Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Im thinking of getting some Crested gecko's and I want to get them from all over from different breeders. Before I do this Im curious as to how many Crested Gecko's were imported to bring us where we are today ? I never see wild animals offered for sale so I doubt there is much fresh genetics being pulled into the gene pool ??? Any help would be appreciated.

Regards,

Keith Hillson
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Keith, I don't know how many crested were legally imported but I do know that many more were smuggled into the US. I think that you would do well to obtain your crested from many different sources and it wouldn't hurt to find out where your suppliers got thiers. More importantly though you should look at the characteristics of the geckos you purchase. If you are buying babies look at the characteristics of the adults. Wide heads with long crests, straight pelvic girdles, large adult size, and a chunky appearance are things to look for. Also, I think you get what you pay for. If you buy your stock from someone who just cranks out 100's of babies and sells them at rock bottom prices you might not be getting the same quality as from a smaller breeder who carefully selects thier stock and produces fewer but higher quality specimens that may be a little more expensive. -Derek

I really don't think it's that big of a problem. If you're concerned just think about how many Bearded Dragons and Carpet Pythons (or anything else from Australia) are being bred in the US and how big of a gene pool there could possibly be. I think the Crested Gecko gene pool is much larger than anything from Australia, so as long as breeders don't get too carried away with selective breeding, there shouldn't be much to worry about.

As far as buying from different breeders goes, I think it depends on where those breeders got their stock. I for one, have Cresteds from probably a dozen different breeders and I'm always looking for new stock to add to my groups.

Thanks,
Anthony

>>Im thinking of getting some Crested gecko's and I want to get them from all over from different breeders. Before I do this Im curious as to how many Crested Gecko's were imported to bring us where we are today ? I never see wild animals offered for sale so I doubt there is much fresh genetics being pulled into the gene pool ??? Any help would be appreciated.
>>
>>Regards,
>>
>>Keith Hillson
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Anthony Caponetto
www.ACreptiles.com