Most Important

[clarkee_04]

coloration and health for me. I have no self control, so if I see a nice gecko that looks healthy then nothing will stand in between me and that cash register.

 

[Retribution Reptiles]

I find that reputation is one of the most important features. If you don't have that then i'll over look ya in a heart beat.

 

[Gary Orner]

For my personal collection I only buy from a very select few people. That does not mean another person could not be added to that list though. When I am looking at the animals from these select people I do not even look at price. I could care less what the price is. I look for the gecko that catches my eye for a project I have. Then I look at it's health. If the gecko is healthy which I have never seen a sick gecko from the few people I buy from and it fits into my projects BAM I ask them how much and buy it.

My good friend Thad from Ohio Geckos offered me an amazing Bell Enigma yesterday. This thing is awesome. It fit into my radar enigma project and it was from a person that is on my list I trust 100% so I bought it.

So I guess my first thing I look at is who the breeder is. Nothing against anyone. I think there are a lot of great breeders out there. But we all know there are some people that will sell anything to anyone just to make that dollar even if there is an issue with the gecko. Then I look at the gecko and go from there. Price is the last thing I look at.

 

[Bling_my_leo]

I go for the morp, health, and price.

 

[lillith]

I really like to "suss out" a breeder before I get a gecko.

I prefer to support smaller breeders like myself rather than folks who just churn out lizards...I saw a setup at the NWCBE that was selling hundreds of tiny tiny babies, not much past hatchling age; that was a huge turnoff for me. It was almost like, "lizard mill", in my mind.

I like to see the parents, or at least photos. I would prefer to see the gecko in person, but if I can see that most of the offspring look healthy, and it feeeeels alright I'll go ahead.

It also helps to be here because then I can get to know the personality of the breeder. There are some people I would be thrilled to buy geckos from, and some I just might not consider, based on how I've seen them treat people in posts. I believe a little courtesy and honesty still go a long way. Reputation does help, but isn't my deciding factor.

Exclusivity and high cost, while quite justifiable in some cases, are kind of another turn off to me. No matter how lovely the gecko jewels may be.

And yes, lastly there is a certain "look" that I recognize when I see it that would fit in with the projects in my mind.

Sorry for such a long post, but I felt I should explain why I checked off so many boxes.

 

[Alusdra]

Well, my response will obviously be different, as I'm not a breeder.

I don't really go looking for geckos, per se... I've only ever bought one- and I picked the nicest, most calm one from the tub of juvies at a herp show. Similarly when I picked out babies from a tiny hobby breeder who was gifting them to me- I looked for the best temperament.

And then more recently, I've been taking in rescues. So they had better be free, as I'll be spending a lot on vet care, and they usually come with set-ups to boot (though they usually need serious tweaking). So cost is important. I'm not going to pay someone who neglected their animal or for an animal that is being adopted out for congenital problems.

Also sex is important, as after the quarantine period, I really need them to be able to be co-housed. I don't have a ton of space and I don't want to go to a rack system (though I might have to). I do take in males and grumpy females, but they get re-homed to someone else after I throw out the sand and hot rock and get them healthy.

So I guess that's three, though on the poll it's only 'other': temperament, sex and need of the gecko.

 

[Stitchex]

The most important for me is reputation and health. Don't get me wrong, I'll easily buy from smaller breeders, but when I mean reputation, I mean that they have no history of scamming. Health...doesn't really need to be explained.

 

[corvettefan]

I said location and other. The other was the personality of the animal. I wouldn't want a really shy gecko, or a really agressive one. I would go for one in between.

 

[BalloonzForU]

I can't pick just two, because to me all of the choices are as equally important to me, other than the breeders' location.

 

[snowgyre]

I picked breeder reputation and cost, although I wasn't sure whether to pick looks over cost. There are many geckos out there I would absolutely love to have but simply can't afford, so the realist in me had to check cost over looks. Someday when I have more money to spend I'll be able to afford paying a premium for an animal, but right now I have to pass on many animals that have caught my eye.

 

[M&I Gecko]

Would health go along with reputation? You can't have a good rep with unhealthy animals. Morph is always an important choice so that breeders get what they need for their own projects.

 

[GeckoDude94]

Haelth. If you get a unhealthy gecko it can give your other geckos in your collection diseases and stuff.

 

[snowgyre]

Would health go along with reputation? You can't have a good rep with unhealthy animals. Morph is always an important choice so that breeders get what they need for their own projects.

I think that good gecko health and good breeder reputation are synonymous. The breeder wouldn't have a good reputation if their geckos were in poor health. I agree, it's why I chose breeder reputation instead of health.

 

[Jorgevill]

Breeder reputation, because they have great bloodlines and quality, and almost all of the times you found the right gecko you're searching for, If you dont, you look with other breeders, but is very important the quality they have.

From getting geckos from great breeders you can assume they're healty, they have great genetics, colors, etc.

 

[Andrew]

Coloration and Cost. I don't really care about reputation, I care about quality.

 

[meatgecko]

I'm more intrested that the animal is healthy, to be honest repuation is nice but I'll buy healthy animals from a no-name breeder if they are what I'm after.

 

[ajveachster]

LOL, and if they say they don't have anything, I go to their house and look through all their rack tubs!

This is why I keep saying we have to lock the doors!

 

[ajveachster]

So many of the things go together. It was hard to choose. To me the reputation of the breeder hinges on so many other variables such as health; cost; looks; and business dealings such as payment arrangements, holds, shipping etc...

 

[g3ckosr4me]

I chose reputation because a lot of the longer time breeders know how to price the geckos, care for them, and ship them( I'm not saying newer breeders cant do these things but some arent as good as the longer more experienced breeders) My second choice was health because what i dont need is a sick gecko. I also try to look for geckos that i could breed with my geckos so i can get some interesting morphs

 

[paulnj]

I look for QUALITY animals ! Genetics or high color/ pattern. I only support those who do the same whether verbally or financially.