lots of crestie hatchling questions

[mere24]

I am planning on possibly getting 2 new crested gecko hatchlings as my last one (sadly) died (see previous post). Is it a good idea to keep them together if I don't know the sex? if so, how long can they be kept together in a 12x12x18 exo-terra?

Also wondering if maybe my last hatchling could not find her food well b/c her enclosure was too big and as a result was undernourished and had a weak immune system making her prone to disease? I have read here that hatchlings should be kept in a critter keeper instead & I am wondering how long i should keep a hatchling in a critter keeper before putting him in a 12x12x18 exo-terra. I am also wondering, do hatchlings need a warmer environment than adults?

[Salzy]

That's too bad about the other gecko. It's unfortunate that it passed away on you.

I would suggest keeping your hatchlings separate since they tend to attack each other's tails and such. Andrew Gilpin just had that happen to one of his little geckos and actually got pictures of one holding the other's tail in it's mouth. To prevent against aggression, it is best to keep them separated into their own kritter keepers. It is easier to monitor their health when they are alone anyway and you can easily see if they are eating, defecating, growing, etc.

As they get older and you can tell the sex, they may or may not be housed together. There are lots of different views on this, so be sure to read more about it in past threads if you get the chance. I personally keep my hatchlings separate because I had some problems with damaged tail tips from biting. Once they get a bit older are are sexable, I am able to keep them in groups of all females or all males until they reach maturity. I've kept males together with no problems so long as they don't come into contact with a female. Once they "meet" a female, I will keep them apart to save on the aggression. Many people advise against this, but it works for me just fine.

As far as not finding their food and being undernourished...sometimes that is a misconception. It makes sense to house them in a smaller enclosure so they can find their food, but they have an incredible sense of smell and would really be able to find their food anyway.

Temperatures can make a big difference with hatchlings, as well as feeding live foods from time to time. Keep the temps a bit higher, around the high 70's or even 80. Feed dusted crickets or roaches maybe once a week and it will help. They are fine at lower temps and a straight CGD diet, but they don't seem to grow nearly as fast. It's all preference really, and in my mind there shouldn't be a rush to get them to a large size.

Hope that helps you out a bit. Be sure to ask more questions if you have them.

[floydsmom]

i completely agree with Kyle. there is no reason to keep them together if you have the means to get a large kritter keeper (~$13) and a few vines with suction cups. they'll also know which sex they are far before we can tell. they will grow easier in smaller environments as well. but i don't think that would cause the demise of your little friend. they can easily find food flinging themselves around in their cages. it's likely something else caused him to go downhill.

as kyle said, warmer temps can also help, but don't go too overboard. remember crested geckos can stress at too high of temperatures, so if you increase the temps, monitor it very closely with a thermometer. but, in the definite sense, no they do not *need* warmer temps, it is just something that will bring on growth more. keeping them at the same temps as the adults is fine.

all of my little ones will grow at a slower pace probably, but i feel like the growth is good, and all of the nutrients they intake go to growing nice firm bones/muscle, where as if they are power-fed to get them to as large as they should be, say, for breeding, their bones and tissues may not be as well developed as you'd think, and breeding may cause major problems.

just my two cents but i hope it helps a bit

[droogievesch]

Great suggestions by everyone above. I have a few things to add though:

It is a misconception that the crested gecko can't "find" it's food in too large of an enclosure. However, if you look at the size of the enclosure in respect to the size of the gecko, you may realize that for it to walk from it's favorite hide to the food and back to it's favorite hide it is exerting a lot of energy and calories. By limiting the space it has (kritter keeper) we're not making it easier for it to find it's food; we're making it harder for it to burn all of it's calories needed for growth. If you want to keep one in the larger cage (previous posts explain why two isn't a good idea) then I would put food all around it's cage so it doesn't have to burn it all off by going to and from the dish.

Never underestimate the power of quarantine. Keep them separate so you can catch anything wrong. Make sure the stools aren't runny, extremely smelly, and that it is doing what it needs to do. If you have two in a cage a bacteria or illness can quickly infect the healthy one. Also make sure to wash your hands between handling of geckos/cage items.

Finally, try and get ones that are well started; ie 3 or 4 months. This will help lower the stress on them from getting a new environment. Geckos grow slowly the first 10 grams or so, so there won't be a huge difference between a hatchling and a 3 month old, possibly a gram or two. There is also a difference between healthy weight gain and excessive weight gain. Don't try and get the gecko to gain weight faster than normal because it can have bad side effects. Instead, do what was already mentioned (slightly raise temps (one or two degrees), offer only CGD (no infant food), also offer well dusted insects (preferably roaches) once a week. The gecko may seem to be still growing slow, but trust us that they are growing as they should.

[mere24]

Thanks so much everyone...this is all very helpful. I wish I had found this forum sooner.