When to Clean

Figuring out when to clean your gecko’s enclosure can be difficult but necessary for maintaining the gecko’s health and wellbeing. Observing the enclosure and its components should be done daily. Important things to beware of when checking the enclosure are mold or excess amounts of feces and urine. The mold may accumulate over time due to excessive watering in certain areas. The feces and urine will depend on how much the gecko is eating and drinking. If there are scarce amounts of excretions, feel free to wait. Additionally, pay attention to the sides and ceiling of the enclosure as it is easy for the gecko to trace other substances around as it moves about.

Cleaning Essentials:

• Sponge
• Water
• F10 disinfectant 
• Vinegar for water spots if need be

Step one, remove all objects and materials from within the enclosure. Dispose of any unwashable material that has mold, feces or urine on it such as paper towel or wood chips. Enclosure staples, such as cork backgrounds or trees we recommend cleaning separately with the F10 sanitizer. If mold particulates remain after washing, it would be in the customer and gecko's best interest to replace the item. The final step before scrubbing the enclosure is removing any arbitrary matter that may impede water flow down the drain. Once the enclosure is empty you will want to rinse and then spray a sufficient amount of the F10 sanitizer onto all surfaces. A good indicator of the correct amount of sanitizer is the formation of a froth/foam. Using too little of the sanitizer may cause miss spots on the enclosures. We recommend using 10 mL of the F10 per 30 ozs of H2O. Certain areas will be worse than others, and there will be particulates that do not disappear easily. In order to avoid this, we advocate submerging or soaking the enclosure in advance to allow those hardened substances to loosen. When scrubbing the enclosure it is important to reach all areas, as many people miss the corners. The best way to reach these hard to reach areas is going to be using the edge of the sponge. 

Introduction

Geckos are an arboreal species of reptile, meaning they live a large portion of their lives in trees. While up in the trees, geckos are able to avoid most terrestrial predators that roam the surface beneath. Functioning in trees not only provides a place of safety but allows foraging opportunities, accessible resources, and a sanctuary. Luckily, Pangea Reptile provides a product

Sexing Your Crested Gecko

How can you tell if your crested gecko is a male or a female? Sometimes it's quite easy to tell, especially if your gecko is a bit older. Once male crested geckos hit maturity they develop very obvious hemipenal bulges just below the vent at the base of the tail. This can happen sometimes as early as 6 months old but generally doesn't show up until around a year or so old. Mature female crested geckos will have no hemipenal bulge. So if your gecko isn't too young, you're in luck and this should be easy. Here's what to look for.

Male Crested Gecko Hemipenal Bulge

Female Crested Gecko (No Bulge)

Now if you want to get an idea what gender your gecko is before it has neared maturity, things get a bit trickier. There are a couple of things you will need. The first thing is called a loupe which is basically a type of magnifier. We sell a nice one that has both 30x and 60x magnifications and LED lights to help you see what you're trying to see. 

Also recommended is a clear 8 oz deli cup and a foam buffing pad. This method was first shown to us by Limey of Royal Reptilia so we refer to it as "The Limey Method". These pads are used to secure the gecko and view the under bits a little more easily. So it's just a matter of placing the gecko in the cup, then placing the foam pad over the gecko while applying just a tiny bit of pressure on the gecko so that the area you are viewing is gently pressed up against the clear surface. If you are good at wrestling geckos and getting them to stay still you will not absolutely need these, but they sure do make things easier.

Now using your LED Magnifying loupe, view the area just above the vent and along the inner thighs. You are looking for femoral pores which develop on males between 6 grams up to about 15 grams. If you see pores you have male. If you don't see any pores and the gecko is over 15 grams, you likely have a female. I say likely because we've been tricked once or twice by a really late bloomer. So what do these pores look like you ask? They look like a tiny round circle within a scale. Here are few pictures to help you identify pores on your crested gecko. 

It can take a little bit of practice and patience but once you've done it a few times you will be a pro. I hope this article was helpful for you. As always, thanks for choosing Pangea!

How To Connect Heat Tape Tutorial

Of course the simplest way to connect the heat tape is just to have us at Pangea do it for you. When you order the connection kit for your THG heat tape just select "Yes Please" under the Connect it for us option.

You can Purchase the heat tape and all accessories HERE.

Place a mark on the copper strip of the heat tape about 1/4 of an inch in from the end.

Punch a hole through the copper strip where you have marked it. A regular old paper hole punch will work just fine.

Insert the eyelet BETWEEN the the plastic layers. It is important not to go on top of or underneath but actually get inside the and between the laminate.

Once inside line up the eyelet with the punched out hole and place the longer end of the rivet through the tape and eyelet.

Next, connect the smaller part of the rivet with the other end of the rivet.

Using a special crimping tool or a good pair of vice grips, crimp the rivet together completely.  The rivet should not move at all if this is done properly.

Use the provided insulation pieces to sandwich the connection on both sides

Use electrical tape to cover the ends of the heat tape and you are done.

It's all about wavelengths! Plants require wavelengths within the visible spectrum, roughly between 400nm and 740nm. UVA falls just under the visible spectrum, but is highly beneficial for faster growth, higher nutrient levels, and resistant to fungal infections. (source)

Crested geckos, and other New Caledonian gecko species, are considered some of the most hardy reptiles in the hobby and can be shipped overnight for next day delivery in the right conditions rather safely. When shipping these geckos, their health and safety should always be

One of the best aspects of keeping Crested Geckos is the fact that they do best at