Any advice is welcomed and appreciated

[BagnaraSnakes16]

I made a post a while ago about my brothers crested gecko being lost somewhere in the house, and fortunately we found it. The crested gecko was bought a little less than a year ago but i would safely bet the gecko is about a years old. My brother didnt take care of it like it should have been (the gecko was a present for his daughter). anyways, he had a glass aquarium and the humidity was not kept high...the temps ranged and were anywhere from mid 80s but was told to use a red light at night...well when i checked the temps it read in the low to mid 80s NOT GOOD! i bought the gecko a plastic tub about the same size maybe a little taller. I never ever witness the gecko eat his food up until the last two night ive finally seen him in action and saw his food gone in the morning. I am worried because he does not seem to climb often and has no stick to his feet. He gets crickets about once a month ussually about a dozen of them and eats CGD. Anyone know why his feet may not be sticky or how exactly to help. I will post pics up so you guys can judge whether he looks unhealthy or small for the age. Also, what worries me is he literally stays in the same place ALL DAY LONg. is this normal behavior? are they more active at night? ive noticed when i turn on the light at night or check it out with a flashlight hes active. Are they nocturnal? any info and advice would help as im trying to take over the care for this animal....also let me know what size tubs are appropriate at the age it is,

[Minkness]

First of all, yes, they are completely nocturnal.

Second, no sticky pads is probably a symptom of possible MBD.

I have a rescue that was a yearling when I got him. He was thin, scarred up, and had a crooked spine. He beefed up quickly, didn't move much, and took a year to be able to climb again. I suggest that you go ahead and lay the tub down so he has alot of ground space, add hides, but also rough things to climb such as corkbark and the dried grape vine basking things.

You can tey adding a small pinch of repashy calcium plus to his food to help, and I'd suggest dubia roaches over crickets if you can get them, and dust the bugs in the calcium plus. Up feeding him bugs once a week, but in smaller doses. Such as 3-5. This will help with calories and calcium, and wont be as easy to 'compact' the digestive system as cresties insides are meant to digest plants, not chitin (exoskeletons).

Also, you can add a bit of organic baby food to his diet to help with calories as well, but ONLY a little bit, and NOT as a main food as there is little 'good' in the baby food other than sugars and calories. I usually get 1 jar a month, and mix it with hot water and CGD to make it a bit healthier while still giving my babies a bit of a treat. Same goes for organic applesauce or, if you want to be super nice, let a banana rot a bit, then smoosh it up with water and CGD. My guys go crazy for 'fresh rotten' bananas lol.

Also, you can use coco husk or eco earth with these guys because even if they eat a bit, since they are built to digeat plant matter, it's not 'bad' like it can be for some others like leopard geckos, and, it will help hold the humidity he should have.

Biggest thing with the lack of sticky feet is time, calcium, and humidity.

Good luck!

[BagnaraSnakes16]

First of all, yes, they are completely nocturnal.

Second, no sticky pads is probably a symptom of possible MBD.

I have a rescue that was a yearling when I got him. He was thin, scarred up, and had a crooked spine. He beefed up quickly, didn't move much, and took a year to be able to climb again. I suggest that you go ahead and lay the tub down so he has alot of ground space, add hides, but also rough things to climb such as corkbark and the dried grape vine basking things.

You can tey adding a small pinch of repashy calcium plus to his food to help, and I'd suggest dubia roaches over crickets if you can get them, and dust the bugs in the calcium plus. Up feeding him bugs once a week, but in smaller doses. Such as 3-5. This will help with calories and calcium, and wont be as easy to 'compact' the digestive system as cresties insides are meant to digest plants, not chitin (exoskeletons).

Also, you can add a bit of organic baby food to his diet to help with calories as well, but ONLY a little bit, and NOT as a main food as there is little 'good' in the baby food other than sugars and calories. I usually get 1 jar a month, and mix it with hot water and CGD to make it a bit healthier while still giving my babies a bit of a treat. Same goes for organic applesauce or, if you want to be super nice, let a banana rot a bit, then smoosh it up with water and CGD. My guys go crazy for 'fresh rotten' bananas lol.

Also, you can use coco husk or eco earth with these guys because even if they eat a bit, since they are built to digeat plant matter, it's not 'bad' like it can be for some others like leopard geckos, and, it will help hold the humidity he should have.

Biggest thing with the lack of sticky feet is time, calcium, and humidity.

Good luck!

Thanks a lot for the great advice. I haven't notice any deformity of the crestie at all. Tail is nice and straight. Toes aren't bent or deformed and neither is the spine. I'll look into the CGD to see how much calcium it has and I'll get a calcium supplement anyways to mix in to be safe. I'll see if I can find a better alternative for the crickets. I've read about doing a humidity box and thinking about doing it. Those make me nervous because I've read some peoples cresties health spiraled when doing that, then again it was probably done incorrectly. As far as cage size. I'm going to stick to plastic tubs as they hold humidity a lot better. The bedding I use now holds it well. How large can I go for a gecko that's already about a year old?! Considering I provide enough plants and vines and im going to make a hide for it on the ground. I notice during the day it stays im the same spot covered under the fake plant in there.

[Minkness]

All of mine are in tanks that are about equal to a 10 gal fish tank. Mine don't have a humid hide but I just spray them down every day. Just because there's no deformity doesn't mean it's not the beginning of MBD. You can get the repashy calcium plus at petco or petsmart for a good deal. Don't get a plain calcium because it lacks the other vitamins needed to absorb the calcium, and since it's a nocturnal gecko, a UVB shouldn't be used as it can cause burns and blindness. For a humid box, just use paper towels and soak them until the water puddles just a bit but not too much. Or just a plain washcloth is good too.

Sounds like you're doing good though. Keep it up and he'll be better soon enough. =)

Again, dusted crickets are still good, roaches are just better. And up them to once a week instead of once a month.