Crested vs. Leopard?

[evilpirateduck]

For the longest time, geckos have always been on my list of 'What I want to own some day' - those, along with pythons, and conures, and a whole slew of other things that aren't relevant. For a while, I thought I'd get a Leopard Gecko, because I've heard some great things about them, and we have them at the store I work at. They're absolutely adorable little things and fairly active - plus, feeding them is tons of fun.

Then we got an eyelash gecko in. Oh my god, it's the cutest thing I've ever seen. He's less hand friendly than the leos, but I imagine that's simply because he's only been there two weeks, and I doubt the others go in and attempt to interact with him. [ I tend to get a little sidetracked during feeding time - they all need love! D: ] Once I can get him on my hand, though, he's content to chill, though I try not to hold him for too long so as not to stress him.

I'm caught. Leos have so many designs and colors [ I'm in love with the Mack Snows. Seriously. ], but Cresties are... just so freaking cute.

So! I need vital stats on both. Average size, 'typical' temperament, feeding habits, requirements in tank size, humidity, the works. In the end, I may sway completely away from the majority, but in that case, I'll at least know what I'm getting myself in to.

As a side note, I've had lizards before - Anoles, actually, so I'm aware of the special needs such as spraying the tank down daily and dusting the crickets with calcium like shake'n'bake. x3

Any and all information is appreciated, and helpful! I've been researching for about three hours straight, now, lol.

 

[OnlineGeckos]

Cresties are arboreal, they got sticky pads and they require height in a tank to climb. They require higher humidity, and they are fed a mixture of commercial crested gecko diet and some insects like crickets. They like to jump from hand to hand when you hold them. When they lose their tail, it doesn't grow back, which is a bummer as they drop their tails fairly easy.

Leopard geckos don't have sticky pads, they actually got toes and nails. They require long tanks, not height. They also don't require high humidity (20-40%). They must be fed with live insects. They don't drop their tails often, and if they do, they do regenerate.

I definitely love the morph, color, and pattern choices of leopard geckos over cresties which are generally just some forms of brown. I also think leopard gecko's tails are beautiful, while cresties look really strange without tails. So yeah I'm partial to leopard geckos, but cresties are fun, definitely different

 

[marauderhex]

I have both and would highly recommend both. If you want the absolute easiest gecko to care for, go for the crestie. As long as you have reasonable ambient temps, no additional heating is required. Both tolerate handling fairly well. Cresties will do well in a tank that favors height over length, while leos need the inverse. Cresties do require a little bit of humidity, so a daily misting, depending on your ambient humidity is recommended. Both will eat insects, but cresties also have the Repashy crested gecko diet, specifically formulated for them, so insects are optional.

 

[LZRDGRL]

If you'd hate to have crickets around your house, go with cresties and keep them on Crested Gecko Diet from Repashy. If you don't mind the chirping and occasional cricket escapes, I would prefer leopard geckos. That's how I started. I have both now, but I'm glad I started with leos until I had several years of experience.

Generally, I don't like things sticking to my glass windows. Leos have claws. There are fewer escape possibilities than with species that can climb up your tank, I would figure! Do you have cats?? I had two cat accidents already (none fatal, but resulting in two leo tail losses, which grew back, of course). If you have cresties, you need to have a lid and be even more careful.

Cresties can not only lose their tails, but also get "floppy tails" from hanging on them too much.

I'd get a leo now, and a crestie later :main_laugh:

Chrissy

 

[sunshinegeckos]

Also depending on where you live it might be more difficult to keep cresties cool enough in the summer. At least I did which is why I got rid of mine. They need to be kept under 80 and any length of time above 84 can kill them quickly. They are cute little things though

 

[Daedric1]

I definitely love the morph, color, and pattern choices of leopard geckos over cresties which are generally just some forms of brown.

The most common crested gecko colors are shades of brown and yellow, while the most common morphs are patternless and flame. The full swathe of color includes red, orange, yellow, creme, white, tan, brown, black, and olive. They can be basically any color except those requiring blues (i.e. greens and purples), since they lack that pigmentation. There are tons of morphs around, and I encourage you to explore them in more detail. Check out some of them here.

There are a lot of threads on this topic, so I would encourage using the search function. I also just made a post about it earlier today, located here.

My preference is cresties, but I think leos are a little better of a starter species.

 

[LZRDGRL]

They can have purple, though. All my cresties are purple. Well, some might call it a rusty brown, but I think it's more wine color.

Also, they change their colors from juveniles to adults, so even if you buy a bright red baby, it might look dull as an adult. Better buy an adult, so you can be sure it looks the way you want it to!

Chrissy

 

[OnlineGeckos]

The most common crested gecko colors are shades of brown and yellow, while the most common morphs are patternless and flame. The full swathe of color includes red, orange, yellow, creme, white, tan, brown, black, and olive. They can be basically any color except those requiring blues (i.e. greens and purples), since they lack that pigmentation. There are tons of morphs around, and I encourage you to explore them in more detail. Check out some of them here.

Have seen them already, I almost went with crested geckos before getting my first leopard gecko. They can be called all sorts of cool names but they still look shades of brown and alien looking. It's a comment I often hear when showing them to non-reptile enthusiasts. Just stating my personal opinion, wasn't trying to sway the OP one way or the other.

 

[Daedric1]

They can have purple, though. All my cresties are purple. Well, some might call it a rusty brown, but I think it's more wine color.

Also, they change their colors from juveniles to adults, so even if you buy a bright red baby, it might look dull as an adult. Better buy an adult, so you can be sure it looks the way you want it to!

Chrissy

Yeah, the 'purple' you are seeing is sometimes referred to as lavender by keepers. It is a combination of several colors (mostly grays) that can appear that way under certain lighting. However, it is not purple because it doesn't contain blue pigmentation (much like olive is not green, but a combo of black and yellow).

If you actually DO have a purple crestie, you would make some big bucks breeding it. Unfortunately, no truly purple or green crestie has ever been verified as real.

You never want to buy a red hatchling, because they often hatch much more red than they turn out to be. It's true that buying a juvenile or adult is safer if you're worried about the color characteristics changing.

 

[evilpirateduck]

Sorry if there have been other posts like this - I was sort of overwhelmed with the forum and didn't quite know where to start. xD; Plus, it was... 3am? Maybe 4? I don't remember. Hours of research.

I don't mind crickets. Every once in a while, I spazz if one lands on me, but only if they do it and take me by surprise. Otherwise, I'm perfectly fine with picking them up and dishing them out. Leos are ridiculously cute when they hunt, from what I've seen. Their little tails twitch like a cat. x3

I do have cats, yes, but I wasn't looking for a normal 10g. I was actually looking at an Exo Terra, likely the 12 x 12 x 18 until he/she's large enough to move up to the 18 x 18 x 24. I'd like to try and get the Crestie fairly young. If I were to get a Leo, I'd get a 12 x 12 x 12, until, again, I can upgrade. I'd also likely try my hand at making my own hides for them out of foam and non-toxic latex paint mixed with sand.

I live in NY - during which it can reach around 74 - 80 in the house in summer. However, during those months, I have an air conditioner that I can keep on either fan or low, so as not to chill him, but to keep the temperature relatively low.

I think Cresties are winning my heart, to be honest. I've spoken with a few people who own them, and their TOES. Ohmygod their toes. They're so small and fat and round like bunny feet, lol. I'm really interested in the Harlequins, especially the chocolate - honestly, I love brown. Though, aesthetics aren't a big part of choosing a lizard for me.

... I'm looking below this box and seeing 'Similar Threads' and realizing that using the search would have been a very good idea. -_-; Sorry about that.