Any advice is appreciated

I got a crested gecko today. I think it’s a Frappuccino. (I hope because I named her frappe)

The breeder couldn’t tell me if it was a boy or girl? It does not have the big rump that I’ve seen males have so I think it’s a female? And they also said around 6 months. Below I have her enclosure pictured. Is there anything I should add or remove? Also, how can I get her to like being handled. I know it’s not recommended for the first couple weeks, so I go in there and just talk to her, and try to see if she’ll jump in my hand willingly, although I did handle her a little bit today and she didn’t mind.

This is my first reptile EVER, so ANY advice and/or suggestion is so much appreciated. P.S there is substrate in there now, this pic was a few days ago before I got her.

1 Like

They do appear to be a Frapp but without lineage I can’t guarantee that.

Males can be late bloomers and develop the hemipene bulge when they are older. We’d need to see a clear photo of the Gecko’s belly, more specifically above the vent. If it is a male there will be a line of femoral pores, here is an example:

Are they acting stressed while being handled? The best thing you can do is be patient, and understand that your Crestie won’t always be handleable. Socializing Cresties, like with any reptile, takes a while and progress is not linear.

You need to practice caution while handling because they can be extremely fast when they are startled, move slowly when handling and stay calm.

They jump a lot, so make sure they aren’t too far from any surface in the event that they do jump out of your reach. Long falls can injure them.

I think the enclosure is beautiful, my only reccomendation is to add more hides like the one in the top middle of the enclosure. Plants (which are very much so plentiful in your setup) are good for cover but they don’t provide that dark snug area Cresties like to hide in.

Crested Geckos are nocturnal, you won’t likely see much activity from them during the day or when the bright light is on, so make sure you have it off at night.

If they aren’t eating it already, I reccomend feeding them the Pangea Growth and Breeding formula, it includes insects in it so feeding them extra insects is optional. It has all the nutrients your gecko needs, just mix about a 1:1 ratio of powder to water or until the mixture resembles thick ketchup in a feeding cup (should only fill about 1/4 of the cup) 2-3 times a week.

Some people reccomend free feeding the mixture but I find that method attracts way too many fruit flies… I feed my Geckos 2-3 times a week and they stay at a good weight that way (babies might need it a bit more often, like 3-4 times). The fruit flies will be inevitable anyway especially during the summer, so make sure that any uneaten CG food is taken out and disposed.

You need to ensure you are misting the enclosure 2x a day, with a 10-12 hour buffer between mistings. Cresties do good at 65-70% humidity and temperatures between 68-78°F. Additional heating is not needed unless your room temps drop below the minimum during winter. If you set up an automatic mister with a timer I’d reccomend 10-15 seconds of misting with 10-12 hours between mistings.

2 Likes

The best! It’s expensive but way totally worth it!

Absolutely agree!

2 Likes

She has not ate yet. I will get this food today and do my best to get her to eat. I will also get her more hides. She does not seem to be super stressed when handling. We did handle her the first day not knowing it could stress them out, but she seemed to do pretty well. We have not gotten her out since because I was reading it was best to leave them alone for a couple weeks. I’ve been doing good at keeping her enclosure within a good humidity range and temp. I’m just worried about her not eating and being scared. I will take all this advice. Thank you again so much.

I have a question as well. I got her Saturday morning, and she has not ate. How long can I wait until it starts to get concerning?

Are you completely sure she has not eaten? CGs do not eat a lot at a time and it will appear as if they have not eaten at all if the food cup is very full.

I would begin to become concerned if the Gecko starts to lose a significant amount of weight or if I have not spotted any poops in the enclosure in over a week.

1 Like

I’m not 100% certain. I’ve only done small amounts and not too sure if I saw lick marks or not. I just do a thin layer lightly covering the bottom so I can tell if any has been ate or not.

I ordered a camera so I could keep a closer eye on her at night haha. In hopes that can answer some of my questions. Since she’s a baby should I have paper towels on the bottom to look for her poop?

I wouldn’t, they usually will go on the sides of the enclosure or up in the elevated climbing areas anyway so it shouldn’t be too difficultto spot.

If you take away the substrate you’ll be removing a crucial part of the enclosure that retains the humidity.

1 Like

You’ve been extremely helpful. Thank you so much.

1 Like

You’re welcome :slight_smile: