PHFaust: On behalf of Jeff Barringer and all of us at kingsnake.com, I'm sincerely thank Garrick DeMeyer from www.crestedgecko.com for being our May Guest Chatter! It started with one. A childhood love of reptiles form his life. From the smallest anoles that he kept as pets to everything in between Garrick has enjoyed his time in reptiles. From working in a pet store and learning about the retail end, to interning at both the Sedwick County Zoo in Wichita, Kansas and the Houston Zoo, to starting his own private breeding business, he has seen all aspects of the business. Striving to provide high quality managable pets to people, Garrick is best known for his geckos. Cresties, Leos, Day Geckos, Fat Tails, Tokays. He has worked with most of the species in the trade. Tonight he will answer questions on geckos in general. Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls I present Garrick DeMeyer, of www.crestedgecko.com and also a fellow cheese head![
PHFaust: Garrick, would you like to start by telling us what makes a gecko of any species a great pet?
CrestedGecko.com: Well, many species are easy to care for. They also stay very small. Even the leachies are small compared to most reptiles.
CrestedGecko.com: I think cresteds, leopards, and fat tails probably make the best pets. They are all very common. They come in many colors and patterns. They also have minimal care requirements.
loconorc: Do leachies have the same bouncy, puppy dog personality as cresties? Also, how is their growth rate and whats the biggest locale besides the fabled type C?
CrestedGecko.com: Good question. I've only been working with leachies for a year and a half. I have a breeding pair of Isle E. They are very calm geckos, much more so than crested geckos. They will usually just rest comfortably in your hand for as long as you want them to. Not as jumpy! I don't know as much about the different localities as I'd like to- not yet anyway. I really couldn't tell you exactly which types get the biggest.
CrestedGecko.com: I hatched 6 babies last year and currently have 3 eggs incubating.
loconorc: thanks, i plan on one within the next year or so
CrestedGecko.com: They grow slow compared to other geckos, though.
loconorc: what locale are you breeding, if you dont mind me asking?
CrestedGecko.com: My pair is from Isle E. My one holdback that hatched last June is about 50 grams already.
loconorc: thank you, im going to check out your site for a few minutes before bed. thanks!
CrestedGecko.com: I just received a Pine Isle that is about 18 months old and its smaller than my yearling E.
StickyHands: I got my first crested eggs to hatch this morning, is there anything special I can do to get them started on the right path. Ive read the basics but when should I be expecting them to start eating small crickets, etc.
CrestedGecko.com: If possible, set them up individually. Sterlite shoeboxes work great. Keep it simple- paper towel, a hiding place, and a very shallow water bowl. They won't eat until they are 3-4 days old. 1/4 inch crickets are fine, but only 2-3 at a time.
CrestedGecko.com: I also feed my the Repashy CGD, which they eat very well.
StickyHands: thanks alot
CrestedGecko.com: Check my care info page on my site, too. There are a lot of good tips on raising babies.
DemonFrog: DO you see cresties over taking the leo in popularity? and why?
squigy has left the room
CrestedGecko.com: I don't see them taking over. Leopards are just too awesome and make such good pets. I can say that they will soon rival leopards in popularity. Most people that see a crested in person get completely addicted to them.
CrestedGecko.com: I've had a huge increase in demand for them over the past few months, especially at the wholesale level.
DemonFrog: lol, ok thanks
sport72186: What humidity level should leopard gecko eggs be incubated at? and what advice/tips do you have for a first time breeder interested in reptile breeding as a hobby?
CrestedGecko.com: I keep my leopard eggs in 8oz deli cups with slightly moistened vermiculite. It should be just barely moist enough to pack when squeezed, but no water should squeeze out. I only poke one pinhole in the side of the cup for air exchange.
CrestedGecko.com: Egg incubation can be tricky until you get the hang of it. I recommend Hatch Rite for beginners.
CrestedGecko.com: As far as tips for beginners- learn as much as you possibly can. Books, mags, talking to breeders, etc. Also, love what you keep and keep what you love as far as species go. You'll have the best success that way.
sport72186: any humidity percentages?
sport72186: i have a little giant incubator
CrestedGecko.com: The actual percentage is probably about 80%. I honestly don't worry about the incubator's humidity percentage because the eggs do fine if you have the water to vermiculite ratio correct. That is why Hatch Rite is so nice. It already has the proper amount mixed it. It takes the guess work out of it.
sport72186: ok i currently have peat moss in the lay box and was planning on using that, but ill consider hatch rite. thanks for the advice
CrestedGecko.com: The eggs won't hatch in the laying box. I would move them to an incubator. Check out the care info page on my site. I have a lot more details about how to set that up including pics.
chamgranny: My adult leos will not eat. I purchased from you. My babies we purchased from you are eating wonderful. What can I do to make the adults eat.
CrestedGecko.com: Acclimating adults can be tricky and sometimes frustrating. I keep mine in sterlite shoeboxes. If they get moved to a tank, especially if it has bright lights on it, they can get stressed and won't want to eat.
CrestedGecko.com: As far as acclimating the adults. Try covering the glass sides of the tank with black paper. Keep the cage dimly lit, but warm, about 85.
CrestedGecko.com: Offer them mealworms in a shallow bowl. I feed nearly all of my leopards mealworms exclusively.
nice68ss: what is a recommended number of females for 1 male leo and cresteds
nice68ss: also for a proper temp for breeding season i have them at 90-94 degrees
CrestedGecko.com: For leos, a group of 1.3 or 1.4 is fine. If you have a large cage, you could probably even do 1.5 or 1.6, but usually a few of the females will get stressed and not do as well. If you want one male to breed a lot of females, I'd keep several small groups of females and rotate the male.
CrestedGecko.com: For cresties, I recommend 1.3. It seems if you go much higher that that, you will get more infertile eggs.
nice68ss: and for the temps is 90 good
nice68ss: ok
CrestedGecko.com: I keep my ambient cage temps at 84-85 with hot spots of 90 for my leos.
nice68ss: ok so i am doing it right
CrestedGecko.com: Cresteds do best if kept at 78-80 during the day and 72-75 at night.
nice68ss: and in a 20gal long i can do a 1.4
nice68ss: ok
CrestedGecko.com: 1.4 should be ok in a 20 long, but keep an eye on everyone to make sure they are all feeding and keeping good bodyweight.
nice68ss: ty Garrick
DemonFrog: Do you prefer to feed cresteds crickets and baby food or would you rather feed all baby food/crested diet?
CrestedGecko.com: I get really tired of the mess crickets make. We go through about 20,000 per week at this time of year. I feed my cresteds the CGD 3 times a week and crickets dusted with calcium and vitamins onc a week.
Chance: Considering cresteds are polygenic animals by nature, has there been much work done stabilizing color "mutations"?
Chance: If even possible, of course.
CrestedGecko.com: It's proving to be difficult. I try to breed animals with similar colors and patterns to each other, but even by doing that, I still some different morphs produced. I think that over the coarse of several more generations, we should start seeing more consistency.
StickyHands: ok should i take the small crickets i added today and put them back in a couple days? might it stress them
StickyHands: they did hatch last night
CrestedGecko.com: Definitely. Crickets crawling on baby cresteds is very stressful for them. I'd give them another day or two. I'd probably try babyfood or CG Diet first.
nice68ss: for hatchling leos what do you recommend feeding
CrestedGecko.com: If you can find really small meaworms, about 1/2 inch long, that is the best way to go. Just make sure to offer them in a dish that is shallow enough for the gecko to see into, but not so shallow the mealworms can escape.
nice68ss: and would you recommend separating hatchlings right away
CrestedGecko.com: If you can, but I have raised cresteds and leopards together as long as they are the same size.
CrestedGecko.com: You can also feed phoenix worms or 1/4 inch crickets.
nice68ss: ty and i am enjoying the leos from you i got a 20 lot from you thanks again garrick
Buffysmom: My 2 adult female cresteds started nipping at each other yesterday when I put crickets in the cage. Should I worry about bullying, or was it just a feeding response & I should watch for that?
CrestedGecko.com: Probably just a feeding response considering you just put crickets in there. Cresteds will nip at anything that moves if they know there is food nearby.
Buffysmom: Thanks
DemonFrog: how much of a transition is it for someone like me who is used to snakes to care for a group of cresteds?
CrestedGecko.com: I work with snakes, too. Mostly ball pythons and boa constrictors. Cresteds are easy to care for, but they do require more frequent care than most snakes do.
DemonFrog: as in feeding and cleaning?
CrestedGecko.com: They aren't as high maintenance as say bearded dragons.
DemonFrog: alright, thanks.
CrestedGecko.com: They can be fed every other day. If you want to leave on a weekend, just feed and water them before you go. For cleaning, you will want to wipe down the glass of the tank often. They poop down the sides of the tank all the time.
DemonFrog: lol, so they're more like my tree frogs
StickyHands: I noticed you are adding some crested to the iste tomorrow, is there a chance fnor ay females. Ive noticed most sites dont sell many females
CrestedGecko.com: I don't have any females for sale right now. They sell very fast when I do have them. I actually decided to add a bunch of females to my breeding colony. I think I held back over 30 new females last week.
StickyHands: i understand
StickyHands: thats fine just wondered
CrestedGecko.com: As far as updating tomorrow, I probably won't be able to do it. My computer that has my website on it died on me yesterday. I bought a new computer today so I could do this chat. I hope to have the other one fixed soon.
StickyHands: k youve been alot of help , good luck Garrick
CrestedGecko.com: I can at least access email and do most things on this new one, but my master copy of my site is stuck on the other one for now. I can't do updates.
nice68ss: what is your view on feeding waxworms
CrestedGecko.com: Waxworms are fine for underweight animals or to add a little variety to an animal's diet. They are probably too fatty to use as a consistent food source. I really don't use them here.
nice68ss: so would you say phoenix worms over wax
CrestedGecko.com: I think so. I don't think they have as much fat and they are a great source of calcium. I did try them once and everything seemed to like them. I'd use them all the time except they are too expensive for the numbers I'd need to feed everyone here!
Chance: At what age/svl, can you typically determine the sex of a crested, and by what means is most reliable?
CrestedGecko.com: In most cases, cresteds are sexable at about 17 or 18 grams, which is probably about 5-6" including the tail. That is usually a 4-5 month old gecko. I wait for the hemipenal bulges to develop.
nice68ss: is it good to feed pinkies to gravid females
CrestedGecko.com: Its ok to feed pinkies occassionally to breeding females, whether or not they are actually gravid at the time. Some geckos will eat them, others won't.
Slacker6848: is the tokay gecko's temperament really as bad as people say it is? does CB make a big difference with the temperament?
CrestedGecko.com: One of my first exotic lizards was a tokay. One day, I handled him with gloves. He bit the glove and held on. I took the glove off with him still on it and set it in the cage. A half hour later, he was still biting the glove. I'm glad that wasn't my hand!
CrestedGecko.com: Tokays are very aggressive. I'm sure that captive bred ones that are handled regularily can tame down. I've seen a couple that were dog tame.
DemonFrog: would a crested eat an adult green tree frog, could i keep them together?
CrestedGecko.com: Cresteds aren't as bad as Gargoyles for eating cagemates. If the frog's body is bigger than the gecko's head, you should be ok.
PHFaust:On behalf of Jeff Barringer and all of us here at ks.com, Thank You for taking your time to chat with us. Transcripts will be posted with in a few days. Once again, Thank you Garrick. For more information about Garrick, visit, www.crestedgecko.com
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Cindy
PHFaust

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