Your Favorite Gecko...

[lizardminion]

I have to ask.
While I'm reading up on the many species of these fascinating lizards, I'm thinking- "What is everyone's favorite gecko... ?" Knowing that Arachnoboards is a generally active site(we all know this), and that anyone here who keeps more than inverts is probably a herpetoculturist, I'll throw this question here. So, like my almost-mirror thread on frogs, what is your favorite specie(s) of gecko and why? If you have some pics, post them!
This isn't a "What species to you recommend for beginners" thread, although feel free to include in your post "The species I like the most and is suitable for the beginner".

Contrary to popular opinion, I like the geckos of the Hemidactylus genus. (house geckos) I particularly fancy the viper gecko simply because it looks pretty cool and is easy to care for, although I was a tad surprised seeing how freakin' small it was. So I'd thought I'd seek some more varieties of geckos, or rather, have others do so, and post this thread. Remember though, post what your favorite species is, not what you think I or any beginner should get. I already have an idea of what is suitable and what is not.
:biggrin:

 

[seacowst]

id have to say tokay geckos. there the best imo. i loved mine so much and care wise they were easy to take care of. there cheap too

 

[Dr Acula]

Leopard geckos their eyes are awesome and they don't climb glass

 

[lizardminion]

I almost forgot my love for geckos of the Coleonyx genus. They're like leopard geckos of the new world! Screw Viper Geckos, I need a Central American or a Texan Banded Gecko breeding pair...

 

[MaskFac3]

I like Halloween harlequin cresties

 

[Hayden]

My favorite is the best kind of gecko, and the kind I breed, the Tokay! They are beautiful, sassy, and you CAN actually tame them down. Super easy to care for. And look at that smile!

 

[catfishrod69]

My favorites are mossy leaf tail, cork bark, tiki, and tokay.

 

[Hayden]

It's nice to see so many Tokay fans. I get so much crap for being so into them. I'm hoping to have some babies by the end of the year.

 

[catfishrod69]

Thats really cool. I was going to try to find a female for my male, but decided not to. My boy is 8" right now.

It's nice to see so many Tokay fans. I get so much crap for being so into them. I'm hoping to have some babies by the end of the year.

 

[lizardminion]

I'm not sure about tokays. They look neat and all, but I heard they had a nasty bite, not to mention I heard they weren't very handleable, so...
But I don't entirely trust those reports.

 

[Hayden]

Thats really cool. I was going to try to find a female for my male, but decided not to. My boy is 8" right now.

I'm looking for a male for my new female, hoping to pick one up next weekend. They are such a cool lizard. I think they're the prettiest. Have you guys seen the piebald and leucistic morphs? Freaking amazing.

I'm not sure about tokays. They look neat and all, but I heard they had a nasty bite, not to mention I heard they weren't very handleable, so...
But I don't entirely trust those reports.

The bite really isn't that bad. Mostly just pressure. They're hard to get off your finger, but I mostly get "screamed" at, rarely bitten, so it's really not much of a concern. As far as their handlability, it depends on the geckos disposition and how much effort you're willing to put forth. Almost all Tokays in the pet trade are wild caught, and almost nothing wild caught is going to be docile right off the bat. Even CB animals that are rarely held are iffy sometimes. The difference between Tokays and other geckos is that Tokays resort to "fight" instead of "fight." If you start working with them very slowly you can tame them, and they become sort of like Cresteds. They'll walk all over you, sit on your shoulder. It's pretty cool. I can write up a thing on taming techniques later if you guys want.

-Hayden

 

[spinningspider]

DIPLODACTYLUS! And pretty much all the aussies. I love phyllrus

 

[lizardminion]

The bite really isn't that bad. Mostly just pressure. They're hard to get off your finger, but I mostly get "screamed" at, rarely bitten, so it's really not much of a concern. As far as their handlability, it depends on the geckos disposition and how much effort you're willing to put forth. Almost all Tokays in the pet trade are wild caught, and almost nothing wild caught is going to be docile right off the bat. Even CB animals that are rarely held are iffy sometimes. The difference between Tokays and other geckos is that Tokays resort to "fight" instead of "fight." If you start working with them very slowly you can tame them, and they become sort of like Cresteds. They'll walk all over you, sit on your shoulder. It's pretty cool. I can write up a thing on taming techniques later if you guys want.

-Hayden

Spill out all the knowledge you got.

 

[Hayden]

Okay. First off, you want to start off in the day time while it's cooler so they're less crazy. Start by very carefully and slowly moving your flattened hand palm down towards their heads. You're going to want to eventually work your hand so it rests under their heads. Now, this doesn't take an hour, this takes days of working up to it. Slowly but steady. It's better to go too slow than too fast and ruin everything.
Once you can do that without screaming, labored breathing (mine take really deep breaths when they get nervous), barking, biting or running away, you can VERY GENTLY nudge the gecko's butt so that it takes a step onto your hand. Don't move your hand, let them rest on it like a tree branch. Once you can do that, you can slowly and gently remove your hand from the cage. Realize Tokays are fast and they can run off, so be prepared. Repeat this and you MAY be able to tame your tokay. Remember that this isn't a one day thing; if you want to handle your Tokay, be prepared to work for weeks. Also remember that not all tokays can be tamed, regardless of how much work you do with them, so don't be disappointed if you can't tame yours down. Again, CB do better than WC, but nobody really offers CB.

You can all feel free to PM me if you have questions about them. I don't claim to be an expert, but I do know a fair amount.

 

[Thistles]

My favorites are the Satanic leaf tails, Uroplatus phantasticus! They're SO COOOOOOL!!! I also love electric blues/William's geckos, Lygodactylus williamsi. For a beginner, I definitely think the best is the crested gecko. Leopards are the usual recommendation, but their higher heat and insect diet requirements make them a lot more work for most beginners.

And Tokays are satan.

 

[Hayden]

I want to argue with you, but one of my females in the tank next to my bed is making "stank face" at me because I committed the heinous crime of rolling over. My bad, psycho lizard.

 

[Ben Oliver]

tokays, velvet, golden have to be some of my favorites. tokays have a good bite just like the other species of geckos. they just don't like to let go when they bite but if you give them a few min they will let go on their own. you can lose some blood but not as much as people would say, the only way you will lose more is if you try to pull them off and they can take what they have in their mouth.

 

[Camden]

Surprised to see no mention of Rhacodactylus leachianus! I love leachies. HUGE gecko, aside from leachies, I love African fat-tails, satanic leaf tails, tokays. Geckos are just frickin cool in general. Even little house geckos are cool.

 

[Hayden]

Leachies are pretty awesome... And great with electronics!

 

[skar]

Leachies and leopard geckos. Why you ask ¿ Because they look awesome and bonus ! ! Easy to care for and don't seem to mind being held.