Cricket contest

[Amanda Stauffer]

Ember, one of the two cresties I have who would love an opportunity to monch at crickets like she does everything else!

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[Zoodulcis]

That sideways look says it all…”What’s the hold up on the crickets, eh?” How old is she?

[Amanda Stauffer]

I’m not sure what her hatch date is because the breeder I bought her from had none of her or her “sister’s” information when he bought them from another breeder, but they were about 10g each which makes me thinks they were only a few months old when I purchased them. I’ve had them for two years now and they’re so opposite with the personality!

[Zoodulcis]

Oh that is always fun to have siblings who are extremely different from each other. It provides hours worth of speculation as to ‘why.’ Genetics, brain chemistry, etc. Is one extremely social and the other quite shy?

[Amanda Stauffer]

Very much so. Ember is my social butterfly and enjoys being out when she’s awake. She’s next to my bed and if she sees me move at night I’ll hear her peck at the side of the enclosure to get my attention. She’s a ravage when it comes to bugs and just noms them down without a care as to where she aims and just hopes she gets it 🤣

Sugar bear only enjoys being out on occasion and she would rather view you from the inside of her enclosure most nights. When she is out her hang out spot is mostly my head and I have various pictures of her up there. She also takes bugs delicately from my fingers like a lady.

They also enjoy different pangeas. Sugar doesn’t care much as long as it’s food, ember isn’t a fan of bananas.

Sugar bear has also laid duds (never being subjected to a male that i know of) and ember hasn’t. They both have same tints and colored spots and port holes, so I’m wondering if they had the same sire and different dams

[Zoodulcis]

The egg-laying behavior would seem to speak to differing genetics. Their other differences can be explained by personality variation within a range of normality for the species. Other forum members with siblings have mentioned similar differences in personalities. The egg-laying behavior makes me wonder as well about their sires. Almost like polled and unpolled cattle. One calf might express natural hornlessness inherited from a polled bull while another calf from the same mother exposed to a horned bull might exhibit horns, whether the dam has them or not. Fun to speculate.

So you are very much a gecko fan just in general. Did you start with the little tiny ones and expand, or with a different species?

[Amanda Stauffer]

Huh, that’s interesting!!

I have had a love for animals ever since I was young and it has just grown over time. I had a boyfriend when I was in my teens that his father had a lot of reptiles and I had eventually acquired his tokays (the female lived to be full age while the male wasn’t as lucky). I’ve had amphibians and fish, also a red eared slider that was eventually put on a farm with a pond because he got so big but was so used to human attention and interaction. I had him for at least 10 years before I gave him a new home.

As of now I have leopard geckos of all ages, my oldest two being four, my youngest two being 9mo (some I bought from a pet store bc of their condition, some from breeders, some were home bred which I’ve stopped for various reasons and they are all mine). My beardie was given to me almost a year ago and rescued from a bad situation when he was about a year old, resulting with permanent MBD and a broken arm. He’s maybe five, which the vet said the person that rescued him did a wonderful job at rehabilitating him. My vet has seen my leos and beardie, but he doesn’t know anything about New Caledonia reptiles, so I’ve been on the hunt.

[Zoodulcis]

On the hunt for a more knowledgable vet?

[Amanda Stauffer]

Just someone that would know about them more than he does. I like the vet I have for the leos and beardie. Very nice, knowledgeable, and I’ve been with him for about 3 years now and he’s worked with me on trips and bringing them in. The cresties have been very well **knock on wood**, but I’ve heard they can be great disease hiders.

[Zoodulcis]

Well then, I guess they will just have to suffer along with the rest of us and practice social distancing and perform regular paw washing 🤣

[Amanda Stauffer]

That’s a must with these two 🤣 they’re constantly stepping in their food

[Zoodulcis]

Oh those naughty things. Do they poop in their water?

[Amanda Stauffer]

No, just their food 🤣 and everywhere else

[Zoodulcis]

Well then, they are better behaved than beardies, in a way!

[Amanda Stauffer]

Surprisingly the beardie I have has only gone in his bath water and once in his dish! He’s very clean! Although he is picky with his food 😑

[Zoodulcis]

Interesting! Another example of the variability of personality traits within reptiles species. Many keepers of beardies have commented that their guys seem to be lurking in the shadows, just waiting to rush out and poop in their clean water dish. What sort of foods does your beardie prefer, and which ones does he avoid, and he should be eating for proper nutrition?

[Amanda Stauffer]

Well, he was rescued from his original owners. Mistreated and had thrown in crickets with him, too many that they started to over power him. He had MBD and a broken right arm as a result from it. That was when he was in the early stages of his life and has issues eating things bc of it now. The person who rescued him rehabilitated him well from what the vet said. He (beardie) was given to me bc our friend was in a bad situation last year. His diet varies, no where near where it should be, but that was bc of the improper nutrition when he was little and the stress when he came over and transfered to my care. When I had gotten him, he had the start of periodontal disease and the vet thinks that could be from the damages that happened when he was younger and his body is just paying for it now. He prefers squishy things to hard. Getting him to eat his greens any more is pulling teeth, but i still try and offer what I can to him. He enjoys strawberry, mango, blueberry on occasion, green beans, peas (given on occasion), carrots, sometimes broccoli, and I’ve tried other things he’s rejected. I do have wandering jew in there which I have seen him munch on, so that’s a plus. He prefers his protein, but I limit him so he can get his fruits and veggies since he’s between 4 and 5 and fills up quick. He’s not sure of bee pollen and he does stick his nose up to vitamins and calcium sometimes. He does have a CHE and UVA/UVB, which he does seem to bask under more often than not and I try to give him baths a few times a week.

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[Amanda Stauffer]

And despite the fact he was placed with many crickets, he does eat them from time to time!

[Zoodulcis]

You sound like an amazingly caring and conscientious owner. Too bad there aren’t more people like you out there purchasing animals they don’t need and won’t care for properly. Do you think his jaws will recover eventually? Does the vet have an opinion on that?

[Amanda Stauffer]

Some of the things I’ve seen and horror stories I’ve read makes my heart hurt for sure. I’ve run into people who don’t care where the animal comes from and prefer to rehabilitate the animal and others that say boycotting the petstores and letting the souls go will stop the bigger industries (which they won’t, and even though I want to save them all, I save what I can bc walking away isn’t an option to me). When I had originally taken him to the vet, I had seen progress after cleaning, bathing almost every day (with bedatine on occasion), and giving him antibiotics. About a month and a half went by and I noticed some spots on his teeth were back and he preferred softer foods over hard and crunchy. The vet and I just came to the conclusion that it’s probably from the MBD and his older age is showing. His jaw is fine, he just seems to have issues with the teeth and I should just clean it when I see it as best I can. Luckily he’s been good lately. He’s funny and has these days where he has no problems chowing down by himself and other days he needs me to flick his food around for him 🤣

[Zoodulcis]

Sounds like he is in good hands. Interestingly, I tend to be one of those people that say to boycott big box stores, under most circumstances. I would make an exception for an animal that was being offered for free, but I do think that paying anything to them encourages bad corporate behavior. What is your opinion on the free rescue vs. the purchased rescue?

[Amanda Stauffer]

I’d take a free rescue in a heart beat if I know I could. I hate the idea of paying for a rescue, but at this point the gecko is more important to me than my wallet. I have paid for some from stores that just needed a good home and they are loved and enjoy staring at me and the kids on occasion. I have one that I call Kára and it means wild one or curly one, both adequate for her personality and condition bc she is permanently damaged from MBD and her spirit is strong. She was dropped off at a small pet store out here skinnier than what I picked her up as and needed special care and my boyfriend knew I wanted to give her and could give her a good home. She’s a climber and acts as though nothing is wrong and trusts me. I did pay for her, but I wanted to make sure she went to a home that knew how to handle her condition bc I didn’t want her on death’s doorstep again.

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[Zoodulcis]

I would have no problem with paying for a rescue dropped off at a pet store…that is a completely different matter. They have overhead and taking care of a rescue costs in food and staff time. So a charge is perfectly fair! I just have issues with Petsmart and some of the practices, for animals sold in the store who are not rescues, at least, not yet.

[Amanda Stauffer]

No, I agree, they housed her and got her to a better status. I can’t tell you when the last time I was in petsmart. Petco is better quality. I don’t enjoy handing money over to them, but I have gotten discounts for taking the smaller ones. Freddie was picked up at 7g and it was very evident he was a he, which in my opinion means he was older and under weight without getting much food since there were numerous gecks in there.

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[Amanda Stauffer]

Freddie today. He does have a tail tip that is longer than any other geck’s I’ve seen, but he’s been checked out by the vet and considered healthy

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[Zoodulcis]

Plainly he is a better weight. Decades ago I used to work at a Southern California Petco. I think they’re better overall than Petsmart but they can have their issues.

[Amanda Stauffer]

He’s so sassy, too. He’s not sure what to think of the cresties 😆 he sees them out and presses his nose against the glass and has waved his tail around a time or two. Thats so interesting you’ve worked there! I hope they do make more positive changes. I know/knew a few people that have worked with them.

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