#sherlyton

[lizardbeans]

Hi! Love your blog by the way. I am a fellow reptile enthusiast & I have loved them since forever. I have a beardie & a red eared slider that I adore. I was looking into maybe getting either a crested, leopard, or other gecko. Any advice? Pros/cons?

Hello! Both are amazing reptiles and have unique personalities. Crested GeckosPros: 

Cheap caging

Super fun to design their cage

Very low maintenance

No heat pad and thermostat needed unless your house gets below 70s during the day

Live insects are not needed every day

Cons:

They do need higher humidity, this isnt hard to do but it is a critical need

Jumpy, some may not mind this but it makes them harder to handle 

Poop streaks on the walls of tanks 

Very high chance of dropping tails (this isnt really a con but thought it might as well be stated)  

Easily stressed. Too much movement or noise stresses them much more than other reptiles ive noticed

Leopard GeckosPros:

Easily handled 

Easy to make cages for

Can be left without food for a few days (not recommended but if absolutely needed they will not be harmed by it)

No humidity required other than a moist hide (I only moisten mine when theyre shedding)

Easy to make hides and climbs for 

Cons:

Need both heat pad and thermostat 

Live insects only diet, feeding cost can be pretty expensive if you dont raise your own. 

They do bite harder than cresties, have the potential to slice open a good cut

Pretty lazy. If you like to watch reptiles explore most leos ive had are pretty lazy and mostly just sleep. This can vary in both cresties and leos though

Both Cresties and Leos:

temperament can vary a lot, and can depend on how you handle them

Need 20 gal cages, a small leo can be kept in a 10 gal but 20 is best

Live over 10 years, cresties thought to live 10-20 years and leos 10-25 years

Are not mammals. Some may really like to come out and explore but the fact remains they do not work like a mammal. They do not enjoy human companionship like cats or dogs will and only really see us as a way out and food bringer. They would be 100% happy without us holding them. 

[amphitherels]

Hi! Love your blog by the way. I am a fellow reptile enthusiast & I have loved them since forever. I have a beardie & a red eared slider that I adore. I was looking into maybe getting either a crested, leopard, or other gecko. Any advice? Pros/cons?

Glad you like it! As far as either a crestie or a leo, I can only really give details on leos as I don't have any personal experience with cresties.

Pros for leos:

- Good gecko for handling

- Ease of husbandry

- Ease of general care and heating

- They have great personalities, or at least most of the time. :P My Giggi is a real snarky gecko.

Cons for leos:

- The only real con I can really think of is that they can tend to stay in their hides so you won't see them all the time.

The only thing I can give you on cresties is that I've heard that they aren't really a "handling" type of gecko and they do require a higher humidity.

[gears-keep-turning]

Hi! Love your blog by the way. :) I'm a fellow reptile enthusiast have loved them since forever. I have a beardie & a red eared slider that are the cutest. I'm looking into getting either a crested, leopard, or other gecko. Pros & cons? Any advice?

tumblr eats asks I'm so sorry for not answering this sooner

Crested's are by far the easiest little guys to care for. Powder diet, light misting, and an arboreal cage. But Leo's are pretty great starters too!

Cresties

Nocturnal. Fun to watch them move around at night! Sometimes I hear little "plops" from them jumping from side of the cage to something.

Temps: Around 75F during the day is good. Don't let them drop below 65F or go above 80F otherwise they can stress and die easily.

They don't need UVB or a day light, but could use one if it's a little colder. Make sure to use a thermostat if you are using a ceramic heat emitter to keep them warm. Avoid red lights, as reptiles can see them.

Powder diet. I use Repashy! I give them fresh food every other night. Wedgie seems to like his aged a day, haha. They generally don't need supplements with the repashy diet. I know some people add a little extra calcium powder for females.

Can eat small insects such as crickets and small roaches. Mealworms and hard-chitin insects should be avoided completely. Digit loves a few roaches every week. Insects should not be a main part of their diet though.

Females can be cohabitated, but they are better off on their own.

Arboreal. I use a 18x18x24 enclosure for Wedgie, but that might be a little big. Adults need at least 20 gallon arboreal equivalent. 

You can't handle them very long. 15 minutes per day tops.

THEY ARE SO SQUISHY AND SOFT I LOVE THEM

Readily available at reptile shows and breeders

Can live 10+ years

make cute noises during the breeding season

Boys sometimes really love your hand

Leopard geckos are great starters too and are quite fun

Insect diet of crickets or roaches. Mealworms/superworms should be avoided. Insects need to be dusted with calcium and multivitamins. 

20gallon long cage for 1 adult. +10g for every adult added. 

Should have a few hides and a moist hide for shedding purposes. Shed is very prone to getting stuck on their little feets.

Should never be kept on lose substrate. Use tile or paper towels. Lose substrate is just asking for a death by impaction or a very costly vet bill.

Females can be cohabitated, but males should be separate. If a female is bullying another one, separate them.

I use belly heat, honestly, but you can provide overhead heat with a ceramic heat emitter on a thermostat or a daylight bulb. Will need heat during the night though. Avoid red lights.

A lot better for handling than a crested, but you still need to limit time with them so they don't stress.

Much faster than a crested, keep your eye on them!

Make cute noises when they are angry. [but don't do it intentionally that's mean]

Readily available in a TON of great colors at reptile expos. About the same cost as Cresties/

Can live 15+ years

Just make sure to do the research, ask some breeders [good ones...] and buy from a breeder. Don't buy from petco/chain pet stores. They are generally riddled with health problems and parasites.

Hope I helped <3

[bbreptiles]

Hi! Love your blog by the way. I am a fellow reptile enthusiast & I have loved them since forever. I have a beardie & a red eared slider that I adore. I was looking into maybe getting either a crested, leopard, or other gecko. Any advice? Pros/cons?

Ok right! Sorry about the epic late reply, I’ve literally been racing around to every corner of the country in the past few weeks so I finally have a chance to breath now.

But yes! I can totally tell you about these guys. I have the most experience with Leopard Geckos but I know a decent bit about cresties too. In my opinion they’re both great, so ultimately it’s up to personal preference.

Here’s my summary of each plus others:

Leopard GeckosOmg they’re so cute and friendly and they all have their little personalities. They come in gorgeous colors and aren’t that expensive and are really easy to find. There’s a good reason they’re so popular because they’re super easy to care for.They’ll need a heat source, and live insects for food, which can be the only slightly hasselsome thing, but honestly bugs are pretty easy to find/breed these days. They need more horizontal space since they’re terrestrial animals, so a long tank or plastic container is best, depending on which you prefer.

Crested GeckosAgain, super adorable, super friendly, easy to find, inexpensive for a basic one, really easy to care for, etc. They’re also really popular for a reason haha.They won’t need a heat source, they do best at room temperature, but they will need a taller cage because they’re arboreal and like to perch/climb on things. You can mainly feed them Crested Gecko Diet but they will still need insects in their diet as well. Not as many insects as Leos though.

I’ll also add Gargoyle Geckos to the suggestions, they’re pretty much the same care requirements as Cresties and are also really cool animals.

Other cool options are African Fat-Tailed Geckos, Knob-Tailed Geckos, and probably others I’m completely forgetting oops.

I always find myself suggesting Leopard, Crested, and Gargoyle geckos when people ask me about a good starter reptile. I don’t think any one is better than the other, they’re all pretty equal, so I guess it depends on which you like best!