crested geckoes

[moswen]

hey everyone, i love crested geckoes. i want some, but i think i could only get my husband to agree with ANOTHER new pet if they didn't cost so much $$, which means i'd pretty much have to breed them in order to make him happy. are crested geckoes good breeders? are there too many of them on the market already? (aka will i be contributing to creating a new reptile rescue in the future lol?) is there another pet out there that would fulfill my desires? i'd like to keep the space they need relatively small also. i'm not looking to get rich here, just looking for a new pet and looking to keep my husband happy about it! also-- i kind-of want a "display" animal, like a cool tall viv with a "find the animals" inside it.... you know what i'm saying?

 

[Floof]

The Crested market is getting somewhat flooded. They're so easy to take care of that it seems anyone who gets them wants to breed them. They aren't one you're going to see flood shelters, since they are so easy to care for, but it'd still probably be best to avoid breeding them "just because" lest you end up stuck with all your offspring when no one wants to buy them... Or, you could look at investing in very high quality geckos, so you're adding to the high end market instead of the flooded low end market... But that would definitely cost more than just keeping a couple as pets!

Cresties are VERY simple and inexpensive to take care of. They don't need heat or UVB, so you don't have to spend all that extra $$$ on supplies. Crested Gecko Diet by Repashy is very inexpensive, and goes a long way... I've heard Crestie keepers comment that you might only spend $20 a year to feed two Cresteds. Probably among the least expensive reptiles to keep! In other words, I doubt your husband could find much to complain about on the expenses front!

They stay small: An adult can live happily in a 20 gallon Tall aquarium (around 2x1 ft floorspace) or a 20 gallon Long turned on its side (1x1 ft floorspace--often regarded as the minimum) for life--as long as they have enough room to roam around, and enough height to climb as they're quite arboreal. So space shouldn't be an issue, either!

There are other very interesting geckos in the same genus as Cresteds, including Gargoyle, Leachianus, and Chahoua geckos. Cresteds are the smallest, least expensive, and easiest to keep of them all, which is why they've garnered so much popularity compared to the others. If you wish to breed, but don't want to add to a potentially flooded market, it may be worth looking into some of the other Rhacodactylus geckos instead. Personally, I'm a sucker for Leachies!!

Two good resources for information on Crested Geckos, as well as the other Rhacodactylus geckos, are http://www.forums.repashy.com/ and http://www.pangeareptile.com/forums/index.php.

Hope it helps.

 

[moswen]

thank you taylor! i guess i'll have to weigh my options now, i definately don't want to flood an already flooded market even more, but it may be easier to convince the hubbs if they're literally that easy...! i'll definately check into the other geckos, i love geckos but i only know of cresteds and leopards, which i really get bored with the leopard geckoes, i see way to many of them!

 

[Floof]

The only real trouble is their temperature requirements: temperatures above 85*F are dangerous, potentially even fatal, to Cresties. It's the unfortunate caveat to having such a cool-climate pet.

If you can keep the temps in a safe range (below 80), though, they really can be just that easy. Mist regularly (a couple times a day), change the CGD every couple of days, keep the cage clean and the water dish fresh.. Definitely a commitment that pales in comparison to, say, a tortoise!