[Brenda]

Hello,im new here but thought it would be a good idea to join since im a little worried about my cresty.Had him(or her?) for just over two months now and even though gizmo(the gecko) eats on a regular basis he doesnt seem to grow.Was told by the breeder that he was 2months old when I got him so im pretty sure I should have at least seen a slight difference.His diet is mainly baby food which he was given by his breeder but im mixing in CGD(I think thats what its called) which he doesnt really seemto be interested in.Any ideas why he might not be growing?Also,hes quite shy.Always runs away when I open the door and hides until im gone again.Not too bothered about not being able to touch him but really got him so I could watch him wonder around.Any ideas on how to "tame" a gecko?Have had Beardies before but they never had a problem with me handling them.Was told Geckos are faster but dont mind human contact?
Thx for your help in advance
Brenda x

[reptiledanny]

well first of all you shouldn't really be feeding a crested gecko on only baby food. instead of baby food you should feed him/her on crested gecko diet. then maybe as a treat once or twice a week try crickets either duted with nutrobal or i like to dost mine twice a week with CGD and once a week with the nutrobol and then the four times a week CGD. that might be why he is not growing. also for taming all you can really do is keep your hand in the cage for about 5 mins every day so he gets used to it and then if he does maybe try and pick him up. if he runs away you just gotta be patient and keep putting your hand in. 2 and a half inches is about right for a 10 week old gecko. mine is about 4 inches and she is only about 5 months old. you have to remember that they only get a maximun of 10 inches long as adults. if you have any more question then feel free to ask and either i or other members will try and answer them. this is my first as well but i have done lots and lots of reasearch and got to now at they like really well.

[Brenda]

well i did say that he was having mainly baby food but not all the time.however he will not touch his food if its mixed with CGD and i havent found any crickets yet that are small enough for him to eat.at 4 months he is only just over 2 inches

[Olivine]

Firstly, what brand of CGD are you using? I've found that all of my Rhacs will happily eat the Repashy 2-part diet, whilst none of them will touch the Komodo stuff. Essentially, the diet consists of a base powder, plus flavoured nectars that are mixed with it (in my experience, the banana, fig and papaya all seem particularly popular). Unfortunately, the Repashy 2-part is not generally available in the UK: a few retailers do sell it online (for example, Sticky Feet and Leaping Lizards), though I buy mine directly from Pangea Reptiles in the US (in spite of the high cost of postage, it works out more cost effective to do so if you need to buy in bulk!).

It may take a while to wean you crestie onto CGD if it's used to baby food, but I really do think that it's worth persevering as, nutritionally speaking, the CGD is far better. If it's any help, I mix the diet with either pureed melon or mango (approximately one teaspoon of CGD to two to three of puree (or water if you prefer), so that the mix has the consistancy of a thin milkshake), plus a very tiny amount of manuka honey for sweetness (literally a very teeny blob from the end of a teaspoon). The mix can be made in bulk and frozen in small portions to be used as required (bear in mind that a young crestie has a very small stomach: about 1/4 of a teaspoon of mix per helping should be plenty for a young crestie).

In terms of live food, cresties that are reared without access to live food do seem to grow at a much slower rate than those offered feeders: I think that this may also be part of the reason yours appears to be growing so slowly. Shops such as Livefood normally stock 2nd instar crickets, which can be ordered online. Hatchling locusts or small dubia roaches should also suitable for a crestie the size of yours.

With regard to handling, most young cresties are very skittish and will leg it if given the opportunity. I've found the best way to get them used to handling is to gently scoop the animal up (try to guide it onto your hand rather than grabbing it), then letting it jump from one hand to the other for five minutes or so (I tend to do this twice a day if I can). Most cresties will, eventually, tolerate handling well and they generally become calmer with age.