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elegant gecko care

4K views 16 replies 3 participants last post by  vix1707 
#1 ·
Hi,
I was wondering if anyone could give me some advice on these little geckos.
I have acquired 2 recently, unsure of sex or age but they have grown loads in the month or so that I have had them.
They are now approx 2 inches long, does any one know roughly how many crickets they should be eating per day??
mine seem to shed every few weeks but yesterday my little one shed and has still got some stuck under her chin which is driving her crazy and she is a bit reluctant to eat whilst its there. any ideas on getting it off??

many thanks :)
 
#2 ·
By elegant gecko I assume you are refering to one of the Stenodactylus species, as this is what they are usually labbled as.

if you stick a picture up I will tell you the species you have.

If you raise the humidity the little gecko will find it easier to shed. Often in the cool end of the viv i try to create humid little caves where they can go to shed.

Cricket wise, it will depend on the species you have, however as an average about 2-4 small crickets every couple of days ia about right. Again size and number of crickets will vary depending on species.

jay

here is one of the best care sheets online Amphibian Care >> Dwarf Sand Gecko (Stenodactylus species) Care
 
#5 ·
If they are aeting 2-3 every night thats fine.

Dusting wise, on average if you feed 7 days a week 4 of them you should dust the crickets with pure clcium only, 1 should be dusting with a mutli-citamin (e.g. nutrobol) and 2 should be plain. As steno are 99% of the time wild caught upping the calcum level is important.

To upload a picuture, you have to hoast in on somewhere like photobucket, alternativly you can upload it to your profile hear and tell people to look there.

Jay
 
#6 ·
#8 ·
No problem.

Can i just ask how you have the tank set up? What temperature are you keeping them at?

I assume you currently have a multi vitamin you are using to udust with, it's best to cut this down to once a week and use calcium. As, as with humans they can soon become overloads with vitamins and D3 which can cause problems.

Jay
 
#9 ·
Looks like S. sthenodactylus in the photo to me.

They will take calcium powder straight from a dish so it is useful to keep a dish of calcium in the vivarium so they can get a little extra if/when they need it. They look pretty young so will need plenty for growing strong bones.

Is there anything rough in the vivarium to help the one with the stuck shed get the last bit off? Something like a piece of cork bark would work to snag the last bit.
 
#10 ·
It's the more rounded nose that made me say S.petrii, however a better pic would help.


They will take calcium powder straight from a dish so it is useful to keep a dish of calcium in the vivarium so they can get a little extra if/when they need it. They look pretty young so will need plenty for growing strong bones.
All mine every do (S.stheno, S.petrii and S.dorea) with the calcium dish is stand in it and knock it over. I have never seen mine even think about licking it lol. Though mine are all weird lol.
 
#13 ·
hi, I now keep them in a exo-terra viv (30cm one) they have a heat mat covering one side and they have a repti glo 10.0 compact bulb above them. I think its approx 24degrees C in there. they are kept on repti sand and have two hides, a water bowl and a piece of cork bark. hope this is okay but if its not I would appreciate any advice :).

The crickets are dusted with nutrobal but i will now cut this down and sprinkle them with a calcium only supplement.

ive also been reccomended to gut load the crickets with a food i brought for them. is this something you reccomend??

many thanks
 
#14 ·
It needs to be hotter, around 30C with a cool end of around 22C. What are you using for heating a compact bulbs are mre for giving out light rather than heat? A heat mat over 1/3rd of the vivarium is the easiest way to heat them, but you can't have the sand too deep with a heat mat.

This care sheet might help you a bit more - Amphibian Care >> Dwarf Sand Gecko (Stenodactylus species) Care

Spikebrit - S. stheno come in two forms, a pointy nose and a rounded nose so it doesn't help with distinguishing them.
 
#15 ·
I'm using a exoterra heat mat, doesn't seem to heat it too much though, will try reducing the amount of sand as I have aprox 1 and a half inches on
it. Do you have any other ideas on heating if this does not get it warm enough? It's only a small exo terra viv so not sure if a heat light would be too hot?? As i would be unable to provide a cold spot

Many thanks
 
#16 ·
Do you have the mat on a thermostat? Also, where are you taking the temperature from? You need to take the temperature just under the sand where the heat mat is. A heat mat should be more than sufficient to heat the vivarium.
 
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