New Sprocket Pics

[frankykeno]

Well it's a awful chilly and rainy day today so what better day to take some new pics of Sprocket the Crestie.

Sprocket sitting on his favorite tree.....


Sprocket loves if I put his worms on this flat part of his tree....so much more fun I guess than snatching them from a feeding bowl...he loves crix too but really only likes the worms if they are placed up here (yes he is spoiled LOL)....


Peering down at his bed...he's always loved to tuck into his moss for a private napping spot....


Lazing about on the edge of his tank...


Making a break for freedom! Found out today that yes cresties can run quickly straight up a wall.....


Glass is fun to stick on to.....


So I've had Sprocket since August of 06. He's showed his "cresticles" last month so we know he's a he. I forgot to ask Pangea how old he was when Mike bought him for me but I'm figuring he's about 10 or 11 months old now (don't they basically show they are boys around 9 or 10 months of age???). Does he seem about right for that age? How's his body weight look to you experienced Crestie owners? He's a bit of a picky eater but then I've never owned a Crestie so I'm not sure if he's okay and I'm just being my typical worry wort self LOL.

I'm so thrilled he's kept his tail! It did once start to jerk and vibrate oddly and I was sure it would fall off but he managed to calm down and retain his tail. I saw a lovely female Crestie about his size in PetCo the other day. Gorgeous tiger stripes. She had lost her tail and they offered me a 10% discount on her so I'm still deciding. I'll probably just wait though and buy a nice female from Matt at Pangea (http://www.pangeareptile.com/) where I got Sprocket from at the next Taylor, MI show.

[mlededee]

well now, mr. sprocket has just grown right up into a handsome little man hasn't he?

males drop at all different ages--some as early as 4-5 months some as late as 12-14 months so it's really hard to judge his age by that. basically, by the time they are a year old they should be just about full grown.

his body weight looks fine. males tend to be more lean that females, but he really doesn't even have that more slender look that some males do, at least not that i can tell from the photos.

i'd wait on the female and get one from matt. then you know you are getting a nice, healthy gecko with good genes.

[frankykeno]

Oh thanks Em! I was hoping you'd see this thread and let me know what you think. I'm figuring his age to be around 10 months old now. Since he wasn't a little tiny baby back in August of 06 (Matt had many for sale smaller than Sprocket) and I've now had him a little over 4 months I think I'll call him 10 months and figure that's likely close enough to call it good if you think that's in the ballpark.

I'm glad he's looking good to your experienced eyes. I'm always a bit nervous with a species I've no experience with but he's a lovely thing really. I do think I'll wait for a Taylor show and pick a really nice female to go with Sprocket. Any suggestions what might be nice to mate him to? He's that lovely buckskin/tan sort of color then fires up to a really dark chocolate but has no tiger stripes or spots to speak of. I do love that large cream diamond marking on his tail. It seems to be much more pronounced the older he gets.

Okay only one question here. I've never seen Sprocket shed. Now I know that he's growing, that's obvious and I know they eat their sheds but how in the heck can I have missed every single shed? How often do they shed and how fast? Could he just be snarfing it down at night or something? He's housed near my computer now so I can keep a better eye on him (he was for awhile on the mantle in the livingroom) as I'd really enjoy seeing a shed.

[mlededee]

for size reference there is a sticky at the top of this forum where i took some photos of cresteds at various ages next to a ruler. that might give you some aid in determining sprocket's age. obviously not all cresteds grow at the same rate nor are they always the same size as adults, so there is some variance, but you should be able to get a general idea.

what to look for in a female for sprocket depends largely on what offspring you want to produce. if you want to produce more cresteds like him then get a female that looks like him. choose something that you think would mix well with his color/pattern. if you want to produce offspring with dalmation spots, then get a female with dalmation spots. part of the fun though, is that sometimes you just never know what you're gonna get.

cresteds can be elusive shedders. they do shed extremely quickly--you have to just happen to catch them in the middle of it to see it. walk in 5 minutes later and you'd never know it just happened. perhaps you should congratulate yourself on the fact that you have never seen sprocket shed--the humidity is so perfect that it takes him no time at all to peal that old skin off and gobble it down.

[frankykeno]

I would why they eat their sheds? Do they get some sort of return on nutrients? Just wondering as Mother Nature doesn't design things for no reason so there must be a good one for eating ones own dead skin (blech).

[mlededee]

i have read that they eat their sheds to erase any traces of themselves. basically, if a predator saw a shed laying somewhere it would know that the prey item was probably close by. obviously this is something the prey item would want to avoid.

[mlededee]

especially for jo, merri does her very best impression of sprocket in shed (so that it may be witnessed at least this one time):

[Pork Chops N' Corn Bread]

He looks great Jo!!! I know almost nothing about cresties so I can't help you in that department. I wish you luck finding him a lady, he is a greay looking guy

[frankykeno]

Well that makes perfect sense! Thanks Em! I love that pic! Now that Sprocket is relocated right behind where the computer desk is I'm hoping to catch a shed happening since it's so fascinating to see in photo's.

[Schlyne]

Mlededee, that's a great shot!

Sprocket's looking good