A random splattering of questions I have.

[RobertsKitty]

Ok I have had Char for about 2 months and I just have a few questions.

First off, I have seen alot of people taking their geckos outside especially for pictures. Now Char is still a baby by all means (3-5ish grams, scale is on its way) but he is a jumpy little bugger and I would NEVER risk loosing him on the lawn. Is it really safe to do that.

Another question I was having is I use vitamin water lids when I'm feeding Char. I put in 1/4 teaspoon of powder and then 2 1/4 teaspoons of water. I was reading and everyone talks about 'lick marks'. What is everyone feeding in that it is big enough to have marks in it? Mine is deep enough even when he eats there is no physical evidence in the lid (just in his poo). Should I be feeding him less? I am definitely throwing quite a bit away ever 2 days but I don't have anything smaller to make the measurements with! Can I make a large amount then spoon out like half a 1/4 of the mix or is that a bad plan?

Another question I've had is on breeding. What is a normal number of eggs laid? After years of breeding fish who store sperm in them for months and months when u breed Crested geckos one breeding = one set of eggs? If/when I ever choose to breed I am worried about homing everyone. Another question on hatch-lings, do they eat CGD straight out of the egg or is something supplemented? How much do newborns normally weigh?

How long (roughly) does it normally take a crested to go from first born to fully grown?

And more of an individual question where did you get YOUR first crested from?

Thanks for answering all my random questions!

[Zenigor]

I'll answer what I can.

Another question I was having is I use vitamin water lids when I'm feeding Char. I put in 1/4 teaspoon of powder and then 2 1/4 teaspoons of water. I was reading and everyone talks about 'lick marks'. What is everyone feeding in that it is big enough to have marks in it? Mine is deep enough even when he eats there is no physical evidence in the lid (just in his poo). Should I be feeding him less? I am definitely throwing quite a bit away ever 2 days but I don't have anything smaller to make the measurements with! Can I make a large amount then spoon out like half a 1/4 of the mix or is that a bad plan?

You could mix up an entire week's worth, then pour out just enough into the lid to where you can see lick marks, and put the rest in the refrigerator for use later in the week. Like just enough to where the bottom of the lid is coated with CGD. That is what I do. I mix up 1 teaspoon of powder to 2 teaspoons of water in a 2oz cup for an entire week. For what its worth, mine is about 7-9g(guessing, scale is in mail as we speak) and around 4.5" snout to tail.

And more of an individual question where did you get YOUR first crested from?

I got lucky and found a breeder within 20mins drive from me.

[RobertsKitty]

Should I refrigerate it after I mix a week or?

[crestedkeeper]

Well lets see...

-Taking pics outside is ok but yes you need to aware of your gecko at all times. If you feel unsafe doing it then dont. It is possible for them to get loose and you have to take percaution.

- I like to mix weekly batches also. It works out great for me. Yes refrigerate it.

-One pairing can equal up to 14 eggs in one season. Crested also retain sperm from one encounter and will lay about 7 clutches of eggs 2 at a time. So yes, it would be very important to think about what your going to do with all those hatchlings. They eat CGD right out of the egg, and weigh about 1.5 to 2 grams.

-It take about a year to a year and a half to reach adulthood.

-My first was from petco since thats where I was able to see one in person for the first time.

[Saille]

I would rate the number of eggs from just one pairing even higher, I've seen 16 eggs, and I have heard of 20 (with some months skipped from cooling) happening.

[jamesoncub]

i mix up enough for a week at a time i have 5 geckos for the juvies i use a small sour cream lid and for my adults i use a larger lid and what they dont eat i put back in the container and mix it in the rest of the cgd that way i dont have that much waste

[crestedkeeper]

i mix up enough for a week at a time i have 5 geckos for the juvies i use a small sour cream lid and for my adults i use a larger lid and what they dont eat i put back in the container and mix it in the rest of the cgd that way i dont have that much waste

I dont think thats very safe... I would think if it was ok to mix old CGD back in then it would be fine to leave it out of the fridge??

[Jaybee]

Yeah I would honestly recommend using a smaller lid jamesoncub, mixing and re-mixing stuff that has been out in open air for days can lead to mold pretty quickly. A sour cream lid can be pretty durn big.

[Dani]

For feeding my geckos I use little glass coasters, I mix a weeks worth and put it in the fridge. I got my first gecko at a local petstore, my next two at petco(?) and the third from a breeder.

[Jayne]

Thanks for asking about the outdoors photos! I've also been wondering that. I don't think I'll risk it.

Yes to the mixing up a weeks worth at a time. It is waaaaaay easier than trying to mix up 1/8 of a teaspoon in a teensy little lid.

No to the mixing old leftovers back into the bottle in the fridge. If it's still ok to eat, then mist it and stir it and leave it in the cage. (I'd say up to 2 or 3 days) If it isn't still good then throw it away.

If you stirred back in food that had been sitting out for 2 days, then served a fresh dish that had some of the old stuff mixed in with it, then stirred those leftovers back in after 2 days, and so on, you could end up with parts that had been sitting out much longer than 2 days. And any mold etc. that had started growing would also be spread to the "new" stuff.

How to see lick marks: Whatever you use, just put enough in to form a thin layer. Don't "fill" the cap or lid. For an experiment, you could use a larger container like a sour cream lid, so you can smear out a thin layer. Then you can get a starting point for how much to feed. But I wouldn't regularly feed in something that big. It's just asking the geckos to walk through it and get CGD all over their feet!

For my 25-30 gram cresteds, I mostly use the lids from 64-oz Ocean Spray juice bottles. The lids are about 1.75" diameter. I put about 1/4 teaspoon in a lid. I put 2 lids in each gecko's cage, but that's just me. They usually only eat out of one dish a night. I usually have leftovers but I want to make sure the female especially has available all the food she's willing to eat.