Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey,
I’m not new to reptiles, or geckos in general, but i am new to cresteds specifically.
I’m thinking of getting myself a pair, i just want to know a few things.
First of all,
I use newspaper for all my other reptiles as a substrate, easiest to clean, and they don’t mind it at all;
Could i use newspaper for my cresteds also? or having sticky feet will the ink comeoff or will theyrip it or what?
If not then what else could i use?
Also,
I heard they eat baby food and fruits aswell as crickets. What type of babyfood and fuits?
Also, whould i have a whacky branch inside with alot of texture? or should i keep a rock or something for them to climb on?

I personally use papertowels as a substrate for my cresteds. I don't really think newspaper would be a good idea. It's fine to use for others geckos (I myself have used it for leopard geckos). Cresteds have to be sprayed with water at least twice a day, and I would be afraid all that moisture might make the ink run. Also, they drink by licking water off of everything in the cage after it has been sprayed. I can't imagine it would be good for them to lick water off of newspaper, because of the possible mixing with the ink.

They do love to eat babyfood. Mine enjoy banana, peach, apricot and mango. Also, I wouldn't feed them babyfood alone. Mix it with T-rex's Crested Gecko "Meal Replacement Powder." Mix the powder, water and babyfood together. The powder has all the vitamins, minerals and supplements that the crested geckos need. The powder doesn't smell very good, so I can't imagine it would taste good without being mixed with babyfood. Technically, the MRP diet has everything the gecko needs to survive and they don't even need to eat any crickets. I, however, still give my guys crickets as a treat because they seem to enjoy the hunt!

I would include some branches and artificial plants in your cresteds cage. They are arboreal, and spend almost all their time asleep in the branches. Also, before you add any accessories into the tank, clean them off real good even if you bought them at the store. Some can still have dirt and dust on them and since the geckos lick everything I always soak my artificial plants in slightly soapy water. Make sure to rinse it well after soaking, to get rid of all the soap residue.

I hope that helps. I would definitely recommend getting a pair. They are very easy to care for and are soooo cute! Good luck.

-Nicole-

I keep all of my cresteds on papertowels. Newspaper is also fine. The ink is soy based and nontoxic so if it runs it wont be a problem. There is a big misconception that cresteds have to be misted heavily. High humidity is not required. Allen Repashy for example, who has been breeding crresteds for longer than almost anyone, never mists his cresteds. I only mist my hatchlings and juvies. Just keep a dish of water in the cage and the geckos should be fine. They will even soak occasionally in the dish.
They will eat babyfood, insects and T-Rex crested gecko diet. Plain babyfood has very little nutritional value and should be mixed with crested gecko diet for optimal results.
You can put branches in the cage. Rocks should be avoided. They are very porous and can harbor bacteria. I keep my cresteds on egg carton. This is sanitary and disposable.

Geckospot.com

I also wouldn't recommend newspaper b/c of the water and ink...

I use paper towel as well, a bendy vine in the adult cages, plastic plants in all cages, I have a rock in 1 adult cage b/c I thought they might like it to help with shedding but I've never seen them use it...I have a fake plastic tree/branches in the other adult cage...water dish in each

the crested gecko diet I heard is a bit sweeter than the gargoyle gecko diet...both are supposed to be mixed with water...my female gargoyle eats it that way b/c that's what she was raised on...all my others eat it mixed with babyfood and I recently started adding lowfat plain yogurt as well since a couple of my females became calcium deficient and I heard of this technique and hope it helps...

as for baby food, you use fruit non-citrus...I use apple, pear, banana, papaya, mango, peach, apricot, and some have blueberry, cherries (shouldn't be used often), and even once tried pineapple after someone mentioned it...I just grab a selection

I also feed crickets

good luck...they are great little guys
-----
Rachel
Hatching Herps
1.0 bearded, 3.7.13 crested geckos, 1.1 gargoyle gecko, 1.2 corns (reg, butter, caramel), 1.1 ball python, 1.1 sinaloan milks, 0.1 rubber boa, 1.1 jcp, white's tree frog