Looking Into a New Gecko!

Hi, I am looking into purchasing another gecko and was wondering what ya'll would recommend. So to give you some background, I currently own a crested gecko and have for a couple months now. So, I was wondering what a beginner to intermediate gecko would be. Thinking about another crested, but don't really want a leopard gecko, or a super common species. I have been looking into leachianus geckos, and pictus geckos, as they are both very un-regularly kept species.

It will depends on your budget mainly and ease of care.

Easiest kept like crested aside from the enclosure size will be Gargoyles, Chahouas, Leachies.

We are talking from $75 to $1000.

Get a Leachie!! They seem awesome.

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Originally Posted by Deborah

It will depends on your budget mainly and ease of care.

Easiest kept like crested aside from the enclosure size will be Gargoyles, Chahouas, Leachies.

We are talking from $75 to $1000.

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I think that a leachie would be a really good animal for me. What size cage would you recommend?

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Originally Posted by BargainBoas

I think that a leachie would be a really good animal for me. What size cage would you recommend?

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As a minimum you want 18 x 18 x 24 or bigger if you can but remember a young individual will do better in something smaller at first.

tokay ;)

I found out that Exo-Terra has a small X-Tall which is 18x18x36 which would probably be perfect, but would I want to start a baby off in something like the 12x12x18 (the mini tall)?

So I actually did a TON of research, and learned that as baby’s you want to keep them in something around the size of a 5 gallon tank or a medium critter keeper. And that’s up until they get 5-6”. Them you can move them up to something like a 12x12x18, and when they get probably around 9-10” you can move them into a 18x18x24 or 18x18x36.

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Originally Posted by djansen

tokay ;)

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Lol so evil!!. I had a tokay as kid and that thing was satan in lizard form. I had to use a dowel stick to chase him from one side to the other when cleaning his cage. Also that evil lizard would bark at night and bite the heads off pinkie mice leave the bodies on the floor of the cage but eat the heads. It was one pure evil lizard haha.

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Originally Posted by Sauzo

Lol so evil!!. I had a tokay as kid and that thing was satan in lizard form. I had to use a dowel stick to chase him from one side to the other when cleaning his cage. Also that evil lizard would bark at night and bite the heads off pinkie mice leave the bodies on the floor of the cage but eat the heads. It was one pure evil lizard haha.

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lol that is ridiculous! why just the heads? thats oddly terrifying haha

I've had my leachie since January last year (january 2017). He has grown from 12 grams to 164 grams in that time. During that time period, I have been keeping him in plastic tubs with ventilation holes. He will be moving into a 24"lx 18"W x 24"T exo once it gets planted and stable.

I'd say the hardest thing with them is keeping up humidity, while keeping a clean environment. I would NOT use a critter keeper as they loose too much moisture though the very vented lid. Instead, I'd go with bins that you solder air holes into, or solder a larger hole and cover with mesh (like screen). With mine, I have to change out paper towels every time I change out food (3x a week) because they poop a lot more than cresteds, at least in my experience.

I used paper towels as bedding, with a piece of cork and small RBI hide in his baby setup. When he upgraded to a larger tub, I kept the setup the same, but with a larger hide, another piece of cork, and some foam pool noodles. In his largest tub now (about 14"x15"x14") He has 3 pieces of cork, his food and water bowls, and that's it.

Be aware that they do like small containers when little... My guy was in a tiny 6"x10"x8" box ans did very well. Each time I upgraded his tub size, he went off food for a couple weeks, even with the same furnishings moved.

For price range, I pad about $550 for mine and he is a GTx. I'd say around $450 is the lowest you can find ones with unknown lineage, but expect to pay at least what I did or more for an animal with known localities, etc. For pure line animals or animals with good color lineage, expect to pay ~$700 and up (from what I've seen). Cage aggression is a thing with many leachies and most will projectile-poop on you when picked up. Mine is not aggressive, but does the whistling and pooping every time held, despite gentle handling since we got him.

Gargoyles are another good option. I have 3. They get a little larger / heavier than cresteds. Aren't as fast-moving as adults, and look very neat. They tend to cost more, but you can get a pretty nice looking one for ~$250 or more. Same basic care as cresteds. Some people give theirs basking spots, but they seem to do fine with the same setup as a crested.

Thank you sooo much for all of this advice. While I have considered the gargoyles, I think I am going to go for the leachie.

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Originally Posted by artgecko

I've had my leachie since January last year (january 2017). He has grown from 12 grams to 164 grams in that time. During that time period, I have been keeping him in plastic tubs with ventilation holes. He will be moving into a 24"lx 18"W x 24"T exo once it gets planted and stable.

I'd say the hardest thing with them is keeping up humidity, while keeping a clean environment. I would NOT use a critter keeper as they loose too much moisture though the very vented lid. Instead, I'd go with bins that you solder air holes into, or solder a larger hole and cover with mesh (like screen). With mine, I have to change out paper towels every time I change out food (3x a week) because they poop a lot more than cresteds, at least in my experience.

I used paper towels as bedding, with a piece of cork and small RBI hide in his baby setup. When he upgraded to a larger tub, I kept the setup the same, but with a larger hide, another piece of cork, and some foam pool noodles. In his largest tub now (about 14"x15"x14") He has 3 pieces of cork, his food and water bowls, and that's it.

Be aware that they do like small containers when little... My guy was in a tiny 6"x10"x8" box ans did very well. Each time I upgraded his tub size, he went off food for a couple weeks, even with the same furnishings moved.

For price range, I pad about $550 for mine and he is a GTx. I'd say around $450 is the lowest you can find ones with unknown lineage, but expect to pay at least what I did or more for an animal with known localities, etc. For pure line animals or animals with good color lineage, expect to pay ~$700 and up (from what I've seen). Cage aggression is a thing with many leachies and most will projectile-poop on you when picked up. Mine is not aggressive, but does the whistling and pooping every time held, despite gentle handling since we got him.

Gargoyles are another good option. I have 3. They get a little larger / heavier than cresteds. Aren't as fast-moving as adults, and look very neat. They tend to cost more, but you can get a pretty nice looking one for ~$250 or more. Same basic care as cresteds. Some people give theirs basking spots, but they seem to do fine with the same setup as a crested.

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