I just got a large (1 year) female crested Gecko. We are now facing Hurricane Frances. Hopfully I will be able to get out of town (Lizzards and all of course) but we may not have power for a few days or weeks. My house normally is air conditioned but with out power it could get really hot. How sensative is my crested Gecko to heat? This will also mean my baby bearded Dragon will be with out his heat or UV lights. Any suggestions? :shock:
first, i'd like to say i wish you & everyone facing hurricane frances's path a lot of luck!!!! i don't know what to say about the crested gecko as far as overheating which may also be a concern for your bd. the uv lighting? well that may be remedied easier, that is if you have some sun days following the storm. SAFELY & SECURELY you can expose your bd to natural sunlight. (do not use glass enclosure or even small plastic containers outside in the sun). i recomend a screened enclosure or large plastic storage container with a screen placed on top and added small ventilation holes or a large childrens pool (make sure your bd cannot escape or predetors cannot get to your bd). it is important to provide shade and water to prevent overheating and never leave your bd unattended outdoors! you could also provide extra calcium w/vita D3 if power is out for just a couple days.
crested geckos stress out at temperatures higher than 85 degrees. mine i keep at mid to high 70s at all times. put the cresty somewhere cold is all i can really suggest.
I wouldn't worry about them not having UV for a couple of days. Just a few days isn't going to hurt them if they've previously had good exposure. You can always let them bask out in the sun during the days if you are without power. We use reptariums to house them outside. Like Slimmy says, don't use glass or plastic cages outside, you'll end up cooking them.
yes wat they said about the bearded dragon. but the crested gecko im worried about. the only thing i can think of (cause they stress very easily and can die at temps above 83) is, u culd make a fan blow on the cage and an ice pack underneath it or the subtrate. anything to cool it down. spray him a bit extra and make sure he stays cool and dosnt get exposed to the heat. keep him in a cool basment if u have one. like i said before, anythng that can cool him down. but make sure the temps r ok. u dont want the ice pack to make it go down to 60 or something. keep a good themometer in there and constantly check and monitor the gecko and the thermometer. thats all i can think about
If you have a gas stove available to you heat up some water and put it in the 2 liter soda bottles with a blanket around it for heat for your bd. I have one and our power goes out in the winter so we do that for heat. He loves it and we have had no problems at all with him going without a uv light for a few days.
I wouldnt be worried about the Crested bein outside if the BD is too..... You can use the sunlight to your advantage..... Cresteds dont need any lighting to begin with.... They can do fine without it.... As Far as it overheating in the sun..... If you spray your tank down every 45 min. or so with cool water she should be ok..... I used to take my herps outside for an hour or more for the natural sunlight.....Thats better than the UV lights any day........ GOOD LUCK TO YOU....Stay Safe
Thanks for all the info. (I like the ice pack idea, I'll use that after we lose power in IVAN!!)...we all made it through!! My BD stessed out a little but the Gecko never missed a beat. She ate like a pig the whole time and even shed. She's quite active too. The temp in the house never got above 80 this time but I monitored her and Silver constantly.
