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

[Seru1]

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.

[Seru1]

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

[mainbutter]

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!

[Seru1]

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. 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.

[Elise.m]

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.

[mainbutter]

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!

[mainbutter]

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.

[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).

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).

[Seru1]

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).

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





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

[Hulihzack]

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