Habitat Archives - Lizard Pets

In this article, we're going to talk all about baby Crested Gecko care! Getting your Crested Gecko as a baby means you’ll bond with them better! At a young age, they are much more sensitive to their environment and they'll need special care. So, let’s dive into the 8 simple steps of baby crested gecko care! 1. Keep the Enclosure Small I don’t know about you, but I love to provide my lizards with big terrariums allowing them a bunch of places to explore and hide in. Making their habitat as close to their natural home is very important to me. But when it comes to baby Crested Geckos, you must keep their enclosure small! They don’t need to be put in terrariums when very young, and should be kept in small tanks or plastic containers. A small faunarium Is perfect for them! These containers should be about 2.5 to 5 gallons. Juveniles can be moved to a small terrarium when they are ready. You can get an Exo Terra Faunarium from Amazon for $22.99, these are perfect for baby Crested Geckos! Keeping the enclosure small is important as baby Crested Geckos can find it difficult to locate their food in large tanks. They might get overwhelmed and confused if their enclosure is too big! It also allows you to keep an eye on your lizards and make sure they’re not getting into any trouble! As your Crested Gecko grows up you can gradually use bigger and bigger enclosures. If they go straight from a small home to a huge one, they’ll likely get overwhelmed. Small changes are better when it comes to baby Crested Gecko care. 2. Use the Safest Substrate If you are familiar with Crested Geckos, you will know that they sometimes decide to munch on their substrate. This can cause issues and might make them unwell! Because baby Crested Geckos are so small, this can be a big problem for them. If they eat substrate and can’t digest it, they might die. When your baby Crested Geckos have just hatched it is best to either use paper towels or no substrate at all. If you choose to use no substrate, remember to keep the enclosure clean to prevent bacteria growing. Paper towels are probably your best bet. These are pretty cheap and ensure a safe environment for your baby lizards. You could also use old newspapers. Keep an eye out on your gecko they might still try to chomp on the substrate! 3. Get the Temperature and Humidity Right When it comes to growing lizards, the correct temperature is really important. They are shedding a lot and require the right climate for them to shed healthily. For baby Crested Geckos, keep the temperature at around 70℉ to 80℉ during the day and a little bit cooler at night. They need light during the day. This can be from an artificial source, or from indirect natural light. Make sure the temperature does not go over 80℉ as baby Crested Geckos are known to suffer from heat stress. They can dehydrate quickly, so you must remember to keep the tank humid and mist them twice a day. For an in-depth guide on humidity, look at Crested Gecko Humidity – A Detailed Guide! This extensive resource will give you everything you need to know, and more! 4. Baby Crested Gecko Diet Unlike other baby lizards, you can introduce insects fairly quickly into a baby Crested Geckos diet. For the first month, you should feed them a fruit diet. Remember that the babies will still be feeding off their yolk sack for a few days after hatching, so don’t worry if they’re not eating at first. After a month you should introduce insects into their diet. Crickets are probably the best insect for your baby Crested Gecko, but make sure they are small enough for them. The general rule of thumb is to not feed your Crested Gecko any insect that is bigger than the width of your lizard's head. Remember to gut load the crickets before feeding them to your geckos. It is important to dust them with calcium too. Feed your babies every other day to keep them happy and healthy! Water should be provided too, but make sure that it is not too deep as your baby Geckos could drown! 6. Regular Weigh-ins When your baby Crested Geckos are small you might not know if they are eating or not. Because of this, regular weigh-ins are advisable to make sure they are growing healthily. If you don’t have a gram scale, you can buy one from Amazon for $11.99. These are one of the essential tools for crestie owners! Your baby Crested Geckos should be putting on about a gram a month. At one month they should be two grams, at two months they should be three grams, at three months they should be four grams, and so on. At six months, once they’re a juvenile, a healthy weight is nine grams. 7. Use Fake Plants When it comes to terrarium decor, real plants are often the best to use. They help with humidity and air purification. However, when it comes to baby Crested Geckos, fake plants are a better bet for their health and happiness. Because they need to be in a fairly small enclosure, giving baby geckos real plants is not a good idea. Real plants would not thrive in a small enclosure and would die quickly. There is no point in wasting money on plants that will probably die. Fake plants provide your baby Crested Gecko sturdy and stable materials for them to climb over and explore. They also love being able to hide in foliage. A few fake branches and plants will provide your baby Crested Gecko with a great environment for them to grow, explore, climb, and hide in! 8. What out for Shedding Issues Crested Geckos are hardy lizards and thrive in the right habitat. However, there are certain health problems that you be aware of when caring for baby Crested Geckos. The main health problem that they might face regards shedding. When a baby dehydrates their ability to shed will be affected. Baby Crested Geckos are known to have stuck shed. This is when they have bits of their old skin still attached to them. If the skin builds up around their tails, limbs, or toes it will restrict their blood flow and make them sick. Thankfully you can help your baby Crested Gecko get rid of old skin if they are stuck! Put them in a small tupperware container that has a little bit of lukewarm water in. Don’t have the water too hot as this might harm the baby! Also ensure it isn’t too deep. The sore parts of their body don't actually need to be submerged. The humidity from the water helps loosen the stuck skin. Leave them for around 20 minutes, keeping an eye out to make sure they are safe. Then, use a Q-tip to gently remove the stuck shedded skin. Hopefully it will come off easily! You may need to leave them to dry out a bit before removing the skin. If you need to, you can repeat the process the next day. Keep repeating this process daily until all the shedded skin has been removed. Conclusion: Baby Crested Geckos are probably one of the easiest baby lizards to look after. Much of their care is similar to how you would look after an adult gecko, only on a smaller scale. As long as their enclosure is correct and they are getting regular weigh-ins and health checks for shedding issues, your geckos will grow up to be healthy, strong, and happy lizards! With these simple steps, you are on your way to providing the best baby Crested Gecko care around!