Question
cage
Hello, I have a 10 gallon cage setup ready for a new 10 week old crested gecko. I am wondering if everything is set up correctly?
In the picture if you look it has...a small layer of smooth rocks,mesh,about 2 inches of repti-bark, and for the top layer Zoo Med Premium New Zealand Sphagnum Moss. I am wondering if that is okay?
My next question is about heating/humidity.
The temperature stays at around 70 degrees all day. I was wondering what kind of bulb/watt I should use to get it up for that last 5 degrees? I have a UVB tube I used to use for my bearded dragon... will took much UVB hurt them?
The humidity stays around 70% for about two hours and drops rapidly. During the day I won't be able to mist it for about 7 hours (School) Is that alright for the humidity to drop for that long?
thanks
AnswerHi Tyler,
A 10 gallon tank really isn't large enough for a crestie as they do like to climb, but for a baby the 10 gallon will be fine for a few months. A 29 gallon high is a nice size for a single crestie...be sure to give him plenty of vines, etc to climb and hide in/on.
A few things I see that may be the problem...Using bark isn't a good choice as it won't hold the humidity. Coconut fiber or cypress mulch are better choices. The moss on top is also fine but you will find that it may break up eventually.
You don't mention basking temperatures or bottom (floor) heat. Both are important to them..both can and will cause them to not eat.
Your humidity will be fine while you are gone, especially since you are going to use a mulch/moss on the floor.
Remember, you aren't wanting the tank to be all the same temperature...
Cresties actually do need to have a warm area in their tanks, regardless of the season.When they don't have access to a warm area they are unable to digest their foods properly. Too cool and the food digests too slow and nutrients are lost. Slow digestion also causes a small appetite, which will lead to health problems. They don't require high temperatures other than a warm area in the tank that is never higher than 85 degrees in that area. Going with a "basking" temperature, both floor and air of about 81-83 degrees is probably a good range. For the rest of the tank, you will end up with a mid range temperature and a low temperature on the end farthest from the warm area. This area is fine at your normal room temperature.
You should be using an undertank heater and an overhead heat source.
With measuring temperatures, the best to use are the thermometers that have the wire with a probe on the end. The probe can be placed on the floor over the under tank heater to monitor the floor temperatures.
There is much that can change the wattage of the bulb you need to get the proper temperatures..room temps, air flow in the room, placement of the tank in the room, etc can all affect the wattage needed...generally starting with 60 watts is a good start..but they really don't like bright lights so you may have to go to a nocturnal bulb or a ceramic heat emitter or better yet,a heat projector from www.reptileuv.com which is safer as they give off wonderful heat, but don't get hot like a ceramic heat emitter...but do check the temperatures..for nighttime, the heat projector works wonderful if needed.
An undertank heater can and should be on 24 hrs a day..be sure to follow the directions on the undertank heater. Using the heat projector and UTH on a thermostat works fantastic and prevents the temperatures from ever getting too high(or too low)
It should cover 1/3 of the tank. They should have access to a hide in this area along with a hide in the mid range and or cool area.
Remember, its not their whole tank that needs to be at a certain temperature..they need 3 temperature zones.
You can use the uvb light from your beardie, and in order to cut the amt of bright light you can place some vines, etc to filter out some of the light, since they don't light a lot of bright lights. I do like the fact you are using a uvb producing tube to offer uvb to a crestie.
Here are two links to more info on caring for a crested.
http://www.pangeareptile.com/id52.htm
http://crestedgecko.com/index.php?page=crested-gargoyle
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