You definitely want to keep a crested gecko in a room which doesn't exceed 80F on a regular basis. This can be maintained by using AC in the room set at say 78F so if the room hits that temperature the AC will come on to cool the temperature down for that room. Window or portable AC's work great to maintain the temperature in a single room especially if the room is small and lacks windows which are west or east facing. (if they are, use a solid blind or heavy curtains to prevent the room being heated up by the sun.)



You mentioned something about moving around to places that can get hotter than others. It would be best not to bring a crested gecko into really warm rooms or travel with them.



As crested geckos are temperate zone lizards they do best at normal room temperatures with little to no supplemental heat. The best temperature range for geckos are between 70-78F. They can tolerate cooler temperatures but this tends to put them into a cooling state where they are not as active anymore. But kept too cool for too long can harm them but not as bad as temperatures over 85F (which can quickly kill them, especially young crested geckos).



Crested geckos do poop often, at least once a day, if not a few times. However it isn't hard to clean up after them. If paper towel is used as a substrate, only takes a few minutes to completely clean the cage, or just spot clean.



Crested geckos do well on one of two types of powdered diet, Superfoods Complete Meal replacement powder by T-Rex or Clark's complete crested gecko diet. Just add two parts water to one part powder and feed every day for babies/juvenile and every other day for adults, no additional supplements or live insects required. Offering crickets, mealworms, small silkworms or butterworms as a treat now in again, is fine. I find this is the best diet to give crested geckos as its far more nutritionally balanced than using baby food, insects and multivitamin dustings. Not to mention you don't have to worry about buying crickets, cut loading them, dusting them than feeding them to the crested gecko. In the long run the powdered diets are cheaper..as a 4 oz bag for a single adult gecko lasts a year.



I also find the diet doesn't cause smelly poo in geckos, but like any poo if its not cleaned up regularly it will eventually start to smell. Cleaning the cage at least once or twice a week definitely will prevent any buildup of smell.



Just as an alternative...since you like snakes and the spouse likes lizards (or the other way around, can't remember now) you could always look into legless lizards....
-----
PHLdyPayne

[ Reply To This Message ] [ Subscribe to this Thread ] [ Show Entire Thread ]