Total Noob (Fish vs Gecko)

[Mantella]

Hello, I'm new here .

Here's the background on this whole thing. I was thinking of getting a pet of some sort by August of this year because I'm a University student who will be moving out of the dorms, and I want to exercise my new freedom. At first the plan was for me to get a fish tank as I have always been interested in keeping fish. The only down side with this is that I obviously can't hold them, which is something I want in a pet. Still though, fish are a favorite. I have always toyed with the idea of keeping a reptile, and after a bit of research and deliberation I decided I wanted to get a lizard, specifically a gecko (this was partially backed by a small excerpt I read in my Gen Chem book today about the pads on a gecko's feet). After a bit of further research it seemed like crested geckos were the most appealing, easy-to-keep gecko.

While being able to handle my pet is important, the real deciders of whether I get a fish tank or crested gecko are the starting cost, the maintenance cost (prices of food), and the amount of effort needed. As a university student I don't have excessive amounts of time. During the day I'll be away at the campus, and during the night I'll probably have homework to do. I do still have a fair amount of time to put into a project like this, though. Also, I am not exactly rich at the moment, so cost is a pretty big factor in this whole thing.

I expect that a gecko will take up more time than a fish tank, but I have no idea if this preconception is correct.

What I'm really asking is how much work and money will a single crested gecko take?

Side Questions:
Which is better? An aluminum mesh cage (hard to hold in humidity?) or a glass cage?
Can I feed only CGD?
What substrate would work best for a set up like this?

 

[AnthonyRenna]

Hi great to hear your interested in crested geckos. The initial cost is simply the tank a thermometer(not 100% necessary at first) a humidity gauge($5) some fake plants($3) food($7 small size(still lasts at least 2 months)) thats it. I've kept fish and geckos and fish are more difficult and more fragile. Crested geckos are great and love handling and their setup is much cheaper than fish. Also if you haven't checked them out other good geckos with the same setup and care requirements are gargoyle geckos and mourning geckos(super cool). Regarding your questions at the end, go glass screen lets out humidity which is important for cresteds. Yes you can feed just cgd though giving crickets once a week or biweekly is suggested though not necessary. If you dont mind it looking blah use paper towels, if you want a natural looking terrarium get eco earth its 3 bucks for a huge brick of it in petco and holds humidity great

 

[cricket4u]

Anthony don't forget to remind them that at some point a vet visit will be needed and it can be costy. So they will need to set some money aside.:biggrin:

 

[AnthonyRenna]

That is very true you should always have a vet fund set aside, even if you put 5-10 dollars aside a week you'll have plenty

 

[Mantella]

Wow, I really like the body shape of Mourning Geckos. I might have to change my choice in gecko.

Could I house a single crested in a 10 gallon viv (vertical)?

 

[AnthonyRenna]

Wow, I really like the body shape of Mourning Geckos. I might have to change my choice in gecko.

Could I house a single crested in a 10 gallon viv (vertical)?

yes and no you can but its not great. you can fit 5-7 mourning geckos in a 10 gal though. buy one and itll clone itself so you never buy another can even sell them and make your $ back. i've got a spare 10gal that is probably getting filled with some mourning geckos. back to the cresteds check your local craigslit pet section for cheap tanks, the taller the better as they love to climb mines actually climbing up my laptop now lol

 

[Koghis]

Crested Geckos are great and love handling

well thats simply not True. There is no gecko that likes to be handled and i would not suggest to handle them more than necessary for weighing or something. It Stresses them.

Anyway, the Tank can be very cheap. Soil, Branches and Bark are for free in the Forest.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Mantella]

I read around a bit and got slightly varied info on how much you can handle Crested geckos. Most sites said that it was best to hold them sparingly and never on consecutive days. One site said that 15-20 minutes a day are possible with slow acclimatization. In the end they really are still wild animals no matter how tame we can get them. I'll just keep in mind that every time I hold them I'll stressing them. That should be enough to keep the holding to the minimum. Anyway I'll be able to hold them a whole lot more then I would be able to hold fish .

Would a 15 gallon viv (tall) work for a single crested?
Does a 10 gallon regular work for Mourning Geckos or does it have to be a viv? So I have gathered that they asexually reproduce, and I have heard hints that maybe there were males to the species at some point in time. Did the females ability to asexually reproduce slowly make the male sex irrelevant, and consequently cause the males to go extinct because no new males were being born? How does that work for genetic diversity? If I buy one Mourning Gecko am I practically guaranteed that I'll get more? Are they so easy to breed that I'll end up with excess geckos with no way to get rid of them (I realize I could sell but what if the supply is greater than the demand?)? Also how much can I handle Mourning geckos? More or less than Cresteds?

 

[AnthonyRenna]

well thats simply not True. There is no gecko that likes to be handled and i would not suggest to handle them more than necessary for weighing or something. It Stresses them.

Anyway, the Tank can be very cheap. Soil, Branches and Bark are for free in the Forest.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Speaking from experience i can say its 100% true, both of mine love being handled and will jump to my hand the moment it goes in the viv even when im just going in to change water. YOU may have some skittish geckos but to assume that they all don't like it is just wrong. I don't recommend more than 15 minutes a day but they certainly do enjoy mild holding though it isn't necessary

 

[AnthonyRenna]

I read around a bit and got slightly varied info on how much you can handle Crested geckos. Most sites said that it was best to hold them sparingly and never on consecutive days. One site said that 15-20 minutes a day are possible with slow acclimatization. In the end they really are still wild animals no matter how tame we can get them. I'll just keep in mind that every time I hold them I'll stressing them. That should be enough to keep the holding to the minimum. Anyway I'll be able to hold them a whole lot more then I would be able to hold fish .

Would a 15 gallon viv (tall) work for a single crested?
Does a 10 gallon regular work for Mourning Geckos or does it have to be a viv? So I have gathered that they asexually reproduce, and I have heard hints that maybe there were males to the species at some point in time. Did the females ability to asexually reproduce slowly make the male sex irrelevant, and consequently cause the males to go extinct because no new males were being born? How does that work for genetic diversity? If I buy one Mourning Gecko am I practically guaranteed that I'll get more? Are they so easy to breed that I'll end up with excess geckos with no way to get rid of them (I realize I could sell but what if the supply is greater than the demand?)? Also how much can I handle Mourning geckos? More or less than Cresteds?

15 tall would work for a single crested, you could squeeze 2 but i dont recommend it for several reasons.
10 gallon is perfect for mournings, they will almost assuredly reproduce usually creating 2 clones per season, shouldn't be hard to sell excess geckos. mourning geckos definitely should be held less than cresteds they are more of a display pet but can be held a little bit but they are more likely to try to run off at a moments notice. If your looking for something you can hold get a crested if you want a nice display pet that can occasionally be held and will pay for itself and tank and such get mournings. Either way check craigslist for tanks you can usually get them a dollar a gallon or less just be sure to sanitize sanitize sanitize before use

 

[lauraleellbp]

I personally recommend 20gal + for adult crested geckos, though a 10gal is fine for a juvenile.

And most of my cresteds tolerate handling quite well. Though I do have a few who are just really nervous and jumpy.

Maintenance for one crestie is minimal - mist once or twice a day (depending on how dry or humid your climate is), feed and clean water dish every other day, clean the enclosure once a week/once every other week depending on the size of the gecko and size of the enclosure.

Maintenance on a fish tank isn't much less and like you mentioned- they're display animals only.

 

[mikew1234]

I'm a little concerned about some of the advice given here..
I keep and breed both fish and geckos. African cichlids are one of the most rewarding animals I have. I do understand though that fish are very far from hands on.
A basic 10 gallon fish tank turned on it's side is great for any smaller rhac. I've kept gargs, cresteds, and saras in these INDIVIDUALLY. The 12x12x18 exoterra used by many is actually a slightly smaller blueprint than a 10 gallon.
Crested geckos are fairly decent when it comes to handling, being in my top 5 of geckos that can be held (behind Leachies, Leopards and Fattails) You shouldn't ever keep them out for a long period (over 15 to 20 minutes), and never grab at them.
Mourning geckos are cool, but much different. They need fairly high humidity compared to cresteds, and are not really capable of handling (being 4 inches max). When I kept them, I could not get rid of babies, and would regularly help a friend who keeps viper boas in giving them as feeders. They can lay up to 8 eggs a year in the ideal conditions, meaning within 2 years you could roughly have 80 geckos. (supply kills demand)
Personally, if this is your first adventure into the world of geckos, I would go crested over the mourning geckos. The others I mentioned (leopard and Fattail) are also ideal starters.
Always buy dirt from the store, as you never know who puts what on their lawn, garden etc. I have also seen instances where an aquaintance used outdoor items for a frog enclosure. A baby cicada in the dirt equals many dead frogs. Branches and other items can be used from outdoors as long as you clean them extensively and put them in the oven for around 45 minutes to an hour.
Either animal is fun to keep, though neither is in my collection anymore. When I had crested geckos, everything was the price of the nicest designer geckos are now. (My 12 breeders were bought for over 800 more than I was able to sell them for.)
A vet isn't ever a bad thing to have, though cresteds are fairly bullet proof as long as you dont overheat them, and mosty problems are easy to fix. I personally could not bring such a small animal to a vet who will charge you 200 bucks to tell you there's nothing they could do (been there done that) .

Also, a glass enclosure is better imo but that varies from person to person, cgd is now a complete diet, so they can live fully on it (I still supplement with crickets and soft bodied worms for any animal that eats them). I personally like the jungle mix by zoomeds as it holds moisture a little better (again my opinion)

 

[Mantella]

OK got some good replies.

I think I'm gonna toss out the mourning gecko idea both because they reproduce more than I would like and they are less handle-able.

I am not entirely sold on a gecko yet, a tank of shelldweller's or dwarf pencilfish is still pretty appealing IMO.

Cresteds seem the way to go on ease of care, especially in the food realm. For some reason feeding has always been the main deterrent in me getting lizards or frogs (my avatar name is a genus of frogs from Madagascar that I hope to some day keep). Leopards and Fat-tails are out of the running simply because I don't like how they look.

Mike1234
Its interesting that you mentioned turning a 10 gallon on its side as I had been pondering that idea as well. Any pointers on how to do it? I feel like I would some how have to seal the lower half much like the lower part of the front of a vivarium is covered. I have two 10 gallons as of now, and who knows maybe I'll end up keeping fish and geckos.

I was thinking of either paper towels/newspaper, Eco complete, or Sphagnum moss as a substrate. I wouldn't collect from the wild as that would honestly be harder to deal with than the three mentioned above. I can change substrate between the three if I'm finding one to be too big of a hassle. Any other suggestions for substrate?

What are some suggestions for potted plants? I am willing to prune to keep them within the size of of the tank.

Also, how can I judge if I'm misting too much or too little?

Everyone's gonna cringe at this... How about feeding from the wild? While I presently reside in Seattle, my home is off in the sticks on a tiny island where organic-small scale farming is the norm. Could specific species of insects, such as grasshoppers, be safe?

From what I can tell keeping a juvie Crested in anything larger than a 10 gallon could be problematic so thats what I'm gonna go with at first. What is definitively a good size cage for an adult?

Sorry for the long post...

 

[mikew1234]

When turning them on their sides, I used the screen covers that fold in half , and clipped the bottom. Also covered that portion with a piece of plexi between the screen and the tank's rim. Also the food, I'd stick with the complete diet if only over insects from outside.

 

[AnthonyRenna]

A 10 gallon for a juvie crestie is just fine, as far as wild feeding dont you may end up feeding a sick insect and end up with a sick gecko. wild fed is just unnecessary risk. to tell with misting get a hygrometer ($5 at any pet store) keep the humidity at 40-60% in the day and mist up to 80-90% at night before bed.

 

[lauraleellbp]

I favor paper towel substrate myself just b/c it's easiest to keep clean. And all geckos poop a LOT lol

There's some threads on how to make 10gal vertical conversions in the DIY forum. Or you can just simply pick up a screen from walmart for under $10.

Invest in a good digital hygrometer (the analog ones aren't all that reliable) so you can monitor humidity. You want 80-90% at night and then drying down to 40-50% during the day. Different people need to mist differently depending on their climate. I live in south florida near the water, so misting just once at night works for me.

Good live plants include pothos ivy, ficus, and sanservia. These are hardy, don't require much light, and hold up pretty well to a gecko crawling and pooping all over them.

I have a pretty comprehensive Crestie caresheet on my website, along with a list of recommended supplies.

I would not collect bugs from outside unless you are sure you live in a very rural non-agricultural area where they are NOT exposed to pesticides. I only feed bugs once or twice a month.

As far as enclosure sizes, I personally keep hatchlings in medium kritter keepers or 6 qt shoeboxes. At around 8-10g they get upgraded to 29qt bins, and then at around 15-20g they get upgraded into their adult enclosures. I keep males individually in 18x10x13 enclosures, and females either individually in the same size or up to three in a 15x15x23 Sandfire cage: http://www.sandfiredragonranch.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=10&products_id=87

Many people like the glass ZooMed or ExoTerra vivariums. I personally would not keep adults in the 12x12x18 (I get visuals of very fat, inactive geckos ), but I'd be comfortable keeping up to three adults in an 18x18x24 or two in an 18x18x18.

Lots of climbing surfaces and hiding spots are very important. Cresties can easily become overweight if overfed and not given enough room to jump and climb around.

 

[Mantella]

lauraleellbp

I checked out your site and care sheet, both of which are extensive and thorough, and from what I can tell a R-Zilla acrylic atrium seems like they way to go. I think I'll use paper towels as a substrate since maintenance is outweighed by looks. Unbleached paper towels might look pretty good anyway. Thanks for the very comprehensive care sheet :biggrin:. Answered questions I didn't even know I had.

Instead of feeding from the wild on rare occasions I'll probably buy crickets every once and a while. Maybe I'll feed from the wild once in a blue moon in the two months I'll be home. More for sport than anything else really.

I'll buy a medium critter creeper for when he/she is young.

Also are Crested's easy to come by? I won't be buying for a few months I just want to know if I should start searching sooner rather than later.

 

[lauraleellbp]

IDK if you'll be able to find an Rzilla, they were discontinued last year by the manufacturer. Or at least, the acyrlic sided ones were. I actually like the Sandfire cages I've started using now a whole lot better- they're much easier to clean.

Cresties are becoming increasingly common. You can regularly find them online as well as at reptile expos and sometimes in pet stores.

 

[Mantella]

Dang I was hoping I could save myself some money . Well I actually like how the Sandfired cage looks anyway.