Thinking about getting a crested. Any comments and/or advice welcome!

[crayolaskies]

I've been keeping my eye on crested geckos lately and they seem like really cool little geckos. Plus people say that they're really sweet. I've done some reading on their care and behavior, but haven't decided if I want to get one yet. If I did, I don't think I would get into breeding them, at least not for a long time because I'm getting close to being able to breed my leopard geckos. Just a couple more months or so(Yay! ).

I was wondering if you guys could give me some advice and information about them and their care from your experience. Basically I want to know if I really want to own one or if it's just going to be something that I'm going to regret later for whatever reason. Are they easier to care for than leos? Are they more tolerant than other geckos? Are they hardy? Are they loud at night? Sorry for all of the questions... I have so many. :main_rolleyes:

 

[acpart]

I'm not going to give you a whole run-down on care because I'm not an expert and I'm sure you can get a lot of info from google. Just wanted to share my personal experience --I fell in love with crested geckos when I visited Jeanne of USA Geckos and had one jump on me. When I managed to get an exoterra cage and find a place to put it I got one. Spencer is great. He doesn't need heat, he's awake at night, he feels soft and squishy and he's fun to watch jump from hand to hand. My husband, who's tolerant of the geckos, thinks Spencer is by far the most interesting. I hope you get one. They're fun.

Aliza

 

[crayolaskies]

Thanks, they sound like really fun and entertaining little guys! Anyone else have any comments?

 

[WftRight]

I have only one. I've had her for less than six months, and I've never kept other geckos for comparison. I'm certainly no expert, but I'll give a few thoughts.

I like not having to worry much about heat. I let my house get pretty cold in the winter, so I'm using a low-wattage bulb on top and a heat mat on the bottom to put a little heat in her cage. The floor over the heat mat is still only in the low-70's, and the bulb isn't raising the temperature much at all. I just use this supplemental heat to keep things in the upper 60's at night. Not having to worry about basking spots and gradients is very nice.

I like the fact that feeding is as simple as mixing a little powder with water in a disposable paper cup and putting the cup in her cage. I can feed crickets as a treat, but she doesn't have to have them.

I like the fact that she uses every part of her cage. My snakes tend to have a favorite hide and live 90% of their lives under that hide. I've seen my crestie under every accessory that has space underneath and on top of every accessory that can be climbed. She goes a few places more than others, but she uses them all.

My girl doesn't like being held that much, but she's tolerant. She doesn't bite, and she's not so squirmy that I can never hold her. She feels nice, and it's funny when she jumps onto me.

I've never heard her making noises at night.

On the negative side, it's a little nerve-wracking to know that she could lose her tail and not regrow it. I try to be super careful with her. I also worry that maybe these animals are not supposed to have tails as adults. Some of the books say that they develop various problems with their tails in captivity and that most adults in the wild don't have tails.

Another negative is that sometimes they eliminate waste on the side of a cage and it runs down the glass. Cleaning is a much bigger challenge for her than for my snakes. I suspect that cleaning a crestie cage is a bigger challenge than cleaning a leo cage because the crestie cage has so much more vertical space.

Overall, I love my girl and recommend these animals very highly. I'm likely to get her a boyfriend fairly soon.


Bill

 

[GeckoMandi]

I'm fixing to get my first crestie and I cannot wait!!

Someone gave me this link and I found a lot of good info, plus a forum all about cresties.

http://www.pangeareptile.com

 

[crayolaskies]

Thanks Mandi and Bill. Both of your guys information was very helpful. I think I'm going to get one. Does anyone know how much the exo-terra terrariums with the front open doors cost? I couldn't find the price on the net anywhere, not even on the exo-terra website. Also how much does the T-Rex crested gecko diet cost or does anyone have any better feeding ideas? I want to get everything ready for one before I even start looking.

 

[Scott&Nikki]

I can't give you exact numbers, but I have seen an exo-terra terrarium that seemed to be a little smaller than a 10Gal tank for about 50. I have no idea how that compares to other places, but I know they are not cheap.

Lauren, now you got me all interested in cresteds!

 

[RaiQuee]

I own both Rhacs and Leos, and as far as care goes I would say they are a step above geckos. I clean my leos once a week, throw some mealies in and check waters throughout the week. This isn't during egg laying season of course. Cresteds however, I mist them everyday, and give them their CGD in small disposable cups.

To put it bluntly, I am in the crested cages a LOT more than the leos, but I wouldn't classify them as "hard" to take care of.

 

[crayolaskies]

What about health? Are there more health issues to worry about than with leos? Are cresteds more sensitive to changes than leos?

 

[WftRight]

Thanks Mandi and Bill. Both of your guys information was very helpful. I think I'm going to get one. Does anyone know how much the exo-terra terrariums with the front open doors cost? I couldn't find the price on the net anywhere, not even on the exo-terra website. Also how much does the T-Rex crested gecko diet cost or does anyone have any better feeding ideas? I want to get everything ready for one before I even start looking.

If at all possible, I'd recommend going to the 18 x 18 x 24 Exo Terra cage. That size is really made for crested geckos. I'm not experienced enough to say that a smaller cage would really leave your animal less happy or healthy, but I like having the room to give my girl plenty of stuff and plenty of room. I've seen them on the web in a couple of places for prices ranging from about $120 to $160. At your local pet stores, they'll more likely be in the $150 to $200 range, but you won't pay shipping or worry as much about the cage being broken during the delivery.

The T-Rex gecko food costs anywhere from about $3 a bottle to about $5 a bottle if you are ordering online. Reptilesupply.com currently has it on sale for $3. (They might have the Exo-Terra cages as well.)

I have to apologize for making one big omission in my previous post. RaiQuee's post reminded me of that omission. I bought a Habbi Mist sprayer for my cage because I tend to be forgetful. With the sprayer, I just have to keep the reservoir full, and the sprayer will squirt water in my girl's cage three times a day. This device makes keeping a crestie much more convenient because I don't have to mist the cage twice a day. The drawbacks are that it is expensive and very noisy. I also have a Misty Mountain volcano that I have on a timer to fog the cage a few times a day. The volcano isn't working right now, so I can't recommend it anyway. Another option you might consider is to buy an inexpensive aquarium air pump, tubing, air stones, and a tall water container. If you bubble air through the tall container of water for a few hours a day, you should get better humidity, but I haven't tried this method yet. You'd need to put some kind of screen over the water to keep your crestie from falling into the water and drowning.


Bill

 

[crayolaskies]

What about the 12x12x18? Is that too small for an adult crestie?

 

[WftRight]

I'm not experienced enough to say that 12x12x18 is too small or that it is okay. Plenty of people have said that the 18x18x24 is perfect. I suspect that the 12x12x18 would be good enough for one gecko, but I don't know with certainty.


Bill

 

[RaiQuee]

I wouldn't say there are more or less problems as far as health goes when compairing leos to cresteds. Cresteds can develop floppy tail, but if you offer enough horizontal places to perch, it should take care of the problem. Shedding i've noted is better with Rhacs, and its probably due to the higher humidity that they are needed.

I'm personally always worried about my Rhacs being cold! haha. Don't get them over 80 degrees for any length of time, as it can prove fatal!

I know some breeders feed the diet every few days, but I give them fresh stuff everyday. Helps them stay nice and chubby

 

[crayolaskies]

I went to Petco yesterday to crunch some numbers and I found out that my total for all of the supplies would cost somewhere in the $120-$250 range. I found out that it would be cheaper for me to buy a 10 gallon tank and put a terrarium topper on it, but I wanted to know what you guys thought of using one. Is it okay to use with a crested or should I just save up for an 18x18x24 Exo-Terra terrarium? There's a link to the terrarium topper below.


http://www.herpsupplies.com/product.cfm?id=SSR40010

 

[Perefalcon]

I don't know about anyone else, but I have no issues with using a 12 x 12 x 12 for an adult crestie...I just throw one of those bendable vines in there and a fake ficus, they seem to love it. I do have the 12 x 12 x 18 as well, but I have 2 in that one with 2 ficus and a larger vine. It's all based on how much you see your crestie moving around. Some don't go everywhere and some do. I got a 12x12x18 for $54 and the 12x12x12 for $45

PS they're just as addictive as leos LOL

 

[WftRight]

My next crestie will be in a 15 gallon tall with a terrarium topper. I don't know whether I'll like the topper or not. The biggest drawback I see so far is that any crickets that he doesn't catch will escape. I might force him to eat crickets in another container.