Stella And Jo's Gecko & Terrariums

You could also get away without using any heat at all they do good in room temp as well my home stays around 75° and there doing great the only light I use for them is a VIVBright LED just to grow the plants and you can buy a created gecko kit from joshfrogs comes with everything you need (and they give live plants with it and bottle caps are good to keep food in for them he’ll find it and eat of it it will take a couple of days maybe two at most happened with mine(P.S Pan is absolutely stunning)!

This is one of my big males,Pluto

 

Oh yay! I was hoping to hear from you soon BReefer97 (lol, reefer is in your name and I often wonder if you have a reef tank you don't talk about much). Perfect timing too! Things are slightly changing because I too have realized that we're just overdoing things with the moving of the bin and all this.

Beer savers... Never heard of those but they do look great and more easily washed than a contact case. Thanks for the head's up. I'll have some in a couple of days.

To everyone else, please don't misunderstand me... I enjoy all input and love to chat (as if you couldn't tell). It's just that it's kinda nice to have 'personal' advice from an experienced breeder.

So, a 25W ceramic heat emitter arrived a couple of days ago and the 60W incandescent is a goner. With this in place 24/7, we risked not moving the bin over the heat mat at night and she was at 73 this morning. Forgive my mommy instincts... She's just so little and I worried terribly when the temp got below 70 in the early days. I've learned to worry more about heat over the last few weeks though. I feel pretty confident that we don't need to remove the heat mat, which is a 4W MinI by ZooMed for 5 - 10g's and is on the bottom of the ExoTerra. It doesn't do much so... it's probably using electricity and is perhaps unnecessary. Thing is, I'm not sure how the 25W ceramic will do by itself. So, both are still in use for now... but there's that sweet lil thermostat now too and I'll turn it down to 73, which will keep the bin between 71 and 73. I'm totally comfortable with that... Just don't want it getting into the mid 60's at night, which is entirely possible because we residents of the subtropics do like our a/c and fans. Our a/c is pretty consistently set to 73, but the bedrooms get cold... in my bedroom, there is a temp probe (on the alarm clock of all things.) It regularly reads in the mid to low 60's. When Pan first came home I checked her temp about 10pm one evening and found it at 68. I had nothing to warm it at the time and hardly slept that night worried it would be at 63 in the morning... but it wasn't. I think 67 is as low as she's gotten here.

Okay, so, enough about the gear, let's get back to Pan and her behavior. Remember how she ate from the stick that one time? And that soon afterward, she seemed more comfortable because she spent an entire day sleeping within sight? Well, all of that has been a one-off so far. Several subsequent attempts at feeding her with a skewer did not work out, young Jo thought he was stressing her and decided that he wanted to stop that in the hope she'd eat more from her food dish. His theory seems proven because she eats nearly every night from the dish and we've found her waste pretty regularly, yay. However, we could also assume the more regular intake is a product of her getting used to a new environment. Plus, I'm now worried that she is having zero human contact aside from getting ripped out (kidding, we're gentle, but that's how I imagine it feels to her) to be weighed once a week. She hides ALL the time lately so seems less comfortable than she was. We are not handling her at all... but perhaps we should be. Anyway, it just seems like we're moving backward, so...

1. We will go back to skewer feedings a few times per week, possibly more frequently with time, with the ultimate goal being to teach her to trust a fingertip with food on it.

2. We will attempt to feed a cricket with bamboo tongs this weekend. If she refuses to come near the tongs, we will release the cricket in the bin because I feel it's very important to finally start with live insect feedings. While the cricket is in the bin, all but one of her leafy stems will be removed so the cricket is more easily seen. We will do this every weekend and will leave the cricket with her for a few hours but remove it if it isn't eaten before bed, (this works out because young Jo's bedtime is much later on weekends.)

3. We will start handling for just a minute or so at a time, maybe 2 times per week.

Does this all sound good?

4. Finally, what requirements are we looking for to feel she's ready to move to the little live terrarium?

We have no evidence of weight gain and she hasn't shed yet but she is eating and pooping. Because of our experience with marine fish in quarantine acting like scaredy cats, then becoming a much braver/healthier fish after moving to the reef tank... well, we feel our critters hate these sterile environments and really begin to thrive when introduced to a live environment. It's also tougher to keep up the humidity with fake plants and paper towels. Aaanndd... her bin's environmental regulation is based on it being in the ExoTerra... but we really want to begin the build on that tank. The build involves spray foam and silicone curing and all kinds of stuff, so her use of the ExoTerra needs to end before we begin with the background and everything else. I... am a gardener. I do not like plants in a plastic bin, this plant qt that's a little in the way, and am dying to get my gardening on in the ExoTerra.

On that note BReefer97 , I don't have a ton of freshwater removal anymore because I am down to one 7.5 gallon freshwater tank. However, I've been a real dummy because I never even thought of that and I've been wondering what kind of organic fertilizer I can use in terrariums. I do not use Prime or any other water conditioner because I use RO water, buffered with Seachem products, and the tank is fertilized with Thrive root tabs and all-in-one liquid. Hmmm, the fish likes it, but having said all the stuff that goes into that water, I'm a little leery to use it with Pan. Your advice is good though! I think I've finally settled on using organic fish and/or seaweed emulsion ferts and will only use it very lightly with the terrariums. I will, of course, do my research. Some say that ferts are unnecessary because the lizard will provide, but limiting nutrients is just crazy talk to me... I feel neglectful in not feeding plants under my care.

Almost done guys. So, in the midst of writing this, Pan was offered food on a skewer for the first time in many days... and she hit it like a shark! She startled Jo 4 or 5 times with how she attacked the skewer as he held it. He was surprised at how strong she is and it made him proud... me too. She's never done that before.

Geesh, if you made it through all that, I applaud and thank you. This is all still so new to me, so I suppose putting it all out there is my way of asking if I'm doing it right. I promise, I'm dying to show her off but will wait for a time when she's exposed or coming out of the bin... should be tomorrow or Sunday.

 

I’m so glad to hear you’re enjoying Pan so much and doing absolutely amazing with her!! I love seeing new owners take to it like you are it’s so awesome.

Most everything sounds great except that I would cut out the skewer feedings all together. They tend to literally attack their food sometimes and a skewer (even typical reptile tongs) can damage the soft skin in their mouths. I would think of them much like a betta fish, they can even tear their skin from small pieces of plastic. They can also come to expect you to hand feed them and that becomes problematic when they refuse to use a food dish (I had to retrain one of my geckos to eat from a food dish because I hand fed him for so long because I received him from a bad breeder and he was really underweight with MBD from being fed baby food. He refused Pangea for a long time). You could do this a few other ways and simply offer a dap of food on your finger and they’ll usually lick it off. You can also offer a drop of honey every once and a while (they get addicted to sugar so I wouldn’t do it too much), or mushed up banana! they go crazy for some fresh banana. Banana I would say you could do weekly as long as she’s eating her CGD regularly. Feeding crickets with tongs is okay but they really love to hunt them down too!

There’s other ways to get your gecko more used to you I never suggest just full on grabbing the gecko out, but if you put your hand in front of Pan and touch the base of her back she’ll more than likely jump to your hand. Eventually you can just nudge a finger under her chin and she’ll crawl right on up! Don’t be afraid that she’ll drop her tail or something, that’s why you have to get her used to handling and she’ll be okay.

I was a bit scared to handle them when I first started because they’re but so darn small and quick, but after owning and breeding them for years it’s no problem. I also had the help of my great boyfriend and our friends who are outstanding reptile breeders. I have 21 crested geckos right now (15 babies, the rest are adults and sub-adults) and even with all of them combined; they’re easier to take care of then my panther chameleon, turtles, and blue tongues. You’ll get the hang of it and it’ll be a breeze! Pan is in great hands. It’s really refreshing to see someone so invested in the care of a crested gecko. I see a lot of new owners around here putting them for sale on Craigslist’s without their enclosures just because they’ve gotten bored and want something different to look at for another few months. I don’t think people understand these geckos can live for a number of years; our oldest gecko is at least 11 years old at this point and shows no signs of slowing down. I’m stoked to see Pan has one of the best owners possible who is absolutely spoiling her hahah.

And...... I... don’t have a reef tank but I sure wish I did.

 

Oooohh... How did I not think of Pan hurting her little self on that skewer?? It was just so exciting to see her eat with gusto, but I will do and not do whatever is necessary to keep her well... so no more skewer and no tongs.

I also haven't thought of the neglect and awful conditions that often occur with any pet that is so popular. It's so sad to think of the poor lil ones out there who are viewed as a novelty by an owner who quickly tires of them. I also just don't get some mindsets... With the great foods on the market these days, why would one want to use baby food? It might seem easier but is surely not if you consider how many varieties one would need to even attempt feeding a complete diet... and still, they would fail because it's now common knowledge that baby food is not good for them. Baby food isn't even complete for babies... but perhaps it takes a parent to see that baby food is a supplement to momma's milk or formula... and that's where the good stuff is. Folks might think it's cheaper to feed baby food, but even that doesn't make sense to me... and I am very budget minded. Once opened, a jar of baby food should be consumed or tossed in 3-4 days, just like our own leftovers. That would create a lot of waste, and a powdered CGD is much like Prime water conditioner... its monetary value comes in how little is used at a time. Sure, I paid about $17 per bag of Pangea, but 1/8 of a teaspoon per day isn't much even while it is too much because she doesn't eat all that. Point being, a $17 bag will last a very long time.

Alrighty, as always, there are still questions. Yesterday, a committed reptile keeper hubs knows, who certainly seems to care a lot for his pets, says that crickets we buy at places like Petco are already dusted. When I hear this news this morning, with plans of feeding crickets tonight, I think, well, why on earth is everybody I see online dusting crickets at home? If we dust already dusted crickets, we risk offering too much calcium/vitamins... yes? So, what to do? Of course, this is my first time feeding crickets and this one time they will not be gut loaded, but future crickets will be. So, I suppose it's a non-issue. If crickets are dusted when I buy them, then they spend 4-5 days feeding here at home, surely they need to be dusted again prior to feeding them to Pan... I think. Please tell me if I'm wrong guys.

Eeek! I screwed up. Didn't think of the vacation we'll take this summer when we got Pan. We really must visit my parents and if that were all, we might bring Pan and her enclosure with us. But, there is a couple of days where we'll stay at a hotel and will be at KSC (Kennedy Space Center) during the day. The total days away from home is 6. Watched a video by LeopardGecko weighing the pros and cons of options available for a vacation when you have reptiles. Bringing with and all the scary changes that might incur seems like the least desirable option. For the fish tanks, well, the fish will be fattened up first and the tanks will be very clean prior to leaving... somehow I don't think that'll do for young Pan. Then, there is the option for reptile babysitting and we do have a reptile shop not too far away that offers those services. I will definitely check them out before making up my mind... but the crowd here has my ears and my trust. So, what would you guys do?

Lastly, BReefer97 what would you say the requirements are to get Pan out of the bin and into the live environment in the 5 gallon terrarium? As stated, I'm dying to do this for a number of reasons but most importantly because I genuinely feel that she will be more comfortable there. However, I will not put her in danger by rushing the move either. So, even if it sounds like I'm rushing it, I'm really just trying to do what's best for her. And... thank you so much for the kind words. I too wish everyone would have the respect for life that all life deserves. Also, we know cresties are long-lived and I've already thought about what will happen when Jo goes to college. Pan... can totally stay with me.

 

Oooohh... How did I not think of Pan hurting her little self on that skewer?? It was just so exciting to see her eat with gusto, but I will do and not do whatever is necessary to keep her well... so no more skewer and no tongs.

I also haven't thought of the neglect and awful conditions that often occur with any pet that is so popular. It's so sad to think of the poor lil ones out there who are viewed as a novelty by an owner who quickly tires of them. I also just don't get some mindsets... With the great foods on the market these days, why would one want to use baby food? It might seem easier but is surely not if you consider how many varieties one would need to even attempt feeding a complete diet... and still, they would fail because it's now common knowledge that baby food is not good for them. Baby food isn't even complete for babies... but perhaps it takes a parent to see that baby food is a supplement to momma's milk or formula... and that's where the good stuff is. Folks might think it's cheaper to feed baby food, but even that doesn't make sense to me... and I am very budget minded. Once opened, a jar of baby food should be consumed or tossed in 3-4 days, just like our own leftovers. That would create a lot of waste, and a powdered CGD is much like Prime water conditioner... its monetary value comes in how little is used at a time. Sure, I paid about $17 per bag of Pangea, but 1/8 of a teaspoon per day isn't much even while it is too much because she doesn't eat all that. Point being, a $17 bag will last a very long time.

Alrighty, as always, there are still questions. Yesterday, a committed reptile keeper hubs knows, who certainly seems to care a lot for his pets, says that crickets we buy at places like Petco are already dusted. When I hear this news this morning, with plans of feeding crickets tonight, I think, well, why on earth is everybody I see online dusting crickets at home? If we dust already dusted crickets, we risk offering too much calcium/vitamins... yes? So, what to do? Of course, this is my first time feeding crickets and this one time they will not be gut loaded, but future crickets will be. So, I suppose it's a non-issue. If crickets are dusted when I buy them, then they spend 4-5 days feeding here at home, surely they need to be dusted again prior to feeding them to Pan... I think. Please tell me if I'm wrong guys.

Eeek! I screwed up. Didn't think of the vacation we'll take this summer when we got Pan. We really must visit my parents and if that were all, we might bring Pan and her enclosure with us. But, there is a couple of days where we'll stay at a hotel and will be at KSC (Kennedy Space Center) during the day. The total days away from home is 6. Watched a video by LeopardGecko weighing the pros and cons of options available for a vacation when you have reptiles. Bringing with and all the scary changes that might incur seems like the least desirable option. For the fish tanks, well, the fish will be fattened up first and the tanks will be very clean prior to leaving... somehow I don't think that'll do for young Pan. Then, there is the option for reptile babysitting and we do have a reptile shop not too far away that offers those services. I will definitely check them out before making up my mind... but the crowd here has my ears and my trust. So, what would you guys do?

Lastly, BReefer97 what would you say the requirements are to get Pan out of the bin and into the live environment in the 5 gallon terrarium? As stated, I'm dying to do this for a number of reasons but most importantly because I genuinely feel that she will be more comfortable there. However, I will not put her in danger by rushing the move either. So, even if it sounds like I'm rushing it, I'm really just trying to do what's best for her. And... thank you so much for the kind words. I too wish everyone would have the respect for life that all life deserves. Also, we know cresties are long-lived and I've already thought about what will happen when Jo goes to college. Pan... can totally stay with me.

I’ve honestly never heard that they dust their crickets! They may dust them to feed their own reptile stock, but I always dust them regardless. I put them in a bin with carrots and feed them to my reptiles the next day. They eat pretty quickly because they’re practically starved in the pet store. If you don’t put any food in with them they’ll eat each other. And beware... crickets STINK. I was going to breed them at one point but they smell putrid... so I breed dubia roaches instead.

And ugh! Vacations are always the hardest for us too. We don’t have the option of bringing our pets with us because we have around 50. We have to have a friend come over and spray and feed our geckos, turn on all of the lights, spray and feed the blue tongues, change turtle water and feed the turtles, spray and feed the chameleon, spray and feed the tree frog, spray and feed hermit crabs, top of fish tank water, and finally - come back at night to turn all of the lights off. We have a vacation coming up in about 3 months and I’m not really sure what we’re going to do. We’ll probably have to get a few our friends to take turns coming over and tending to the reptiles. They’re all experienced reptile keepers so I totally trust them - but we just have so many animals it’s easy to skip over one. My mom has offered to help but she’s scared of pretty much everything I own.

Do you have any friends that have experience with reptiles? If so, I would see if they can stop down every day for you to mist and change food for Pan. She won’t need all that much while you’re away besides mistings and some food. I’ve never used a reptile sitting service but I’ve never heard a bad thing about one. I would definitely look up reviews and try to talk to someone who has used the service before to see what their experience was like.

You could honestly probably move her to the 5 gallon whenever you’d like. The only reason we say to start babies in a smaller enclosure is because they have a hard time locating their food dishes sometimes. When you put her in the 5 gallon, just offer two food dishes for a few weeks. Don’t be concerned if she isn’t growing too quickly - some take a long time to reach adult size for whatever reason. I have a gecko I hatched in July and it is the same exact size as when it hatched. It eats like a champ but just doesn’t grow. It’s clutchmate is at least 4x bigger. Are you going to be flipping the 5 gallon on it’s side to make it vertical? I would suggest doing so if you’re able to, but if not it’ll be perfectly fine for her to grow out in a horizontal 5 gallon. Just load it up with foliage so she feels secure

 

Pan has made the big move! She's been in the 5 gallon terrarium since Sunday late afternoon and all seems well. No, we did not turn this 5 gallon on its side. Kinda wish we would have but this build was done before Pan's arrival to us and we felt kinda hurried, so didn't want the hassle of working out a door for a tank on its side. A lid is needed of course but that's a whole lot easier since we already had two 5 gallon tanks with glass lids. So... the tank is horizontal and I disassembled a lid. Currently, we're using one panel from a glass lid on top, with the rest being covered by a diy screen lid. Grrrr, I was using both glass panels with a pretty decent gap in between since it was the glass pieces only since the plastic center 'hinge' and rear plastic piece (that we'd cut for filtration and cords when used for fish) was all removed. Humidity was staying too high with both glass pieces even with a 3-4 inch gap... now there is one glass piece and humidity falls faster than I'd like. Can't win this race but it's all temporary anyhow, and regardless of glass pieces, the screen lid provides full coverage and is well secured to the tank.

I've got lots of plants/foliage, but most are bigger than the 5 gallon will hold as they were purchased with the ExoTerra in mind. There are live plants in the 5g, but not enough, so some silk foliage is being used to supplement. Idk if it's necessary though because Pan likes her driftwood and the fern that covers it. She's slept comfortably on that wood piece protected by the fern for two days now... AND, she ate the very first night in the new environment, YAY!!

Speaking of food... she quickly attacked and chowed down 3 small crickets on Saturday evening. Picked up the crickets at Petco, asked for 6, got charged for 6, and was given... idk, 20 or 30? After this 'gift' of extra crickets, the employee said, "Get them out of the bag ASAP because I don't believe they'll last more than an hour in there." How green am I? Purchased these bugs in the AM, with lots to do that afternoon, and plans to feed the crickets in the evening. Hustled, hustled (and was a lil late to a bday party) to get a proper cricket enclosure set up. This had been in the plans but didn't know I'd need it right away and I wasn't prepared. So, Lowe's after Petco for another bin! Feels like I've been buying so many storage bins lately. Anyhow, the crickets... are happy? I think so. They're less jumpy than they were a couple of days ago and have been chowing on fruit and veg. Pan's next cricket feeding will be a lot better for her.

So... pics? Of course.

First, the tank as it is today.


Top Down (please take notice of how green the fern looks because the next pic including the fern shows its dirty underside, lol, or, the lower fronds that are dying out from lack of light because the top fronds block it.)



My favorite plant in the 5 gallon is growing! Idk what variety it is but I love this Cryptanthus, aka, Earth Star.



Pan's last pic in the bin... errr, not really because I still intend to feed her crickets in it.



Here's where Pan slept today.



Got a side-face shot of Pan during yesterday's rest.



I think she's happy as a clam in there. I mean, she's off the ground and spends her days like a statue, comfortably sleeping I imagine. Late at night and very early in the mornings, we have seen and heard her moving around the enclosure. Though I've complained about the lid situation and humidity, I must say, it's a heck of a lot easier to manage humidity here than it was in the bin.

Okay, so, questions.

Weekly diet... We've been feeding every day but now that we know she's eating well... I guess we'll offer her Pangea CGD's 3 nights a week and leave the uneaten in there on days off. 2 of those days off of Pangea, we'll offer crickets. For a total of fresh food 5 nights a week. Sound good? How many small crickets per feeding for a 4-5g Crestie? Just ordered some of the newish flavor by Pangea, Fig & Insects. Hope she likes it better than Watermelon.

Humidity... The tank is sprayed around 8 am... if it is down to 40% rh in the early afternoon, do we let it go until the regular evening misting around 8 pm? I guess what I'm asking is, how low is it okay to go before another misting? I don't entirely trust the hygrometer and no matter how I try to avoid getting the sensor wet, it'll often read 99% after a misting and then, of course, I worry about it being too humid! Super high to about as low as your average in home humidity, which isn't much. Is this just how it goes?

Humidity leads to shedding... Nothing yet as far as I can tell. Should I be worried?

 

Pan update!

First things first... all is well, Pan seems comfortable in her enclosure, but she is still quite skittish when being handled.

Here she is a couple of weeks ago. She often snoozes the day away up high in her fern... where it is very awkward to get pictures of her.



Two Saturdays ago she was removed from her tank for handling, weighing, and crickets. Hrmmm, things did not go well with presenting her with all of that.

Here she is in the dI'm lighting, (sorry for the pic quality), being handled... just before jumping away (running for her life?) and taking a little journey all over the 3D printer that's on the floor next to boy's bed. That was quite the adventure for all of us.
So little.



This same night (2 Saturdays ago) she was placed in her old bin to be offered crickets. Surely the jaunt on the 3D printer, or efforts to 'rescue' her, and then being weighed in a glass bowl (cold!) didn't set her in a mood to hunt. She watched those crickets like she wanted them but didn't attack even when they walked right in front of... or right on top of her! This went on for more than 30 minutes but we had to finally admit defeat. She did not eat anything that night and this was only the 2nd offering of crickets, which was also the first time we dusted them... I would swear that she licked a cricket, tasted the calc dust, and didn't like it.

This evening felt like a huge failure and poor Pan could not wait to escape us. We decided at that point to not touch her again for another week.

Here she is in another sleep shot. The fern looks very spiky here but it's got quite soft fronds with thin, stiff, but strong enough to hold Pan stems.


After the cricket debacle, we assumed she'd stress out and go off of regular food for a couple of days like she has in the past... but I'm so glad to say that she didn't. She still won't touch Pangea Watermelon but does like Fruits & Insects, Growth & Breeding, and seems to eat more on the nights with the newest offering... Fig. Got those beer saver caps that BReefer97 suggested and they are perfect feeding dishes! It's so much easier to see proof that she ate! We keep them in two places in the little 5 gallon tank and some nights she eats from both. I'm gonna pull the trigger and get small bags of the rest of Pangea's CGD lineup so we can know which ones she loves most and develop a routine that will offer variation to her, and ease for us.

Okay, so this past Saturday we offered crickets again... undustedops: and in a box instead of the empty clear bin... before weighing her and with no more handling than it takes to get her from terrarium to box. That worked out very well. She ate 4 super small crickets. Idk what threw her off them last time but she definitely licked one of those crickets that she did not eat. Yet, I know how important it is to dust insects, so, next time (on Wednesday) we will follow the same low stress procedure, with one undusted cricket first, and the remainder dusted. Hope this works!

'kay... so, more pics!

Pan in her cricket box a couple of days ago and looking rather... blue... grey? That is not a color I've seen on her. Forgive my cruddy camera.



Still in the box, now looking a little more like herself... and appearing to be looking at the giant humans.



Now, my effort to take a cool pic of Pan on a rock, yet still in the box because she is a flighty one. My poor Pan... I used the flash on her.



And finally, what I've been dying to show you guys. Pan's ExoTerra is planted! Good thing I like gardening because she won't be moving in here for a while. Hoping to tame her first, and darn it, I wanna see some weight gain!

 

Yep baby cresties love to run away! On the weekend I'm getting a second Crestie (Adult) for my birthday. So I will have to share that with yall. Its always interesting trying to handle cresties. One moment they are happy on your hand, the next they are springed into air across your room.

 

Time for another update on Pan!

I'm very excited to say that at her recent weigh-in, Pan has gained a whole gram. Nope, I haven't upgraded my scale for a more sensitive one, so it was very exciting to finally see 5g's instead of 4.

She gets crickets (dusted with Calc + D and a multivitamin) twice a week and Pangea CGD the rest of the time. The favorites are Apricot and Fig these days and she still won't touch Watermelon with a 10 foot pole, lol. She's been hunting crickets like a champ but the slight handling from terra to feeding box is still a little nervewracking most of the time. She's still very flighty when being handled which makes me even more excited to say... The last time Jo got her out for crickets, she jumped to his hand for the first time instead of running away! I think she's getting used to her routine.

Lastly... today was actually the first time I've seen her attached to the glass. She should have been sleeping but this was shortly after spraying the terrarium... so I guess she just needed a little water before bed. That sounds familiar to this Momma.

Eeek! I don't clean the interior glass very often at all. I don't want to bother her! lol This, of course, leaves me in the position where photo opportunities arise but I can't get good clear ones due to dirty glass. Took advantage of her staying up late this morning and got a top down. The ones following the first are through dirty glass.

I swear that this photo is unedited!! The leaf she's on looks fake... but it's not. Finally got her favorite fern and the big leaf plant she's on ID'd for sure today. We have an Asparagus plumosa and a Satin Pothos. Thank goodness for online friends. I'm finally certain that we have a pothos and not a semi-scary philodendron.


I lick ALL the droplets...


I finally go to bed now.

 

It truly makes me happy to see this little gecko and your pure enjoyment with it, they are so cool I wish I had one for myself, but the crabs are plenty!

 

Aww, thanks Fanatic , your words have warmed my heart. Getting an alert for and re-reading most of your hermit thread brought me joy today too.

 

Never noticed this thread before! How cute! Looks like you’re having a blast with the little one.

 

She is so cute!! I really gotta get my thread up

 

Cricket night! Lchi87 and Culprit tell me I took a crispy pic tonight so I had to share. Taking great pics is tough with my (not so old) phone but someone even said it looks like a DSLR pic... lol, maybe because I just found the option in my editing app... but also because I'm sick of cruddy pics and Pan had to suffer the flash tonight. Eeek! We worry so much about upsetting her but at the same time, I think that we're not doing her any favors by being overprotective. Pan too must adjust. On that note, I am trying to keep this short but want to share that we also believe Pan is becoming more comfortable with us. Getting her out for crickets has not seemed like such a scary thing for her these last few times, and for that, we are grateful. Otherwise, we pretty much leave her alone. Like the fish tanks, we look a lot but don't touch very much. She sees us spray the enclosure every day and we make sure to say her name over and over again so she might get used to the sound and eventually know it means safety. We only touch her on Wed. and Sat. for transfer to the cricket box. She knows what that box is for, has come to expect the crickets, and hunts them down pretty fast now.

Finally, the crispy pic! Jo is nervous about crickets getting loose in his room... so accidentally dumped supplement dust into the box as he tried to pour a cricket out of the dusting container.


More from tonight.

 

So adorable with her big eyes!

 

She’s giving you this look like “Really guys? Did you have to make a mess?” So cute!

 

Not sure if you id the fern but it looks like an asparagus fern. I'm not sure how safe they are for geckos as they have sharp little thorns and can get little berries on them.

Edit. I just checked and the berries are poisonous to mammals but I can't find anything about lizards or geckos.

 

Oh dear! A friend of a friend just ID'd that as Asparagus plumosa but I haven't done my due diligence in researching it. Awww, Pan loves it too and I just feel rotten about not researching correctly and having to take it away, but thanks so much for the head's up. I will remove it from Pan's future home where it is able to get big and thrive... but I may just keep a close eye on it in the little enclosure because it can't really thrive there and so I don't think it'll reach maturity... plus, the little enclosure is temporary. There are plenty of other ferns to be had so thank you very much for alerting me so I may replace it with a safer plant in her forever home.

Edit: Now that I have just begun doing my due diligence... I don't think it is an Asparagus. That would be good, but darnit, now I'm back to square one but even more nervous than I was! Either way, thanks again Smee. You have put me on the right track.

Edit 2: The plant does look like Asparagus seteceus. Still, not a safe option so the hunt for a replacement for the little growout has begun. I just can't take it from her without a replacement so in the meantime, I'm keeping a very close eye. No sign of berries or thorns so far.

 

Oh dear! A friend of a friend just ID'd that as Asparagus plumosa but I haven't done my due diligence in researching it. Awww, Pan loves it too and I just feel rotten about not researching correctly and having to take it away, but thanks so much for the head's up. I will remove it from Pan's future home where it is able to get big and thrive... but I may just keep a close eye on it in the little enclosure because it can't really thrive there and so I don't think it'll reach maturity... plus, the little enclosure is temporary. There are plenty of other ferns to be had so thank you very much for alerting me so I may replace it with a safer plant in her forever home.

Edit: Now that I have just begun doing my due diligence... I don't think it is an Asparagus. That would be good, but darnit, now I'm back to square one but even more nervous than I was! Either way, thanks again Smee. You have put me on the right track.

Edit 2: The plant does look like Asparagus seteceus. Still, not a safe option so the hunt for a replacement for the little growout has begun. I just can't take it from her without a replacement so in the meantime, I'm keeping a very close eye. No sign of berries or thorns so far.

You could try a maidenhair fern if its a fern you want in there. They are quite soft and like a bit of humidity. Dwarf baby tears can also hang nicely for a few inches out of a pot and is soft and likes it a bit humid too. Theyre the only 2 commom housplants I can think of at the moment.

 

Time for some updating. First up, our beloved Pan.

She's doing well, eating well, and gaining weight. Live feedings have been crickets twice a week so far... until I couldn't find small crickets this week, nor Phoenix worms, nor mealworms, who were sadly all dead in their cups at two local pet stores. What I did find were waxworms... oh boy, Pan's first treat. She gobbled up two last night for the very first time. We'll not feed these fatty guys often and sure don't want to spoil here off of better options.

Hubs built us a mister a few weeks ago. I'll gladly list parts if anyone's interested but for now, suffice to say that it's modeled after a Mist King, uses Mist King nozzles, and works just like a Mist King for less than half the cost.

Trouble was... access to Pan's 5 gallon growout is through the top lid... meaning we had to disconnect tubing from the mister whenever we needed to work in the tank. No bueno, especially since my 14 yo niece is coming by to feed a few times while we're on vacation in a few weeks. Needed to make things easy for her so... big news.

Pan moved to the Exo Terra last night!!! The mister is connected through the screen lid here too but access is through the front doors... so much easier. I'm super happy to say that upon spying very early this morning, I found her near one of the feeding ledges but... she wasn't eating, she was drinking water from a dish. Using those beer saver caps for food (and water) has really been a relief because it's so simple to see that she's eaten smoothie foods. Big ugly feeder (which will be replaced!)... teeny tiny dishes.



Mom was mean in her excitement and used the flash on Pan again this morning.



The tank is doing pretty good on the whole.



Full tank shots are hard.



The bromeliad isn't doing so hot. Tried moving the light to the front for several weeks to see if that would bring the red back... but I believe I burned it some because it's since lost leaves. The pothos still looks nice up high though.



Floor shot.



Love both Fittonias. Looking at the white vein makes me a lil mad though... this is a plant that was purchased from Glass House Tropicals. I also purchased cork bark and some small branches from them. I'll give this to them... they did make an attempt at protecting the plant, but only through using a slI'm flimsy piece of this stuff... I think it's called Reflectix or something? That foam sheeting covered in shiny material used for windshield shades. Yeah, they put the plant on the bottom of the box, covered it with a thin piece of windshield shade, then piled cork, wood, and a bag of leaves on top of the plant!! It was broken on arrival. So, it should be at least one stem bushier. Meanwhile, got a very full pot of pink vein at Home Depot for $3 less than the white vein. We live and learn, eh? Now, I'm not saying GHT is a bad place. They have a nice selection of healthy plants, but I'll not buy hardscape and plants at the same time again... and I'll try to remember that I live in the tropics and lots of plants are available locally.



Enough about fittonia... I love this moss that grows right next to the pink vein. He's happy even though the rattlesnake plant nearby shades him. (Calathea lancifolia, the long leaves with oval spots in the floor shot above.)



And how about this lichen?? Had no idea what to expect here, but it grows and looks pretty gnarly and awesome.



I was mean again this afternoon... found today's hiding spot.

 

I hides... but Mom finds me.



Here's the mister set up.

 

Sooo... what brings me back here already today? It's been a sad weekend my reptile buds... illness started spreading through my orchid collection and I've lost one (my beautiful Peaches), 3 are ill, and one of the three had a huge setback negating the year of care I have given it. Had lots and lots to do outdoors today to treat the sick, prevention for the rest, and disinfect everything. Phew... it's hot out there too so when the work was done, a nice cool sit down was needed... and what to do while resting? Fishlore, of course!

Wow!!! Lots of alerts! And... I was here already today, early this morning. What do I see? Lots of love from a good friend who was apparently lurking around my posts this morning. Thanks for the big grin and the warmed heart on this sad day Ohio Mark



Naturally, Pan brings joy and a warm heart too and a quick check in on her revealed that she's decided to sleep the day away... in her water dish, likely comforted by the familiar leaf of the same pothos that's in her growout.



I think I forgot to show you guys this little plant, of which, there are several rooted cuttings attached to the background. It's been happy... hopefully, it grows. How do y'all like Stella's String of Turtles?

 

Awww.... Thanks, Stella! So sorry to hear about the orchid illness!!

 

So... nothing much new to report here. Pan is still skittish as can be and though she doesn't get as crazy in trying to escape being handled as she used to, she (he? idk yet), will still take every opportunity to get away. Does that make sense? It's like she's not so terrified anymore but still wants to get away from us. She's only handled twice a week when it's time for feeding live insects and we've been trying to wait for her to get bigger for more frequent handling... but this leaves us feeling like we're making zero progress in taming her thus far. It's not like we want to take her out to play, but yeah, it'd be nice if we could have just a little together time and for crying out loud, lol, get pics!

My buddy Nart has had great success in taming Ducky, his little crestie. In that effort, he started using tongs (either wooden or coated so as to be gentler) to feed insects, and now Ducky comes running when she sees the tongs. Sure, maybe it's food motivated, but don't we all want a pet that's happy to see us? So, I got these tongs,

and I hate 'em! They are not capable of grabbing or holding tiny crickets with their rounded tips. In fact, I killed more than one cricket in the attempt last week.ops: Also, Pan does not appear to like them, though I know that she'd need more than one exposure to get used to something new.

So, Pan eats Pangea most nights, 90% of her insect diet is crickets, though she's enjoyed Phoenix worms as well as wax worms also. She's removed from her terrarium twice a week for insects and we gently, slowly approach for a light touch a couple of times a week without picking her up or taking her out. I think I'm doing all I can to tame her but it does feel like I'm banging my head against a wall. Any tips folks?

Got a pretty decent one when she was on her way to bed in her current favorite plant, a Limelight Dracaena. She sleeps in it every day and will soon have a Sansevieria to provide a similar situation on the other side of the tank. That plant is already here but it was only recently washed and repotted to get rid of synthetic fertilizers and any chemicals on the plant... so, it's hanging outside for a while until we can be reasonably sure that any residuals are gone. Ermm, yeah, it probably should go in plant qt but I don't have the space to always have a plant qt going and, derp, there's already fungus gnats in the terrarium. Gotta get some yucky bug tape to deal with that.

 

We had/have an issue with fungus gnats too. Do you have them in your house plants?

They were so bad in my chameleon’s majesty palm you couldn’t possibly believe it. It looked like the soil was alive. It got so bad because the chameleon’s dripper was over watering the plant and it started to rot. But it was quickly taken care of by repotting it and doing a hydrogen peroxide bath. But the thing that has by far helped the most would be Mosquito Dunks (or Mosquito Bits). The dunks are donut shaped blocks used to put in stagnant water to kill mosquito larvae. The great thing about it is that it’s totally safe for humans and animals, even frogs! And since frogs have permeable skin that absorbs the surrounding toxins, I think I can safely assume it wouldn’t harm other reptiles/amphibians either. It works so well because it’s a bacteria called B.T.I. that the Mosquito (and fungus gnat) larvae feed off of and subsequently die from. It doesn’t kill adults so they need to be dealt with differently, like with the strips. I break a piece of Mosquito dunk off and add it to a large pitcher of hot water. I’ll let it sit for a few days and I’ll water my plants as they need it. I’ve used it for my chameleon’s majesty palm with no ill effects, and he actually eats the dirt sometimes. I don’t use it all of the time, just when the gnats seem to be coming back and getting worse again. Let your enclosure dry out really good and only mist the glass and some leaves for a few days (so Pan can still drink, but leave the substrate to dry), that will help a lot too. They’re such a pain in in the rear end, I’ve tried apple cider vinegar traps and the likes but the only think that’s helped us was the dunks.

 

If your feeling it you can get the metal tongs from Petsmart, but if your me you use the plastic red ones lol. They pinch perfect (Until they break... oops)

 

Pan is so stinkin' handsome!!!
Ducky just waits for food in the front now when she's hungry. its funny when she goes crazy seeing the tongs I'll have to get a vid of her.
Here's Ducky spider manning out lol.

 

Thank you so much for sharing your experience with BTI soil bacteria BReefer97 Just last week I saw a popular houseplant YouTuber recommend it saying that it was safe with humans and pets... but it sure is nice to hear it from a reptile and amphibian keeper. I do not keep plants in the house other than what's in the terrarium, just know a little about what most would call houseplants because they grow outdoors here. Most of my plant collection is one the porch, or out front in the blaring sun. Either way, the gnats aren't bothersome out there, but yes, they do survive around some of the orchids whose pots stay slightly moist, and I very much enjoy seeing them caught in the clutches of my Sundew/Drosera. I want more carnivorous plants and to make a tiny bog garden out of a square planter that currently holds a few succulents. Btw... Rex was droopy as heck this morning, so gave him his first watering since watering him into the terrarium about a week ago. Keeping my fingers crossed!

I was able to make the inferior tongs work last night... but only because I picked up a small, narrow, but semi-deep glass jar from wally world over the weekend, now used especially for dusting crickets. This space is nicer to pull from than the old plastic container, easier to see into even when dusty, and it's sure nicer working with a hinged lid rather than a tupperware lid. Still couldn't get the crickets by the legs so had to be super careful not to squish. Idk... just not loving this tong thing and I've resolved to use only tongs made from rubber-coated metal or wood. Kinda wanting to hit up Solid Gold to see which ones she uses.

Anyway... the point is, last nigh Pan ate from the tongs three times and hunted two more small crickets in her feeding bin among her old fake leaves. I like giving her this enrichment and she seems to enjoy it as well, but... perhaps tongs will work as a lure in my effort to tame her.

 

It's been a while so, here's Pan, the Partial Pinstriped Harlequin Crestie. She currently weighs 9 grams.

Eating a waxworm last Sunday. After moving to the Exo, she got freaked out the first time going back in her clear shoebox bin for feeders, so we used cardboard boxes for a little while and... well, that got old because you can't clean them properly, so we got the darkest dish bin we could find. Hence, the red. Dust everywhere because... waxworms are so squishy.



Back in the Exo after eating waxworms.



Couldn't find Phoenix worms last time so she'll get crickets tomorrow. Insect feedings are always Sunday and Wednesday and very rarely, Friday too, ...only if we're trying to get rid of insects before losing them because they either get too big or die off.

I want to order feeders from Rainbow Mealworms but yeah... like JackA99 has said, when feeding only one gecko, we don't want a lot and it's tough to get them in small amounts. So, another question BReefer97 and Nart ... How many insects in a single feeding? Imagine S to M crickets for a gecko just under 10 grams.

So far, 10 or so Phoenix worms from a big box store are no big deal to use up over a couple of weeks but it's a waste of money because half the container is dead upon purchase, (buying them in groups of 25), plus, online feeder vendors are just cheaper per bug. I'm still having a hard time buying 50 live Phoenix worms at once because I only use 20 per month max.

As far as crickets, at 5 - 6 smalls or 3 - 4 mediums, and with Phoenix worms and the rare waxworm worked in, well, it'd take me 4 months to go through 100 crickets and they die off kinda fast. I'm thinking about moving the cricket container to the porch since I've read they last longer between 80° and 90°... but then again, doesn't heat over 90° or so start killin' 'em too? The porch is slightly cooler than the yard but we're talking hot as heck SoFlo here. Geesh, this feeder business makes me want a beardie, but I don't have the room, and... we're hoping the next reptile (not any time soon) is a Western Hognose.

 

Hey stella1979 I just re-read through some of your posts on this thread.
For taming Ducky or just getting her more used to being handled. I pretty much started gently catching her out of the enclosure, 2 weeks after getting her. Since then, I catch her out every other night and sometimes in the morning hours too. It's still cat and mouse when my hands go in to catch her, I just use both hands, front and back and she'll crawl on it and I move her out. I stay in a very dI'm lit area and monitor her breathing afterwards, and she's pretty relaxed and hangs out on our hands. Other days when she's hungry, she's very food/tong motivated. Climbs right out now if I have the doors open with tongs in sight. But yeah, I've read a lot of articles, threads, and talked to some breeders. I've heard all sorts of different perspective and opinions about handling or shouldn't handle your gecko. I just chose what worked comfortably and safely for Ducky and I. She's not completely tamed, but she tolerates handling very well. I usually keep her out 5-15mins at a time, depending on if she's relaxed or squirming around.
Look, even my mom can handle Ducky



As for feeding, you know how tiny Ducky was prior to eating insect feeders.
Back in early May when she was weighing just 5 grams, we gave her anywhere from 3-5 small dubias in a single feeding. I always made sure I swirled the feeders in Pangea mix and now have also incorporated Calcium supplement thanks to you Other days, I'll switch it up to like, 2 waxworms and about 3 small dubias. Even in early morning hours when she's right upfront of the glass I'll tong feed her 1-2 dubias/waxworms. She's now worked her way up to medium size Dubias and usually by the 3rd dubia she is done and ready to chill out on our hands lol.
But yeah, May 30th I had logged in her weighing 6 grams. Fast forward, on July 18th she's now 15 grams.
Here's the happy Ducky now:



Hope this helps M!

 

Awesome! Yes, thank you, it does help a lot. I love Ducky!!! Love seeing her chillin' on the couch and especially hangin' with your Mom.

They are just so small and seem delicate and scared... which makes us reluctant to freak Pan out. We also made a deal with ourselves based on advice from Pan's breeder, (Tiki's Geckos.) Until she reaches 10 grams or more, we would not handle her more than the twice a week insect feeding times. We're almost there! She's a little calmer at 9 grams than she was at 5 or 6 but still very reluctant to be in our hands... so yeah, we 'catch' her with both hands too and she cannot wait to get out of hands. Last week, she scampered right up my arm and seemed to calm on my shoulder where my hair probably made her 'space' seem small and secure. Progress? I think so, and I'll take what I can get.

I should just admit it here in public... eeek! I think I like reptile keeping better than fish keeping. Pan did that for me. Although she sleeps all day and time with her is limited, I very much enjoy terrarium keeping, (I mean, come on... plants!) I love Pan to pieces, thank you Nart for making me jealous enough to take the plunge, and anyone who knows me will know that the next project is far in the future because I plan, plan, plan and worry, worry, worry but... a reptile who'll be awake during the day is already on my list for the next 'tank' set up. We WILL have a Western Hognose snake one of these days.