A Few Crested Gecko Questions

One of my friends wants to get a pet reptile and he is leaning towards a lizard. I suggested a crested gecko as pretty much all online line sites suggest them a one of the best first lizards. He is a big botanist as well so he wanted a lizard that he could design a really cool planted vivarium for. Do y'all approve of my suggestion or do you think there is a better lizard for him? Also I am trying to steer him away from big box stores so what are some good breeders I can point him to? He's been doing a lot of research on them and their care so I believe that he should be ready for a crestie.

A crested gecko is a great suggestion for a first lizard and a planted and/or bioactive enclosure is perfect for one of those.

He should check out these places:
Pangea Reptile (for the gecko and supplies): https://www.pangeareptile.com/store/
Josh's Frogs (for plants and bioactive supplies): https://www.joshsfrogs.com/

Both are or will be doing Black Friday sales. I would suggest purchasing plants from these retailers in order to make sure that they are safe for use with a crested gecko (some plants are toxic to reptiles).

Other resources:
https://www.pangeareptile.com/store/...-sheet-en.html
https://www.pangeareptile.com/store/blog.html

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Originally Posted by mlededee

A crested gecko is a great suggestion for a first lizard and a planted and/or bioactive enclosure is perfect for one of those.

He should check out these places:
Pangea Reptile (for the gecko and supplies): https://www.pangeareptile.com/store/
Josh's Frogs (for plants and bioactive supplies): https://www.joshsfrogs.com/

Both are or will be doing Black Friday sales. I would suggest purchasing plants from these retailers in order to make sure that they are safe for use with a crested gecko (some plants are toxic to reptiles).

Other resources:
https://www.pangeareptile.com/store/...-sheet-en.html
https://www.pangeareptile.com/store/blog.html

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Awesome! Thank you so much! He actually really wants to do a bioactive setup so this is great!

Ok one more question. I told my friend bigger is always better and so now we is looking at getting a 55 gallon tank for a crested gecko. Would this stress a baby crestie or would it be fine and make it just really hard to find?

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Originally Posted by Reptile$ 4 Life

Ok one more question. I told my friend bigger is always better and so now we is looking at getting a 55 gallon tank for a crested gecko. Would this stress a baby crestie or would it be fine and make it just really hard to find?

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You want to go with height over length because these guys are arboreal. Most people start them off in a 18in high 12 in wide enclosure. I've always been of the opinion that too big for a baby might cause some issues in them hunting/finding their food. I would recommend if possible, findings a tall over a long enclosure, and they're relatively inexpensive at most box stores.

He wants to convert it to a vertical terrarium. It does make sense to start them in something smaller though.

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Originally Posted by Reptile$ 4 Life

He wants to convert it to a vertical terrarium. It does make sense to start them in something smaller though.

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I've actually seen kits for sale for 20 long aquariums that convert them to a front opening vertical enclosure, so I'm sure he could do that. Personally, and this is based off nothing but my own preference, I like starting them in something smaller. It made it easier for me to find them number 1, and I weigh all my animals every month to make sure they're growing well, and number 2, it's easier I think for them to find their food.

I also can't recommend Pangea food enough, and I would let your friend know that they eat so little when they're small that it's going to seem like they're not eating at all, just to curb any worry they may have about their new friend.

Thank you so much for the advice. I will definitely talk to him about all of this.

10 gallon is really the max size for a baby crested gecko, for best results. He should look at the terrariums that Exo Terra and Zoo Med make that are specifically designed for bioactive enclosures. I think those will give the best overall final results.

If he gets an adult gecko, that will make it so the gecko can go into a larger size terrarium right away. But another option, is to use a smaller temporary enclosure while the baby grows up. Get the baby, use a smaller enclosure for 6-12 months (feed insects twice per week along with the Pangea crested gecko foods for faster growth), and during that time get all of the supplies and build out the bioactive enclosure. Let the bioactive enclosure get established and ready to go. That takes time, during which the baby can be growing up in a more appropriately sized enclosure. Once baby is subadult size, move it into the bioactive enclosure.

That's a really good idea. I'll talk to him about it. Also what are some good breeders?