Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I'm ridiculously excited about becoming a new crested gecko mom. I've been wanting one for the last 8 months or so, but have been holding off until I found a good deal on a nice setup and had the extra $$ to spare to do it right.

Here's what I setup tonight...I got the tank, stand, lid, light etc...for $83. It was too good a deal to pass up. Can I use the regular hood, or should I replace it with a screen? It all came together, so it's no big deal if I need to swap it out...

The only things I bought was the moss for substrate (ok?) and waterfall. I do not have the pump yet for the waterfall, so it's not in working order yet. Everything else in there (driftwood and plants) I already had from my misc collection of herps. You know it's bad when you already have all the equipment to stock a cage!

So here are my questions: how many can I keep in this 29g setup? What should the male to female ratio be and how can I tell the difference? Is it possible to just start with one and add more down the road, or will the residing gecko not want new roomies?

What kind of lighting should I set up? I have read on here that they don't require UV lighting - is this correct? I have also read on some sites that they are one of the few geckos that can be happily maintained w/out supplemental heat. All my herps have heat lights to some extent - so this would be a first for me. If they do need heat lights, what wattage bumb would to recommend?

I plan on mixing various baby foods with the crestie powder diet sold retail. Dusted crix a few times a week...anything else?

Any recommended general websites with loads on info on day to day care and whatnot would also be fantastic. Otherwise I'll just continue to run web searches and take what I read with a grain of salt.

Here are the tank pics. Remember, this is just the preliminary setup. I can easily change whatever needs to be changed in the way of furnishings. The lizard in question is not home yet. I'm hoping to bring him on Sunday evening, but I can wait if necessary.

-----
1.0.0 Thoroughbred
0.0.1 Mali Uromastyx
0.0.1 Bearded Dragon
0.0.1 Corn Snake
0.0.1 Milk Snake
1.2.0 German Shepherds
0.2.0 Cats
0.1.1 Birds (Conure and Cockatiel)
1.1.0 Rabbits
4 Fish tanks (SW and FW)

I do plan on adding vines for climbing and getting closer to the light. I just noticed I hadn't mentioned that.
-----
1.0.0 Thoroughbred
0.0.1 Mali Uromastyx
0.0.1 Bearded Dragon
0.0.1 Corn Snake
0.0.1 Milk Snake
1.2.0 German Shepherds
0.2.0 Cats
0.1.1 Birds (Conure and Cockatiel)
1.1.0 Rabbits
4 Fish tanks (SW and FW)

if you plan on getting young cresteds, i would swap out the moss for newpaper. your cresteds are going to have a tough time catching crickets in the moss. plus, i would worry about them eating it and ultimately dying of impaction. other than that, it looks good.

i just reread your post. i would put a max of 3 cresteds in there. you can add one, and add more later, if thats what you want. or, you could get a couple of unsexed juvies and see what happens. youll want to keep them in a 1.2 ratio. one male per enclosure is a general rule of thumb.

as for lighting, some use it, some dont. personally, i use it, but thats just so my cresteds can distinguish night from day. your planned diet seems good. let us know if you have any more questions.

I have a similar setup for my 2....only mine are in seperate 20gal. (Tall) and I replaced the top & put screen on.....but the room I keep the in stays at a comphy 70 deg., so i'd probably say use a screen....especially if you're planning on going with a waterfall, otherwise it may get too humid for you. Other than that, it looks great.
-----