Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Under normal circumstances, I am an avid snake fan...But I also love geckos. I've heard many good things about crested geckos, and I'm trying to talk myself out of buying one. It's not really working. So, I'm trying to do a little research about them to decide if I really want to commit to getting another reptile. I know some herp care books are better than others, and as far as cresteds go, I don't know anything. Can anyone recommend a good guide book for cresteds? Also, how expensive is it to keep a crested?

Thanks.
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0.1 Banded California kingsnake - Zorro
1.0 Betta fish - Billy
0.0.3 White Cloud Fish
1.0 RES - Chopstick
0.1 Australian Shepherd - Jet
0.1 Domestic Shorthair Mix Cat - Pirate

I got my tank for free from my girlfriend. (Hexagon, post below actually), bought a brick of eco earth, some gecko food, some leaves, and some hides. Together with the on sale gecko...I spent maybe $100 total. (He's PIMPED out though. haha)
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"What is man without the beasts?
If all the beasts were gone,
men would die from great loneliness of spirit.
For what happens to the beasts,
soon happens to men.
All things are connected."

-Chief Seattle (Duwamish Tribe)

That setup looks amazing. Your gecko looks like he's enjoying himself. How's his temperament?
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0.1 Banded California kingsnake - Zorro
1.0 Betta fish - Billy
0.0.3 White Cloud Fish
1.0 RES - Chopstick
0.1 Australian Shepherd - Jet
0.1 Domestic Shorthair Mix Cat - Pirate

I only handle him a few minutes at a time because I fear him leaping and my cats eating him, but usually he chills, licks me, then tries to jump on my chest. Otherwise, he's pretty mellow.
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"What is man without the beasts?
If all the beasts were gone,
men would die from great loneliness of spirit.
For what happens to the beasts,
soon happens to men.
All things are connected."

-Chief Seattle (Duwamish Tribe)

Cresteds are great little geckos and hard to talk oneself out of. I'll also warn you they are addicting. There are a few good print an online resources out there.

If you are looking to eventually breed your geckos or want to get more of the Rhac species I would suggest the book "Rhacodactylus: A Complete Guide to their Selection and Care" by Philippe De Vosjoli, Allen Repashy, and Frank Fast. That is usually considered the "Rhac bible" and has lots of detailed info. It can be found online and from some people for about $40, a little expensive because it is out of print.

If you are looking for just a general care guide, and nothing too fancy about breeding or the other Rhacs, "Crested Geckos" by Philippe De Vosjoli is perfectly fine. It can be found at most reptile shops for about 5-$10.

Another great online resource is Allen Repashy's Reptile forums. It is open to all reptiles, but mostly ends up being people with geckos, and even moreso people with experience with Rhacs. It is also great because Allen Repashy is who makes the Crested Gecko Diet (CGD) and you can get updates on when the formula is being changed and how.

Hope some of these suggestions help! Good luck resisting a crestie now, lol!

I just bought the (second) book...Fudge...

It will probably be a few months before I can actually get one anyway, but I'm starting the research now. A big thank you to everyone who replied to this post. If there's anything else you can think to add, feel free. I'll probably be plaguing all of you with stupid questions, so be prepared.
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0.1 Banded California kingsnake - Zorro
1.0 Betta fish - Billy
0.0.3 White Cloud Fish
1.0 RES - Chopstick
0.1 Australian Shepherd - Jet
0.1 Domestic Shorthair Mix Cat - Pirate

Ah, the second book is fine. Thats all I have too right now.

It's good that you are doing your research and making sure you can handle now though, before getting one. The Repashy forums see lots of people who get and and then find us and go "what now?"

I did a fair bit of research before getting my California kingsnake, but I still have questions - and I probably drive the people on the kingsnake forum nuts. I appreciate all of you being so patient and forthcoming with information. You definitely make a newcomer feel welcome.
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0.1 Banded California kingsnake - Zorro
1.0 Betta fish - Billy
0.0.3 White Cloud Fish
1.0 RES - Chopstick
0.1 Australian Shepherd - Jet
0.1 Domestic Shorthair Mix Cat - Pirate

Questions are one thing. Buying the snake without knowing ANYTHING is a completely different story.
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"What is man without the beasts?
If all the beasts were gone,
men would die from great loneliness of spirit.
For what happens to the beasts,
soon happens to men.
All things are connected."

-Chief Seattle (Duwamish Tribe)

The only real negative thing I can say about cresteds is that they poop *everywhere* - this of course means that cleaning up after them can be quite a task sometimes, as opposed to, say, leopard geckos, who pick one spot to use as a bathroom. Other than that, they're awesome. I love mine. She's so goofy and comical that even when she decides it's necessary to poop in her water bowl, I only grumble a little bit about having to clean it.

As to the expense of keeping them, depending on what morph you get and what sort of caging you get, the initial expense is quite variable (anywhere from under $100 to several hundred dollars), but maintenance expense going forward is pretty minimal. CGD (Crested Gecko Diet) costs $6 or so for a bottle that lasts several months. You don't even have to provide crickets if you don't want to, so realistically, they only cost a few cents a day to feed. That said, they do LOVE crickets as a treat, so I'd feel bad not at least occasionally giving them to mine, especially since I have to keep them around for my leopard gecko anyway.

There's some decent basic care info here: http://www.pangeareptile.com/id52.htm

It doesn't cover everything, but it's an ok starting point, and of course you're welcome to ask questions here after you've got the basic info down.
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0.1 Albino Leopard Gecko - Tigger
0.1 Crested Gecko - Pooh-Bear

Whatever you do, stay away from the book by Adam Black... By far the worst Crested Gecko book I have ever read, and unfortunately it seems like every chain pet store has this book.