Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Does anyone on here have any idea why my crested is always hiding/sleeping. I'm usually up until 3am with minimal lighting and she still stays hidden, it's kind of upsetting when I see people's photos on ciliatus of their gecko's doing all kinds of things. Any input would be helpful.

You could try no lighting. You can't see it in the dark, but it might be more active. or you could get a red light bulb, i've heard that they can't see the color red.

Well I've got an ESU incandescent 100 watt above my tank. So I don't think that is the problem.

>>Well I've got an ESU incandescent 100 watt above my tank. So I don't think that is the problem.

Um, that's probably both too bright and too hot for a crested. What kind of temperatures are you seeing inside the tank?
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0.1 Albino Leopard Gecko - Tigger
0.1 Crested Gecko - Pooh-Bear

It stays around 75 and the cage is large enough so that she can move over a foot and a half away from it.

>>It stays around 75 and the cage is large enough so that she can move over a foot and a half away from it.

That is really surprising to me as our leopard gecko setup has a 45 watt and keeps the temps near 90F. Are you measuring the temp directly under the lamp or in some other place? (Check this forum for a recent discussion on thermometer placement if you are unsure what I mean.) 75F is a fine temp for the general cool side day temp, but if you are maxing out too high in one area it could bother the gecko over the course of the day.

Some geckos are naturally more secluded, however I echo the idea of having no light on in the room at night (we limit to computer glows. Also make sure s/he is getting sleep during the day without being too disturbed.
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0.1 Albino Leo Gecko
0.1 Crested Gecko
1.0 Dear Boyfriend
Departed: Harvey and Spock

The thermometer is in the middle of the cage on the left wall and it reads 70-75 throughout the day, another reason for the 100 watt is because my house is relatively cold.

>>The thermometer is in the middle of the cage on the left wall and it reads 70-75 throughout the day, another reason for the 100 watt is because my house is relatively cold.

Where is the light relative to the left wall? Basically you want to be sure you're getting the temp in the hottest part of the enclosure, and you want it never to exceed 80-85 degrees F, with about 75-80 being preferable. During the day, mine hides a lot (usually I can see a foot or a tail or something through the leaves, but they typically do hide during the day). At night, she sometimes hides and sometimes is all over the place. Another thing to check would be your humidity levels - I have noticed that mine hides more if her humidity drops too low. As long as you're sure that the environment is set up properly, you shouldn't be too alarmed if s/he hides a lot, as long as you can see that food is being consumed and poop is being produced; every gecko has a different personality, with some being much more outgoing and/or active than others.
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0.1 Albino Leopard Gecko - Tigger
0.1 Crested Gecko - Pooh-Bear