Leopard or Crested?

[NEWBIEgecko]

Hello Everyone!

I am not a very experienced pet owner. As a child I only had fish. I was responsible for feeding them, scooping out dead ones, and helping my father clean out the tank other than that nothing else.

I never was a big fan of dogs or cats. I just couldn't see myself dealing with a pet that is similiar to a child. As a little boy I did always wanted a "cool" pet. Well now i'm a 28 yr old bachelor living in a 1 bedroom condo, my life is pretty busy between working full time in corporate america and being a martial artist. So I'm looking for a "cool" pet that doesn't take much maintenance and can provide a little companionship so I thought about reptiles and came to lizards, specifically geckos.

So I want to ask you guys & gals what should I go with a crested or leopard? I have been doing some research and have been to ***** to just take a look. I understand you should feed live insects, I did see some freeze dried crickets that are "gut loaded" do those work just as well? Also I am not up for live crickets excaping and jumping all over my place

Any input would be appreciated

 

[OneFootedAce]

First off welcome to the forum

I think since you posted in the leopard gecko forum, 90% of people are going to see Leos.
You pretty much NEED to feed live insects (crickets, mealworms, superworms, roaches etc). I have never seen a leopard gecko actually go for the frozen dried crickets, so dont bother with them. Live insects are a must.

 

[Northstar Herp]

Honestly, if I had to recommend a first time gecko, I'd say get the crestie. They don't need supplemental heat (mid 70's or so), they eat a formulated fruit based diet (crested Gecko Diet) that you mix up and put in a dish, and insects are a treat.

Leo or crestie, you're good to go, but I'd recommend the crestie.

 

[STUTFL]

You can feed non-jumping insects - but I'd also recommend the crestie due to the heat and diet, since a lot of new leo owners (especially those who expected something maintenance-free that just needs a tank and a light) seem to have a tough time getting a hang of the temps and feeders.

 

[STUTFL]

And they don't eat dead bugs.

 

[Chevalrose]

I was/still kind of am in the same boat as you. I didn't know what was better. Here is a thread on this forum I started asking the same thing, and here on a primarily crested gecko forum. It's just about torn down the middle. Here's the general facts that might make you lean one way or the other:

Cresteds:
- No heating required (unless it's really cold).
- Fed crested gecko diet rather than live food.
- Tank is interesting and fun to decorate.
- Can be jumpy.
- Need to be misted a couple times a day.
- More expensive to set up.

Leos:
- Not as jumpy.
- Require live food.
- Need heating.
- Come in many bright colors.
- Cheaper to set up.

I'm still kind of torn, but my boyfriend seems to like the look of the leos more and we already have a 20G long tank so we're leaning more in that direction. Although I think we'll eventually have one of each.

 

[ariana]

i love my leos, and have never had a crestie (yet),
but id recommend the crestie.
as said above,
no heat requirements, and their food comes in powder form, add water and your done. they need more height than floor space though, and need lots of foliage.
mealworms in a bowl could be a treat, they dont jump and they can stay in the fridge.
good luck

 

[DiscoDigi786]

Chevalrose has a point that bears repeating: Crested Gecko coloration does not seem to have as much personality as the Leos I have seen. if you would like something that looks a little bit more colorful, I would highly recommend Leos.

 

[OneFootedAce]

Ok... It looks like I was wrong about 90% of people gunna say leos LOL...

 

[NEWBIEgecko]

Wow! I gotta say i'm surprised to that most people are recommending cresite's I only posted in this group because it seemed to have the most traffic. Now with the crestie if I choose to handle it will it jump out of my hand? I know they can jump and climb and the leo's don't.

Also where do you recommend buying from? Are commercial stores like ***** okay? And can crestie's and leos be kept together in the same cage?

 

[BiKA]

Chevalrose has a point that bears repeating: Crested Gecko coloration does not seem to have as much personality as the Leos I have seen. if you would like something that looks a little bit more colorful, I would highly recommend Leos.

+1,and they are fun to play with.

 

[Northstar Herp]

A cresite can be flighty at first and want to jump, but if you give them something to jump TO ie.- your other hand, it'll probably be all good. They tone down when they get older.

Some people would say that **** is not a place where you should buy an animal, but others have had success with animals from there. The thing I would caution you about is the husbandry end of things. Do your research on here, and know what you're getting for an enclosure, heat, dishes, supplements, etc. before you go in. A lot of the advice I've seen and heard in the big stores is just plain wrong. You may get good advice, but arm yourself prior to entering the store so you'll the difference.

Same cage, I wouldn't think so. Even if they were to get along, they have different heating and humidity requirements. I don't know how you could keep proper levels of each in the same tank.

 

[STUTFL]

Wow! I gotta say i'm surprised to that most people are recommending cresite's I only posted in this group because it seemed to have the most traffic. Now with the crestie if I choose to handle it will it jump out of my hand? I know they can jump and climb and the leo's don't.

Also where do you recommend buying from? Are commercial stores like ***** okay? And can crestie's and leos be kept together in the same cage?

Heh. Trust me, leos jump. Leos can flyyyyy - or so they think. They think they can climb too, and may get pretty far up on a surface before realizing they can't. It's adorable, just don't want to get too comfy thinking they won't get away. :laugh:


Noooooo, not in the same cage. Different requirements, as stated above. I wouldn't bet on them getting along, either. Maybe something could be rigged up if necessary, but let's keep it simple for now.

You can buy from a pet shop, you can buy from a breeder. There are other places, but for a first-time gecko we'll stick with these.
If you go the commercial store route, make as sure as possible you're getting a healthy 'un. It's always tragic when a new owner gets a reptile that dies within days due to illness, severe malnutrition, heavy parasite load, etc. Don't buy a very sickly animal because you're sorry for it - that can wait until you have the experience to nurse it back to health, and to accept that it may not make it either way. As above, check out the store as well. See if it's a business you really want to support.

 

[fifthdawn]

Hmmm, definately cresties. I have 3 leos and 3 cresties but I have a bunch of other reptiles.

Cresties have got to be the easiest reptile to keep. They don't need any live insects, can live completely off CGD. You dont need UTH since they prefer room temperature.

The only down side to cresties is they're jumpy but once they're used to you, they're the coolest thing to hold. They have real nice silky skin. Another down side is they can't grow their tails back if they drop it. You also have to mist to keep humidity up at night and during warmer days. They stress once temps reach above 85 degrees.

 

[RagginOut]

I'd say leos. Visually, cresties are just blargh! to me. I don't see the love for them (yet) but clearly others do else they wouldn't be such a popular critter!

Honestly though, after getting our 4 female leos and our bearded dragon from the reptile show recently, I almost wish I'd gotten 2 bearded dragons instead as they are so much more like a dog in that once you have them out of their enclosures, they are all over the house and furniture.. curling up and sleeping on your shoulder or lap.

Our leo's are awesome to 'look at' but since they are taking longer to settle in just don't seem as enjoyable right now. I'm sure that will change in a few more weeks as they continue to settle in. They are funny as heck when you are trying to clean things out and they aren't particularly fond of it... that "i'm gonna strike you" pose they get in to can scare you at first. Then you realize they're all talk and no bite (yet!)

As far as leo or crestie, judging from the threads throughout this forum, I don't think you can go wrong with either. Most people who put the time in to researching before hand seem to do a good job with whatever they end up with.

 

[NEWBIEgecko]

Okay, now i'm heavily leaning toward cresties, but what about the misting, and cleaning of the tank, also shedding?

I live the Chicagoland Area so you know it's gets real cold here for about 3-4 mo. out of the year. So should I mist before I leave for work and when I get home? Should I mist less often during the winter?

When i'm cleaning the cage or tank do I have to remove the crestie while I'm cleaning? If so how receptive are they to being removed I don't want to have to chase them all over my place. Also how often should I clean? I hear leos typically relieve themselves in one spot but cresties don't. Can I spot clean or do I have to do a full cleaning?

Also do cresties shed? I thought I read somewhere they don't

 

[fifthdawn]

I live in Chicago as well. They can tolerate low temps at least down to 65 degree and with heating, we normally don't let pur homes get colder than that since humans will feel uncomfortable at that point. It's really the warmer months that we have to worry about since humans usually let their house get pretty hot

They do shed but they eat their own shed as well. Usually when they're about to shed, they spend most their time on the floor since their toes lose stickiness

There should always be a dry period during the day otherwise you risk getting mold. Since they're nocturnal, misting at night before you head to bed should be good enough. The poop will probably end up on the ground and they spend most their time on top so you don't have to clean that often. When you do clean, I usually put them in a seperate container with lid.

They can jump but I'm not sure how exactly to explain it but their jumping pattern is pretty predictable. They rarely randomly jump and pray they land on something. You can usually tell when they're about to jump once you spend a little time with them. They also tend to jump to the closest object, so as long as your other palm is near, most likely he'll jump there before anywhere else.

 

[STUTFL]

They rarely randomly jump and pray they land on something.

This is what makes them different from leos. :laugh:
Actually, leos seem to just assume something solid will appear for them to land on if they do jump.

 

[sammer021486]

I would highly recommend the crested gecko as a better beginner for two reasons 1) they do not require additional heat sources & 2) they do not require insects.

As for where to buy the gecko that depends on you and what you are looking for, availability, and care that the geckos are provided in the store. Where I live crested geckos are rare, I know of maybe 4 people in my area that actually keep them and none breed them besides myself. So my option was to go to an online breeder. I must say that I am extremely impressed with the ones that I received from the breeder and it worked out to about $100 per gecko with shipping, duties, and exchange (had to bring them across the US/CAN border)

edit: Sorry forgot to add that I live up in Wawa Ontario and it gets cold up here, right now the temperature is 32F and the crested geckos do just fine. I have actually had a freak accident were the heat went out between 10am and 11pm and the house's temps dropped down to freezing and the geckos were fine, they went dormant, but warmed up just fine.

 

[Blacksupra94]

My crestie is 50x easier than the Leo .

Leo has shed problems, crestie has NEVER . Leo requires live food all the time, crestie eats pre made diet , and insects sometimes. Leo requires expensive lighting, crestie needs nothing. Leo needs low humidity , crestie can have high humidity which is easy to achieve with soil and plants.

The list goes on. I spend about $5 a month or less on my crestie, and about 10 on my leo not including vet visits sometimes. I also only spend about 2 minutes total a week taking care of crestie, compared to about 10 minutes every other day during the week with the leo.

The only con ( for some people) is that cresteds are harder to handle than leos. I never handle my crested , granted I adopted him at 5 yrs old but he will randomly jump and stick to things. Leo's are slow and lazy