breeding Cresteds

[D Healey]

I would stick with crickets as they can be gut loaded and they will also eat unwanted baby food as well wax worms and most other worms molt pretty fast and are quite fatty.

[AnthonyC]

Diet -

I vary their diet a little differently than most people do, but I would say that overall, 60-70% of my animals' diet consists of crickets dusted with Miner-All. When I first get in a shipment of crickets, that's all my animals get for a week or so. As the cricket supply begins to run low, they will get more of a 50/50 ratio of each. Then, as the crickets start to run low, all they get is baby food and/or Crested Gecko Diet with a few crickets here and there. Sometimes, I'll go a couple of weeks without giving them a single cricket.

To keep their calcium reserves up (along with egg production) and to make babies grow more quickly, I've noticed that they tend to do great when they're getting more crickets. It's not that I think dusted crickets are superior to Crested Gecko Diet and baby food, but they simply tend to eat more when there are live crickets hopping around their cages. I've also had good luck so far with younger (9-10 month old) females laying good eggs, which can sometimes happen.

On the other hand, I've had my little brother raise two Crested Geckos primarily on Crested Gecko Diet and baby food (only getting crix once per week) and I can tell you that there is definitely a difference in growth and in how the geckos look. They are skinnier (almost gangly looking) than my other geckos of the same age. It may sound cruel to see these geckos growing more slowly and looking skinny, but I actually believe that way to be more natural than the way the bulk of mine are raised. You just have to ask yourself if breeding or maintaining a naturalistic approach to keeping them is your number one priority, and then go with what suits you best. Personally, I don't think either approach is "wrong" because in reality, they're all well cared for and are doing fine.


Wholesale pricing -

Right now, 10 lots of average (nice, but nothing phenominal) Cresteds can be had for $250-$400 (US dollars), depending on how nice the animals are. Dalmatian and patternless animals being in the $250 range, flames and harlequins being toward the higher end of the price spectrum. Then again, you have to remember that there are still higher end animals that will cost you $250-500 each.

[krrc]

$250-$400 each for an average one? or is that more than one? also are you talking sexed or unsexed?

[AnthonyC]

LOL - I wish average cresties went for that much! You may want to re-read that. 10 lots are going for $250-400...in other words, $25-40 each...that would be for unsexed juvies (2-3 month olds) bought wholesale.

[krrc]

ah, ok. do you have any for sale? I need a sexed pair but I would take an unsexed one that was very good looking. if you had it.

[krrc]

like the pic in "All colored up" you just posted I would buy one of those unsexed

[AnthonyC]

Originally posted by krrc
ah, ok. do you have any for sale? I need a sexed pair but I would take an unsexed one that was very good looking. if you had it.

Remember, those prices are for average geckos, when purchased in a 10 lot (10 at a time). If you were to buy those same animals singly (or a few at a time), they'd cost around $40-65 each.

I personally don't have any available right now. I'm raising all of mine to adulthood. I paid a little extra for most of mine, in order to get animals with really nice color/pattern, so that I'll have nice breeding stock. Once I do have some available, I expect them to go for $75+ each (unsexed). I don't plan to produce enough to sell them in 10 lots or anything like that.

Sexed pairs go for more money. Usually $200+ per pair. Really nice females can go for $350 or more.

Originally posted by krrc
like the pic in "All colored up" you just posted I would buy one of those unsexed

LOL - I bet you would.

One like that would typically go for $200-275 unsexed...not your normal cresty.

[krrc]

lol... I would pay it though I got the crested book that was just finshed. (you know wich one im talking about right?) it was talking about nat. varira <-sp. and I would kind of like to use a 40 breeder to make one with like 4 cresteds, 1-2 african giant millipides and a bioactive substrate w/ live plants and stuff. they said they have had tanks like this without having to clean them for 3 years! I would really like to try and make this work. I'll keep you up dated.

[AnthonyC]

I have that book...got it the weekend it came out. It's a good book.

The only problem with naturalistic vivaria is that it makes it difficult if you want to breed them. They will bury their eggs anywhere that they can dig, so you'll end up having to tear the thing apart at least every other day if you're concerned about getting the eggs before they go bad.

[krrc]

ah, yeah. I dont know, I'm still not sure if I want to just breed them full scale or not. I supose if I want to this would be as good a time as ever seeing as they are still somewhat new to the hobby.