Which gecko to choose? Habitat?

[Cyb3rw0lf]

Hi,

I've been debating what species of gecko I'd like to keep and was hoping for some suggestions (and hopefully some proper info) on what would be preferable. I have experience with various fresh/saltwater fish as well as freshwater crabs but this is my first venture into reptile keeping, and despite quite a bit of reading I've gotten some extremely jumbled/contradicting information on the subject. So far I've mostly looked at Pictus and Crested geckos but any suggestions would be welcome, my only worry is that I don't have any ideas for an arboreal enclosure for a crestie.

As far as the habitat is concerned I know that any gecko needs at least two hides, varied temperatures on each side of the enclosure, and usually some form of humidity. Other than that I'm honestly a bit lost. ^_^; I've got an available 10 gallon glass tank but room for up to a 34 gallon (24x18x18) terrarium.

On a side note, can a crestie be kept on sand if fed on Crested Gecko MRP without worry of impaction?

 

[clemsonguy1125]

If you dont mind multiplying geckos, then you could flip that 10 gallon on itside and gut a mourning gecko or two. The only thing i that they lay fertile eggs by themselves and 99.9 percent of them are female.

 

[acpart]

Probably the best starter geckos, which can also be handled, are leopard geckos and crested geckos. The easiest way to have an arboreal cage is to buy an Exo-terra or Zoo-med 12x12x18 or 18x18x24 cage. I keep my crested gecko in a planted tank on coco fiber (as opposed to sand; you can't really plant in sand) eating MRP out of a bowl and crickets loose in the cage with no problems.

I wrote an article recently in Gecko Time online magazine about figuring out what gecko to get. Here it is: http://www.geckotime.com/which-new-gecko-should-i-get/

Aliza

 

[Cyb3rw0lf]

Unfortunately Clemson I'm only trying to keep one gecko so pre-fertilized eggs would be a bit of an issue, which is regrettable considering how cute those mourning geckos are.

Thanks for the link Aliza! I probably should have included that info in my original post. ^_^; I was preferably looking for an easy to care for terrestrial gecko from a tropical environment, one that doesn't mind being handled that is (which is why I was looking at Pictus geckos). I don't mind setting up a desert environment but the only gecko I know of for that is the Leo, which honestly doesn't peak my interest as much as the others do.

I have been looking at some Exo-terra models (both arboreal and terrestrial) that I can get locally, including the ones you mentioned above. I just have a few concerns with an arboreal environment as far as waste cleanup and keeping the gecko in its environment are concerned.... I'd rather not be scrambling all over the floor for my crestie if it jumps out when I open the door or find out that it defecated on one of the upper branches and I cant find it to clean up without a full enclosure breakdown . ^_^;

The only other thing I can note that I thought of when your Crested enclosure was mentioned is that I'm going to try and avoid any live plants. I've tried raising plants in aquariums before with absolutely no luck despite using the appropriate methods and I have a feeling it would go the same way if I tried with a gecko enclosure. >.<

 

[acpart]

I keep my crested gecko, gargoyle, fat tail geckos and day geckos in planted tanks with coco fiber and I never clean the tank because it functions as a little ecosystem. The gecko poop fertilizes the plants, the plants help maintain the humidity and I add pillbugs from the back yard who also help break down the poop. If poop gets stuck on the plants or the sides of the tank, I just make the misting stream stronger to wash it off. The trick to keeping arboreal geckos and not having them escape (most of the time) is to use front-opening rather than top-opening enclosures, which is why I recommended the Exo tera or Zoo Med. I'm not great with plants either (getting better, though) and have found that pothos will grow and spread just about anywhere. This is just to say that keeping an arboreal gecko isn't that difficult if that's what you're attracted to. I'd recommend checking out crested geckos and gargoyle geckos as well. The nice thing about them is that while they need humidity and height, they don't need heat and light (well, the plants do, but that's easy to take care of).

ALiza

 

[Cyb3rw0lf]

I found a planted vivarium article on Geckotime and between your comments and it I'm fairly certain I'll be trying that in a 12x12x18 enclosure for a crestie. Thanks for the info!

 

[touch 13]

I am just working my way into breeding, but i've kept and housed both cresteds and pictus. For a Very first reptile, the pictus in my opinion is just a little bit easier and they are cheaper. If you do have the extra time and a little bit of money, a crestie is also a great beginner gecko. There are so many i favor, but i really do love cresteds.

As for your question about the sand. In my experience, it's always better to have some form of a coco-fiber / peatmoss mix, or you can purchase a bag ranging from 7-21quarts of "forest terrarium substrate" i believe it's by Zoo Med.

If You have Questions about your possible future crested or pictus, i'd be glad to try and answer.

 

[Cyb3rw0lf]

I picked up Rhacodactylus by Philippe de Vosjoli/Frank Fast/Allen Repashy yesterday for $30, its already helping me quite a bit on some matters but I'll be sure to ask anything I'm confused about, thanks.

While I was picking up the book the owner of the store kept trying to convince me I should get one of the baby fat-tail geckos they just got in, none of them had tails which made me wonder about their treatment, though they only want $15 for each..... Unfortunately I cant seem to find much info on them.

 

[acpart]

You'll find info about fat tails in the leopard gecko care books. THere's usually a chapter about fat tails at the end. You should find out if these fat tails are captive bred or wild caught. Most of the wild caught ones have lost their tails. I find fat tails are a bit more likely to drop their tails than leopard geckos. They are pretty, but tend to be very reserved and spend most of their time hiding, so they can be a bit boring. I have 2.3 and breed them, but I don't think I'd be satisfied if that was the only kind of gecko I had.

Aliza

 

[riofebdinan12]

I have 2.3 and breed them, but I don't think I'd be satisfied if that was the only kind of gecko I had.

 

[Cyb3rw0lf]

I've decided that I'll go for either a crested or gargoyle gecko, thankfully the habitat types are the same for both so that is my main worry for now. I'll be going planted for the easier maintenance and appearance though I'm still looking at the various flora that can be placed in there.

As far as the size of the enclosure is concerned I've found a bit more space and am debating between a 18"L x 12"W x 20"H Zilla Acrylic Atrium or 18"L x 18"W x 24"H ZooMed/Exo-Terra terrarium (I'm leaning toward the latter but suggestions/opinions are very welcome). The 12x12x18 just seemed too small in my opinion and I've found that I can get a 18x18x24 ZooMed for the price of the 12x12x18 Exo-Terra.

As far as other plans are concerned I'm looking at buying/making a background for the back of the enclosure as well as designing a waterfall or rainfall system to keep the humidity up (probably just a pump pushing water to the top of the background so it can trickle down). But I've seen setups like this done a few different ways and am unsure how I will, the most I've seen have been to make a small pond with the pump in it, put the pump under a false bottom, or to actually place it in the drainage layer for the plants, any tips?

On a side (and hopefully comical) note we've recently been getting the spring seasonal items in at my workplace and I noticed two birdhouses that might make fantastic, though silly, hides if modified properly:
http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p166/Fierowolf/Gecko/0306111813.jpg
http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p166/Fierowolf/Gecko/0306111813a.jpg

 

[joshyy_rey]

Where do you work? That out house would be a hilarious hide

Sent from Samsung Vibrant

 

[Cyb3rw0lf]

Freds, also called Freds Pharmacy, and I think the original name was Discount Warehouse, not sure though since only one or two stores in the entire company still have the old name. The only problem I see with those birdhouses is that they are a bit coarse and chalky on the inside, nothing some sandpaper and a quick clean wont fix. There is also a green semi-truck in that series but I wasn't nearly as interested in it as I was those two so I didn't get a pic. ^_^;

 

[joshyy_rey]

i think you should give them a try, it would add a lot of character to your viv hah

 

[MrGeckoLover]

Probably the best starter geckos, which can also be handled, are leopard geckos and crested geckos. The easiest way to have an arboreal cage is to buy an Exo-terra or Zoo-med 12x12x18 or 18x18x24 cage. I keep my crested gecko in a planted tank on coco fiber (as opposed to sand; you can't really plant in sand) eating MRP out of a bowl and crickets loose in the cage with no problems.

I wrote an article recently in Gecko Time online magazine about figuring out what gecko to get. Here it is: http://www.geckotime.com/which-new-gecko-should-i-get/

Aliza

leopard gecko FTW!!!!!