Newbie with Crestie questions...

Cresties are somewhat social. Mine definitely tend to hang out together in the cage even with lots of other space available. You probably saw the crestie meeting pic I snapped. :) On the other hand, I understand they'll do fine as solor critters as well, but according to the Rhac book, they are commonly found in clusters in the wild, so I figure they're happier to have company. You can definitely buy two babies and house them together if you want, as males housed together from babies will rarely, if ever, fight, even once they reach adulthood. They just need adequate space in the enclosure as adults so that they're not competing for good spots, and I wouldn't keep 2.1 together once they reach maturity either.

As far as which female laid the eggs, from what I understand, it should be visible for at least a few days before she lays her eggs, but probably the only way to be absolutely certain is to separate your females. But other breeders who post on the ks forum don't do that and seem to have no trouble figuring out the parentage, so I don't think that will be a problem.

As far as the polymorphic characteristics and reproduction, my understanding is that each crestie is limited in what it can produce (makes sense), so if you put (say) a red female with a red male, odds are best of your getting red offspring, though they don't really show their true colors for a few months. Of course, you could end up with a yellow dalmation from a red flame and a plain buckskin. ;) Scooby has brightened up quite a bit since I got him/her and has a great amber flame, but Waldo is still a very plain brown with some orange pinstriping.

And yes, setting up a critter keeper or Rubbermaid will be both a good move for little guys and a way to buy you some more time to get your final setup ready. :)

How many cresties can I house in a 24x18x18 enclosure?

I think I might try the live pothos in the temp hatchling enclosure to see how it goes. Do I need to plant it myself since plant/garden stores may have treated it with chemicals? Remember, I know nothing about plants. :D

I'm having a hard time finding out if I need to proivde hides on the bottom of the cage.

Two to three adults should be fine in that size cage with adequate hides. Repotting would be a good idea, if you can do it. I'm not plant person either, but repotting isn't difficult. :) Mine never use the hides I've provided at the bottoms of their cages, so I think it's up to you. They should have an egg-laying box when it gets near that time, though.

I'm following this thread closely....excellent questions from Tiger and as always, excellent answers from Marla! I'm very much looking forward to getting my cresties in another couple months.

Once again "Thank you" and believe it or not............I can't think of any more questions right now. :)

I'm just glad I don't seem like a pest. I am a major reserch hound before doing anything - especially when it comes to a living creature. I got Robbie Hamper's "The Crested Gecko in Captivity" book in the mail the other day and have ordered "Rhacodactylus: The Complete Guide...Gecko Reptile Book " by Philippe de Vosjoli. I can't wait to get it.

Thanks again!

I am the same way, but at some point you have to either dive in and give it a shot or decide that you're not up to it/ not interested. I read the Rhac book all the way through pretty quickly, but haven't gotten the other one yet. I also read the entire archives of the rhac section on ks. I figured that ought to be a good running start, along with the 20 or so caresheets and a few other forums I read before getting mine. :)

Goodness. When you both are done reading you'll be like...so loaded with information. You'll be like experts.

LOL. I've had mine a few months now, and they seem to be doing very well. I'm like a Boy Scout: "Be Prepared." :)