Newbie?

[ssscales]

Hi all, I started a thread in the Profile and Mugshots and just thought I'd get more support in it's rightful forum.

The reason I joined this site is I am doing some homework on Cresties as my 10yr old daughter would like to keep Geckos. She had a Bearded Dragon when she was about 8yrs old and it was just too much at the time for her/us with all the insects. After 1yr we ended up giving him away. My daughter is very responsible and is not squeamish to say the least. She loves being around the reptile room, has her choirs around the house as well as in the reptile room. She cleans the baby tubs, water bowls, handles all the babies to get them accustom to handling, etc. etc.

With that said, she has always had a thing with lizards and we've had a tough time finding one that is right for her. Monitors were never an option, a Beardie at the time was too much, we are searching for a lizard that does not require much in insects. Even though we don't mind picking up a dozen or so crickets or meal worms once a week, keeping 1000's of crickets isn't for us.

We've since looked into Leopard Geckos, but again the need to feed insects and housing numerous crickets just isn't for us. Matt told me about Cresties yesterday and after reading a bit of the care sheets and websites, they seem to fit our requirements. Can anyone chime in and let me know if this sounds right? Is there more to keeping them than what is on the average care sheet? We have a 20gln long that we planned on using for starters and a 55gln vivarium we could move them to if needed down the road. Or are sterilite tubs better for starters? We were also hoping they would be enjoyed visually in her room Vs in a sterilite tub. Also, can we start with one Cresite or is 1.1 or 1.2 or 1.3 needed for comfort/health reasons? Also, how long does a 4lbs bag of complete food mixture last with one Gecko?

Forgive my newbie-ness, lizards are not my thing at all.
Any help is appreciated.

Thanks
Gerry

[ColleenT]

with the repashy formula, insects never need to come into your home.

you can look at the care sheet on my webpage if you'd like. it's in /under my signature.

[ssscales]

Thanks, I read a few care sheets and most say the same thing. I just wanted to know straight from actual keepers, is it really this simply and care free?

The temps in my home in general are 73F nights / 78-80F days. My reptile rooms are kept at 80-82F 24/7, except during breeding season when I drop the temps into the mid 70's. The Crestie would be kept in my daughters room which is kept 73F/78-80F.

I just want to hear from those who keep them and if there are any cons to keeping them?

I retract that all care sheets are the same! I just read yours and it was very detailed and informative!

[peublan]

They are VERY easy to keep compaired to many other lizards. If you want a good tank to keep them in where they are visable then I recommend the Exo terra 18x18x18 or 18x18x24 the design is great for cresteds. You can get more than one at a time - the thing to remember is that if they are sexable than only one can be male and if they are not sexable than you may have to seperate them if more than one turns out to be a male. If you just have one or two then I would not get the 4 lb pack of food it will expire before you use it all. I will also add that most of the people here will tell you that crested geckos are additive!
Dale

[ColleenT]

you can have just one and it will be fine. they don't mind being alone. they usually never bite, at least none of mine bite, and they have claws as well as sticky pads, but don't claw you up like an iguana, they can become very tame with daily handling, eat the cgd, as adults, i only feed them every other day since they don't really eat it every day. i would not let the gecko get too hot, over 80, but other than that, very easy to keep. mist daily to help shedding, but very easy..Good luck.

[ssscales]

They are VERY easy to keep compaired to many other lizards. If you want a good tank to keep them in where they are visable then I recommend the Exo terra 18x18x18 or 18x18x24 the design is great for cresteds. You can get more than one at a time - the thing to remember is that if they are sexable than only one can be male and if they are not sexable than you may have to seperate them if more than one turns out to be a male. If you just have one or two then I would not get the 4 lb pack of food it will expire before you use it all. I will also add that most of the people here will tell you that crested geckos are additive!
Dale

I would really just want one for my daughter, but just wanted to ask as some animals prefer to be in groups or pairs. I might just get 0.2 to keep each other company and to make it more interesting. What size bag do you recommend for 0.2 Cresties and how long would it last? Also, what is the best substrate? I can imagine paper towels or newspaper are the most convenient and easy to clean, but I would want something a little more attractive.

Thanks for all the help. Also, would you recommend buying one from a breeder or PetCo/Petsmart? I just want a healthy, calm, Crestie. Nothing fancy. I know these pet shops aren't the most reliable places as far as healthy animals, but wanted to know your input as far as Cresties go. Plus, how much should I expect to pay for a nice Crestie and what size/age should I look for in a starter?

[gsreptiles]

definatley a private breeder and though paper towel is not very attractive most will agree it is the best substrate because on loose substrates the animals may get inpacted.

[ssscales]

definatley a private breeder and though paper towel is not very attractive most will agree it is the best substrate because on loose substrates the animals may get inpacted.

I guess paper towels it is, thanks! I use Kraft Indented paper for my Boa cages and always have rolls of this stuff, would that work?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v331/ssscales/IMG_2905.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v331/ssscales/IMG_2898.jpg

[peublan]

Th Kraft paper would work fine - just make sure you keep the humidity up. I would suggest getting one from a breeder there are many good ones that list in the trade section here, or go to a reptile show and avoid shipping costs. As far as cost goes it really depends on what age and morph you want to start with, the ones that are a bit older/larger tend to be easier to handle. As I am sure you know from working with boas that there are some not so great people out there who will be happy to rip you off with a high price or sick animal. If you do a search on Pangea there was a thread about good breeders not to long ago. I would start with an 8 oz. bag it will last you a few months at least.
Dale

[ssscales]

As I am sure you know from working with boas that there are some not so great people out there who will be happy to rip you off with a high price or sick animal. Dale

I hear you, that's why I am doing as much homework as I can on not only the gecko, but the seller as well. I'm in no hurry to buy, whether I buy tomorrow or in six months makes no difference to me and I would really just like to spend another month researching. I've only been introduced to Cresties as of yesterday.

I would really just like a healthy calm Crestie for my daughter, nothing fancy for now. Some that we have seen on the project page here that have caught our interest are the creamsicle, super dalmations, green fires and reds. These are very nice to say the least and I'm not a lizard fan! I assume these are $100-$200+ a pop? If Cresties are as easy to care for as everyone states and as addictive, I can definitely see acquiring these beauties down the road. I had no idea Cresties had so many colors. Leopard Geckos I knew about as it seemed everyone and their mother bred leos when the going was good. But, I had no idea about Crested Geckos and all the colors and patterns they had developed.

[gsreptiles]

you can get a nice normal baby for 60 or so plus shipping on the available page. Creamsicles can run anywhere from 200-450 or so and others up to 550

[ColleenT]

if you want 2 females, you'll pay highly for them. females are high in demand. as i said, they do not need to be with another gecko. they are fine by themselves. you can get a baby and let it become hand tamed and save some money. many adults i have purchased from others are not hand tamed as juvies or adults. you might want to look for an inexpensive juvie, so your daughter can hand tame it. humidity is important for proper shedding. the paper you use looks nice, but i would be concerned about humidity. an adult would be fine in a cage with the paper, tho. i don't use dry papertowels in with my baby cresteds. i have shelf liner and a folded wet papertowel on one end, so their sheds do not get stuck. buy from a breeder to get a healthier animal.

[ssscales]

if you want 2 females, you'll pay highly for them. females are high in demand. as i said, they do not need to be with another gecko. they are fine by themselves. you can get a baby and let it become hand tamed and save some money. many adults i have purchased from others are not hand tamed as juvies or adults. you might want to look for an inexpensive juvie, so your daughter can hand tame it. humidity is important for proper shedding. the paper you use looks nice, but i would be concerned about humidity. an adult would be fine in a cage with the paper, tho. i don't use dry papertowels in with my baby cresteds. i have shelf liner and a folded wet papertowel on one end, so their sheds do not get stuck. buy from a breeder to get a healthier animal.

Even better, one is all I wanted originally for starters. Male or female makes no difference to me. I just figured if I needed a pair 0.2 females would be better as males will fight and I don't want 1.1 breeding. But, if they don't need a companion, one is fine by me.

I'll have it set up in a medium sized critter keeper for starters, keep it simple with paper towels, some plants, etc. We could use a humidity box in the enclosure to maintain humidity as well, if needed. Is there a breeder you recommend buying a juvi from? I've been sifting through KS, Fauna and other classifieds and most seem to be either higher end cresties for $100-$350 or lot sales of normals.

[ColleenT]

have you looked thru our trade section here on pangea? lots of options. most of the breeders are reputable.

the other problem comes if you but 2 young geckos and they turn out to be one male and one female, they have to be separated anyway until they are of age and size to breed. so you'd end up having to separate them in most situations.

[ssscales]

have you looked thru our trade section here on pangea? lots of options. most of the breeders are reputable.

the other problem comes if you but 2 young geckos and they turn out to be one male and one female, they have to be separated anyway until they are of age and size to breed. so you'd end up having to separate them in most situations.

That's another thing I have notice, quite a few unsexed Cresites. Are they that hard to sex?

[ColleenT]

it can take up to a year to determine if you have a male, or as little as 5 months. some people are good at using a jewelers loupe to see pores on a young male, but i have not yet been able to do this. females can take longer to determine since a "female " looking gecko can all of a sudden have testicles overnight. another reason it's hard to find an inexpensive female. that is why young ones are more inexpensive. it takes patience to wait out the sexing game. and if ou are not breeding, it makes sense to get the cheapest and yet healthiest pet you can find.

[dellessanna]

If you are going to get one from a breeder, I'd recomend getting them from Pangea, Matt's prices are very reasonable. :)
http://www.pangeareptile.com/id98.htm

[Danabug020]

I have bought 2 cresties from PetCo and have been totaly happy with them (the one in my avatar is from petco) They were certainly not in the best conditions but after about and hour in the right conditions they perk right up. I also noticed since they are in bad conditions (too hot not enough places to hide) they all look pale and white but they just explode with color as soon as you get them into the right environment. This is just my experience though, hope it helps!:D

Ps

Your Boa cages are AMAZING, did you build them yourself? and how do you keep the temps so well regulated in the garage? Thats totaly sweet!

[dellessanna]

I have bought 2 cresties from PetCo and have been totaly happy with them (the one in my avatar is from petco) They were certainly not in the best conditions but after about and hour in the right conditions they perk right up. I also noticed since they are in bad conditions (too hot not enough places to hide) they all look pale and white but they just explode with color as soon as you get them into the right environment. This is just my experience though, hope it helps!:D

I've bought one from Petco as well. A chubby red harley. With lots of Dalmation spots. Sometimes, you can find something really nice there.