[cp1776]

Hi,

I'm planning to get my 10 yr old son a gecko for Christmas. He's been asking me for a reptile for a couple years and I'm thinking the Crested or another Rhacodactylus is the answer. He's a gentle calm kid so he's not going to be rough with whatever we choose. I used to breed/show Toy dogs so he's been raised around small animals - also has a Budgie. Point in that is to show he's gentle and knows to move slowly yada yada...

What I'm wondering is what you, as owners and breeders, see as the temperament differences between the Gargs, Chewies and Cresteds. I'm not sure I'm willing to spend the amount for a Chewie, but they're interesting. He likes the Cresteds followed by Chewies best visually, but I know personality would be most important to him. I held a Crested a week ago at a local store - someone had brought him in... He was great. I took my son back to hold him and he was already gone. He held another and he was a total spaz... My son wasn't too crazy about him. I get that there are personality differences within the breeds, but as a rule, what are they (if any) between them? He's going to want to hold it - not for infinite amounts of time...

Also, can they eat worms instead of crickets on occasion? I even read about someone feeding pinkies... Thoughts? I really don't want to deal with crickets, BUT if it's best a couple times a week then that's what I'd do. I'm just glad they eat CGD as their mainstay.

Thanks for the time and input! Oh and if you know any breeders in the Orlando or anyone who will be going to Crittercon or Repticon I'd appreciate the info!

[lauraleellbp]

My vote is going to be for a Crestie since they're my own favorites. If he's going to want to hold it, I'd go for an older (at least subadult if not adult) male so you'll know its temperment when you pick it out. As a generalization, smaller geckos tend to be naturally more flighty than older.

I don't have my first Chewie yet (plan is for next year ) but I hear that they are also very handle-able, especially the Mainlands. However- you'll pay a much prettier penny for one of those, especially an adult.

Vicki of Big Fat Geckos will most likely be at the Orlando Repticon. She usually has a big selection (Cresteds, Gargs, Chewies, sometimes Leachies), is extremely nice, and is a wealth of information. (She's the biggest Rhac breeder in Florida that I know of, most of the rest of us do it just at a hobby level.)

[cp1776]

I saw her website and was wondering if she was in FL. Do you know where she's located? I wonder if she'll be at Crittercon too... I found a listing and they're apparently still having the show 10/22 and 23rd. I'd like to have a gecko reserved or know who I'm going to be dealing with and then pick it up as close to Christmas as possible. I could give it to him early, but I'd really like to wait... Did you get yours from her and were you able to handle them first?

[lauraleellbp]

She's in Sarasota. Yes, she'll let you handle them first. I have three from her right now. IDK if she goes to Crittercon or not, but she's usually at the Repticons.

Emily Maple is up in the Jupiter area, too. She's another hobby breeder, but has a really large collection and has a project she calls her "Calm Gecko Project"- producing geckos that are really easy to handle. So that might be something that would interest you? I have two geckos from her, as well. Here's her website: http://www.emilymaple.com/

[josabby]

You really can't go wrong with this. I have my first Crestie, and she's very friendly. My younger brother got a couple of gargoyles at Tinley park and they are nice and calm. My crestie, despite being a Juvenile seems to enjoy being held and only gets jumpy when I go to put her back in the cage. Even a friend of mine who isn't the biggest animal person thought she was cute. I would just recomend going to a show instead of a pet store because you will have more choices and better prices.