Crested Gecko Morphs

Following my latest blog post on crested geckos, I thought I would write another post all about crested gecko morphs. Like most reptiles, cresties come in a variety of patterns and colours, these are often refered to as 'paint jobs' or morphs.

Red Patternless

Red Bi-Colour with Spots

Tiger

Extreme Harlequin

Halloween

Pinstripe

Super Dalmation

Red Spot Dalmation

This is just a small selection of morphs available for crested geckos! To view more please click here

Crested Geckos

Lately I have been falling in love with crested geckos. They are a beautiful and extremely cute lizard species and everytime I see a photograph of one I fall more in love with them. Hopefully someday I will have one in my collection!

Crested geckos (Correlophus ciliatus) are native to Southern Grand Terre, New Caledonia. They are semi aboreal and spend a lot of time in trees and shrubs. They are nocturnal and find hides to sleep in during the day usually on the ground.

Crested Gecko

Diet

Crested geckos are omnivorous meaning they eat live food and vegetation. Their diet consists of small soft fruit (non citrus) and insects within striking distance. In captivity they are commonly fed: fresh soft fruits, baby food particularly banana, peach and apricot. As for live food crested geckos will eat crickets, small locusts and roaches. There is debate over whether it is safe to feed them mealworms as they can cause impaction. All live food should be dusted with calcium powder such as D3 and gut loaded, (this means feeding your insects healthy food so the gecko gets the best nutrition possible). Also ensure that insect feeders are the correct size and should be no bigger than the distance between the geckos nose and eye. I recommend buying Bug Grub to feed to insects and the odd fresh vegetation such as lettuce. There is also a special food available to feed crested geckos. All you need to do is mix the special food with water and place in a feeding dish.

A water dish should also be available at all times filled with fresh water. Crested geckos are also known to drink from dew in the wild, so spraying once daily will help to ensure that they are kept hydrated.

Housing

A glass enclosure is recommended for crested geckos as they live in cooler climates. They are also aboreal so a taller form of housing is better than a wider one. 18in x 18in x 24in is the minimum size of housing for a crested gecko.

Coco Husk is the ideal bedding for a crestie as it retains humidity without getting mouldy. As crested geckos are nocturnal they need to be provided with hides for during the day. Greenery is also a great addition for making more hiding spots and this helps the gecko to feel more secure.

Exo-Terra Enclosure

 
 
Heating

Cresties enjoy lower temperatures compared to most other reptiles. Keeping them above 30 degrees Celsius will stress them and impact their health. The ideal temperature for a crested gecko is 24 degrees Celsius during the day with a night time drop to 13 degrees Celsius. This means that in some cases they will not require a heat source depending on your ambient temperature. However, a heat mat can be attached to the back or side of a terrarium. Always ensure that when you're using a heat mat that it is attached to a thermostat as this stops the mat from overheating. Also check temperatures regularly with a reliable thermometer.

Lighting

Similar to leopard geckos, crested geckos need to have a day and night time cycle. It is recommended that a 5% UVB light is used for 10-12 hours per day. This can be achieved by attaching a timer to the UVB light.

Reptisun UVB Bulb

 Handling

Generally cresties are a good gecko to handle although they do like to jump. Don't panic if one minute one is in your hand and a second later jumps to your shoulder. Always handle gently and NEVER lift one by the tail. Crested geckos can drop their tail when they feel threatened and unlike leopard geckos, their tails will never grow back, resulting in 'frog butts'.

Humidity

Crested geckos require a moderate humidity. To check your humidity you can purchase a hygometer. Humidity should be 50%. Cresties should be provided with higher humidity (80-100%) for a few hours each day. This helps aid with the shedding process. This can be achieved by heavy misting with water. Although it is vital that humidity levels go back down to normal levels for the majority of the day. Prolonged high humidity can cause infections.

Water/Spray Bottle

Co-habiting

Crested geckos can be co-habited although never two males as they will fight and could end up injuring one another. A male can be kept with a colony of females as long as the enclosure is large enough. A group of females can be housed together. Personally I would not recommend co-habiting as I don't want to risk cross-contamination.

Cleaning

As with all reptiles, keeping your housing clean and spot checking daily is important for your animals' health and well-being. Dead food should be removed on sight as should excrement. A deep clean once a month is also recommend. Remove all substrate and clean the enclosure with a reptile safe disinfectant. Also clean decor and hides at this time and water bowls when needed as sometimes reptiles will poo in their water bowls.

 

Disinfectant

Respiratory Infection

It's dishearting to find that one of your beloved pets has taken an illness. Sadly my latest addition has a respiratory infection.

Around Christmas I noticed that he was wheezing slightly and was yawning a lot. I talked to the owner of my local reptile shop and he said that sometimes royal pythons tend to wheeze if they have just had a drink, so I thought nothing of it. Over the next week or so Fyffe gradually started showing more symptoms such as bubbling around the mouth and sneezing. As soon as his symptoms progressed I contacted my local reptile vet.

When I suspected that he had RI, I moved him into quarantine as I did not want my other reptiles to contract the illness. I placed him in a Really Useful Rox with kitchen roll for bedding away from my reptile room. I ensured that no equipment I would be using could come into contact with my other reptiles. Water bowls, tweezers, feeding forceps etc. I also bought disinfectant hand sanitiser to use before and after handling.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As there is only one reptile vet in the whole of Northern Ireland, I had to wait a few days for an appointment. I then researched how I could help ease his symptoms until the vet could diagnose and medicate him. I found a trick recommended on many forums which describes the following instructions:

• Place snake in a box within a larger box. Ensure the larger box has no air holes.

• Mix half a spoon of Vix VapoRub with a few drops of eucalyptus oil and hot water in a cup.

• Place the cup in the larger box, beside the small box that the snake is in.

• Allow the snake to breathe in the vapors for five minutes.

• Repeat every day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At Fyffe's vet appointment the vet informed me that Fyffe did have a respiratory infection and that I caught the infection early. He checked the snake thoroughly; looked inside his mouth, turned him upside down to see if he could right himself and prescribed antibiotic injections every three days and a total of 10 injections.

He is now looking a lot better and not bubbling, wheezing or opening his mouth. He still has a few injections to go and will stay in quarantine for a month after his injections finish and he stops showing signs of infection. If he is still showing symptoms two weeks after his current antibiotic course ends I shall be taking him back to the vet for more medication.

 

What is Respirtory Infection/RI?

In reptiles respirtory infecton is a bacterial infection of the lungs. It is generally caused by poor husbandry. Not providing your reptile with adequate temperatures, humidity, clean enclosure, inadequate feeding and prolonged stress.  

 What can cause Respiratory Infections?

• Bad husbandary can be one cause of contracting RI. It's vital to ensure you have the correct humidity and temperatures. In the winter respiratory infections can be easier to catch due to the fall in ambient temperature gradient 

• Not keeping your enclosure clean. RI can be caused by bacterial build-up so keeping your pets housing clean can stop bacteria spreading.

• Stress; if your animal is stressed this can weaken their immune system and make infections easier to contract.

• Coming into contact with other reptiles that have the infection. (like humans catching a cold.)

RI Symptoms to look out for 

• Clicking

• Wheezing

• Sneezing

• Open mouth/Yawning excessively

• Laying with their head up

• Bubbles and mucus

• Bloated body / swelling

• Loss of appetite

• Lethargic

  If you suspect that your snake is showing signs of RI, then please seek help from a vet as soon as possible. Quicker treatment helps relieve stress levels and in some cases respiratory infections can be extremely dangerous especially with snakes such as colubrids as they only have one lung.

   

My brave boy Fyffe