Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi,
I have just ordered a pair of adult cresteds and i want to soon breed them. They are scheduled to arrive on tuesday and i was wondering if i should separate them first or just put them right in with each other. Also i am housing them in a 3ftx2x2 enclosure and my day temps are in the mid 70s and low 80s(is this ok?) I wanted to know if it is necessary to provide a cooling period before breeding or if i can just put them in w/ each other. And should i provide extra calcium supplement for the female for when she lays her eggs. Also how long will it usually take for the cresteds to lay eggs and what should i use for them to lay in and what should i use to incubate them in. Any advice on incubation setups and techniques would also be appreciated. Sorry for all the questions, i have looked on care sheets and havent found too much technical advice, and i just want to make my first breeding attempt a successful one!

Any help will be greatly appreciated!

"They are scheduled to arrive on tuesday and i was wondering if i should separate them first or just put them right in with each other."

this depends on if they were separate before or together. If they have been apart, I would give yourself a 30 day quarintine period to make sure they are both healthy.

"Also i am housing them in a 3ftx2x2 enclosure and my day temps are in the mid 70s and low 80s(is this ok?)

How old and large are they? This is a good size and plenty of room for adults, you may want to start juveniles in somethign smaller, because they can have a hard time finding food.

"I wanted to know if it is necessary to provide a cooling period before breeding or if i can just put them in w/ each other. "

Here again, if they have been together at all recently, that is not an option as they retain sperm...Some believe that you get better results with a short cooling period, but I need to know more about how they have been kept bfore you got them etc.

"And should i provide extra calcium supplement for the female for when she lays her eggs."

I "ALWAYS" give my male and females exta calcium...it is not that expensive for a little extra health insurance.

"Also how long will it usually take for the cresteds to lay eggs"

Cresties will generally (NOT ALWAYS) lay eggs 3-4 weeks after a successful breeding.

"and what should i use for them to lay in"

I use plastic disposable tupperware type containers (Ziplock storage containers) with holes in the side near the top so they can get into and out of there. Then I put 3-4" of 1/2 vermiculite and 1/2 soil. Check this DAILY for eggs...and remove them.

"and what should i use to incubate them in. Any advice on incubation setups and techniques would also be appreciated."

I use sweater boxes with a couple of inches of vermiculite in the bottom. For 200g of vermiculite I use 100g of water. Weigh the whole thing. When the weight drops by 20g I add more water. I have a series of 1/8" drilled hoels for ventalation for the lil ones, but still holds in alot of humidity.I just incubate mine in a closet. room temp (around 72-74 F). I just started doing that after in the past keeping them warmer. I am wanting to see if I notice any difference in hatch rates or sex although the general thought to date is there is not a hard and fast PROVEN way to control sex with temp.

I hope that this helps you.
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~Michael S Compton
CrestedRanch

www.crestedranch.com

I tell ya, if you have not read Allen Repashys article on cresteds that Anthony C. has on his web site it is a must do. I have read some stuff but this baby takes the cake. Very Good. Go down about five threads where I asked about the tails being gone on cresteds. Go to his answer in that thread about rough handleing and he has a link at the bottom that will take you to his page to link you there. Sorry if I jumped the gun on ya there Anthony was just bored and on here. You do a good job helping everyone.
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"Why is it we treat the earth as if we have a spare in the trunk"

I agree...read that article.
The full version (I am not sure which version is on Anthonys site) is here:

http://www.sandfiredragonranch.com/reptiles/geckos/ciliatus/Crested Gecko Article.html

I read, and re-read that article. That is how I got started with Cresteds. THen I started talking to more people and reading and experimenting etc. I think that this article will give you the basics to get started in cresteds with good success.

Good Luck!
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~Michael S Compton
CrestedRanch

www.crestedranch.com

>>I agree...read that article.
>>The full version (I am not sure which version is on Anthonys site) is here:
>>
>>http://www.sandfiredragonranch.com/reptiles/geckos/ciliatus/Crested Gecko Article.html
>>
>>I read, and re-read that article. That is how I got started with Cresteds. THen I started talking to more people and reading and experimenting etc. I think that this article will give you the basics to get started in cresteds with good success.
>>
>>Good Luck!
>>-----
>>~Michael S Compton
>>CrestedRanch
>>
>>www.crestedranch.com
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Anthony Caponetto
www.ACreptiles.com

xxxI am fairly new to cresteds myself ,However there are some answers I can give you.

1)i was wondering if i should separate them first or just put them right in with each other.

xxx If they are coming from diifferent breeders you should always quarenteen new animals .So if thats what you mean yes seperate them for at least 30 days.
If you mean for breeding purposes much depends on information you dont have yet. Such as weight .. most breeders suggest at least 30-35 grams before breeding. Breeding too early can occur and obviously this is not desirable.

2)Also i am housing them in a 3ftx2x2 enclosure and my day temps are in the mid 70s and low 80s(is this ok?)

xxx Average temps in thier homeland is within that range. Care sheets almost always list 70s as the best range .So yes

3)And should i provide extra calcium supplement for the female for when she lays her eggs.

xxx Yes ,particuarly if they breed often. There are some very good desriptions of the calcium sacs that you may wish to read up on.

4) Also how long will it usually take for the cresteds to lay eggs and what should i use for them to lay in and what should i use to incubate them in. Any advice on incubation setups and techniques would also be appreciated.

xxx As I am nothing more than a student in that area myself .Any advice I gave would be parroting others work and none of my own .I have done a great deal of research and the following websites are some I found most valuable.and will answer your questions.

http://www.acreptiles.com/crested_gecko.htm

They are 2 adults male and female that i purchased from lllreptile. I am not sure whether they were housed together. And the man that helped me said that they were definately old enough to breed. So what do you think, should i put them right in to start breeding or quarentine them, personally i don't think their will be any problems, i have bought very nice herps from lll but any advice will definately help!

Thanks again and sorry for all the questions!