Your New Crested Gecko - What You Will Need

I'm planning on doing a few posts today on getting a new crested gecko!
Seeing as my crested geckos are breeding, lots of family and friends are planning on having one/some of the babies. I think it's important that people know everything about crested geckos before they get them. They aren't exactly your average pet, and vets and pet stores don't tend to specialize in them.

Here's my first of a series of posts on new crested geckos. This post is about everything you will need before you go ahead and buy your crestie.

Vivariums

The most important thing you will need before you get your new gecko is his home! You can find vivariums in reptile stores and most likely any pet store that sells reptiles. Look around in different stores near you before you go ahead and buy one; you may find that some are cheaper than others. You might even want to look online, but I would recommend  buying a vivarium first-hand.

Crested geckos require a 'tall' vivarium, and the smallest you should consider getting should measure 12" by 12" by 18" (approx 12 US gallons). This should comfortably home one adult crested gecko, at the most two.

If you're planning on having 2 or 3 crested geckos, you might want to consider getting an 18" by 18" by 24". This is the size vivarium I currently own for Rocco and Savannah, my own crested geckos. It is approximately the size of my bedside table/chest of drawers, although slightly smaller, and they have far much more personal space in this sized enclosure than the 12" by 12" by 18".

Exo Terra is probably your best bet for a vivarium: their enclosures are safe, well-ventilated, beautiful and very trustworthy.

www.exo-terra.com

Exo Terra 'tall' vivariums; left: 12" by 12" by 18", right: 18" by 18" by 24"

Another reliable vivarium source is Komodo. Exo Terra is probably the better option: the vivariums have backings that create a natural environment, they are very well ventilated and are a much more largely used company. I feel that Exo Terra make far more attractive enclosures than Komodo, but others may disagree!

www.exotic-pets.co.uk

The above images are examples of Komodo vivariums you can find (not tall).

If you're considering getting a vivarium, you might want to go look at the different variety yourself and consider which you prefer. Some stores even sell wooden vivariums, although these don't tend to come in the 'tall' option and they are less popular for crested geckos. They tend to suit leopard geckos more. However, you may find that the wooden styled vivarium fits in better with your room.

www.animalinstinct.co.uk

An example of a tall wooden vivarium (less recommended).

I think wooden vivariums are beautiful, I really do, although I feel they are far less practical for cresties. If you are looking for beauty in your vivarium, I recommend you do as I have done and find a beautiful backing, a heat light and some pretty plants or flowers to decorate the inside. The light makes a whole lot of difference to the vivarium's appearance.

Inside Your Vivarium

Inside your vivarium you need to make it as natural as possible for your crestie(s).

Below is a list of everything I have inside my own vivarium:

• One large Exo Terra hanging plant (Ficus, silk)
• One small Exo Terra hanging plant (Abuliton, silk)
• One large Exo Terra jungle vine
• Two ground plants (one large-leaved alike scindapsus, one philodendron)
• Two forest branches (one small, one large)
• One piece of cork bark
• One Buddha vivarium background
• One medium Exo Terra water dish
• Coconut fibre substrate
• One Exo Terra dial thermometer
• One Exo Terra dial hygrometer

This amount of items isn't necessary, but crested geckos do spend a lot of their time hiding. It is necessary to provide your gecko(s) with the amount of equipment they may need to hide sufficiently.

www.vivariumguide.com

The above image is an example of efficient hiding apparatus for your crested gecko.

Something also important for your crested gecko's enclosure is climbing equipment.
Those of you with crested geckos will know they get most of their exercise from climbing. With the help of the lamallae on their feet and tail tip, crested geckos spend most of their time vertically. They get most of their exercise from climbing, excluding when hunting, and even climb to the top of the vivarium so to climb on the wire mesh!
It's not necessary to include lots of climbing equipment as crested geckos can climb glass and most other surfaces, but it's probably a good idea to insert some obstacles so your gecko has some interesting routes and gets some decent exercise!
Jungle vines are the best kind of climbing apparatus, as they can be wrapped around other decor and bent, twisted and turned into any shape or route.

www.flickriver.com

Essential Internal Equipment:

• Thermometer (dial or digital)
• Hygrometer (dial or digital)
• Water dish

These are the only 3 essentials for your vivarium. Obviously, it is essential that your crested gecko has climbing and hiding apparatus inside the enclosure, but what you choose is up to you and how much you want to kit it out. The above 3 in my opinion are absolute essentials to ensure your gecko has a healthy living environment.

(To find out more about temperature and humidity in a crested gecko's vivarium, you can read my previous post at the following address: How To Keep Your Crested Gecko Healthy)

Other Necessities

There are other necessities that you will require before purchasing your crested gecko.

One of the most important requirements in this category is a form of temperature maintenance. This should be in the form of a heat mat or heat lamp.

Often you won't need to use your heat mat/lamp, and your crested gecko will be fine at room temperature. However, often at night times or in the winter, the general temperature can drop and leave the enclosure at low temperatures. Although it is important the temperature doesn't rise above 80F/26C, it's also important it doesn't drop below 50F/10C. Reptile specialists will inform you on which bulb or mat is suitable for your crested gecko.

www.ebay.co.uk

www.thescmas.com

As well as maintaining the temperature in your vivarium, it is just as important to maintain the humidity. This tends to be more difficult, and the natural humidity of your environment and the heat source you are using will affect how often you will need to top up the humidity.

It's easy to maintain once you know how quickly the humidity begins to drop in your environment. You simply need to purchase a 'mister bottle', which is a bottled pump that sprays a fine layer of water into the vivarium. Once you've done this a few times, you will establish how often you need to do so and how much you need to spray. Usually a heavy spray is required of an evening, and a light spray of a morning. It's easy enough once you've got the hang of it.

www.ebay.co.uk

Komodo water spray misting bottle!

The last thing you will need as an addition to your purchases is calcium and multivitamins. If you decide to feed your crested gecko on Crested Gecko Diet this is something you won't need to worry about, as all your gecko's requirements are already added to the mix. You will however need to buy these if you're considering feeding your gecko on live food, or fruit for a treat. You can purchase these in all reptile stores and most average pet stores, and more details on how to use these can be found in the link above in the 'Essential Internal Equipment' section.

I hope you enjoyed today's section, and I promise to post tomorrow or Wednesday with the next 'Your New Crested Gecko Segment': Buying Your Gecko.

Thank you for reading and for helping to make my blog a success. It means the world to me.

Regards,

Elly. x

Caring for new Crested Geckos

Are you planning on getting a new crested gecko, but you don't know where to start?
It is difficult to know what you need or what will be best for your crestie. So many websites and care sheets offer different advice, but there seems to be no conclusion.
I've been through the new crested gecko experience twice now, and once very recently. I decided it would be a good idea to put aside any first-timer worries and help you to come to some conclusion on what is best for your gecko.
There are really only a few ways that you could go wrong with a new crested gecko, and the rest of it is just down to opinion. If you've done your research, spoken to specialists and you know what you're doing, you just have to ignore those who intervene.

Sorting out everything you need for your crested gecko can be done in 3 simple steps.

Step One - Housing

The first thing that you'll need for your new crested gecko is a vivarium.

You will need to decide on the size of your vivarium, which could depend on many things. If you are housing more than one gecko together, you will want to get a larger vivarium to give them more space.

My vivarium is a 12" by 12" by 18", and can house up to 3 adult geckos. I would have liked to have gotten something a little larger than this, but as a student I frankly don't have the money to do so. Try to get a reasonably large vivarium if you can, to create a natural and comfortable environment for your gecko(s).

(If you're lucky enough, your vivarium could come with an offer. My vivarium came with accessories free!)

There are different vivarium styles; you will have to go for a 'tall' vivarium. This means that the height of the vivarium is longer than the width and the depth. Crested geckos love to climb and spend a lot of their time vertical. They shouldn't spend a lot of the time on the ground.

Make sure that you know how to operate the vivarium doors and locks (the man or woman in the store will show/tell you how to do this!), and then you're ready to make your choice on accessories.

Step Two - Accessorising

Now you have chosen your perfect vivarium, it's time to start accessorising it!

This is usually more fun for the girls, and I know I was concerned about the way the vivarium looked and making everything perfect a little more than what was best for Rocco. You have to try to make sure you think about what is best for your gecko, and then you can play around with how it looks.

At the time of purchasing Rocco and his vivarium, I got:

• 2 pieces of cork bark
• One Exo-Terra fake plant
• One drinking bowl

... And that was it!

At the time it didn't feel like enough but my parents insisted it was all I needed, especially due to the cost of everything so far. I had spent over £100 on everything.

Once I'd had Rocco for a week or so, I started to have problems. There wasn't really anywhere for Rocco to hide himself, and eventually he felt so overexposed that he climbed down through a small cut-out in the bottom of the back wall and wedged himself in between the polystyrene and the glass. At this point, I knew I had to get more hides for him.

Now, I have this:

• One Exo-Terra fake plant against the heat pad on the left, matching Rocco's 'fired-up' colours
• One Exo-Terra fake plant against the cooler side of the glass, matching Rocco's 'fired-down' colours
• One drinking bowl
• One misitifier
• Two 'jungle vines' that weave their way across the vivarium, creating different paths for them
• One piece of cork bark inside the enclosure, and a spare one outside of the enclosure
• One medium-sized Exo-Terra hide/cave, used as the moist hide.
• Recently purchased Eco-Earth substrate for the vivarium floor

I even purchased a hygrometer and a thermometer to measure water and temperature levels in the viv. Now the vivarium is perfect, and sees to all of their needs.

So long as you make sure you have the following, you're fine:

1. At least three hides: moist, warm and cool
2. More than one way for your gecko to climb
3. Accessories that help to form a natural environment
4. Accessories that see to their physical needs, e.g. water bowl

Step Three - Think about Food!

Do you have any ideas about what you would like to feed your gecko?

I would recommend (and I'm sure that any reptile specialist would!) that you try every new crestie with live food. The reptile specialist in the store will advise you on what your crested gecko has been eating, therefore what is best to feed him or her.

If you do decide on live food, you will have to think about supplements and keeping arrangements.

When I purchased the crickets in the store, I also purchased a 'critter keeper'. These are basically fairly small boxes that come with 'jelly' and cricket food. They help to keep the crickets alive for longer and keep them healthy. It is not a necessity, but it could be helpful and cost-effective.

You should also make sure that you purchase calcium, and some form of multi-vitamin supplement.

If you decide not to feed with live food, then your only other option for a staple food is Crested Gecko Diet. In the UK you will probably have to purchase this online, but I know in the US it is sold in stores.

There are two brands: Repashy and Komodo. They both supply the gecko with what he or she needs, and they both come in different flavours. Once again, this is truly down to opinion as to which is best for your gecko. I myself use Komodo, but I think Repashy is more commonly used.

Now the only thing you have to do is get your gecko!

I hope that this post helped.

You can come on by tomorrow to read about housing new geckos together, which is something I am recently experienced in!

If you have any questions or anything to say, please do comment.

Keep all the comments rolling in!

Elly. x