Thinking about '10

As I sit my rocker near the fireplace, my mind wanders off to the much anticipated breeding season of 2010.

Most '09 babies have either been designated as holdbacks or have found new homes with other first time keepers or fellow breeders. Empty baby containers abound and glisten as though they were brand new, awaiting the pitter patter of tiny little toes.

New New Year will hopefully bring many exciting young animals to our facility. We plan to try some very interesting combinations of leopard geckos, some tried and true color forms of crested geckos as well as a little first time dabbling with our australian geckos.

What are you planning on working with next year? Will you try to develop a new morph/color strain? Will you refine the beautiful colors of your line bred Carrot Tails? Will you redesign your crested gecko enclosure?

With temperatures cooling down this time of year, now is the time to think about and make plans for next year.

Things I learned in the lizard room

Leopard Gecko Babies

Babycare -

Housing for the baby leopard gecko

* plastic shoe box (we use a nine qt for the newborns)

* a large styro cup cut in half to provide a hide for the baby. When misting we have found that the water droplets stay on the styro cup allowing for water to stay in the container longer. The leopard babies will lick the water off the styro cup as well. It is washable as well for easy clean up. Also, it is very economical.

* a wet paper towel for moisture in the container is very important for the first month. It keeps the moisture in the container and helps the babies shed.

* a small dish of calcium (needed for developing healthy bones)

* a label (masking tape) giving the baby's father and mother’s name, egg lay date and hatch date.

Care of the baby leopard -

* baby is put in the shoe box after hatching

* add a wet paper towel and mist the container

* daily mist the paper towel and container are misted ( paper towel is changed weekly)

Feeding care –

* when the babies are 3-4 days old we start feeding them small mealworms

* the containers are misted and fed daily

Crested Gecko Babies

Housing for the baby crested gecko-

* small plastic breeder boxes (kritter cages)

* piece of paper towel

* part of a cardboard egg carton

* small piece of a fake plant

* label (piece of masking tape) with the name of mom and dad, egg lay date and hatch date

* Note- when the babies are about a month old we move them into a plastic container (19qt) to grow them up

Care of the baby crested gecko-

* after the baby has hatched it is put into a plastic breeder box

* place a wet paper towel and mist the container

* daily mist the paper towel are misted (paper towel is changed weekly)

Feeding care -

* when the babies are 3-4 days old we start to feed the MRP (this is a complete diet- offering all vitamins and minerals the crested geckos need. Click here for more information- Created Gecko Diet

* the babies are misted daily to give them the moisture needed for drinking and shedding

* the babies are fed MRP daily

This past year I have become a little more brave when it came to helping in the lizard room. I see the importance of daily care for these animals and how they thrive from it. It was fun to see the hatchlings and how fast they grew as the time went on. The biggest step for me this year was to actually start holding the baby crested geckos. However, the leopard geckos I am just not comfortable holding yet.

Posted By Nanette

Updated Owner's Pet Gallery

A new OWNER'S PET GALLERY has just been added to the Supreme Gecko Store page. I've been working on this a bit the last couple days and it is what I was hoping for- A place for customers of Supreme Gecko to show off their geckos. I still have a couple to add but thought I would put this out there for now.
So- if you have pet photos and are a customer of SG, please send them in so you can show off your geckos!
Here is the new link- Owners Pet Gallery

Store Update 5/26

On Tuesday, 5/26 we will be posting new crested geckos and leopard geckos to our store at Supreme Gecko Store. We'll also update our breeder page with a few new animals. Don't miss this update!

Days at Night

Our reptile facility resides in our basement.
It makes life so much easier to have all the animals together in one place for feeding and cleaning.
However, we have one enclosure in our family room. It includes 3 animals- one male and two female giant day geckos (Phelsuma grandis madagascarensis).
Late in the evening, I usually catch up on Emails, Facebook, and reptile forum reading while half-watching a game on TV. I sometimes find myself reaching for the remote to hit the mute rather than flipping channels.
It usually starts with a grumbling gargled sound coming from the day gecko tank. One bright green gecko will approach another and vocalize the fact that they are approaching the other gecko. This is followed by a bunch of head bobbing and at times licking if the two are just passing like ships in the night. Sometimes this with result however in a clicking and screeching conversation between the two and then a playful game of tag through the enclosure.
Listening, and watching this activity is a real treat! These unique animals provide so much fun that they will forever be invited into our family room space.

If you would like more information on these great living jewels of nature you can check out:
Day Gecko Care
and
Day Gecko Article