Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I've been researching these guys for quite a while now, and will hopefully be getting 1 (or 2) in a few months.

Would it be advisable to stay away from hatchlings and opt for animals in the 4-6 month old range?

Basically I'm just wondering if babies really are that much harder to care for than juveniles?
-----
alstiver@hotmail.com

1.0 2001 Hypo snow cornsnake
0.1 2002 Pastel Ghost cornsnake
1.1 2002 Bloodred cornsnakes
0.1 1998 Het Hypo, Het Caramel cornsnake
1.0 2000 Hypo Het Caramel cornsnake

Their care stays pretty much the same their whole life, except hatchlings need a smaller cage. I say get a hatchling so you can see the color and size change.
-----
0.1 "Tremper" looking Albino Leopard gecko (Lex)
0.0.1 tiger crested gecko (peachs)
1.1 Feral cats that we adopted (Fuzzy, and Bear)

i wouldn't recommend a hatchling. although cresteds are some of the easiest geckos to care for, hatchlings are still a bit of a challenge.
juveniles will be more adaptable to small changes and don't need quite as much attention.

up to 4 months old, not right out of the egg. I dont know of any breeders that sell their herps under 1 month old.
-----
0.1 "Tremper" looking Albino Leopard gecko (Lex)
0.0.1 tiger crested gecko (peachs)
1.1 Feral cats that we adopted (Fuzzy, and Bear)

Amanda,

Once they're over the one month old mark, they're really not difficult at all.

The only real difficulty at all with hatchlings is that they can have problems shedding if they're not provided with sufficient humidity. If not given a several hours of high humidity per day (followed by a drying out period), they can retain shed skin and ultimately lose toes, feet or even die.

Once they're a month old or older, they generally are eating well and have proper body weight so that they don't tend to dry out as easily.

-Anthony

>>I've been researching these guys for quite a while now, and will hopefully be getting 1 (or 2) in a few months.
>>
>>Would it be advisable to stay away from hatchlings and opt for animals in the 4-6 month old range?
>>
>>Basically I'm just wondering if babies really are that much harder to care for than juveniles?
>>-----
>>alstiver@hotmail.com
>>
>>1.0 2001 Hypo snow cornsnake
>>0.1 2002 Pastel Ghost cornsnake
>>1.1 2002 Bloodred cornsnakes
>>0.1 1998 Het Hypo, Het Caramel cornsnake
>>1.0 2000 Hypo Het Caramel cornsnake
-----
----------------------------------
Anthony Caponetto
www.ACreptiles.com

some good advice so far.

another thing to consider is this: if you get two, make sure that you can provide a second cage if they both turn out to be males (either you notice aggressive behavior, or bulges on both of them). i know its possible to keep two males together without fighting, but its better to be safe than sorry, right?
-----
mike

If you buy babies, you'll have about 6 months to separate them...and that's only if you end up with 1.1. If they turn out to be 2.0, they'll be fine until they're about 9-10 months old...and maybe longer than that if they're never around females.

In fact, I separate juvies by sex in order to prevent premature breeding, which can be devastating to a female. I generally keep up to 3 juveniles (of the same sex) per cage and have never had any of them fight.

In my experience, juvenile males housed together won't generally fight. Just make sure they're given sufficient hiding areas and cage size. Of course, you don't want to keep multiple males in a cage with females.

All in all, considering a group of adults can be kept (and bred) in a $4 Sterilite or Rubbermaid, I really don't think having two cages ready when you buy two baby Crested Geckos should be much of a concern.

-Anthony

>>some good advice so far.
>>
>>another thing to consider is this: if you get two, make sure that you can provide a second cage if they both turn out to be males (either you notice aggressive behavior, or bulges on both of them). i know its possible to keep two males together without fighting, but its better to be safe than sorry, right?
>>-----
>>mike
-----
----------------------------------
Anthony Caponetto
www.ACreptiles.com

>>I've been researching these guys for quite a while now, and will hopefully be getting 1 (or 2) in a few months.
>>
>>Would it be advisable to stay away from hatchlings and opt for animals in the 4-6 month old range?
>>
>>Basically I'm just wondering if babies really are that much harder to care for than juveniles?
>>-----
>>alstiver@hotmail.com
>>
>>1.0 2001 Hypo snow cornsnake
>>0.1 2002 Pastel Ghost cornsnake
>>1.1 2002 Bloodred cornsnakes
>>0.1 1998 Het Hypo, Het Caramel cornsnake
>>1.0 2000 Hypo Het Caramel cornsnake