Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Is it better to put hatchling/juvenile cresties on paper towels or can you use bed-a-beast?

Thanks,
Beth

well, it really depends on what your goal is. If you want a real natural looking, go with soil, or moss, or bed a beast etc. If you want ease of care etc....use paper etc. There are as many right answers to this question as there are people on Kingsnake.

Mike @ Crestedranch

The only problem I've had with bed a beast is when the babies step in their baby food and then walk around the beding becomes cemented between their toes and the little guys just don't like to sit still and let you clean them. Other than that, bed a beast works fine and is great for maintaining humidity.

When my two cresteds were hatchlings, actually about six weeks old, I was keeping them on paper towels and sometimes no substrate. I had them each in their own critter keepers, the large one, and misted the cage everyday. Worked great. I also had plastic plants and the dew would collect on the plants retaining humidity.

I got the idea of bare substrate from a few breeders, I just made sure I cleaned the cages at least once a week. But if you don't want to go with a bare cage bottom, go with the paper towels, less mess and much easier to clean.

I seem to recall somebody who had a crested gecko die from injested bed a beast. Or it was choking on it because it somehow managed to get a mouthfull of the stuff. Can't recall the exact details but it was posted somewhere on this forum. I think the best thing would be to keep young cresteds on papertowel.