How to handle little crestie...

[Tigergenesis]

Well I thought I'd give the little one a few days to settle in before even thinking about handling him/her (born 7/8/04). I would appreciate any tips/advice on how often and how to get her used to me and handling without harming her. She's just so tiny I'm pretty nervous/scared to try and handle her. I'm also scared she'll jump off/away from me and I'll lose her or she'll get hurt.

Signed,
Nervous Crestie Mom :)

[CDN-Cresties]

When handling cresties, I like to do so on a bed so incase the jump its not a hard landing and not too far of a drop. Cresties can be very jumpy, try placing one hand infront of the other and let the crestie crawl from hand to hand. Try 5-10 minutes session once each day. BTW in the Rhac book is says that it is best not to handle baby cresties that have a SVL under 3 inches incase of a jump/fall that can lead to serious injury.

In my experience, it doesnt take much time to calm cresties down, I had one little guy who had some retained shed on the tip of his tail but the problem was he was so jumpy but after 20 minutes of trying to get the shed off with a moist q-tip, he finally settled down and still today is one of my most relaxed gecko. Best of luck :)

[Tigergenesis]

I just got through reading that about not handling under 3 inches. Maybe I should hold off then?

[CHRISANDBOIDS14]

Sounds like a plan if it is under 3". I would let it grow to maybe 3 and 1/4", then start handling. Good luck!

C.

[Tigergenesis]

That I will do. Maybe I won't be as nervous then. :)

Thank you!

[PDDM]

Uh-Oh Mines only 16 days old!I handle it only to give it Food(baby food on the tip of my finger) and put it back,Also after it shed today i wanted to check under its toes to make sure its ok is it ok to be handling it when i feed it babyfood?

PS:It only jumped once but like CND cresties said i do it over my bed while i sit on it.

[CDN-Cresties]

Let your crestie eat the babyfood from a dish just to be safe, resist the urge to handle them :D

[PDDM]

I already have the dish of baby food but never seen him lick it

[CHRISANDBOIDS14]

Its probably shy to walk over to it. Just put the spoon or whatever you use in his/her face inside the cage.

C.

[PDDM]

I usualy feed it off my fingure(after i wash it off a few times)But its mostly On the fake Plants..

[Tigergenesis]

I've been feeding my little one from a spoon or my finger (w/o handling) and I also leave some in her bowl (I think she's been eating that too). But, if I do find some pinhead crickets I will have to change her substrate back to paper towels - which means she's gotta come out of the cage. How do I pick her up to move her to a temp container while I make the switch?

[CDN-Cresties]

Its okay to briefy hold them in your hand while you transfer them to a different temp container.

[Tigergenesis]

Do I just let her get onto my hand, nudge her on my hand, pick her up from the sides, etc?

[HeatherRose]

You mean 'literally' how to pick them up? :D

I just nudge them onto mu hand, or put a finger or two under their chin and they just climb on...

As for feeding, just leave some babyfood in the enclosure...I use plastic bottle caps from diet coke bottles... You can also try Crested Gecko Diet, I had my hatchlings eating it out of a bottle cap in their enclosure at just a few weeks old...

Good luck :D

[PDDM]

im trying that too,its too hard to tell if S/he ate from it though,when i want to get it on my hand to feed it i usualy try to pet its back with my opposite hand,and since they jump it usualy jumps onto my hand,its pretty calm when i feed it from my fingure,(i feed it with my fingure not a spoon because im kinda shakey lol) when its done though it runs all the way up my arm...i dont want to hurt it so i usualy shove my arm in the tank so it gets off :D

[Tigergenesis]

LOL. I'm having the same problem. I look at the little bit I put in there and I'm like "well I think I see a difference or a little dip in the food", but then I wonder if I'm imagining. That's why I at least get her to lick a little off the spoon or my finger.

[jjnnbns]

From what I have read, it is very hard to tell if they are eating, considering that their bellies are the size of a pea. I think that that was perhaps on AnthonyC s website. A great resource by the way for Cresties ( www.acreptiles.com )

[PDDM]

Yep,Me i have to rely on the babyfood/fruits now because,there are no pinheads around here,i was lucky to get wyz to give me a few,i hate pinheads not cause i hate bugs but because they are so small,i never know if my crestie eats them,not to mention like i said there no where around here,also have you ever tried to catch one???They're quick,i dunno how a crestie gets them!:grab:

There really small so probably the only way you really tell is by dabbing it on your fingure and puting it on there nose,and letting them lick it off your fingure but from what ive seen itd take maybe 7-10 feding before you notice any gone so i guess the only way is to get a night viwing bulb(red,blue,green by one of the big pet companies)

Tiger-Steven(CND-Cresties) Sent me a good Crested Gecko care program for when i was first thinking about buying it its like a flash caresheet i could send it to you if you want :w

[Tigergenesis]

Yes please send it: tigergenesis@comcast.net

Someone on another forum said he uses fruitflies for babies until they're big enough to eat the crickets larger than pinheads. What do you guys think of this (especially since I can't get pinheads)?

[PDDM]

well the file size is too big to send it to you,but do you have msn?Steven sent it to me over msn so it won't be too big there :D

[Tigergenesis]

Nah, I don't have msn (I'm assuming you mean their email service)? Any way you can zip it and then send it?

[dj_honeycuts]

Fruitflies would probably be fine, but I don't think they are as high in protein as crickets, and your crested might expel more energy hunting the flies then he/she may actually gain from the flies. I used to feed them to Lygodactylus and smaller Phelsuma hatchlings, and one of the biggest problems I faced was dusting them without killing them. I also found that when I varied the diet with crickets they had a much better growth rate. If you do decide to try them, you would want to put a fine mesh over the top of your critter keeper. I learned that lesson the hard way the first time I tried feeding them to some Lygodactylus hatchlings. The hatchlings had time to catch one each as the flies proceeded to migrate through the top of the lid. Took me a while to catch them all! :D

[PDDM]

Ill try to send it through sympatico.ca maybe they have a better file sieze limit...the sympatico adress is my moms so dont reply back k ?

[PDDM]

Cool i think it worked tell me whay you think

[Tigergenesis]

I got it, but can't open it up here at work. I'll check as soon as I get home. Thanks!

I didn't even think about the fact that they'd be able to get out of the kritter keeper! Thanks for bringing that up.

[Tigergenesis]

I just got home and checked the email. I was able to view it no problem! Thanks.

[drewlowe]

I use toothpicks to feed mine. I scoop up the babyfood and GGD (gargoyle gecko diet) mixture on the end of the toothpick and then gently sweep it across their mouth until they get the taste of it, then they start licking away. I stop when they stop and put the dish in the cage for them to eat anytime they want.

I personally try not to handle mine too much, until they get older.

Jamie

[Tigergenesis]

What do you mean by 'older' - about what age? Not to be a pest, but people keep saying wait to do certain things when they get older and I have no idea when that is. Can you give me an idea of when you mean? Thanks! :)

[CDN-Cresties]

You can start handling them once they grow longer than 3 inches SVL. You can also put a loose substrate in when they are more accurate hunters, maybe when they are subadults or adults.

[Tigergenesis]

Forgive me.....when are they considered adults?

[CDN-Cresties]

No problem, the forums are here for questions :D.

They can be considered adults when they weigh 30-35 grams (recommend breeding weight).The average adult weight lies between 32-45 grams with body length of 8 - 10 inches including tail. Time usual varies for geckos to reach this mark, it all depends what it is fed and the quality of food fed (ie. gutload) I think it takes between 12-14 months to reach this point although they can reach this size at a earlier age but it doesnt necessarly mean that they are mature enough to breed.

[PDDM]

Ugh...12-14 months seems sooo long!Im very inpatient lol,and i like big geckos(8-10 inches is big for me) cant wait,ive never saw adults till i went to pick up mine where i got to pick up mines possible mother, so nice and bigo>

[drewlowe]

I waiting until they are at least 7-8 months before i really start to handle them. I feel i can properly handle them now, but i worry about them when they are younger, stress levels and other things.

Jamie

[Tigergenesis]

I will surely wait. I'm so scared of hurting her - and she seems equally scared.

[sara]

Why wait? Neither of you are going to get any better about handling without practice. I was discussing this with some other site members last night, and none of us could think of any reason not to handle them at that age. It's great that you guys want to be careful, it actually reminds me of new parents; they think they're going to "break" their kids for the first few months. Be careful, but don't be paranoid. How do you think we get them out of the incubators? lol.
At that age you can feed them pinheads, and at 4-5 weeks they can even take down small 1/4 - 1/2" crix. The best rule of thumb for crickets is: they shouldn't be any longer than the with of the crested's head.
You and your crested will become much more tolerant of handling if you start young.

[Tigergenesis]

Yeah, I know I sound like a new parent. I tried getting her to jump on my finger last night, but she took off the other way!

[PDDM]

well me i started picking up mine once a day to feed it,is it ok???

[CDN-Cresties]

I think that different definitions of handling are being used here...

[Tigergenesis]

What do you mean Steve? You could be right though.

[Spreeguy]

Thought i'd throw in my two cents.

So far, this year, we've got 6 hatchlings. Currently the oldest pair is 2.5 months. Not only do I handle them all, but I hand feed them everynight. (I do give them a couple days after hatching, though).

I find that my babies are just as calm as my adults. And the majority of them like to be out.

[Tigergenesis]

I think I just need to get over my nerves. She's my first lizard and she's just so small. Nothing like snakes! :)

[drewlowe]

My definition of handling...

Yes i handle mine when feeding baby food, i make it as quick as possible, After that they go right back into thier cages. They usually dash off to a hiding spot or a place where they think i can't see them.

I don't handle them for long periods of time everyday( more than 5 mins. a day). I personally belive babies should not be handled everyday, but that's just my opinion. Mine "seem" shy to me, always hiding and whatnot. When they start to feel "comfortable" in thier surroundings and start to come out and not be spooked by me (or are subadults) then i will start to handle them more often and for longer periods of time.

Jamie

[PDDM]

Meh i do like SpreeGuy except i only pick mine up everday to feed it.

[CDN-Cresties]

drewlowe, you hit the nail on the head :D

[PDDM]

i handle my baby everyday but only to feed it.