, I just got a leopard gecko myself last week! I love the name Yoshi it's very fitting. Yall aren't nerds just nostalgic, heck I named mine Elliott after the dragon from Pete's Dragon (still a fav movie of mine).


I had a big gold fish named Elliot after that dragon...lol


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## lvandert (Feb 23, 2012)

OH we're nerds, but we know, love and embrace it. I could go into why but that would be a very long conversation lol


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## nel3 (May 29, 2011)

very nice gecko. crested geckoes can eat Dubia roaches and crickets provided they aren't too big for them to swallow though the crickets would need to be dusted with d3. I fed my gecko too many crickets too fast and he got tired of them. your gecko looks more brindle or tiger morph.

crested geckoes can eat the feeder worms but the hard calcite shells can cause impaction.

what sort of bedding are you using atm?


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## lvandert (Feb 23, 2012)

I already have the calcium powder and I hope to get some small crickets this weekend. As for bedding I'm doing 2-3 inches of that coconut fiber natural soil bedding and 2 inches of peat gravel under that. It's very dry here so I'm keeping about an inch of water in the gravel to maintain humidity levels. It works beautifully too. It makes a humidity gradient through the cage; sticks about 70-80% at the bottom and 40-50% at the top.


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## nel3 (May 29, 2011)

lvandert said:


> I already have the calcium powder and I hope to get some small crickets this weekend. As for bedding I'm doing 2-3 inches of that coconut fiber natural soil bedding and 2 inches of peat gravel under that. It's very dry here so I'm keeping about an inch of water in the gravel to maintain humidity levels. It works beautifully too. It makes a humidity gradient through the cage; sticks about 70-80% at the bottom and 40-50% at the top.


it sounds like you have a good setup for the gecko in the long tem. how big is the terrarium? sometimes you can just jump to a 20g tank for an adult and sometimes you need to start smaller. the important thing is for the gecko to smell and find the food. large KK can also work for babies if they have trouble finding the food in larger terrariums.

just one caution about coco fiber bedding for young geckoes. its a precaution to use paper towel until they're atleast 10-20g in weight. that way they might not ingest too much coco fiber and risk impaction when their digestion systems aren't large enough to let it pass. you can monitor the gecko to see if he gets any coc fiber in his mouth at this young age. 

I have my gecko in a 18inch cube terrarium, roughly 25gal worth. I did look for a 20g capacity but I got a better deal with the 18inch cube terrarium. terrariums are damn expensive new or used :shock:. 

I like your setup to keep the humidity. I have yet to try that gravel peat and cocoa setup. 

these are a few things ive learned personally and from forums sites in the past.


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## lvandert (Feb 23, 2012)

Currently he's in a 12x12x18. But he's also just a tiny guy. I have a scale coming tomorrow so I can get weekly weights. I do plan on bumping him to a bigger terrarium once he grows. I haven't seem any bedding stuck to his face and monday I'm getting his food dish off the floor and in some vines. I also ordered some pangea complete fruit mix. The gecko forum I go to says they don't change their mix as much as repashy and the geckos seem to like it more. I feel like my guy is holding out for cricket day.


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## nel3 (May 29, 2011)

lvandert said:


> Currently he's in a 12x12x18. But he's also just a tiny guy. I have a scale coming tomorrow so I can get weekly weights. I do plan on bumping him to a bigger terrarium once he grows. I haven't seem any bedding stuck to his face and monday I'm getting his food dish off the floor and in some vines. I also ordered some pangea complete fruit mix. The gecko forum I go to says they don't change their mix as much as repashy and the geckos seem to like it more. I feel like my guy is holding out for cricket day.


looks like you have done all the proper research for your gecko. I do know that there are some MRP aside from Rephashy that work well on crested geckoes but ive only fed mine Rephashy 2.0. the newest is 3.0 with 1 ingredient different to make it less likely to dry out. pangea fruit mix is also a good for for the geckoes and many on the gecko forum I go to use it.

your gecko wont starve himself to start eating CGD however its good to feed him crickets when he's young for the growth spurt that will follow. he'll accept the CGD your trying to feed him. you could leave the food out 24/7 and refill/toss old cgd out. I find 2.0 dries within 1 day so I only leave the food out on the day I feed him. mine's also gotten picky to have fresh cgd no more than 5 days old.


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## Kozmotis (Jul 14, 2014)

We just got one of these cuties in at work. Have fun with your new little friend!


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