Crested Gecko care sheet for a friend?

[Liam17]

Below is a care sheet I put together for a friend, can some one give me some feedback on it?


Housing:

One adult requires at least a 1.5 - 3 foot tall Vivarium they need aboreal set ups. A male can be kept with females but never with another male, when males are kept together at maturity they will fight. Provide several hiding places throughout the cage as crested geckos are nocturnal and hide during the day. Twisted branches running diagonally across the viv and verticaly provide great climbing facilities for them. Water must always be available in a heavy dish but only provide a thin film, However you may find your gecko prefers to drink water droplets off the vivarium’s sides or from leaves when you spray the tank. The optimum air temperature should be kept between 70F and 80F. To achieve these temperatures, You can use a heat mat along the side of the tank, as cresties do not like underfloor heating much, howver room temperature is usualy between 70 and 80. Locate the tank out of direct sunlight to avoid overheating.
If temperatures drop to 60 its not too dangerous providing its not long esposure however if it goes above 80 it can cause stress on the animal and cause it to become ill.
Exo -terra Aboreal vivs are great for crested geckos

Diet:

Crested Geckos can be fed on baby food. Make sure it is 100% pure fruit, failing that puree your own fruit e.g bananan, mango, melon these all work well. Please add in a sprinkle of Nutrobal supliment to the puree. this should be fed daily.
Dust crickets with Nutrobal and feed this twice a week. Esnure they are no larger than the distance between your gecko's eyes.
Crested gecko diet can also be used (CGD) this is a powderred food that is simply mixed with water, however great results are acheived when you mix 2 parts fruit to 1 part CGD. The CGD provide all nutrition that the geckos need, when mixed with fruit flavours are enhanced.

Lighting:

Crested Geckos do not need UV light however it does help to distinguish from night and day. Place the UV light above the tank so as not to increase the viv temp much. Use a low UV bulb so it is not too strong.
Cleaning:
Clean the full tank once a month with disinfectant for reptiles or houshold surface spray. Please ensure it has been fully washed off as the disinfectant may be harmful. Clean food bowls and water bowls daily. Hides and fake plants should be cleaned weekly. I place them in the dishwasher without tablets in because the steam they produce is great for cleaning. However i do spray them with disinfectant first.

Health:

Occasionally they may have a problem shedding. If you can see this to be the case try lightly misting your gecko and increasing humidity in the tank. DO NOT try to pull the skin off. There are sprays for example shed ease, however these are not necessary as spraying watrer should be good enough. If it needs help shedding then use a damp flannel cloth and gently try to rub the skin off, RUB VERY GENTLY!
Treat any cuts or grazes with tea this is a natural and weak disinfectant so will not harm the gecko.
A crested gecko may drop its tail this can be cause by agressive and rough handling. However it is more likely that it is caused by an agressive gecko also kept in its enclosure. Do not panick loss of a tail is not harmful or serious, however it will not grow back like some reptiles.
Floppy tail syndrome can also occur this is when the tail can no loger stay straight when a gecko faces toward the floor while climbing. It is not serious and will not effect breeding. Again if it is FTS it is perminant.

[Bebeop1980]

That seems good mate, one thing i would advise using CGD before Nutrobal.

Thats all nice step by step guide.

[neep_neep]

Just a quick note on FTS - won't affect breeding in males, but there is the possibility of causing issues in females. I.e. hip deformities which can increase the chances of egg-binding. I would just add the importance of horizontal resting points as well as the diagonal and vertical you have mentioned

The other thing I would say regarding diet, I would only add Nutrobal to the puree twice a week, rather than every day. Overdoses of vitamin D3 can cause just as many problems as too little! Just use pure calcium the rest of the time.

Other than that, it's a nice basic care guide

[Liam17]

I never would have thought about the females. But with FTS the bone does deform so i can see what you mean about egg binding. Thanks for the advice will add it !

[tigger79]

FTS is usually caused by a lack of vitamins and calcium n the diet, it can be treated with boosting the calcium intake, therefore it is not a permanant.

Nutrabol should only be used once a week for cresties calcium should be used 3 times a week, this is best used to dust crickets or wax worms.

A gecko can drop its tail for many reasons, rough handling and aggressive behaviour are not the only causes, stress and illness are 2 main factors.

if you are misting the tank twice a day then there should be no shedding problems, i would not recommend rubbing the gecko with anything.

when cleaning the tank DO NOT use household surface sprays only use recommended cleaners that are safe to use on reptiles, when it comes to cleaning the food dishes, just use hot water and a dish brush (one used for reptiles only), do not use any chemicals at all.

[neep_neep]

Originally Posted by tigger79

FTS is usually caused by a lack of vitamins and calcium n the diet, it can be treated with boosting the calcium intake, therefore it is not a permanant.

Unfortunately FTS is not treatable - once the pelvic girdle has been physically twisted due to weight of the tail, boosting calcium intake will not re-align it. Are you thinking of kinked tails, associated with MBD? Which can indeed be treated in the way you described

[tigger79]

Originally Posted by neep_neep

Unfortunately FTS is not treatable - once the pelvic girdle has been physically twisted due to weight of the tail, boosting calcium intake will not re-align it. Are you thinking of kinked tails, associated with MBD? Which can indeed be treated in the way you described

ok maybe my wording was not correct, but if caught in the early stages it can be treated, obviously if it is a serious case then the crestie will not heal.

[Liam17]

Thanks for the response guys.

i would like to add any disinfectant i use is totaly cleaned off after use through steaming. Almost 100% sterilisation.

Thanks again all

[don't rush me]

good thread ya all

[sarasin]

Originally Posted by tigger79

ok maybe my wording was not correct, but if caught in the early stages it can be treated, obviously if it is a serious case then the crestie will not heal.

FTS can also be caused simply by the gecko insisting on resting upside down on the glass. It is not treatable as once the tail is bent like this it will remain so, this is because the thin zygapophyses that form the interarticular surfaces between the vertebrae can fracture.