New Crested Gecko

I'm still working on getting the pictures of the two Bell females that I purchased from Nancy at Tangerine Gecko last week.

I just wanted to update that I should be recieving a new crested gecko from Sundial Reptiles tomorrow. I'll probably just update all three pictures tomorrow when the little guy comes.

It's an unsexed 3-4 month old juvie with nice harlequin patterns with an almost red tint. I'm just hoping that the gecko looks as good in person as it does on the pictures from the website.

I have a source that says sometimes they're geckos aren't as pictured, but I figured I'd try it anyway. The price was a steal, especially if the gecko is as appeared on the site. I'll try to post pictures of it fired up and not. Just whatever I get I'll post up. Hopefully they'll match close to the website's picture.

How to Choose A Crested Gecko

How to Choose a Crested Gecko? that may be what you're asking yourself if you're considering bringing home a crested gecko that is.

Well, assuming that you know how to take care of a crested gecko (husbandry, diet, heat, humidity, etc), you will want to know the different visible signs of sick and healthy geckos.

Make sure that you consider both retail and breeder options. Weigh them carefully, as one may be a better option. As a breeder, I can give you tons of viable reasons to go to a breeder, but at the same time, there can be ok reasons to go to a retail store.

If you choose to purchase from a pet store, make sure that the employee you're talking to knows what he's saying, the enclosure is clean and correct, the gecko(s) in the enclosure look healthy, and just make sure that you are comfortable with the decision that you are making....

Crested Gecko Breeders

Crested geckos are one of the best beginner reptiles because of their docile temperaments and ease of housing in captivity.

They are a part of the Rhacodactylus group, which means like other species in this group, in the wild they primarily eat fruits. But, in captivity, they eat a special meal replacement diet. You can purchase larger quantities at Pangea Reptile. But, if you have a fewer number of geckos, one small bottle will suffice for a month, give or take. You can purchase smaller quantities of the meal replacement various pet stores or online. You can find a link to the Crested Gecko Diet, to the right of this page.



So, maybe you're interested in owning a crested gecko... Where can you find one?

Pet Stores

Breeders

Remember that with purchasing any animal from a pet store, whether it be a large commercial pet store, such as PetCo, Petsmart, or Pet Land, or a small "mom and pop" pet store, there are different things that you must consider. You really don't know where they got the animals, the breeding behind the animals, or the true care. You don't even know if the employees truly know how to take care for hte animals. And, these concerns apply for any animal ranging from hamsters, guinea pigs, fish, dogs, cats, and reptiles.

You may want to check out Buying Retail Reptiles before you purchase from a pet store.



The other alternative is a breeder. Breeders know how to care for the animal in question, they know the proper diets and husbandry requirements. Breeders know their animals.

When purchasing from a breeder, you must consider the price will be cheaper than at a petstore, for the same quality or better animal, but at the same time, you may have to pay more for shipping costs.

If you don't want to pay from shipping, you can ask around reptile forums for breeders in your area or attend reptile shows in you area.

When purchasing from breeders, you tend to have a larger selection of morphs (colors and patterns) to choose from, versus maybe one or two that the pet store has.

And, crested geckos come in a wide variety of colors and patterns. Because the species is relatively new to the pet market, they have a wide range of morphs still coming out daily.

Currently, you can find:

Patternless

Buckskin

Pinstripe

Flame

Harlequin

Dalmatian

Super Dalmatian

Red

Cream/Blonde

And a variety of mixes of the above morphs.

Crested Gecko Male

There's the new guy... :-) He's an 2006 hatchling. Currently, weighs about 20 grams.

Male Crested Gecko

I have recently purchased a gorgeous harlequin male. He's somewhat hard to explain- dark body, very gold back and gold harlequined sides. His entire back rigde is gold, somewhat pinstriped, but not. Well, we'll see. I'll post a picture once he gets here on Thursday. I'm still in need of two more females, preferrably a pinstripe and another harlequin.

Here is my current female enclosure. It's a 66 quart sterlite tub. The lid is cut in the middle and replaced with screen. Simplisitic enclosure.



I still have one female crested gecko available.