Input help with geckos

What’s everything thoughts on Crested gecko or leopard gecko?
Do and don’t for first timers?
Like Which are easy to care for etc.

Crested Geckos Leopard Geckos

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I have both and both are super easy, yet different. Basically it comes down to whether you want a tropical enclosure that can be room temperature or a little higher and some decent humidity, or an arid one thats warm and dry. Both need insects, but leo’s ONLY need insects. Cresties can do the replacement diet. One likes horizontal room, one likes vertical room.

Im sure that others will chime in on more details, etc. But thats the 30,000 foot view.

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Given the diet and the humidity/temperature/lighting requirements, Id say cresties are probably easier.

I only have hands-on experience with cresties but have done a lot of research on leos since I like to keep up to date on care on animals I might get some day.

Cresties only really need the meal replacement, insects are great if your gecko wants to eat them but not all do. Leos need a varied diet of insects with added vitamins etc.

While heating is beneficial for cresties, they usually don’t need it (unless you like it cold in your home), whereas leos need extra heating.

Neither species need UV but it’s beneficial to both if done correctly, especially leos, it seems more and more are starting to see it as a must rather than just something beneficial.

Leos also need more space since they need long tanks, whereas cresties need tall tanks, though for either of them generally the bigger the better counts

Which is easier to keep in terms of humidity is gonna depend on your individual situation. I live somewhere where the relative humidity tends to be high so keeping the humidity up is easier than keeping it down. If you live somewhere dry, it might be the opposite.

Leos might be easier to handle though, since cresties tend to be jumpy, but that’s also gonna depend on the individual gecko.

Either of them are easy to keep though relative to other reptiles - in the end it’s important to choose the animal that you truly want, rather than what might be easier, just make sure you take your time to research the requirements thoroughly :blush:

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Thank you for you info. That’s helps a bunch.

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Thank you for your info

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What does the gecko keepers think of this one?

Doesn’t look great imo - it’s a tad too small, the hygro/thermometer is an analog-stick on (analogs tend to be less accurate and you don’t want any kind of tape inside the enclosure), neither of the bulbs are great (coil bulbs don’t work as well as tubes, also not sure if it would be safe for a crestie depending on how close the animal can get to it, coloured bulbs are also a no-go), and it doesn’t have enough clutter (not the end of the world but yeah)

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@autumngeckos thanks for the info. Just trying to learn new things. I really don’t have any reptile shops around here where we live. It’s difficult to find people close to learn from.

No problem, we’ve all been there at one point - most “complete” kits available are pretty bad so it’s usually better to buy everything seperately. One thing this kit does get right though is the bioactive part, a bioactive enclosure would be awesome for a crestie😊

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Here’s another question with the enclosure. Should I go bio-active setup for which every gecko I choose?

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I highly recommend tropical bioactives at least! They’re pretty easy to pull off, and offer a natural setup for your geckos that barely requires any maintenance. I imagine more arid ones would be great as well, but since i have no experience with them i have no idea if they’re as easy to set up and keep running (:

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@autumngeckos thank you a bunch. Now to start looking for a enclosure

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You don’t need to buy a complete kit. In fact, it’s probably better if you don’t, as I’ve yet to see a complete kit that’s actually…well, complete. Getting everything separately might seem a little overwhelming at first, but if you break it down step-by-step, it’s not that hard, will probably be cheaper than a kit, and lets you customize everything to your animal and your tastes. There are lots of how-to guides and videos on the internet, lots of different methods depending on your budget and how involved you want to make it, and folks here would be happy to give you specific advice and answer any questions you have along the way. You don’t have to go bioactive if it seems like too much.

I’m not a gecko person, but I’m sure the gecko people here would be happy to give you some links to good enclosures and other accessories to help get you started.

As for which species of gecko is better…it just depends on what you like. If you prefer tropical and arboreal, then a crestie is the way to go. If you’d prefer arid and terrestrial, then a leo is the best choice. Both are good beginner species and are fairly easy to keep, it just depends on your personal preferences.

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