gecko question
- Thread starter Kayv
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crested geckos are very cool, petacular in Antioch has a bunch of hatchlings, last time I heard they were 49.99.
how close to east bay vivarium in berkeley are you? that place is heaven on earth for a herp lover.
Ed
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eper-ani,
I don't think it's a good idea to keep other gex in with New Caledonia Gargoyle Geckos, Rhachodactylus auriculatus. This species, based partly upon it's dental structure, is somewhat Saurophagus, meaning they eat other lizards. Geckos and skinks, as well as the staple arthropods make up their wild diet.
later,
john
I don't think it's a good idea to keep other gex in with New Caledonia Gargoyle Geckos, Rhachodactylus auriculatus. This species, based partly upon it's dental structure, is somewhat Saurophagus, meaning they eat other lizards. Geckos and skinks, as well as the staple arthropods make up their wild diet.
later,
john
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I'm not real sure about gargoyle geckos, but I know everyone gives tokay's a bad rap and i house 3 of them together with a marbled gecko and a golden gecko with no problems at all. If you are going to put it in with another type of gecko don't throw in something say the size of a banded velvet gecko. Something of that size has a very good chance of being eaten.
~~~Psycho~~~
~~~Psycho~~~
did some reading up on them and gargoyle gecko males should not be together with other males. it said that they can however be housed with females or females w/ other females. gonna do more reading up thought because i plan on trying to breed them
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As John wrote, Gargoyle Geckos, Rhacodactylus auriculatus, cannot be housed with other lizards except for same-sized members of their own species (never two mature males though). I recommend housing Gargoyles alone except for adult breeding pairs. Gargoyles do feed on lizards in their natural habitat and have the dentition and skull adapted for that behavior.
I breed loads of Rhacodactylus, especially Gargoyles and Cresteds, and they are awesome lizards and good pets. While Cresteds usually feed well on both insects and fruit, Gargoyles often change their food preferences every once in a while. One that was eating crickets may suddenly refuse them and only eat fruit (e.g., peach and Hawaiian Delight baby food, finely chopped peach, papaya, apricot, mango, etc.) Then a few months later will all of a sudden prefer insects, lizards, or even pinkies.
Young cresteds prefer crickets that are 1/2 - 3/4 the size of their head, while young Gargoyles may refuse small crickets and prefer those that are bigger their head and have to be overpowered. That's just part of their "more carnivorous nature".
One big difference between the two is their growth rates and time to maturity. Cresteds grow fairly quickly and can reach maturity in as little as 6-7 months (although I recommend waiting until they're closer to a year old), while Gargoyles grow much slowly and don't mature until about 18 months.
Another difference is that Cresteds generally do fine at room temperature (74-78 F) and will stress at temps much over 80 F, but Gargoyles do better in the 78-82F range with a warmer spot that reaches about 86F.
I breed loads of Rhacodactylus, especially Gargoyles and Cresteds, and they are awesome lizards and good pets. While Cresteds usually feed well on both insects and fruit, Gargoyles often change their food preferences every once in a while. One that was eating crickets may suddenly refuse them and only eat fruit (e.g., peach and Hawaiian Delight baby food, finely chopped peach, papaya, apricot, mango, etc.) Then a few months later will all of a sudden prefer insects, lizards, or even pinkies.
Young cresteds prefer crickets that are 1/2 - 3/4 the size of their head, while young Gargoyles may refuse small crickets and prefer those that are bigger their head and have to be overpowered. That's just part of their "more carnivorous nature".
One big difference between the two is their growth rates and time to maturity. Cresteds grow fairly quickly and can reach maturity in as little as 6-7 months (although I recommend waiting until they're closer to a year old), while Gargoyles grow much slowly and don't mature until about 18 months.
Another difference is that Cresteds generally do fine at room temperature (74-78 F) and will stress at temps much over 80 F, but Gargoyles do better in the 78-82F range with a warmer spot that reaches about 86F.
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hey thanks for the information, really helps. i read up a lot about gargoyle and crested geckos, looks like you know your stuff. its good to have information from someone who breeds them and has a lot of experience about them. 1 last question though, i read that they are fairly easy to breed, can you tell me about your breeding experiences on them? thank you very much.
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Crested geckos are just about as easy to breed as leopard geckos. Put a mature sexual pair together and wait for eggs! They will lay a number of pairs of eggs in succession just like leos too. My females receive plenty of calcium (Miner-ALL I) and have no problems. Between my "fruit goop" [2 parts peach baby food to 1 part Hawaiian delight baby food supplemented with Reptivite & Miner-ALL I and then "resweetened" with a couple of tablespoons of Gecko Gourmet - a powder for fruit & nectar eating geckos that works wonders with my day geckos] and many gut-loaded crickets and occasionally roaches, the females stay heavy and productive. I'll remove the male if the female doesn't regain weight or has produced more than 6 pairs of eggs.
Look for the Reptiles magazine 2003 Annual Issue, which has a great article by Allen Repashy who probably produces more cresteds each year than anyone.
Look for the Reptiles magazine 2003 Annual Issue, which has a great article by Allen Repashy who probably produces more cresteds each year than anyone.
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Rhacos and tokays are very different species. I think rhaco species should only be kept with their own. I am not a big fan of mixed species tanks anyway, unless their ranges overlap in the wild and you have a big enough enclosure. You also run the risk of introducing disease and parasites when mixing species.
Mike
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You resurrected a thread that's over three years old and has NOTHING to do with your question...why, now?
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I didn't read every single word of every post, so please forgive me if I repeat anything already said... but, Gargoyles cannot be housed together at any age if different in size... and never mature males (which I did see mentioned). I have a friend that breeds Gargoyles and even her hatchlings are separated pretty early, if not right away. They have a tendency to munch on each others' tails and worse! Fortunately, Gargoyles' tails grow back eventually... but not quickly.
I have Crested Geckos, or R. ciliatus, and they are housed together until they are around 5-6 months old... depending on individual behaviours... and my adult females are housed together while "cooling" from breeding time (otherwise, a male lives with up to 3 females during breeding... in a few months).
I agree with the Tokay person... I only have the one for now, but I plan to house my male with a couple females (as soon as I find some CB and unrelated ones) My little guy is barky and nippy, but his beauty makes up for his defensiveness all the way.
Good Luck! Oh, and if you wanna see my available geckos, pm me. I have a few right now that were born in July and then September, so they are very ready to go and well started.
I have Crested Geckos, or R. ciliatus, and they are housed together until they are around 5-6 months old... depending on individual behaviours... and my adult females are housed together while "cooling" from breeding time (otherwise, a male lives with up to 3 females during breeding... in a few months).
I agree with the Tokay person... I only have the one for now, but I plan to house my male with a couple females (as soon as I find some CB and unrelated ones) My little guy is barky and nippy, but his beauty makes up for his defensiveness all the way.
Good Luck! Oh, and if you wanna see my available geckos, pm me. I have a few right now that were born in July and then September, so they are very ready to go and well started.