It is so comforting to hear that the enclosure size thing isn't just a weird thing about my gecko. My crested gecko was my first reptile and I was told that an adult could live in a 12x12x18 it's whole life, and since I was adopting an adult animal that's what I should get. Only months after setting my gecko I discover reptile RUclips and learn that, according to most sources, the enclosure was way too small. This past Christmas I was gifted a 18x18x24 enclosure and was thrilled that I was finally going to give my gecko the space she needed. Cut to June. She's barely eating and I can't figure out why. The temperature and humidity is right, there's plenty of places to climb and hide - it doesn't make sense. When cleaning her tank I decide to put her back in the smaller one temporarily, since we were going on a week long vacation and we were bringing her to my cousin to watch her. We come back, bring her home, and I decide to leave her in the smaller tank just to see how she would do. She immediately starts eating and being more active again. She's been in it ever since and until now I just couldn't figure out why she preferred it. Now I know that while it's an uncommon thing, it's also not completely unheard of and it wasn't a problem with my care.
@@tylerrugge I think it might be a comfort thing like how dogs/cats will sleep in corners? I recently got a crestie and he'll usually sleep in between leaves, but with my cat noticing his existence, I put a box next to the enclosure so she couldn't just stare at the crestie. Since then, he sleeps against the glass and leaves on the same side as the box
The funny thing is if you posted this on reddit you would be attacked since they only believe the article put out by some herpetology group in England that now the smallest tank an adult gecko should be in is 18x18x36.
Not a mistake, per se, but I'd also really encourage folks to watch out for house ants, having lost a crestie to a swarm of them about a month ago. I'd occasionally see one or two ants in my house, then BAM, there were thousands in one of my enclosures and they'd killed my girl (who I hatched and raised myself). It was extremely traumatic. I put out a ton of ant baits and I check my other enclosures fastidiously now. These were tiny ants, too -- not carpenter ants or fire ants. Just little sugar ants.
@@maadams1985Terro ant traps have worked great for me. I haven't lost any of my other animals (I have about 20 reptiles in all) but I am definitely more nervous now.
Not a crestie, but my first ever gecko who happens to be a gargoyle had the same problem. Got her as a juvenile and placed her in an adult size planted enclosure with multiple food bowls, I wasn’t seeing her eat so I kept a close eye on her weight. When she lost a gram, I quickly switched to a small plastic faunarium with Repashy and crickets she could actually find (and paper towels to monitor her poop). She started eating and growing after that! Some individuals will not be as picky and lazy as her but I’d advise new keepers to save themselves the trouble of spending days worrying sick for nothing 😩
My gecko of 3 years was fine before I left for college. My college doesn’t allow reptiles under any circumstances, so my mom took care of him. I gave my mom a comprehensive guide of how to take care of him. A week before I was due to come home for fall break, he stopped eating and I wasn’t notified, and 3 days before I came home he died. As I was not there I have no idea what happened (my theory is humidity), but I was absolutely grief stricken. Thank you for making this video to hopefully prevent others from going through that.
good info Tyler. this is really a great way to teach people the dangers to avoid. Gecko's are allegedly simple, but I beg to differ with any reptile pet.
I'm a small crested gecko breeder and I honestly can't imagine killing a crested gecko. They're so hardy, if you pay a little attention to your animals, that's just never going to happen. I've had the exact same experience with smaller tubs too, I prefer to use those over larger tubs. It's not about the space, or the money or any of that, I just find that my geckos grow a lot better in smaller tubs. They also grow much faster if kept separate. I've grown clutch mates separately and together in pairs, and the ones that grew separately, grew a lot faster.
I've never heard of making your own Crested Gecko diet. I buy a variety of flavors and rotate them throughout the week. What they don't eat goes to feeder insects. I think my feeder insects might have the most varied diets in the house. Chicken laying pellets, Old Crested gecko food, fruits and vegetables that look bad (I usually eat some and offer the rest to them). I guess they eat well before they are sacrificed to the reptile oversharers.
I do agree with all of this but the size depends on the gecko cause most of mine have done just fine in a bigger enclosure so really depends on the individual. I think I see more people not putting enough in the enclosure though so they have very little to hide. I always recommend more plants then cork cause I found they hide more in plants and gargoyles hide more in cork rounds. I do keep my hatchlings in 6qt tubs.
Why idea in what to go for with plant coverage?? It’s so hard to know what plants would be good but also what placement too. I want like a heavy canopy of plants so the gecko feels hidden and comfortable
we recently got a massive enclosure for mine, shes only about a year old but loves it, she oddly enjoys being in open spaces (always gave her plenty of hiding spots but never used them) ate well, and very active, but then when i got her a new food dish she decided to use it as a climbing ledge and not a feeding ledge and keeps making a huge mess, this reminded me that i need to get her old one out to use as well
Great info! I also tell people not to handle their crested geckos for a prolonged period of time especially on their skin. Skin temperature of a human being is typically over 95° putting a crested gecko at risk for overheating. I usually recommend 15 minutes or so of handling before putting them back in the enclosure to regulate their temperature again.
Great video! Also another thing to add, maybe #6, handling too much! My crestie hates handling, too much of it and it builds up a lot of lactic acid in them. Eventually they can die from it. Some geckos are better to just not handle. Any chirping means they don’t like it!
You have quite literally saved my little gecko. I am brand new to this stuff and I hadn’t ever thought of misting him. Even though it’s been two days since I got him, I thought he was just unwilling to drink from the leaves because I’d spray stuff pretty well but at the wrong times. I just misted him and he immediately starts drinking! Thank you so much I was on the verge of crying happy tears because he start to drink 🥺
@@Maja-se3hfI did question that as well but when you think about it, they did research after 2 days (which isn't too much but is a bit strange) and they fixed their past behavior for the better of their crestie, which is good! As much as I advocate to research before hand many people don't. Yet they research for hours after they get whatever pet (i.e: dog, cat, lizard, bird, etc etc) and at least they learn from their mistakes and do better. People will be people and all we can do is help them learn after the fact and if they choose not to, there will always be consequences to those actions. (Also, love the Nishinoya pfp)
I live in the uk. The uk gets cold. We don't have heating on cause its too expensive lol. The house is consistently lower than 19 C especially in the winter. If you live in a cold place, they need a heat source. Just make sure you have a thermostat.
Thank you for this video! It was very helpful for me about the tank sizes. I'm in a couple of groups and the main argument among people in the group is tank sizes and I was starting to doubt myself for having my juvenile gecko in a 12x12x18. But my gecko is eating and doing great! So this video makes me feel better!
Yeah I’ve found a lot of people in groups push really large enclosure sizes, which is fine if your gecko seems to do well in it, but a lot of smaller geckos just won’t eat well if the enclosure is too big
Unfortunately as a brit with a mum who has always told me: if you are cold pit on another layer a heat lamp is vital for my gecko to stay warmer cos my house is frecking freezing 🥶
The most important lesson, know your gecko. Pay attention and tailor your care depending on the personality and needs of your animal. You make a valid point like Tarantulas Crested geckos do not go out and find their food. They just kind of wander around until they happen upon it. My Gargoyle Gecko on the other hand lived next to the feeding station. She will wander around but sleeps next to the feeding station. Crested Gecko could be anywhere in the enclosure to sleep.
Thank you Tyler. I have a crested gecko. He has grown a lot but still has a lot more to grow. I have him in a 12/12/18. I am planning on getting a larger on this month but not the big enclosure yet. Thank you for the video.
I 100% believe that individual animals can have individual space needs. my crested gecko is in a 24 inch cube, which is really big, but he loves it. I got him as an adult and he has always eaten well and been healthy, so I see no benefit from giving him more or less space than his current enclosure. he knows where he is fed and always comes to his spoon at 10 pm every single night even though I feed him every other day, so he is very disappointed half the time lol. I mainly have ball pythons, which are either super anxious or do not care at all about a bit of space.
I’m a new breeder. I’ve had issues with me pets with the enclosure topic you mentioned. I’m rearranging them to see if that helps. Thank you. I learn so much all the time. So many people disagree on smaller enclosures but it’s up to your individual animal too. Thank you!
Enclosure: the round cereal enclosures that you can find at the Dollar tree my juvie's and the hatchlings thrive in them. I find it easier to flip them upside down cut the bottom out and add INSECT PROOF SIZE screen and screen covered holes around middle. I have found that way super simple if you're using paper towels or something of that nature, you just unscrew the bottom carefully swap it out clean it up a little bit and you're good to go. Also you can add lots of of plants and stuff I always have fun customizing their enclosures. I have also attached a second one to make it taller as they've gotten older and they thrive in it. AIR CONDITIONING issues: Hello, 1968 here.. I had to go in the middle of the night during a crazy heat Wave where the inside of my house was over 105° and get big bags of ice a couple times. I filled the sprayer and that worked wonders. Another great thing is if you take tri folding black foam boards or attach them together to make a cover for enclosure (obviously without blocking the air way) for darkness and will helps with heat as well I was keeping the temperature down after you miss them with ice water 💯 I call them stress cases.
Interested to see the size thing. My crestie is in a mandion that is 45x45x90 cm but he always finds his food and eats well, and seems to love the exploring space. He also hunts bugs in their easy. Maybe im lucky or he is smart aha
A trik i used for my boy on the bigger terrarium was to place his food somewhere like on the midle of the tank so he would find it. After a couple of months now he eats from a feeding station and acctually knows where his food is, it's just a matter of helping them realize where food comes from.
Id have to disagree here. I have no doubt that as a breeder who raises young geckos, it’s more effective for you to keep in smaller spaces initially but when most people buy that crestie it should be double or triple the size and an 18x18x24 is not too big at all. I’ve found people try to over simplify and rely heavily on the powder diets but if given the chance they will eat more insects and therefore grow faster. Plus the bugs come to them (I agree they can be derpy) Dusting with appropriate supplements will make sure the diet is nutritionally complete as well as offering the powder diet too. Also temperatures on New Caledonia can range from 63f -95f depending on the season so they can withstand a decent temperature swing. I’m not saying the extremes have to be offered but an enclosure ranging from 68 below and 86 higher up will give them a good range to choose from. This can also be adjusted based on season. Basking bulbs, offering rich sunlike IRA rays on the correct thermostat or fan system positioned correctly help achieve this range. I will say this depends on the state you live in but given your international reach a disclaimer could be given that many places require this additional heat source access. Working in a shop I have seen many examples of geckos coming in that have just been fed on powders being confused by insect prey and therefore growing slower. I’ve also seen many geckos basking under their heat source in warm weather for long periods to my surprise. I heard recently that the avoidance of predatory leachies means wild cresties will openly bask at the tips of tree branches. Not knocking you dude because you probably help countless people keep their pets alive and that’s very helpful. But over simplifying care long term will lead to weaker pet animals that don’t experience good temperature ranges, undersized housing and overs simplified diets.
I agree insects also play a large roll in their growth, and like I said some cresties may do fine going into a large enclosure sooner, but I guess my point was to downgrade if you notice they aren’t eating much because it does work and it’s not something most people would think to do. As far as heat goes, I can definitely see how it would be beneficial, I just would never recommend it to someone who’s new to keeping reptiles and doesn’t have a solid grasp on how to properly use heat and thermostats on an animal that would fry rather quickly. I’ve seen too many people bake their cresties 🥴 but if someone who knows what they’re doing wants to do it I’m all for it. As it is our gecko room gets up to 80-82°ish just from all the LED and UVB lights so I couldn’t even fathom adding a heat lamp to all of the enclosures 😂
I wish i coudlve found this earlier tbh, soon im going to get a juvenile crestie and people were saying that a 12' x 12' x 18' was good and then others would say that you needed bigger and i talked to an employee and they also said bigger was better so i got a 18' x 18' x 24' and now im worried he may not eat but im wondering if i could possibly direct him to the food once i get him, and if theres still problems ill just switch him to something smaller
Some crested geckos do get know their enclosure. Mine is in a fairly large tank for his size and has been since he was a young juvinile. He knows exactly where his food bowl is and goes there every night.
I have my creatie in a 30 gallon cube tank and I put a variation of his favorite healthy foods spread out around the tank as well as some live bugs every once in a while for enrichment and a timed misting system so his tank stays at the perfect humidity but also a ventilated roof at all times and since he has grown considerably we are now building a 40 gallon paludarium to give him the perfect amount of space
In the uk we have to offer a heat source especially if we don’t have our central heating on - So we use thermostats to keep the heat at the right temps and have them set correctly and then it’s completely safe :)
I have a young one in a 32 gallon bio active tank. I hand feed him, he’s super picky on what he eats. Should I continue to hand feed? I also have a tiny heat pad in the very corner of the enclosure. It’s around 75 in his tank. I’m new to crested geckos 😓he’s very active and super sweet.
My 4 year old female crestie died in August and it crushed me because I felt like no matter what care book I read or video I watched she kept getting worse Found out later it was a combination of her being egg bound and the fact that she broke her jaw (I tried to fix her broken jaw by slightly taping it up with medical tape on one side just enough so she could still stick her tongue out but the fact that she was egg bound didn’t help she started refusing to eat she got dehydrated even though I was hand feeding her and spraying water into her mouth she just deteriorated) we had also just moved into a new house so I think stress was a factor
5 Easiest Ways to Kill your Gecko: 1) Putting Gecko on the floor when its lava. 2) Titanic boat ride 3) Cut the brake lines on their red corvette. 4) Forget to tell them about the rip cord on their parachute 🪂 5) Don’t fasten their seatbelts EVER
My crestie is 11 years old and doing great, even still has his tail. Very hardy reptiles though he's a more look then touch pet, he was handleable in his younger years but he's gotten grumpier as he gets older. He just doesn't enjoy being handled.
Omg thank you! First crested and she hasn't eaten since I got her. Put her in a smaller enclosure and she's finally eating as i type!! 💜💜💜💜 I was getting so worried. She lost so much weight. Even when i would put her at the food, she don't know me so she'd panic and jump.
Instead of misting my crested gecko what I found that works better for him is a waterfall I have a little waterfall in his enclosure and when he wants more humidity he goes and sits next to it he drinks out of the water that splashes up or falls down and then whenever he wants less humidity he goes to a dryer spot of the enclosure which is usually higher up in the cork bark and he is happy healthy and just turned 9 years old (I also live in a state that gets high humidity even during the winter can sometimes be 70° and high humidity so that could also play a factor)
its nice to know that the watterfall works, I only spray once a day and its mostly the earth, if he wants more humidity he will go to the soil and burrow in it lol
The enclosure size thing was a big relief for me. It's really difficult to find good info on baby/ juvenile care and how big that enclosure should be. I'm planning on getting a young gecko soon-ish and I got a 12x12x18 exo terra a while back. I mainly used it for plants at the moment and I wondered if I needed to get a bigger before getting a gecko and I'm really glad I might not at the moment, since I usually buy terras second hand. Now I can instead focus on making that terrarium I already have a perfect juvenile enclosure and not worry right now about getting a bigger one!! This is a huge relief!!
for my girl, i have fish decore and climbs all over them and hides , from tree stumps(hollow) and fake trees even hanging vines and knows the one spot where her food will always be, under the tree stump bridge, she loves all the things i rearange her area with as long as the trees n vines and anything to climb on is there for her
For the few people that have abnormally cold houses, get a temperature regulator! Its the best way to add a little heat for a super cold house l, without the fear of them over heating! You can set them to turn on or off at certain temperatures!
bro my gecko got out at night in my room where my cat sleeps with me, and hes still got his tail and he was ready to eat. he’s a trooper 😭 especially before i got him he got frost bitten and lost for days
Hello, I have an adult male crestie i got from somebody on ksl and ive had him for a couple years and this made me think is his cage to small? Hes eaten a cricket but doesnt like super worms or even most fruits. What am i doing wrong?
I should perhaps think about resizing my geckos enclosure… I bought him a larger sized one because I thought he would appreciate the larger space to move around but if the larger ones being harmful is the case, I need to make a switch. I have noticed the point of him not eating much what I put in his enclosure, generally I have to hand feed him and that usually causes problems if I’m out of the house for periods of time. Thanks for the tips!!
I got 2 Baby’s and put them both in a 18x18x24, i have to finger feed them and there really jumpy and try to run away, I keep good on the ground and wall and I do see poop so they are eating but they’ve been hiding in the moss for about 2 days and it kinda scares me but I still see them alive
I live in Canada and it gets extremely cold in the winter and extremely hot in the summer. I’m curious if I should get a heat lamp for the winter. But I’m also curious about what I should do in the summer? I’m still researching on crested geckos, but I’m worried about the temperature
I wish i had seen this video 5 years ago when i got Toothless because i made most of these mistakes, mainly the putting him immediately in a big enclosure. I dont know what i was thinking lol. After having to hand feed him for months i put him in the smaller exotera and he thrived but i worry hes forever stunted. He's much smaller than typical geckos his age. I also agree with your worries about heat sources, the only reason i have one is because sometimes the house gets chilly and i use a thermostat set to like 75 😂 but if i make him a new enclosure i wont include a heat source probably. I think people get overwhelmed by all the information out there or worse just go to the pet store and wing it and make these mistakes. Thanks for sharing these helpful tips!
I can attest to the cresties being a little weird on enclosure size. I have 4 in total, all are adults, 2 of which live completely solitary and 2 which are bonded. The bonded pair share an 18 x 18 x 24. I have tried putting them into a bigger enclosure, with crickets to hunt and multiple food ledges and more than enough foliage, climbing opportunities and cover to feel secure. They refused to eat and started losing weight. I moved them back into their 18x18x24 3 weeks later and they starting gaining back the weight. One of my males did the same thing being solitary in an 18x18x24. Would not eat pangea or hunt. Moved him into a 12x12x18 and he is fine now. My other solitary male has been in his 18x18x24 since he was just over a year old and loves it.
I just got mine 3 days ago, and this video is great! The only thing I'm worried about is if shes eating enough. I do see some substrate thrown about in her dish, but I can't exactly tell if she's eating enough. I'm wondering if she'd be willing to eat crickets more than the food or if she's just trying to get acclimated to her new home. She'll take a few links on her food if I hold her and get some food on my finger tip but I haven't actually seen her eat on her own. Maybe she does when I'm not around. Any advice would help!!
@@beefbusiness52 Well, I ended up getting a second crested, had the together for awhile until I figured out the older one was not very happy sharing space, lol. Never fought, but I could tell my older girl wasn't relaxed, so I separated them. Older one will eat when she feels like it, she still hates bugs and worms, lol. My younger one goes absolutely insane when I give her mealworms, lmao, she's def food driven. They're so different! But, what I can tell you is that insects/worms will greatly increase the size of your gecko!!
I have an Arcadia LED light bar on top of the terrarium that I will eventually be putting some Cresties into. However I’m concerned at it will be too much light and heat. As it does warm up the terrarium. Had anyone used Arcadia lights with success?
1. too big of an enclosure, they can’t always find their food (1:58) 2. Humidity is too high (6:42) 3. Lack of ventilation (8:02) 4. Too hot (needs to stay lower than ~80F (9:31) 5. Imbalanced diet (12:05)
my room gets extremely cold during the winter so i have a heat lamp i use then along with a thermal gun and thermometer and sometimes in the summer when the ac is blasting cause the room is pretty small 😅
If I put an adult gecko in a large tank would it be okay with eating as long as I make sure it’s aware of where it’s feeding area is? Also, I live in the uk where it gets very cold in winter…so I assumed a gentle heat source would be necessary but is it?
I had my own experience, and that is with small/younger ones, be cautious about the tail, although fine when it is older, it might die when it drops its tail when small
Thanks for the tips. We ended up buying a heating pad with an additional red light just to bring the temperature up. We do have pretty nasty winter temperatures here and we live in a basement. Didn't want to take a chance. I'll definitely try your tip yo spray the enclose at night, cheers.
I tried to feed my baby crested gecko Dubia roaches, but he refused to eat them and although I'm pretty sure he's eating the crested gecko diet fine I'm just worried that he'll get MBD or something because he won't eat the bugs
that’s a ten gallon enclosure, and it typically isn’t recommended for adults. twenty gallon is the minimum for adults unless, like the creator stated, your gecko just somehow doesn’t thrive as well in a 20+ gallon.
Today I had just gotten my gecko, initially I was going to ship one in from the states (an adult that I was holding while I built the 18x18x24 bioactive enclosure). Plans fell through since I’m a part time student and can’t afford $700 import fees so when I had found a lily white baby for a good price I hopped on it and brought them home today. Moral of the story, I have a 6 month old crestie in a huge enclosure that has multiple spaces I can’t reach or see. The moment that little guy pops out it’s on site to feed him 😂
HELP! My crested gecko isn't eating at all even if I put it under his face.. he also sits in a of the take all day and night staring at the same corner.. And it's also wrinkled above his eyes, idk what to do. 😰
@@humanidgit I'm definitely not an expert, but the wrinkles sounds like dehydration, what kind of enclosure do you have him in? and what kind of food are you trying to feed him?
@@marslockhart7689 I feed him repashy crested gecko diet, and keep him in a tall glass terrarium with a mesh top lid. He also has a large water dish and I mist the tank every evening and morning.
@@humanidgit if he's bit eating maybe try a little drop on your fingertip and touch it to his nose, that's what I had to do with my crestie because she was weird about food for a while, he may also just be a picky eater, so if that doesn't work maybe try some live insects, a bit of banana or different flavors of repashy, again I am not an expert I just like reptiles, and you should definitely try to get a professionals opinion, could I ask how old he is?/how long you've had him?
when i first got my crestie i put him in a converted ten gallon ant then ten days later while he was still a baby put him into an18x18x24 and he ate the first night and has been eating fine since so idk if i just got lucky or what
I have a crested gecko his tank is huge 36 by 24in and it's to big he eats just fine but I did not but I just put in more than one dishes all in the tank
Its the opposite of what u would think. Question ✋️ what if u want a few crested in a large enclosure can u just place more food bowls around the enclosure for them to find easier? What say u about that?...thank you
At first I looked at the title without the parenthesis and I was like “why he showing us how to kill our geckos”😭
LMFAO
Lol
Yeah he probably should have explained that better
Lol 😂
Lol
1:43 #1: enclosure too big
6:27 #2: humidity too high too often
7:58 #3: lack of ventilation
9:20 #4: too hot
11:57 #5: imbalanced diet
ty!!!
Thanks
thanks
Ty
i broke the chain
It is so comforting to hear that the enclosure size thing isn't just a weird thing about my gecko. My crested gecko was my first reptile and I was told that an adult could live in a 12x12x18 it's whole life, and since I was adopting an adult animal that's what I should get. Only months after setting my gecko I discover reptile RUclips and learn that, according to most sources, the enclosure was way too small. This past Christmas I was gifted a 18x18x24 enclosure and was thrilled that I was finally going to give my gecko the space she needed. Cut to June. She's barely eating and I can't figure out why. The temperature and humidity is right, there's plenty of places to climb and hide - it doesn't make sense. When cleaning her tank I decide to put her back in the smaller one temporarily, since we were going on a week long vacation and we were bringing her to my cousin to watch her. We come back, bring her home, and I decide to leave her in the smaller tank just to see how she would do. She immediately starts eating and being more active again. She's been in it ever since and until now I just couldn't figure out why she preferred it. Now I know that while it's an uncommon thing, it's also not completely unheard of and it wasn't a problem with my care.
Yeah I’m not sure why some geckos seem to prefer a smaller enclosure. But I’m glad you found what works for yours and she’s doing well! :)
@@tylerrugge I think it might be a comfort thing like how dogs/cats will sleep in corners? I recently got a crestie and he'll usually sleep in between leaves, but with my cat noticing his existence, I put a box next to the enclosure so she couldn't just stare at the crestie. Since then, he sleeps against the glass and leaves on the same side as the box
The funny thing is if you posted this on reddit you would be attacked since they only believe the article put out by some herpetology group in England that now the smallest tank an adult gecko should be in is 18x18x36.
Not a mistake, per se, but I'd also really encourage folks to watch out for house ants, having lost a crestie to a swarm of them about a month ago. I'd occasionally see one or two ants in my house, then BAM, there were thousands in one of my enclosures and they'd killed my girl (who I hatched and raised myself). It was extremely traumatic. I put out a ton of ant baits and I check my other enclosures fastidiously now. These were tiny ants, too -- not carpenter ants or fire ants. Just little sugar ants.
Yes I’ve heard of his happening to people too!! I’m so sorry that happened :(
@@tylerrugge Thanks
I just had a problem with these ants. I'm planning for my crested gecko now and this makes me apprehensive now
@@maadams1985Terro ant traps have worked great for me. I haven't lost any of my other animals (I have about 20 reptiles in all) but I am definitely more nervous now.
@@stinnje thank you
Not a crestie, but my first ever gecko who happens to be a gargoyle had the same problem. Got her as a juvenile and placed her in an adult size planted enclosure with multiple food bowls, I wasn’t seeing her eat so I kept a close eye on her weight. When she lost a gram, I quickly switched to a small plastic faunarium with Repashy and crickets she could actually find (and paper towels to monitor her poop). She started eating and growing after that!
Some individuals will not be as picky and lazy as her but I’d advise new keepers to save themselves the trouble of spending days worrying sick for nothing 😩
My gecko of 3 years was fine before I left for college. My college doesn’t allow reptiles under any circumstances, so my mom took care of him. I gave my mom a comprehensive guide of how to take care of him. A week before I was due to come home for fall break, he stopped eating and I wasn’t notified, and 3 days before I came home he died. As I was not there I have no idea what happened (my theory is humidity), but I was absolutely grief stricken. Thank you for making this video to hopefully prevent others from going through that.
good info Tyler. this is really a great way to teach people the dangers to avoid. Gecko's are allegedly simple, but I beg to differ with any reptile pet.
I'm a small crested gecko breeder and I honestly can't imagine killing a crested gecko. They're so hardy, if you pay a little attention to your animals, that's just never going to happen. I've had the exact same experience with smaller tubs too, I prefer to use those over larger tubs. It's not about the space, or the money or any of that, I just find that my geckos grow a lot better in smaller tubs. They also grow much faster if kept separate. I've grown clutch mates separately and together in pairs, and the ones that grew separately, grew a lot faster.
I've never heard of making your own Crested Gecko diet. I buy a variety of flavors and rotate them throughout the week. What they don't eat goes to feeder insects. I think my feeder insects might have the most varied diets in the house. Chicken laying pellets, Old Crested gecko food, fruits and vegetables that look bad (I usually eat some and offer the rest to them). I guess they eat well before they are sacrificed to the reptile oversharers.
I do agree with all of this but the size depends on the gecko cause most of mine have done just fine in a bigger enclosure so really depends on the individual. I think I see more people not putting enough in the enclosure though so they have very little to hide. I always recommend more plants then cork cause I found they hide more in plants and gargoyles hide more in cork rounds. I do keep my hatchlings in 6qt tubs.
Why idea in what to go for with plant coverage?? It’s so hard to know what plants would be good but also what placement too. I want like a heavy canopy of plants so the gecko feels hidden and comfortable
we recently got a massive enclosure for mine, shes only about a year old but loves it, she oddly enjoys being in open spaces (always gave her plenty of hiding spots but never used them) ate well, and very active, but then when i got her a new food dish she decided to use it as a climbing ledge and not a feeding ledge and keeps making a huge mess, this reminded me that i need to get her old one out to use as well
Great info! I also tell people not to handle their crested geckos for a prolonged period of time especially on their skin. Skin temperature of a human being is typically over 95° putting a crested gecko at risk for overheating. I usually recommend 15 minutes or so of handling before putting them back in the enclosure to regulate their temperature again.
Great video! Also another thing to add, maybe #6, handling too much! My crestie hates handling, too much of it and it builds up a lot of lactic acid in them. Eventually they can die from it. Some geckos are better to just not handle. Any chirping means they don’t like it!
You have quite literally saved my little gecko.
I am brand new to this stuff and I hadn’t ever thought of misting him. Even though it’s been two days since I got him, I thought he was just unwilling to drink from the leaves because I’d spray stuff pretty well but at the wrong times. I just misted him and he immediately starts drinking!
Thank you so much
I was on the verge of crying happy tears because he start to drink 🥺
How is your gecko doing now?
@@mashka5050 really good actually, she/he is eating and drinking regularly. gong to upgrade the plants in the encloser soon ^^
why would you get an animal without knowing the basics of caring for it?
@@Maja-se3hfI did question that as well but when you think about it, they did research after 2 days (which isn't too much but is a bit strange) and they fixed their past behavior for the better of their crestie, which is good! As much as I advocate to research before hand many people don't. Yet they research for hours after they get whatever pet (i.e: dog, cat, lizard, bird, etc etc) and at least they learn from their mistakes and do better. People will be people and all we can do is help them learn after the fact and if they choose not to, there will always be consequences to those actions. (Also, love the Nishinoya pfp)
@@Maja-se3hf They are "still" researching because they had a problem, that's like the basic of learning something
I live in the uk. The uk gets cold. We don't have heating on cause its too expensive lol. The house is consistently lower than 19 C especially in the winter. If you live in a cold place, they need a heat source. Just make sure you have a thermostat.
Thank you for this video! It was very helpful for me about the tank sizes. I'm in a couple of groups and the main argument among people in the group is tank sizes and I was starting to doubt myself for having my juvenile gecko in a 12x12x18. But my gecko is eating and doing great! So this video makes me feel better!
Yeah I’ve found a lot of people in groups push really large enclosure sizes, which is fine if your gecko seems to do well in it, but a lot of smaller geckos just won’t eat well if the enclosure is too big
Unfortunately as a brit with a mum who has always told me: if you are cold pit on another layer a heat lamp is vital for my gecko to stay warmer cos my house is frecking freezing 🥶
The most important lesson, know your gecko. Pay attention and tailor your care depending on the personality and needs of your animal.
You make a valid point like Tarantulas Crested geckos do not go out and find their food. They just kind of wander around until they happen upon it. My Gargoyle Gecko on the other hand lived next to the feeding station. She will wander around but sleeps next to the feeding station. Crested Gecko could be anywhere in the enclosure to sleep.
Couldn't the size issue be addressed if you had multiple places where they can access food?
Thank you Tyler. I have a crested gecko. He has grown a lot but still has a lot more to grow. I have him in a 12/12/18.
I am planning on getting a larger on this month but not the big enclosure yet.
Thank you for the video.
I 100% believe that individual animals can have individual space needs. my crested gecko is in a 24 inch cube, which is really big, but he loves it. I got him as an adult and he has always eaten well and been healthy, so I see no benefit from giving him more or less space than his current enclosure. he knows where he is fed and always comes to his spoon at 10 pm every single night even though I feed him every other day, so he is very disappointed half the time lol. I mainly have ball pythons, which are either super anxious or do not care at all about a bit of space.
I’m a new breeder. I’ve had issues with me pets with the enclosure topic you mentioned. I’m rearranging them to see if that helps. Thank you. I learn so much all the time. So many people disagree on smaller enclosures but it’s up to your individual animal too. Thank you!
Enclosure: the round cereal enclosures that you can find at the Dollar tree my juvie's and the hatchlings thrive in them. I find it easier to flip them upside down cut the bottom out and add INSECT PROOF SIZE screen and screen covered holes around middle. I have found that way super simple if you're using paper towels or something of that nature, you just unscrew the bottom carefully swap it out clean it up a little bit and you're good to go. Also you can add lots of of plants and stuff I always have fun customizing their enclosures. I have also attached a second one to make it taller as they've gotten older and they thrive in it. AIR CONDITIONING issues: Hello, 1968 here.. I had to go in the middle of the night during a crazy heat Wave where the inside of my house was over 105° and get big bags of ice a couple times. I filled the sprayer and that worked wonders. Another great thing is if you take tri folding black foam boards or attach them together to make a cover for enclosure (obviously without blocking the air way) for darkness and will helps with heat as well I was keeping the temperature down after you miss them with ice water 💯 I call them stress cases.
Interested to see the size thing. My crestie is in a mandion that is 45x45x90 cm but he always finds his food and eats well, and seems to love the exploring space. He also hunts bugs in their easy. Maybe im lucky or he is smart aha
A trik i used for my boy on the bigger terrarium was to place his food somewhere like on the midle of the tank so he would find it.
After a couple of months now he eats from a feeding station and acctually knows where his food is, it's just a matter of helping them realize where food comes from.
i have an absolutely massive tank with no ventilation set up, do i need to fix a ventilation system and how would i do that?
Id have to disagree here. I have no doubt that as a breeder who raises young geckos, it’s more effective for you to keep in smaller spaces initially but when most people buy that crestie it should be double or triple the size and an 18x18x24 is not too big at all. I’ve found people try to over simplify and rely heavily on the powder diets but if given the chance they will eat more insects and therefore grow faster. Plus the bugs come to them (I agree they can be derpy) Dusting with appropriate supplements will make sure the diet is nutritionally complete as well as offering the powder diet too. Also temperatures on New Caledonia can range from 63f -95f depending on the season so they can withstand a decent temperature swing. I’m not saying the extremes have to be offered but an enclosure ranging from 68 below and 86 higher up will give them a good range to choose from. This can also be adjusted based on season. Basking bulbs, offering rich sunlike IRA rays on the correct thermostat or fan system positioned correctly help achieve this range. I will say this depends on the state you live in but given your international reach a disclaimer could be given that many places require this additional heat source access. Working in a shop I have seen many examples of geckos coming in that have just been fed on powders being confused by insect prey and therefore growing slower. I’ve also seen many geckos basking under their heat source in warm weather for long periods to my surprise. I heard recently that the avoidance of predatory leachies means wild cresties will openly bask at the tips of tree branches. Not knocking you dude because you probably help countless people keep their pets alive and that’s very helpful. But over simplifying care long term will lead to weaker pet animals that don’t experience good temperature ranges, undersized housing and overs simplified diets.
I agree insects also play a large roll in their growth, and like I said some cresties may do fine going into a large enclosure sooner, but I guess my point was to downgrade if you notice they aren’t eating much because it does work and it’s not something most people would think to do. As far as heat goes, I can definitely see how it would be beneficial, I just would never recommend it to someone who’s new to keeping reptiles and doesn’t have a solid grasp on how to properly use heat and thermostats on an animal that would fry rather quickly. I’ve seen too many people bake their cresties 🥴 but if someone who knows what they’re doing wants to do it I’m all for it. As it is our gecko room gets up to 80-82°ish just from all the LED and UVB lights so I couldn’t even fathom adding a heat lamp to all of the enclosures 😂
perfect timing, just went to repticon and got my first crestie :)
I wish i coudlve found this earlier tbh, soon im going to get a juvenile crestie and people were saying that a 12' x 12' x 18' was good and then others would say that you needed bigger and i talked to an employee and they also said bigger was better so i got a 18' x 18' x 24' and now im worried he may not eat but im wondering if i could possibly direct him to the food once i get him, and if theres still problems ill just switch him to something smaller
Some crested geckos do get know their enclosure. Mine is in a fairly large tank for his size and has been since he was a young juvinile. He knows exactly where his food bowl is and goes there every night.
My house is usually like 30 degrees should I get a heat lamp
I have my creatie in a 30 gallon cube tank and I put a variation of his favorite healthy foods spread out around the tank as well as some live bugs every once in a while for enrichment and a timed misting system so his tank stays at the perfect humidity but also a ventilated roof at all times and since he has grown considerably we are now building a 40 gallon paludarium to give him the perfect amount of space
So my house is cold during the winter and ambient temps drop into the 50s during the night . Should I get a lamp for my gecko?
When my gecko is fully grown is it okay to give them larger then 18*18*24
I always wondered if it was normal for my gecko to only seem to eat when she stumbles into her food, glad to hear that is normal for the derpy dragons
In the uk we use degrees Celsius so would 26 degrees Celsius be a good temp for a crestie?
I'm getting a 17 by 17 inch tank being 26 inches tall is that too much?
I was literally minutes away from ordering my new crested gecko a bigger thank because I thought bigger was better. So so glad I watched this first.
In the uk we have to offer a heat source especially if we don’t have our central heating on - So we use thermostats to keep the heat at the right temps and have them set correctly and then it’s completely safe :)
That makes sense!
I have a young one in a 32 gallon bio active tank. I hand feed him, he’s super picky on what he eats. Should I continue to hand feed? I also have a tiny heat pad in the very corner of the enclosure. It’s around 75 in his tank. I’m new to crested geckos 😓he’s very active and super sweet.
I have my 6yr old male in an 18x18x18 and is doing just fine, I do plan on upgrading him eventually
What is abnormally cold? Like what temperature would that be?
My 4 year old female crestie died in August and it crushed me because I felt like no matter what care book I read or video I watched she kept getting worse Found out later it was a combination of her being egg bound and the fact that she broke her jaw (I tried to fix her broken jaw by slightly taping it up with medical tape on one side just enough so she could still stick her tongue out but the fact that she was egg bound didn’t help she started refusing to eat she got dehydrated even though I was hand feeding her and spraying water into her mouth she just deteriorated) we had also just moved into a new house so I think stress was a factor
i’m sorry for the loss of your baby❤
5 Easiest Ways to Kill your Gecko:
1) Putting Gecko on the floor when its lava.
2) Titanic boat ride
3) Cut the brake lines on their red corvette.
4) Forget to tell them about the rip cord on their parachute 🪂
5) Don’t fasten their seatbelts EVER
well there go my weekend plans 🙄
Would having a humidifier in the room the gecko is in work for their humidity? Wow i have misted the enclosure way too much 😬
I have a small lizard diffuser in my geckos tank, so I just run that during the day and then shut off at night?
My crestie is 11 years old and doing great, even still has his tail. Very hardy reptiles though he's a more look then touch pet, he was handleable in his younger years but he's gotten grumpier as he gets older. He just doesn't enjoy being handled.
Omg thank you! First crested and she hasn't eaten since I got her. Put her in a smaller enclosure and she's finally eating as i type!! 💜💜💜💜
I was getting so worried. She lost so much weight. Even when i would put her at the food, she don't know me so she'd panic and jump.
Instead of misting my crested gecko what I found that works better for him is a waterfall I have a little waterfall in his enclosure and when he wants more humidity he goes and sits next to it he drinks out of the water that splashes up or falls down and then whenever he wants less humidity he goes to a dryer spot of the enclosure which is usually higher up in the cork bark and he is happy healthy and just turned 9 years old (I also live in a state that gets high humidity even during the winter can sometimes be 70° and high humidity so that could also play a factor)
its nice to know that the watterfall works, I only spray once a day and its mostly the earth, if he wants more humidity he will go to the soil and burrow in it lol
Is a tub good for a baby gecko because I’m looking into get one
Hi can you put baby crested gecko in 5.5 gallon?
I have a 20 gallon for dabi a small child, if I just make sure to feed him with my hand every night would that work?
The enclosure size thing was a big relief for me. It's really difficult to find good info on baby/ juvenile care and how big that enclosure should be. I'm planning on getting a young gecko soon-ish and I got a 12x12x18 exo terra a while back. I mainly used it for plants at the moment and I wondered if I needed to get a bigger before getting a gecko and I'm really glad I might not at the moment, since I usually buy terras second hand. Now I can instead focus on making that terrarium I already have a perfect juvenile enclosure and not worry right now about getting a bigger one!!
This is a huge relief!!
Is a 12x12 x 18 enclosure good for a baby crested gecko
for my girl, i have fish decore and climbs all over them and hides , from tree stumps(hollow) and fake trees even hanging vines and knows the one spot where her food will always be, under the tree stump bridge, she loves all the things i rearange her area with as long as the trees n vines and anything to climb on is there for her
I completely agree with you, in special about size of enclousure, you are all right
For the few people that have abnormally cold houses, get a temperature regulator! Its the best way to add a little heat for a super cold house l, without the fear of them over heating! You can set them to turn on or off at certain temperatures!
I feel like pet store kept trying to up sale a larger enclosure smh what should I do if I can’t afford to downgrade?
don’t get a pet if you can’t afford the emergencies and precautions.
At what age should they be in the full size enclosure
Thought i was very inconsistent with my crestie until i found out what some people are like. Ive got a nice orange crested
Would an adult do well in a 2’x2’x4’? What if you put food in multiple places?
i really need an answer to this but im getting a 6 month old and my enclosure is 45x45x45 cm, will that be okay for them?
bro my gecko got out at night in my room where my cat sleeps with me, and hes still got his tail and he was ready to eat. he’s a trooper 😭 especially before i got him he got frost bitten and lost for days
Hello, I have an adult male crestie i got from somebody on ksl and ive had him for a couple years and this made me think is his cage to small? Hes eaten a cricket but doesnt like super worms or even most fruits. What am i doing wrong?
Are there ways to just put a barrier in a bigger enclosure and gradually increase it as the gecko grows? Tanks are expensive. . .
My crested gecko nova when I got her she launched herself on the ground. And the fall was far and she was a baby
I should perhaps think about resizing my geckos enclosure… I bought him a larger sized one because I thought he would appreciate the larger space to move around but if the larger ones being harmful is the case, I need to make a switch. I have noticed the point of him not eating much what I put in his enclosure, generally I have to hand feed him and that usually causes problems if I’m out of the house for periods of time. Thanks for the tips!!
i live in a northern climate. what would be the lowest temperature you would recommend is?
I got 2 Baby’s and put them both in a 18x18x24, i have to finger feed them and there really jumpy and try to run away, I keep good on the ground and wall and I do see poop so they are eating but they’ve been hiding in the moss for about 2 days and it kinda scares me but I still see them alive
I live in Canada and it gets extremely cold in the winter and extremely hot in the summer. I’m curious if I should get a heat lamp for the winter. But I’m also curious about what I should do in the summer? I’m still researching on crested geckos, but I’m worried about the temperature
Also what I mean for summer heat is above 80 Fahrenheit and my house does not have ac because it is old
My bedroom where my crested gecko is usually stays at least under 70 degrees does he need a heating source?
I'm glad i bumped into this video..my enclosure might be too big. I will go to the store tomorrow and buy a smaller tub,hope he'll start eating!
Would a 10 gallon upright be good for baby crested geckos
I wish i had seen this video 5 years ago when i got Toothless because i made most of these mistakes, mainly the putting him immediately in a big enclosure. I dont know what i was thinking lol. After having to hand feed him for months i put him in the smaller exotera and he thrived but i worry hes forever stunted. He's much smaller than typical geckos his age. I also agree with your worries about heat sources, the only reason i have one is because sometimes the house gets chilly and i use a thermostat set to like 75 😂 but if i make him a new enclosure i wont include a heat source probably. I think people get overwhelmed by all the information out there or worse just go to the pet store and wing it and make these mistakes. Thanks for sharing these helpful tips!
I can attest to the cresties being a little weird on enclosure size. I have 4 in total, all are adults, 2 of which live completely solitary and 2 which are bonded. The bonded pair share an 18 x 18 x 24. I have tried putting them into a bigger enclosure, with crickets to hunt and multiple food ledges and more than enough foliage, climbing opportunities and cover to feel secure. They refused to eat and started losing weight. I moved them back into their 18x18x24 3 weeks later and they starting gaining back the weight. One of my males did the same thing being solitary in an 18x18x24. Would not eat pangea or hunt. Moved him into a 12x12x18 and he is fine now. My other solitary male has been in his 18x18x24 since he was just over a year old and loves it.
I just got mine 3 days ago, and this video is great! The only thing I'm worried about is if shes eating enough. I do see some substrate thrown about in her dish, but I can't exactly tell if she's eating enough. I'm wondering if she'd be willing to eat crickets more than the food or if she's just trying to get acclimated to her new home. She'll take a few links on her food if I hold her and get some food on my finger tip but I haven't actually seen her eat on her own. Maybe she does when I'm not around. Any advice would help!!
@@beefbusiness52 Well, I ended up getting a second crested, had the together for awhile until I figured out the older one was not very happy sharing space, lol. Never fought, but I could tell my older girl wasn't relaxed, so I separated them. Older one will eat when she feels like it, she still hates bugs and worms, lol. My younger one goes absolutely insane when I give her mealworms, lmao, she's def food driven. They're so different! But, what I can tell you is that insects/worms will greatly increase the size of your gecko!!
I have an Arcadia LED light bar on top of the terrarium that I will eventually be putting some Cresties into. However I’m concerned at it will be too much light and heat. As it does warm up the terrarium. Had anyone used Arcadia lights with success?
Weird question but how do I dispose of 5 crested gecko corpse as quickly and as hidden as possible.
I know he said to have a small enclosure, but my two seem happy in their 18x18x24. They are growing and doing well.
he didn’t say to have a small enclosure really, he just said some might need it and to use judgement
Every time I see these videos I get so nervous that I'm doing a bad
Then feel relieved that our gecko care is up to Rugge standards
1. too big of an enclosure, they can’t always find their food (1:58)
2. Humidity is too high (6:42)
3. Lack of ventilation (8:02)
4. Too hot (needs to stay lower than ~80F (9:31)
5. Imbalanced diet (12:05)
I’m planning on getting a gecko and my enclosure is 12x12 24 would that be ok?
my room gets extremely cold during the winter so i have a heat lamp i use then along with a thermal gun and thermometer and sometimes in the summer when the ac is blasting cause the room is pretty small 😅
If I put an adult gecko in a large tank would it be okay with eating as long as I make sure it’s aware of where it’s feeding area is? Also, I live in the uk where it gets very cold in winter…so I assumed a gentle heat source would be necessary but is it?
My gecko has a wiggly looking tail anyone know how to fix this? I got him when he was about 4 its been a year and nothing has changed.
I had my own experience, and that is with small/younger ones, be cautious about the tail, although fine when it is older, it might die when it drops its tail when small
Great video! Very informative! Thank you for posting. Subscribed
Thanks for the tips. We ended up buying a heating pad with an additional red light just to bring the temperature up. We do have pretty nasty winter temperatures here and we live in a basement. Didn't want to take a chance. I'll definitely try your tip yo spray the enclose at night, cheers.
I tried to feed my baby crested gecko Dubia roaches, but he refused to eat them and although I'm pretty sure he's eating the crested gecko diet fine I'm just worried that he'll get MBD or something because he won't eat the bugs
im new to this and i wanted to know can crusted’s live in mesh cages
Is 19.1Lx16.6wx22.4h too small for an adult?
can a adult crested gecko go in a 38 gallon tank it is 36x13x22 inches will that work in terms of not being to big and remember adult
Mine's in a 45 gal. tank and she's doing great. But it'll vary from gecko to gecko.
Is a 12x12x18 a good size for even an adult?
that’s a ten gallon enclosure, and it typically isn’t recommended for adults. twenty gallon is the minimum for adults unless, like the creator stated, your gecko just somehow doesn’t thrive as well in a 20+ gallon.
you just legit explained my gecko, been almost 2 years but hes still hasn't really grown at all ive been trying to get him to eat
I got an 18x18x24 for a crazy deal. I plan on getting a 30g subadult female. Would this be an ideal enclosure?
Today I had just gotten my gecko, initially I was going to ship one in from the states (an adult that I was holding while I built the 18x18x24 bioactive enclosure). Plans fell through since I’m a part time student and can’t afford $700 import fees so when I had found a lily white baby for a good price I hopped on it and brought them home today.
Moral of the story, I have a 6 month old crestie in a huge enclosure that has multiple spaces I can’t reach or see. The moment that little guy pops out it’s on site to feed him 😂
Yo how many g is that is 20 g to big
HELP! My crested gecko isn't eating at all even if I put it under his face.. he also sits in a of the take all day and night staring at the same corner.. And it's also wrinkled above his eyes, idk what to do. 😰
my dude I think you should take it to a vet
@@marslockhart7689 I live in a small town and I highly doubt they have ever had a gecko brought in so im trying to do everything I can for now..
@@humanidgit I'm definitely not an expert, but the wrinkles sounds like dehydration, what kind of enclosure do you have him in? and what kind of food are you trying to feed him?
@@marslockhart7689 I feed him repashy crested gecko diet, and keep him in a tall glass terrarium with a mesh top lid. He also has a large water dish and I mist the tank every evening and morning.
@@humanidgit if he's bit eating maybe try a little drop on your fingertip and touch it to his nose, that's what I had to do with my crestie because she was weird about food for a while, he may also just be a picky eater, so if that doesn't work maybe try some live insects, a bit of banana or different flavors of repashy, again I am not an expert I just like reptiles, and you should definitely try to get a professionals opinion, could I ask how old he is?/how long you've had him?
when i first got my crestie i put him in a converted ten gallon ant then ten days later while he was still a baby put him into an18x18x24 and he ate the first night and has been eating fine since so idk if i just got lucky or what
I have a crested gecko his tank is huge 36 by 24in and it's to big he eats just fine but I did not but I just put in more than one dishes all in the tank
Its the opposite of what u would think. Question ✋️ what if u want a few crested in a large enclosure can u just place more food bowls around the enclosure for them to find easier? What say u about that?...thank you