I must be crazy...(5 Rhac Questions)

So I think I might need a check up from the neck up, but damn I did not know Rhacs, Cresties and Gargoyles, were so easy to care for.

A Species that is happy at 72-75* Sign me up. Plus they look really cool. And it seems there caging requirements are inexpensive.


But as with anything I have a few questions

1) What are some of the top US Rhac breeders? I am really interested in Gargoyles.


2) How necessary are crickets and mealworms as long as supplements and fruit and diet are provided? Worms I can deal with but I gotta say I know it's dorky but crickets creep me out.


3) Caging reccomendations? Especially on perches, I have no idea what makes a good easy to sanitize perch. Also what size cage?


4) One of my favorite things about this gecko is they don't need a UV light. But would keeping one in an office/bedroom near a TV at night with lights on in the room stress it? Is some sort of light cycle a must?


5) Is there a way to tell what color patterns they might be when they grow up while they are still young?


Any additional reading you can offer or additional advice you can give is welcome. I can't believe I am entertaining this thought but really the one thing I hated about keeping non snake herps was the UV requirement.

Can anybody lend some help? Pretty interested in the Striped black and white Gargoyles.

Check out pangeareptile.com for a good rhac specific forum, products, and care sheets.

Here's their garg care sheet:
http://www.pangeareptile.com/gargoylecare.htm

Gargs and cresties are kept pretty much identically.

Two of the most well known people in Rhac breeding are Phillipe de Vosjoli (spelled right?) and Allen Repashy. Along with Frank Fast, they wrote a book together which is top notch and I recommend though it is pricey at around $40.

For gargs I'd certainly look at lots of other breeders as they are very numerous in captivity. You can find them at just about any reptile expo, they are slightly less popular than crested geckos but if you find cresties, you should find gargs. I recently picked up one from a show in Iowa!

Thanks so much main! I got an email from a breeder and I am hoping he will have one of the black and white stripes I love.



Can you give me the book title? I'll defiantly buy it.


Gargs are too cool looking, there stone colored eyes, Plus I don't have to worry about them losing there tails. I love cresties and I may get one, but I would be heart broken if it lost it's tail. I mean that has to suck for the dude or dudette.


Any breeder websites you can link me to?



Thank you so much for your help.:bow::bow: I think I really want one. Probably start it out in a large critter keeper one one of those small/tall 12x12x18 exo terra terrariums.

The Serpentarium has gargoyles, I think. He's had them on display when I go in there to get my feeders, and every time I always go look at them. I can't remember if he still had them last week. I'll check on Wednesday when I go in. He doesn't have any of his lizards/geckos listed on the website, but he has a ton in the shop.

They're awesome though. Beautiful creatures.

The book is "Rhacodactylus: The Complete Guide to their Selection and Care"

Philippe has it available on his website:

http://www.giantgeckos.net/giantgeck...id=2&Itemid=59

You can also find it on amazon and barnes and noble I bet.

I rarely ever consider books written about reptiles and their care to be worthwhile, as more often than not they contain poor information that is trumped by simple google searches, but this book is really fantastic. It overviews all rhac species, even the rarer ones, provides great info on care, and even the info on morphs seems surprisingly current despite being 7 years old. Also it has great full color photos!

Also on cresties dropping their tails permanently:

It doesn't "suck" for the dude or dudette really, pretty much all crested gecko adults in the wild are tailless.

I do prefer them with tails though, but they certainly don't care much if they are lost.

If you get a crestie that is a large juvie and is a calm gecko, it is very unlikely it will drop its tail on you. The main reason they drop their tail in captivity is for a very young hatchling to become scared for some reason. The second is from fighting with another gecko kept in the same cage.

Adults will drop their tails, but you really have to make them upset and think they are being attacked to get it to happen. I've never had a gecko, adult or hatchling or in anything between, drop a tail.

1) You can also try http://www.pangeareptile.com/store/ (for both geckos and supplies) and http://www.acreptiles.com/store/. Also http://ddreptiles.net/ and http://lunargecko.net/.

2) Insects are optional but do help young geckos grow faster than feeding the CGD alone. Mealworms do not make a good feeder for rhacs because they cannot digest the chitinous shells. If you don't want to feed crickets you can also try phoenix worms, silkworms and feeder roaches. The main diet should be the Repashy Crested Gecko diet--other fruits and supplements are not necessary although fruits like mango, peach, strawberry, watermelon and banana can be fed as a treat (no citrus fruits though as rhacs cannot handle the citric acid).

3) Kritter keepers are good for babies and juveniles. Vertical enclosures like Exo-terras, various screen cages or sterilites/rubbermaids can be used for subadults and adults. See this thread for a good DIY setup: http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...d.php?t=116109. You could do that with any size sterilite for any size gecko. Perches can be anything from pvc pipe, bamboo, driftwood, etc.

4) Some sort of light cycle is recommended but not totally necessary. If you have the gecko in a room with the lights on at night, the gecko will likely just stay hidden or asleep until the lights go out.

5) If you buy from an experienced breeder they should be able to advise you on what they think the gecko will look like, based on the gecko's parents, other offspring from the same parents and general knowledge of how rhac colors develop.


Another note--gargoyles do drop their tails, they just have the ability to grow them back, unlike cresteds. They don't usually quite look the same once grown back and are much more likely to drop if kept in the same enclosure with other gargs, especially when young or breeding (they tend to eat each other's tails).

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mlededee

1) You can also try http://www.pangeareptile.com/store/ (for both geckos and supplies) and http://www.acreptiles.com/store/. Also http://ddreptiles.net/ and http://lunargecko.net/.

2) Insects are optional but do help young geckos grow faster than feeding the CGD alone. Mealworms do not make a good feeder for rhacs because they cannot digest the chitinous shells. If you don't want to feed crickets you can also try phoenix worms, silkworms and feeder roaches. The main diet should be the Repashy Crested Gecko diet--other fruits and supplements are not necessary although fruits like mango, peach, strawberry, watermelon and banana can be fed as a treat (no citrus fruits though as rhacs cannot handle the citric acid).

Another note--gargoyles do drop their tails, they just have the ability to grow them back, unlike cresteds. They don't usually quite look the same once grown back and are much more likely to drop if kept in the same enclosure with other gargs, especially when young or breeding (they tend to eat each other's tails).

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So T-rex Gargoyle diet is bad? I don't mind getting repashy. Is it okay to mix it with mashed fruit?


I don't mind feeding crickets if the little geck needs them. But they just really scare me and I dunno where to get them. I don't really want to raise crickets because I despise the things. But with a stout bit of gin in me I could handle them. Is it easy to find phoenix and silk worms? Roaches are right out for me sorry :P





One more thing. Do Rhac's get lonely? I eventually would like crested in one cage, and a garg in the other.

Anthony Caponetto's crested gecko resource site. http://www.ciliatus.com

The T-rex and Repashy diets are the same--I think T-rex is just what they manufacture in small bottles to sell in pet stores, whereas Repashy is what is manufactured in larger bags. I don't think they even make the gargoyle diet anymore. I would just go with the crested gecko diet as it has been further developed and a new and better version of it just came out (better taste and better growth rates with the new diet). You can buy it here: http://www.pangeareptile.com/store/i...ategory_id=165. Plus if you get both a garg and a crested you can feed them both the same thing. :gj:

Do not mix the diet with anything except water. It is complete as is, and mixing it throws off the balance. If you want to feed fruit as a treat that's fine, and you could mash it up and put some CGD in it, but that would just be a once in a while thing--not a staple food.

You don't have to feed insects at all--it's up to you. You can get crickets at most retail pet stores. Phoenix worms can usually be found online--I'm not sure where the best place would be to buy in small amounts because I've only ever bought them in bulk (http://www.phoenixworm.com/servlet/t...rms/Categories).

Cresteds are somewhat social and females usually like to be kept in groups. Males cannot be kept together as they will fight. Female gargs usually get along, but they can be more aggressive toward eachother so you have to be careful in pairing them up. I would not mix cresteds and gargs in the same enclosure.

Thanks everyone for all your help! I am starting to feel confident.



I read somewhere last night that female Gargs like to eat the tails of there cage mates, so I would defiantly not mix them and a crestie. Though keeping a few female cresties togather might be fun. And if I ever breed gargs a 1.1 cage is not out of the question.

But lets focus on basics! first I found a breeder that thinks he might have some black and white striped garg juvies for me. :D


You know I am starting to get the feeling it's impossible to stop at one or two of these guys. ;)

cresties are so easy to take care of my 6 year old daughter does it.. They are BLOODY CUTE!!! OMG! sorry had to get that outta me... I'm not sure if Kati of Katiscresteds.com ships out your way but I got Rustee from her our Harliquin, she was great to work with knows her stuff and has some great lookin cresties as well as Garg's..

I'd give ya some sites but everyone gave you the ones I used.. good luck with them...


Make sure you post pics of the cresties and the set-ups if you get any..


Cheers

She does have some cute cresties!


I am in contact with a gargoyle breeder through email. he said he should have some ready to go in a couple weeks.

So hopefully he'll have a classic black and white striped for me.




How quick will they outgrow one of those 12x12x18 Exo-terras? I like those cages but they are about 60 bucks. Am I better of going with a less expensive small terrarium and transferring my gecko to an exo terra when he reaches full size? Those critter keepers are cheap but they just see to small.

You can probably keep a gargoyle in that size Exo-terra for 9 months to one year if it is a baby when you get it and depending on how fast it grows. I personally would probably start with something smaller and move the gecko up as it grows, but that would just be my personal preference so I wouldn't have to buy more than one Exo-terra.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mlededee

You can probably keep a gargoyle in that size Exo-terra for 9 months to one year if it is a baby when you get it and depending on how fast it grows. I personally would probably start with something smaller and move the gecko up as it grows, but that would just be my personal preference so I wouldn't have to buy more than one Exo-terra.

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Yeah I was thinking that to. Exoterra's are expensive.


Any ideas on a cheaper grow up cage? Or will any 10 gallon tank do? POndered the LArge critter keeper but they seem so small.

A kritter keeper to start with babies, then a 10 gallon tank or use rubbermaids/sterilites. Make sure to melt/drill lots of holes in them for ventillation or do something like this: http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...d.php?t=116109. Rubbermaids are cheap enough that you can start with something small and upgrade to bigger sizes as needed.

My girlfriend and I have kept Rhacs for a pretty long time and have been members on Pangea for a pretty logn time, as well. I would definitely spend some time there if I were you.

Pangea has a trade section were most of the top breeders post geckos and you can also find links to their sites on there.

Just so you know - Emily also breeds cresties (and what else Em?) She's the admin in red that's been replying in this thread.

Her site is http://www.cookreptiles.com and she's in Savannah so not TOO far from you! And she has a striped Gargoyle available! :gj:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by rabernet

Just so you know - Emily also breeds cresties (and what else Em?) She's the admin in red that's been replying in this thread.

Her site is http://www.cookreptiles.com and she's in Savannah so not TOO far from you! And she has a striped Gargoyle available! :gj:

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Oooooh thanks robin!!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Seru1

Yeah I was thinking that to. Exoterra's are expensive.


Any ideas on a cheaper grow up cage? Or will any 10 gallon tank do? POndered the LArge critter keeper but they seem so small.

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I use locking plastic containers from wal-mart in the house storage section for all my juvie cages. I recently found some that I loved a LOT that I hadn't seen before, so I picked up like 15 of them.

I drill air holes with a dremel, and thread plant wire (thin, coated twist tie stuff for making bouquets, you can find it at michaels) to tie in vine material to the sides to provide climbing and hiding structure.

This is sterilite's page, but I forget the exact size I have (probably the small?):

http://www.sterilite.com/Category.ht...ctCategory=157

I like those a LOT, they aren't expensive, maybe in the $5 range, have locking tops, are see-through enough for quick checkups without needing to open the container