Ideal arboreal beginner gecko????

[CIRE]

Hi all, I was wondering what you thought would be the best "beginner" arboreal gecko...also, how much do crested geckos usually sell for...? (the cheapest I've seen so far is $80 for one - a baby)

Thanks!

 

[atavuss]

you really can't go wrong with a crested gecko, very easy to care for! tokays are very hardy as well, but IMHO, crested geckos are nicer to look at and you don't have to worry about a crested gecko latching on your finger and never letting go like a tokay might! I have seen juv crested geckos here @ reptile shows for 50.00 U.S.

 

[Highlander]

Yes 50.00 dollars is a good price for young cresties.Some other good choices are tokay geckos,day geckos and bibrons geckos.The very common house gecko is another choice but I doubt you would want one because they are very small,very fast, and very UN exotic

 

[CIRE]

I don't truly care about the "exotic factor", but I wouldn't mind it either... ...are "house geckos" generally for sale? or do people just catch them and keep them as pets usually?

As far as narrowing down my choices, I'm looking for a species that doesn't get too large...I would like to be able to fit maybe two in a 20 gallon aquarium...

Also, I have the option to wait until mid september to go to a reptile show...do you think it would be better to wait and see what people there are offering than to go to a petstore and buy one?

 

[Highlander]

Reptile shows are almost always your better choice.You could fit one crested in a 20 gallon.Other peolple will say two would be fine in a 20 gallon but it is best to take the very best care you can of your animals and part of this includes giving them the biggest and most naturaly decorated tank you can.

 

[Highlander]

Oh and yes house geckos are very easy to find for sale.

 

[Lasiodora]

I agree, Crested geckos would be the best choice. You can handle them and they are less flighty and nervous than other arboreal geckos. Day Geckos are beautiful but they are fast. You would be amazed how quickly they can dart out of an enclosure if they feel threatened ( they make awesome dispaly animals though). House geckos are nice too, but again they are look don't touch, like the day geckos. I don't handle any of my reptiles so that is not a problem for me. It's something you should consider though if you want something you could occasionally take out. You can comfortably keep a breeding trio (1 male,2 females) of crested geckos in a 20 or 30g tank.
Mike

 

[Bothrops]

I'll say a Gecko Tokay.

 

[protheus]

How about O. monolis ("marbled velvet gecko")? My wife has one; beautiful, arboreal, and "friendly" comparatively to some. I haven't had him bite at me; he doesn't like being picked up, but I have had him jump out of the enclosure and climb all over me when she was doing tank maintenance...

Seems easy to care for so far.

Chris

 

[CIRE]

Thanks for all the suggestions! I'm going to the Toronto Reptile Expo in September so I'll see what they have there...I was also looking at maybe getting some type of tree frog instead...are they easier to keep (relative to geckos I mean)...? Does anybody have any experience with them?

Thanks!

 

[protheus]

I was also looking at maybe getting some type of tree frog instead...are they easier to keep (relative to geckos I mean)...? Does anybody have any experience with them?

The little I've seen of amphibians suggests to me that reptiles are easier to care for. I may be wrong, though.

Chris

 

[Lasiodora]

It's all based upon your preference. Some amphibs are just as easy to care for as reptiles. They just have different enviornmental requirements. It also depends on the species of tree frogs. Exactly what are you looking for? Are you looking for something you can occasionally hold, something that is tropical, aggressive/non-aggressive, minimal care, big/small, colorful/cryptic, for display only? Can you narrow it down. It will help us give you better suggestions.
Mike

 

[Highlander]

I would suggest a whites tree frog or a green tree frog.

 

[CIRE]

It's all based upon your preference. Some amphibs are just as easy to care for as reptiles. They just have different enviornmental requirements. It also depends on the species of tree frogs. Exactly what are you looking for? Are you looking for something you can occasionally hold, something that is tropical, aggressive/non-aggressive, minimal care, big/small, colorful/cryptic, for display only? Can you narrow it down. It will help us give you better suggestions.
Mike

I'm hoping to get 2 (or 3 max) specimens (of what, I don't know yet), but they will be placed in a 20 gallon aquarium (roughly 17 inches tall), so that pretty much narrows my search down to smaller species only...

The tree frogs that I have been looking at so far have been red-eyed tree frogs, gray tree frogs and green tree frogs...

I'm not truly planning on holding whatever I get, but that option is always a plus...

As far as amount of care is concerned...well, I've never owned any reptiles or amphibians (well, I had an iguana awhile ago, but I was very young and wasn't really responsible for taking care of it...) so with that in mind, the amount of care and maintenance would preferably be suitable for a beginner such as myself...

Thanks for everybody's input so far!

-Eric

 

[Highlander]

Well in my opinion red eyed tree frogs are best left to the intermediate hobbyist.I would go with green tree frogs.They are inexpensive and easy to care for.If you want a good book about tree frogs check out "Popular Tree Frogs by philipe De Vosjoli.Best of luck with whatever animal you decide on

Jonathan/Highlander