Hi everyone. Getting our first crested baby (about 2 mos old) soon and have been reading a lot. I see that paper towels are often recommended for very young geckos, but I'd really love for our gecko to have a natural environment with live plants from the start. Would it be safe to use Eco-Earth (coconut bedding)? We've already layed a thin layer of it down in a medium size critter keeper and it seems good. Has anyone used it succesfully for very young geckos? Thanks!
best substrate for a baby crestie is paper towel, this way it does not accidently injest the coconut bedding while it is chasing crickets. but if you want to do the natural setup from the start you can feed your crestie in a seperate container outside of the tank and that would be safe. a good way to keep live plants growing in a tank is to put about 1" or 2" of gravel into the tank and add a little water, then place an airconditioner filter on top of the gravel, then put raw untreated dirt (top soil available at walmart for 49cents a bag or home depot 1.50 for a 40lb bag) or the Eco-Earth and put the plants in the dirt. the gravel acts as a water reservoir and the filter ensures that the dirt doesnt sink down into it. as the water evaporates from the reservoir it will keep up humidity and help keep the plants alive.
Thanks for the info. We're planning to feed mainly or all crested gecko diet. There seems to be debate about whether supplementing with crickets is necessary or not. Since young cresteds need more protein and calcium, we may do crickets a couple of times a week. So maybe we'll feed CGD in the cage, and then feed crickets in a separate one as you suggest. Thanks for the suggestions about the live plants too. What is the maintenance like with that set-up? Do you need to take it all apart regularly?
The downside to movement between feedings is it may not always work. They can be picky, Spike will ONLY eat if its nearly pitch black darkeness. And he won't touch anything outside the enclosure cept babyfood. Worth a try though. I would supplement with gutloaded crickets for sure. Protein is required for growth and muscle development, a 2 month old should be eating mainly crickets IMO. Breeders have successfully reared cresties until adulthood on soley babyfood and CG diet...diets, but I still think its a better idea for live gutloaded prey. Promotes excersise, natural instinct, and depending on what you use to gutload, can be healthier too. I'm sure kev can cover the naturalistic viv for you better than I :wink: Oh yea, eco earth is okay for a 6+ month old otherwise paper towel, non adhesive shelf liner, reptile carpet, etc.
Thanks- if paper towels are safer, we'd better do that. Is spahgnum moss a danger for impaction too? I was thinking of putting some in one corner, or under the half-log hide. I'll include a small live plant in a pot to help keep humidity up and for the crestie to climb on. Also a bamboo stick with silk ivy. Then when we get the adult-sized enclosure I'll try the vivarium route.
yes the moss presents a danger at this age, because it is loose but as the crestie matures it will be fine and half of my tank is live sphagnum moss. once it seems to have hunting down, then it is time for a natural setup. cresties arent the best of hunters while young and it takes them some time to get it right. one type of moss that is great to use for juvie or adult (but is kind of hard to find) is pillow moss. the setup isnt very hard to keep up with really. the leaves that fall off of the plants i bury under the dirt so it can be broken down and reobsorbed, and their feces also acts as a fertilizer. pothos is one of the plants i use in the tank, and i am not sure of the other one to be honest. they like to hide under the leaves of the pothos and frequently poo over there too (its like they know to fertilize it)
Ok, we'll keep the spaghnum out too, and just look forward to doing the natural thing later. That makes sense to keep it simple while they're learning to hunt - and simpler for the new owner too! I like the idea of the pillow moss - spaghnum's so stringy. I wonder what's on the forest floor in New Caledonia. Here's a link that shows pillow moss for anyone who's interested (is this the right stuff)? http://home.clara.net/adhale/bryos/dscopar.htm
yup thats it. where the cresties are found, their natural substrate is dirt with mixes of moss and leaf litter along with lots of different tropical plants
