if the pet store is known for having poor quality snakes, then i see no reason why i would buy ANYTHING from them without an extremely careful examination. most petstores somehow avoid to clean cages when moving WC animals out, and CB clean animals in, or even share the cages. Minimal care requirements for even the easiest to keep geckos ( cresteds) are also somehow neglected. 69 dollars is not a very good price for a petstore if they are plain animals, what area of the country are you in? ( most petcos have them for 55 dollars or less, but not in neccessarily good health)
there have been numerous ads for cresteds in the kingsnake classifieds gecko section, and there should be many in there for well under 70 dollars even including shipping ( if you just want a decent male or something or check out www.thecarnivorousorchid.com i know they were selling crested males very cheap last time i checked.
as far as what you should look for if you do end up buying one locally, check the eyes/sockets to make sure they aren't sunken in when awake and active, check the base of the tail to make sure it is fully filled out ( no hip bones etc.) make sure the tail is not kinky ( if it has a tail) and try to avoid ones with a bent,crooked, or 'flopped' tail. make sure the animal has all of it's toes, no open wounds or large visible scars, no visible mites or parasites ( look at the toe pads and base of leg joints etc) and make sure the animal has no stuck shed. Check that the animal has no dried fecal matter crusted around it's vent. If the animal has sketchy or twitching motions while it moves don't get it.
good luck and let me know if you have any more questions. If it were myself, and i didn't know any local breeders or what exactly i was looking for, i would buy one online from a reputable breeder or person where you can see good clear pictures of the animal, you will still be able to find one for under 70 dollars including over night shipping to your door.

[ Hide Replies ]

• Wanting a crested - phiber_optikx, Thu Jan 19 22:08:17 2006
• RE: Wanting a crested - flamedcrestie, Thu Jan 19 23:26:47 2006
• RE: Wanting a crested - phiber_optikx, Fri Jan 20 02:05:28 2006
• Furthermore..... - phiber_optikx, Fri Jan 20 02:10:50 2006
• RE: Furthermore..... - flamedcrestie, Fri Jan 20 10:23:37 2006
• RE: Furthermore..... - phiber_optikx, Sat Jan 21 02:14:00 2006