#leafalicious

#leafittome #leafalicious #leafrules #redandgreen #floraleaves #statepark (at Harriman State Park)

(2/2)Last night I was showing him off in a skype call for like 20 minutes which I'm scared might have been too long? I lost track of time and didn't read anything as being wrong in his behaviour, but then I feel like I don't know much on how to read crested gecko moods besides which way he's gonna go and if he's gonna jump. I just wanna be sure he's happy and alright but I'm afraid my hovering is probably stressing him more than anything. He lives in my room, so he's used to my smell at least.Eyyy buddy! I know that first-time-lizard-parent feel too and lemme tell you, you’re on the right track for a healthy, happy pal. It’s great that you’re monitoring him, but you’re also right- you might be monitoring him just a lil too much! Handling is fine, and when he’s a little bigger, 20 minutes is fine for a handling session! They’re always going to be jumpy- and yeah, hiding during the day is normal for a nocturnal buddy like a crestie. These are healthy behaviors! BUT right now he’s a really little bab and needs some time to himself, so maybe don’t handle him every day until he’s a little bigger. And he’ll get bigger! While 3 or 4 grams is so very small (that’s so wee!), it sounds like he’s eating steadily. This is good! You said you’re hand-feeding him- which is fine! But you do want to make sure to have some food in the cage at all times. He’s a growing boy and needs his noms! And as they’re nocturnal, sometimes those noms might be after you go to bed. This is also a good way to monitor his conditions- by seeing if he’s eaten or not, you can kind of get a handle on what he’s up to. So I’d suggest maybe not hand-feeding him every day and letting him find his own food. You can put it in little milk caps since he’s so small, and if you put a couple milk caps in there, he can choose the one (or ones) that’s in the best location for him! So long as it looks like he’s eating, you don’t need to weigh him every day. Babies are highly preyed upon in the wild and so while he’s getting used to you, he still is susceptible to stress. So maybe don’t handle him every night- let him have some time off. The hardest part is how anxious it makes you, but there’s a few things you can do. You can provide hides that hang right up against the side of the cage so that you can see him while he’s hiding (like this hide if you wanna go super deluxe or a suction cup soap dish if you wanna go more DIY), and if you give him some good cage time, you might be able to notice that he has some particular spots he really likes. Once you figure out his favorite places, you’ll sorta know where to look, and that starts to make things a lot easier.And! Speaking of stress, when you do have him out, immediate signs of stress to look for include: chattery noises (they will make little grumpy noises when displeased), an open mouth, a hunched back, and heavy breathing. Those are signs of “I am uncomfortable and would like whatever this activity is to stop right the heck now pls.” Then you have longer-term signs of stress, which include weight loss, a reluctance to eat or drink, and lethargy being some of the most obvious. Tail dropping can be a sign of stress, but it can also be a sign of “there was a loud noise” or “it is slightly breezy in this room.” No adults in the wild have their tails, so if that ever happens, don’t panic. It’s normal! 

Aw, thanks! I’m so glad you’re getting a crestie, they’re such lovely little lizards, so precious and squishy. A 16*11*11 sounds just a bit on the small side; I’d bump that up to a 66 quart tub- they are about 24-1/2 inches long by 17-3/4 inches wide by 13-1/4 inches high and turned on their side they’re really great! Now, something like that will be a bit big for a baby- it can be hard for them to hide their food- but honestly it’s better to start with a juvenile/subadult. Babies are so fragile and you can’t handle them so well- but when my Egg was a juvenile she was an absolute delight to watch, flinging herself hither and yon. Good luck with your new pal!