Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My girl(?) weighs 14 grams and is about 3" svl (measured by eye only). Can anyone give me an approximate age for her based on this info. Do you think she has her "adult" colors yet? At this weight, what should her feeding schedule be like? I've been giving her a few insects every day along with a snapple cap full of baby food (banana or peach so far) with cgd mixed into one side. Right now I have her in an xl herp haven with plants, but in a few months she will be in a 30L with corner ventilation posts, sliding front doors, and screened top, tile or slate as substrate and a few broad leafed natural plants planted in small bonsii type planters and some grapewood and hides. Does this sound alright--constuctive advice is appreciated. I handle her for only a minite or two at night, just to look her over and she "seems" not stressed, and doesn't "seem" to want to go back in. Is handling ok for these guys?

Off topic, does anyone know where I could get cb baby tokays?

Thanks for your help,
Jodi

At that size, it is hard to say it will definitely be a female. Cresteds need more height than floor space because they are an aboreal species. They like temps in the 70's and extra heat is usually not needed. Crested Gecko Diet should be mixed exactly like the directions on the bottle say. Baby food has a lot of sugars in it that are not especially healthy for the gecko. When using CGD it is not necassry to feed live insects. I have five, from juvenile to breeding adults, and this is how I feed all of them. Day 1 CGD, day 2 crickets, day 3 CGD, day 4 i leave the CGD from day 3 in with no insects, day 5 crickets dusted with an insectivorous calcium supplement, and then I start at day 1 again. This 5 day schedule makes it easier for me. Cresteds will also readily use an available bowl of water, but some people prefer just to mist their cages and let the geckos lick the glass and cage furniture to get a drink. When putting in hiding spots, make sure there are plenty at the top of the cage. Cresteds love sleeping at the highest available spot in their cage (mine do anyway.) As for substrate I use paper towels. I use them because it is easier to clean. Before I started breeding them I used shredded coconut husk similar to bed-a-beast. One problem I found with this substrate is the fact that it is perfect for fruit flies, and I got infested. I dabbled around with a few commercial bark-type substrates, but the crickets would hide under it, and since uneaten crickets should be removed to avoid stressing the animal, it was horrible to dig through it and find crickets so paper towels was much more convinient(Sp?). This is the way I do it, there are many people who handle caging and feeding different ways. Hopefully between this post and other people's ways you can choose one that is best for you! happy herping peace out -Joe

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2.3.0 crested geckos (Speckles, Sandy, Squirt, Sunshine, Soldier)
0.1.0 Striped Cal. Kingsnake (Snuggles)
1.1.0 Green Iguanas (Sisco,Speedy)
1.1.0 Emperor Scorpions (Strongbad,Serenity)
0.1.0 Rose Hair Tanrantula (Sweets)
RIP Star and Sal

Can’t give you an approximate age (as I don’t measure their ages, just go by weight and sexual maturity), but I can say that “she” may not be a she in a few grams. Your gecko is right on the cusp of sexual maturity. Generally around 15-18 grams is about when testicles begin to drop – although testicles could still drop at 20g. Once your “girl” hits 20g and still has no signs of a bulge, she’ll be mature and have her “adult colors.”

Honestly, there is a lot of talk of SVL (snout vent length) in the age of Cresteds…but that isn’t a really good measure of “age.” For example, I have a Crested acquired back in April of last year which finally made it to 9g. It sat between 3-5g for about 7 months. Going by just length (or even weight), it could be have been mistakenly classified. Granted, that’s not always the case – but it’s a good example to not count on length.

Feeding schedule is 3 times a week with CGD (mixed with water only – otherwise it throws off the nutritional balance). Or 2 times a week CGD and 1 time dusted insects; even 2 times dusted insects and 1 time CGD is ok. Feel free to “mix it up” a little and see what your geckos respond to best.

To be honest, I don’t know what a 30L tank is, we use Sterilite tubs for our groups and breeding projects. Height is very important to Cresteds, as they are arboreal – so think of maximizing vertical space more than horizontal.

Ventilation is good, and so is humidity. Try to mist down the cage once (in the winter we have to do it up to three times) a day; if problems with shedding occur, up the moisture a nudge.

Cresteds are very tolerant of handling. However, they are quite the “pouncy” little buggers and rarely hold still for very long. I’m sure your Crested doesn’t “seem” like it wants to go back in the cage at night – but little more goes on in a Crested’s head besides “pounce, eat, drink, poop, sleep” in that order.

Last thing: Pick up “Rhacodactylus: The Complete Guide to their Selection and Care” by Philippe de Vosjoli, Frank Fast, and Allen Repashy. Many answers you have as a Crested owner can be found there.

Good luck!
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www.neoscales.com

i would guess your gecko is between 5-6 months old
there have been ads for CB tokays in the classifieds recnetly, look around.