PHFaust: Allen Repashy has had a life long passion for Reptiles and Amphibians. He has primarily focused on keeping and breeding lizards. He first kept Rhacodactylus in the late 1980's (R. auriculatus) and has for the last ten years focused his work on this genus. He keeps the largest and most diverse collection of Rhacodactylus in the world, and is responsible for introducing R. ciliatus into the pet trade. He has also developed a complete diet for Rhacodactylus, which is readily available in the trade. Allen is co-author of the book Rhacodactylus: The complete guide to their selection and care. His current project has been building the Interactive Gecko Resource Database
phatsk8r_nr: does anyone here know anything about jackson chameleons?
derekdehaas has entered Reptile & Amphibian
PHFaust: On Behalf of Jeff Barringer and All of us here at ks.com thank you Allen for making time for us this evening
AllenRepashy: My Pleasure
PHFaust: Slacker you get to go first
Slacker6848: how long have you been keeping Rhacodactylus trachyrhynchus? and ones on the market w/c or cb?are the majority of the
do the w/c do well in captivity?
AllenRepashy: I got my first Trachy's in 1995 from Frank Fast...
AllenRepashy: have had them off and on, but not focused on them.......
AllenRepashy: GA
PHFaust: Feeny
MrFeeny_nr: I have a female crested who has laid 3 clutches of eggs. Neither clutch has been fertile. My question is, what's the best way to give her added calcium? She is very thin and I think she is losing calcium with each clutch.
derekdehaas has entered Reptile & Amphibian
AllenRepashy: ok..... good question
MrFeeny_nr: I have reptical...
AllenRepashy: there is no reason a healthy and well fed ciliatus would run out of calcium
AllenRepashy: they can produce up to 18 eggs a year without any problems if they have a balanced diet
AllenRepashy: Calcium doesn't sound like your problem and has nothing to do with fertility
AllenRepashy: Has she ever laid good eggs that hatched?
MrFeeny_nr: No. But, it is mostly my fault. Two of her clutches I foudnd the eggs sunken in...the other clutch the eggs were firm, but started to grow mold. So they weren't fertile. I also hink she may be too young to be producing fertiole eggs
MrFeeny_nr: She is maybe a year and a half old.
AllenRepashy: That doesn't mean they were not fertile Feeny.... they could have just gone bad.......
MrFeeny_nr: Also, I failed to provide a separate container for her to lay eggs. I now half a ################er with mist vermiculite.
MrFeeny_nr: moist
MrFeeny_nr: i also have another pair of cresteds who are more active in breeding, but don't produce nearly as many eggs.
AllenRepashy: well, it would take a long time to sort this out... there are a lot of things it could be, but in summary, if you have a good balanced diet and a fertile male, you will get good eggs GA
PHFaust: Feeny did you have another question for allen?
MrFeeny_nr: Yes.
MrFeeny_nr: In the mini-bio ithat was given before the chat, i was wondering what complete crested food Allen
MrFeeny_nr: came up with the t-rex formula?
AllenRepashy: yes, I developed the diets on my own and then licensed them to T-REx
AllenRepashy: I feed the diet exclusively and have geckos that haven't had an insect in 7 years that are great breeders still
AllenRepashy: GA
PHFaust: LdyPayne
PHLdyPayne: Speaking about the diets, how did you come up with the ratios invlved, to provide a complete diet for crested geckos?
AllenRepashy: In the early development it was all trial and error...... based on babyfood.....
cornball_nr: what is that?
AllenRepashy: I kept making different formulas and raising groups of geckos... and tuning it as I went
AllenRepashy: after about five years of that, I got more serious and started from scratch.....
AllenRepashy: got a feed formulation program .... researched a lot and had a consultant
AllenRepashy: There isn't a lot of benchmark info for requirements, so you have to extrapolate the best you can and take the closest data you can find
AllenRepashy: trial and error was pretty extensive....... raised LOTS of geckos on different formulas... for example... different levels of protein..... fat..... vitamin/calcium.......
PHLdyPayne: sounds like you deffinitely worked hard on making the most complete diet you can. As I use them, I find they work great, both the crested gecko and gargoyle gecko diets.
AllenRepashy: a lot of animal nutrition is similar, so by starting in the middle of the road and working out, you can find the best place.....
AllenRepashy: Thanks! .... it is a passion and I am still changing as I do more studies
AllenRepashy: GA
PHFaust: Flame
PHFlame: do you think that cresteds make good first lizards and if so, why?
AllenRepashy: I think personally that they have a broader appeal than even leopard geckos........ because........
AllenRepashy: of the fact that people can keep them without live food.......
AllenRepashy: and that can be a deal breaker for a lot of first time herpers
AllenRepashy: They can be just as easy to handle as leo's and are less prone to parasites and disease all around
AllenRepashy: ga
PHFaust: Well lets go to Feeny
MrFeeny_nr: Yippie! Should cresteds be exposed to UVB lighting, and how common is it for them to get metabolic bone disease?
AllenRepashy: with proper diet, uvb is not necessary at all.... none of my geckos have ever been exposed to uvb and my oldest breeders are about 14 years old at this point
AllenRepashy: MBD can be common....
AllenRepashy: but only with improper nutrition..... like people who feed lots of babyfood
AllenRepashy: babyfood is just empty calories for the most part.......
AllenRepashy: a baby gets its NUTRITION from its mothers milk.. fruit babyfood is just for energy
AllenRepashy: Rhacs are incredible in the fact they can even survive and grow on fruit babyfood alone....
AllenRepashy: they will look healthy, but then totally crash when they try and make eggs
AllenRepashy: ga
PHFaust: Flame
PHFlame: have you ever had a crested gecko who was a biter of people?
AllenRepashy: not really..... there are times when one just doesn't want to be handled....... but I have never had one that was just mean all the time
AllenRepashy: GA
PHFaust: Send one to my house, I can change that! Payne your turn
PHLdyPayne: For newly hatched crested geckos, how do you get them established and eating well? I am having a bit of trouble getting them to eat the crested gecko diet with my first couple of hatchlings.
AllenRepashy: hmmmmm
AllenRepashy: I just mix it on the thin side and make sure they have water available all the time.......
AllenRepashy: I don't offer crickets at all to hatchlings, and they all seem to find it and grow.......
AllenRepashy: What is happening? are then not growing? not surviving?
PHLdyPayne: I had one not survive....though it was housed with it's clutch mate, it may be possible it was being intimidated by it, The CGD seemed to mold reall;y fast too, not sure if hte tank was too humid or the diet too watery/ BUt the survivor is doing well so far
AllenRepashy: the diet is very rich and the geckos are very small, so it is easy to think they are not eating
AllenRepashy: you should be feeding it in the evening and removing it each day.... I have never seen it mold overnight.....
PHLdyPayne: ahh ok;, I usually remove it at next feeding, but can remove it during the day easily enough. Will try that route, Thanks/
AllenRepashy: I don't think intimidation would be a problem.... I raise 25 hatchlings per cage
AllenRepashy: np..... good luck.......
PHLdyPayne: thanks
AllenRepashy: GA
PHFaust: Slick
PHSlick: I do not know a lot about crested geckos and I have been contemplating getting one, so what is their dietary requirements, temp, and humidity, and how easy are they to keep?
AllenRepashy: Well..... I would need to write a book to answer all those questions
AllenRepashy: wait a minute.... I did that LOL
PHFaust: How about basics...
AllenRepashy: I have a great article on my site that has a lot of that info....... hang on.......
PHFaust: Allens Book is Rhacodactylus: The complete guide to their selection and care
AllenRepashy: here you go http://www.reptiles.repashy.com/resources_RUSA_article.htm
PHSlick: thank you, I will check that out
AllenRepashy: That should be a good start for you.......
AllenRepashy: It is the extended version of the article I wrote for Reptiles Magazine a few years ago.......
AllenRepashy: GA
PHFaust: Feeny
MrFeeny_nr: You mentioned that you have had your breeders for 14 years....how long can cresteds live, and what substrate do you use/think is the best? (sorry, it's two questions in one turn)
AllenRepashy: I think I probably have the oldest cresteds in captivity at this point..... so the jury is still out.... My oldest animals don't look old at all and are still breeding well.... there are longevity stats on other Rhacs, and there are geckos around 30 years old that are still alive
AllenRepashy: Substrate depends on if you go natural or not.... I use indoor outdoor carpet and like it in my breeder setups..... just rotate and wash.....
pac-man: woah
AllenRepashy: GA
PHFaust: Payne
PHLdyPayne: I remember reading somewhere, can't remember if it was a website or the Rhac book, that to help prevent calcium crash in breeding females, to put a little powdered calcium in a shadow dish right in the cage for them to eat at will. Is this a good practice?
AllenRepashy: I have heard people do this, but never have myself....... of course my goal was to make a complete diet, and I couldn't do that if I was supplementing calcium.....
AllenRepashy: it could help animals who aren't or have not had good nutrition in their past...... like if you got one that hadn't been keept correctly.......
AllenRepashy: GA
PHFaust: Ryan
PHLdyPayne: thanks
AllenRepashy: np
ryan_nr: what other lizards do yuo keep
AllenRepashy: Right now, I am pretty focused on Rhacs.... I have also Eurodactylodes..... and Shinisaurus.... and a few other "pets"
AllenRepashy: I have kept lots of different herps but have been focused on geckos for the last 10 years mostly
AllenRepashy: GA
ryan_nr: thanks
PHFaust: Mr Feeny
MrFeeny_nr: I'm sorry I have so many questions.....Okay, I've read that cresteds can't be housed at temps higher than 85 degrees F or they can get stressed out and die.............what are some signs that a crested is stressed out, and, sometimes my bedroom gets abover 85 degrees in the sumer....howdo i lower the temp?
AllenRepashy: death is a good sign a gecko is stressed
AllenRepashy: seriously though........
AllenRepashy: first thing that will happen if they get too hot is they will drop their tails.......
AllenRepashy: become lethargic..... and then it gets bad.....
AllenRepashy: they can take lows very well.........
AllenRepashy: I kept some outdoors this winter as a test and they had regular nights down into the 40's without problems........
AllenRepashy: GA
PHFaust: Pac
pac-man: what reasons would my juvi crested gecko have for biting?i can handle him much anymore because he bites me to much.he was fine when he was younger but then over night changed.could it just be that he is male and is showing off?
AllenRepashy: just let him bite you until he gets bored..... its not like it can hurt you or anything..... how are you handling him....... are you squeezing him? it should only be on an open hand.... I can't see them biting if they are not held firmly.......
pac-man: but it hurts lol
pac-man: i usually just let him jump around
pac-man: but from hand to hand
AllenRepashy: I suggest you buy an adult Tokay gecko and then tell me about what hurts LMAO
pac-man: hahahahaha
PHAlex: lol
PHSlick: LMAO
pac-man: ok well ill keep trying
pac-man: thanks
AllenRepashy: just remain calm
AllenRepashy: if you panic, so will the gecko..... don't move quickly........
pac-man: yeah
PHWyvern: actually a good skink works just as well as a tokay
AllenRepashy: GA
PHFaust: Ldy
PHLdyPayne: Slightly off topic but still related to Rhacs, I have heard that gargoyle gecko males tend to be rarer than females, is this true or just a misconception?
AllenRepashy: absolutely true
AllenRepashy: I produce on average 90% females.....
AllenRepashy: it takes higher temps to produce males..... but the hatch rate goes down quite a bit.......
AllenRepashy: I make a box of males when I need to.......
PHLdyPayne: drat, now I know why I am having a hard time finding males LOL
AllenRepashy: I will bring some males to Tinley and Daytona probably..... send me an email
AllenRepashy: GA
PHFaust: Ryan
ryan_nr: have you had any luck breeding with your shinisaurus i saw apic of one on your web site
AllenRepashy: I really like the gargoyles and think this year they will really become more popular
AllenRepashy: I have produced shinisaurs twice.......
AllenRepashy: there are one of my favorite lizards and are in serious condition in the wild
AllenRepashy: GA
ryan_nr: good job
AllenRepashy: I had a disaster a few years ago with the Shini's
AllenRepashy: I was in australia herping, and a freaking raccoon ate 30 out of 35 Shini's
PHFaust: Feeny
MrFeeny_nr: do you need an incubator for crested eggs, and does incubating them at different temps produce males vs. females?
AllenRepashy: I have not found ciliatus to be temp sex dependent
AllenRepashy: I incubate at room temps and never use an incubator
AllenRepashy: GA
MrFeeny_nr: awesome, thanks
PHFaust: Slacker
Slacker6848: do you think Rhacodactylus Auriculatus would be a good starter? i hear they are similar to the cresteds as caring for? and if not good starters, why not?
You whisper to PHLdyPayne so say we can get a gecko there
AllenRepashy: Gargs make great starters
AllenRepashy: the only difference is they can be more aggressive with each other
Slacker6848: any specific requierments different then the cresteds?
AllenRepashy: you just have to be more aware of size differences and aggression.... if you keep them together you will loose tails.... but unlike ciliatus, they grow back!
AllenRepashy: I keep them exactly the same as cresteds
AllenRepashy: GA
Slacker6848: ok thanks
PHFaust: And I get the last one, I noticed you have guest at the symposium regarding conservation guidelines. What is the wild status of the cresties
AllenRepashy: As far as I know, the pine island population is pretty stable....... the geckos on the outer islands are in serious trouble, but those are mostly leachianus henkeli and trachy's
AllenRepashy: GA
PHFaust: anything specific being done? Any assistance from groups such as ircf
AllenRepashy: no, just ongoing research, but nothing as far as conservation.... ants and rats have wiped out a few islands completely already........
AllenRepashy: but New Caledonia has bigger issues than saving a few geckos.... like most small countries unfortunatley
AllenRepashy: Thanks for having me to the chat everyone!
PHFaust: On Behalf Jeff B. and all of us here thank you so much for taking time out of your busy schedule Allen. For more info about Allen and his Geckos visit http://www.reptiles.repashy.com/ and for more info about the New Caledonia Symposium visit http://www.geckosymposium.org/cms/. Once again Thank you Allen for your time!
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Cindy
PHFaust

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