Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi, I have owned a Crested Gecko now for about 2½ Months and everything is fine. Apart from the fact that he keeps scaring me and i think he's dead.

He Will Often Bury himself in the corner of the tank under the subtrate. I think he's a He anyway, maybe a she. When touched he doesnt move, i have to physically try to pick him up before he shows any sign of life. At this point he goes back to normal and everything is fine.

I have tried to research this and can find very little detail on this subject. please can someone help me?

His temperatures range from 66 - 74 degrees fahrenheit which i have been told is fine.

>>His temperatures range from 66 - 74 degrees fahrenheit which i have been told is fine.

That is low for a daytime temp, if that is what you are indicating. It would be better to not drop below 70 even at night, IMHO.

As for burying and not moving... sound sleeper huh? I'm guessing this is during the day or early evening. Our little one slept through me moving the enclosure on and off her table while I tried to put a UTH on when the heat went off. Offer a real hide so he doesn't have to bury himself to get some cover. Add more bushy plants or cork or other hiding spots as well and you may see a behavior change.
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0.1 Albino Leo Gecko
0.1 Crested Gecko
1.0 Dear Boyfriend
Departed: Harvey and Spock

your crestie may be trying to keep from drying out. My cresties will seek more humid areas of the terrarium when the humidity drops below 50%.
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1.1 Crested Gecko (Anton/Angelina & Harley)
1.1 Crazy dogs (Alex & Sadie)
0.2 Vacationing Kitties (Puddy, PeeWee)
0.1 Amazing Wife =o)
Charlie - RIP 9-8-05 (Veiled Cham)

your temperatures are just fine. there is nothing wrong with dropping crested gecko temperatures into the 60's, there are plenty of people who do it. higher temperatures (80 ) are the ones to worry about.

as for the reason your crested buries itself, there are several possibilities. first off, do you have any pet dogs or cats? having these big guys around tends to stress out cresteds, and will cause them to bury themselves through the daytime. next, do you have a nice peaceful and quiet area for your gecko, or is there a lot of activity and loud noise around? this too will stress the gecko and lead it to bury itself. next, how is your cage set up? crested geckos like foliage to hide themselves in during the daytime as they sleep, however if you are lacking much suitable cage furniture in which it can hide, it can hide beneath substrate instead. finally, are you sure you have a male crested? females can tend to bury themselves at times when they are laying or even getting ready to lay eggs.

those are the only reasons i have ever seen my crested geckos bury themselves.
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-Mike Martin
North Carolina