Post by zarozinia on Mar 23, 2004 17:50:40 GMT -5
Some people seem to use Uv lights for cresties. Why?
Just to back me up here is reams of evidence.
Crested Geckos - Uv light or not?
Evidence 1
Allen Repashy has written in his article for the Reptiles USA 2002 annual (http://www.sandfiredragonranch.com/reptiles/geckos/ciliatus/Crested%20Gecko%20Article.html):-
Diet
The Crested Gecko (like all Rhacodactylus) in nature is an omnivorous species with a diet high in small soft fruit (non citrus), along with whatever invertebrates that happen within striking distance. In captivity, fresh soft fruits (and baby food) like Banana, Peach, and Apricot, are relished by Crested Geckos, as well as Crickets and other commercially available invertebrates.
At Sandfire Dragon Ranch, we have taken advantage of this preference for fruit, and have over the years developed a complete diet for the Crested Gecko. We start with a mixture of baby foods, and add many natural ingredients like Bee Pollen, Spirulina, Kelp, and Electrolytes, along with vitamins and calcium to produce a complete and balanced diet that require no additional supplementation. (Unlike the Leopard gecko which requires live prey in its diet). We have successfully raised several generations of Crested Geckos on this non-prey diet. With a diet like this, the Crested Gecko becomes one of the few small Reptiles that can be kept on a non-live prey diet. And now, thanks to a joint venture with T-Rex products, a powdered version of our recipe is available as the "Crested Gecko Diet" in most retail Reptile outlets.
Individuals fed on this diet, will always relish the feeding of Crickets and other insects at any time they are available. If a complete diet is not used, a mixture of baby food and calcium/vitamin supplement can be fed two or three times a week, along with insects on the alternating days.
Calcium supplementation is important in the keeping of all reptiles and amphibians, and the Crested Gecko is no exception. If you coax a Crested Gecko to open its mouth (by gently tapping its snout or stroking the side of the mouth), you will see that on either side of the roof (pallet), there is a white spot or bump. This is the calcium sac. It is used to store extra calcium, which is used in the production of bone and eggshell. This calcium sac is a good gauge to use for monitoring your Vitamin D3 and Calcium supplementation. Males tend to store much less calcium than females do, most likely because they do not have to worry about the production of eggshells
Health
Crested Geckos are very hardy in captivity, and appear to be very resistant to disease. They also rarely show symptoms of internal parasite complications (unlike Leopard Geckos). They do not require U.V. light exposure (with proper supplementation), and their preferred temperature range is in the mid 70's, meaning that in most homes, they will thrive at room temperature without supplemental heat. They are very resistant to cool temperatures, and can easily handle nighttime temperatures into the low 50's as long as they are able to warm up in the day. Crested Geckos are, however, sensitive to high temperatures and should always be kept below 85 degrees. Above this, they can become stressed, and exposure to high temperatures for prolonged periods of time can be lethal.
Repashy has sited the following as his references for the article wich incudes the above:-
Reptiles Magazine Articles:
v8.2 (2/00) -- Natural History, Captive Maintenance and Reproduction of the Gargoyle Gecko (Rhacodactylus auriculatus) [Tim Tytle]
v6.11 (11/98) -- The New Caledonian Live-bearing Gecko, Rhacodactylus trachyrhynchus [Jim Pether and Alan Myers]
v6.4 (4/98) -- The New Caledonian Crested Gecko [Robert Baldwin and Allen Repashy]
v3.7 (11/95) -- Geckos of the Genus Rhacodactylus [Aaron M. Bauer]
Evidence 2
Emerson Sy"s Website offers the following information on Uv lighting and calcium intake:-
Crested gecko seems to thrive and reproduce without the benefit of ultraviolet radiation, but exposure to unfiltered sunlight whenever weather permits is highly recommended. Make sure that the cage has shaded part at all times when outdoors to avoid overheating, which can be fatal. When indoors, a ReptiSun 5.0 fluorescent bulb (Zoo Med Laboratories, San Luis Obispo, CA) placed approximately 13 cm (5 inches)away from the top of enclosures can be used for UVB irradiation
VITAMIN AND CALCIUM SUPPLEMENTS
Feeder insects lack all the required nutrients for a crested gecko to thrive. It is therefore important to supplement with vitamins and calcium carbonate. Calcium supplement should be offered at every other feeding for adult crested geckos and more often for juveniles and gravid females. This can be done by "dusting" feeder insects prior to being offered to your crested geckos. Calcium and vitamin supplements can also be mixed with mashed fruits.
Multi-vitamin supplements should be offered once every week or every two weeks depending on how well you "power-feed" your feeder insects. Popular brands such as Herptivite and Reptivite are commonly available in reptile stores.
Over-supplementation does occur with detrimental results. It is best to use moderation when using vitamin and calcium supplements.
Metabolic Bone Disease (MBD)
MBD occurs due to insufficient calcium and source of vitamin D3 in the diet. Hatchlings, juveniles and breeding females are most affected by MBD. Some signs of MBD are loss of muscle control (twitching), inability to move around without difficulties and lack of appetite. Feeder insects should be fed a calcium rich diet 24 to 48 hours prior to being used as food items. Using calcium carbonate supplement is recommended as well.
Evidence3
The Dragons Den website offers further advice in its caresheet:-
www.dragonsdenherp.com/htm2/cs_crested_eng.htm
Crested Geckos do best in a room that ranges from the low 70s at night to the low 80s in the day. At these temperatures, they have voracious appetites and can reach adult size in less than a year. Since R. cilaitus is primarily nocturnal, there is no need for heat in the form of a "basking spot", and there is no need for any specialized form of lighting. Hatchlings can be kept in groups of 2-4 in small (2-5 gallon) containers with either paper towels or nothing at all as a ground cover. I prefer to leave the ground bare so there is no place for baby crickets to hide. Use driftwood or small branches for climbing areas and attach some plastic ivy to provide shelter. Mist lightly every day with fresh, room temperature water to provide a drink to keep the humidity around 60% to 80
feed my crested geckos almost every day, alternating between appropriately sized crickets and a mixture of peach, banana or apricot baby food with calcium and vitamin supplements. Served in bottle-cap sized cups, this mixture will be readily eaten by babies and adults. I recommend raising hatchlings on baby food alone until they are about a month old. At that time, I start giving them 1/4" crickets every other feeding, and the baby food mixture on the off days. Adults will eat 2-3 adult crickets every other night if allowed. Crested Geckos will drink from a shallow water dish if provided, but it will need to be cleaned daily.
As the majority of evidence suggests that crested geckos do not actually require uv lighting, i will not install it at present(despite having a spare tube in the loft).
I have written to a certain person who has been involved with this species for many years to find out more indepth research into this area and I will keep everyone informed about any updates.
Angi
Just to back me up here is reams of evidence.
Crested Geckos - Uv light or not?
Evidence 1
Allen Repashy has written in his article for the Reptiles USA 2002 annual (http://www.sandfiredragonranch.com/reptiles/geckos/ciliatus/Crested%20Gecko%20Article.html):-
Diet
The Crested Gecko (like all Rhacodactylus) in nature is an omnivorous species with a diet high in small soft fruit (non citrus), along with whatever invertebrates that happen within striking distance. In captivity, fresh soft fruits (and baby food) like Banana, Peach, and Apricot, are relished by Crested Geckos, as well as Crickets and other commercially available invertebrates.
At Sandfire Dragon Ranch, we have taken advantage of this preference for fruit, and have over the years developed a complete diet for the Crested Gecko. We start with a mixture of baby foods, and add many natural ingredients like Bee Pollen, Spirulina, Kelp, and Electrolytes, along with vitamins and calcium to produce a complete and balanced diet that require no additional supplementation. (Unlike the Leopard gecko which requires live prey in its diet). We have successfully raised several generations of Crested Geckos on this non-prey diet. With a diet like this, the Crested Gecko becomes one of the few small Reptiles that can be kept on a non-live prey diet. And now, thanks to a joint venture with T-Rex products, a powdered version of our recipe is available as the "Crested Gecko Diet" in most retail Reptile outlets.
Individuals fed on this diet, will always relish the feeding of Crickets and other insects at any time they are available. If a complete diet is not used, a mixture of baby food and calcium/vitamin supplement can be fed two or three times a week, along with insects on the alternating days.
Calcium supplementation is important in the keeping of all reptiles and amphibians, and the Crested Gecko is no exception. If you coax a Crested Gecko to open its mouth (by gently tapping its snout or stroking the side of the mouth), you will see that on either side of the roof (pallet), there is a white spot or bump. This is the calcium sac. It is used to store extra calcium, which is used in the production of bone and eggshell. This calcium sac is a good gauge to use for monitoring your Vitamin D3 and Calcium supplementation. Males tend to store much less calcium than females do, most likely because they do not have to worry about the production of eggshells
Health
Crested Geckos are very hardy in captivity, and appear to be very resistant to disease. They also rarely show symptoms of internal parasite complications (unlike Leopard Geckos). They do not require U.V. light exposure (with proper supplementation), and their preferred temperature range is in the mid 70's, meaning that in most homes, they will thrive at room temperature without supplemental heat. They are very resistant to cool temperatures, and can easily handle nighttime temperatures into the low 50's as long as they are able to warm up in the day. Crested Geckos are, however, sensitive to high temperatures and should always be kept below 85 degrees. Above this, they can become stressed, and exposure to high temperatures for prolonged periods of time can be lethal.
Repashy has sited the following as his references for the article wich incudes the above:-
Reptiles Magazine Articles:
v8.2 (2/00) -- Natural History, Captive Maintenance and Reproduction of the Gargoyle Gecko (Rhacodactylus auriculatus) [Tim Tytle]
v6.11 (11/98) -- The New Caledonian Live-bearing Gecko, Rhacodactylus trachyrhynchus [Jim Pether and Alan Myers]
v6.4 (4/98) -- The New Caledonian Crested Gecko [Robert Baldwin and Allen Repashy]
v3.7 (11/95) -- Geckos of the Genus Rhacodactylus [Aaron M. Bauer]
Evidence 2
Emerson Sy"s Website offers the following information on Uv lighting and calcium intake:-
Crested gecko seems to thrive and reproduce without the benefit of ultraviolet radiation, but exposure to unfiltered sunlight whenever weather permits is highly recommended. Make sure that the cage has shaded part at all times when outdoors to avoid overheating, which can be fatal. When indoors, a ReptiSun 5.0 fluorescent bulb (Zoo Med Laboratories, San Luis Obispo, CA) placed approximately 13 cm (5 inches)away from the top of enclosures can be used for UVB irradiation
VITAMIN AND CALCIUM SUPPLEMENTS
Feeder insects lack all the required nutrients for a crested gecko to thrive. It is therefore important to supplement with vitamins and calcium carbonate. Calcium supplement should be offered at every other feeding for adult crested geckos and more often for juveniles and gravid females. This can be done by "dusting" feeder insects prior to being offered to your crested geckos. Calcium and vitamin supplements can also be mixed with mashed fruits.
Multi-vitamin supplements should be offered once every week or every two weeks depending on how well you "power-feed" your feeder insects. Popular brands such as Herptivite and Reptivite are commonly available in reptile stores.
Over-supplementation does occur with detrimental results. It is best to use moderation when using vitamin and calcium supplements.
Metabolic Bone Disease (MBD)
MBD occurs due to insufficient calcium and source of vitamin D3 in the diet. Hatchlings, juveniles and breeding females are most affected by MBD. Some signs of MBD are loss of muscle control (twitching), inability to move around without difficulties and lack of appetite. Feeder insects should be fed a calcium rich diet 24 to 48 hours prior to being used as food items. Using calcium carbonate supplement is recommended as well.
Evidence3
The Dragons Den website offers further advice in its caresheet:-
www.dragonsdenherp.com/htm2/cs_crested_eng.htm
Crested Geckos do best in a room that ranges from the low 70s at night to the low 80s in the day. At these temperatures, they have voracious appetites and can reach adult size in less than a year. Since R. cilaitus is primarily nocturnal, there is no need for heat in the form of a "basking spot", and there is no need for any specialized form of lighting. Hatchlings can be kept in groups of 2-4 in small (2-5 gallon) containers with either paper towels or nothing at all as a ground cover. I prefer to leave the ground bare so there is no place for baby crickets to hide. Use driftwood or small branches for climbing areas and attach some plastic ivy to provide shelter. Mist lightly every day with fresh, room temperature water to provide a drink to keep the humidity around 60% to 80
feed my crested geckos almost every day, alternating between appropriately sized crickets and a mixture of peach, banana or apricot baby food with calcium and vitamin supplements. Served in bottle-cap sized cups, this mixture will be readily eaten by babies and adults. I recommend raising hatchlings on baby food alone until they are about a month old. At that time, I start giving them 1/4" crickets every other feeding, and the baby food mixture on the off days. Adults will eat 2-3 adult crickets every other night if allowed. Crested Geckos will drink from a shallow water dish if provided, but it will need to be cleaned daily.
As the majority of evidence suggests that crested geckos do not actually require uv lighting, i will not install it at present(despite having a spare tube in the loft).
I have written to a certain person who has been involved with this species for many years to find out more indepth research into this area and I will keep everyone informed about any updates.
Angi
