New member and very new Crested owner <3

[kitten]

I'm 19 and near Chicago, a very experienced pet owner and lover, but new to Cresties. I've got 3 geckos and 3 cats, then my parents have 2 cats and a dog--I'm kinda stuck living with the 'rents until I'm done with college. it's definitely a full house but I find time to spoil every one of our pets. feel free to add me on facebook, the URL (hopefully it works) to my profile is "http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=568670794&ref=name"

I decided to buy my geckos over a 3-day-period after my sister did a random impulse-buy and purchased a baby ball python (we were there to help my boyfriend pick out fish and she, out of nowhere, decided she wanted a snake)...it inspired me to get a gecko or two like I've wanted for a while, so after doing a bit of research during that 3-day span of time I settled on the Crested variety and drained my checking account in a day and a half for 'em!

I bought one subadult/adult that I am fairly certain is a female, and 2 hatchlings/juveniles. they were all previously housed together in one of those tiny cages at Petco and were content crawling all over eachother; the fact they were already familiar with one another and seemed to get along well was reassuring, as I was afraid of having to separate them (too soon to buy another reptarrium for my budget) due to bullying or aggression. I'm uncertain as to how to describe their coloring or specify their morph, but I'll try my best to show with photos later on.

quick question, at what average body lengths of a gecko do you assign the terms 'hatchling', 'juvenile', 'subadult', and 'adult' to? oh! and how drastically can the appearance of a gecko as a hatchling differ from the way it turns out as an adult--and what kind of timeline is there for this change? I'll try searching for the answers after posting this lol

I got a 65 gallon tall screen/mesh reptarrium for a decent price at Petsmart, woodchip substrate covered by this strange 'rainforest' thing that was a dried, compact brick of soil I had to soak in a bucket of water (it only cost a buck on clearance and made a ton of substrate, so despite it being odd I don't have anything bad to say about it), a bunch of live moss, one of those thick bendy vines, a shallow pool/drinking dish made of stone, one of those hideaways that looks like a cutout of half a tree stump, two branch things, and a couple live plants. the whole lighting/heating lamp stuff was confusing, but I think I've got it down now...one ceramic infared heating lamp that's on 24/7, one red noctornal heat lamp also on 24/7, and one daylight UVB basking lamp for the morning and afternoon. the enclosure stays well heated despite the open-air design, my room is 72 degrees alone and their multiple thermometers register an average of 82-83 in the daytime and 73-75 at night, excluding the couple cooler hiding spots the lamps light doesn't directly reach. my only concern when it comes to their habitat is the humidity levels--I purchased the reptarrium knowing I'd risk running into this problem, though. I mist the plants, moss, and hydration-conserving rainforest substrate, as well as the geckos themselves, very thoroughly and several times a day (3 on a busy day, 5-6 if I'm home all day) and get an average humidity reading between 35-40%, only maxing out at 70% or so but only just after I mist everything down. I'm hoping that getting an ultrasonic fogger from Petsmart will help me find a happy medium for my geckos.

most of the research I did prior to purchasing was based on caring for Crested Geckos, and after purchasing them my research lead me to discovering just how varied their patterns, colors, and morphs can be. I definitely adore my geckos and hope on getting more as I save up my money, perhaps to breed a few clutches. I find the entire process fascinating and I'm sure I'd see any surprise results to be just as exciting, so I'd be pursuing it as a hobby more than anything. I'm going to attend some local reptile shows to learn what I can from breeders there, and hopefully learn from breeders on here as well.

[MF Cody]

welcome to the addiction.lol
it looks like you are set and ready.
also do you keep all three geckos in the same cage?

[firecrested]

Welcome, I added you on facebook
There is a big difference in color and pattern from hatchling to adult.  Almost all hatchlings are a reddish brown and can take up to a year to get their adult color.
If you havent already, click on the ciliatus.com home link at the top of the page.  There is info on anything you can think of about Cresteds.

[kitten]

I just confirmed your friend request! glad to meet you.

and to answer that question: yes, all three are in my 65 gallon reptarium, and so far I haven't encountered anything resembling aggression or bullying. the biggest one is a female and seems very content with her companions, the littlest one usually basks with her (sometimes sitting on her head, I'll have to get a pic). the two smaller ones were already being raised together prior to me purchasing them, they came into the Petco as very young hatchlings and spent a good month and a half together before I strolled in. my adult female and larger unsexed hatchling also look eerily alike, I'm starting to wonder if they are related since the Petco is supplied by multiple breeders.
once the two hatchlings come of age I'll probably already have a second and third 65 gallon waiting for them. just incase both happen to be males I can purchase a fourth since I'm considering buying 2 breeding pairs eventually, and I'd rather keep one male per cage to avoid conflict.

[bangerang]

gecko picsss

[samanthajane13]

Welcome to the forum, Kitten!!

I'm Donna, and I'm one of the older members here, and I have a college student, too.  We're from Buffalo, NY.

You picked a great reptile to get hooked on-and believe me-you WILL be hooked!!!  My daughter and I started with one, and we're up to 20 in less than two years.  They just wrap themselves around your heart with that sweet gecko smile and their gentle, comical ways.  I've kept several reptiles over the years, but these little cuties are THE BEST!

You'll find a lot of help, info and good people here to help guide you on your way to learning about cresties.  Kick back, read and ask questions!!!  We all started out as newbies, so don't think you're dumb just because you don't know something you think you should.  We're here to make sure you're doing things right.

[kitten]

many thanks, and I'm already excited about saving up to buy a few breeding pairs, they really are gorgeous and fascinating to watch so the more the better--my cats enjoy watching them too!
and for gecko pictures, here's a link to my post in the Morphs thread http://ciliatus.com/forums/index.php/topic,4344.0.html

[daniellec]

You should do a search on impaction.  Feeding insects on anything other than papertowels is a no no.  Welcome to the forums btw you will be able to learn a lot here!!