This is obviously not a red gecko, but she was hatched in 2002 from the original "Chips" line (long before Chips came along). She played a smaller role in the development of the Chips bloodline, but ended up becoming the "key" gecko in the development of my Neon Orange Patternless and Neon Red Harlequin/Pinstripe lineages.
Pepsi better step up that red!!!
Meet the Crested Gecko
Rhacodactylus ciliatus
The crested gecko is easily one of the top five most popular reptiles of any kind in the hobby today, but it was previously thought to be extinct. Until its rediscovery in 1994 on the Isle of Pines, a tiny island just off the southeast coast of the main island of New Caledonia, it was the gecko people only knew from a sketch and a holotype specimen that had been preserved in the late 1800's, which was the last time scientists had been able to find the species. This rediscovery was greeted with much excitement amongst both academics and hobbyists, but no one had any idea of just how popular this species would become in the pet trade.
Commonly thought of as the perfect pet reptile due to their docile nature, unparalleled hardiness and ease of care, the crested gecko is just now getting down to a price where pet stores can afford to carry them, meaning it is still gaining in popularity by the day.
Crested geckos rarely have health problems as long as a few simple requirements are met. Also, because they thrive at room temperature there is no need for expensive heating equipment.
Where do they come from? The crested gecko, Rhacodactylu ciliatus, is native exclusively to New Caledonia, a tiny chain of islands just east of Austraila. New Caledonia is a French territory (popular vacation spot) and consists of a main island, Grand Terre, as well as a small group of smaller islands, including the infamous Isle of Pines, where the crested gecko was first rediscovered thriving in great numbers.
Our Collection Their strange crests, "eyelashes", seemingly endless palette of colors, interesting patterns and ultimately, all the potential for combinations are what lured me into crested geckos in the first place. With that in mind, when I decided to begin breeding them, my plan was very simple; to produce the best looking crested geckos available anywhere.
I first started building my collection in 2002. Before that I was really a hard core python guy who had tried a bunch of lizard species in the past and found them too labor intensive for me to enjoy. Crested geckos don't require live prey, so that was what sparked my interest. After I kept a pair for a while and felt confident I could handle a big group of them, I immediately started seeking out the best looking geckos I could find and from as many different bloodlines as I could get my hands on. I didn't pay so much attention to what people were talking about or what other people were producing, but rather of the possibilities of what I could make if I were to buy the most "advanced" stuff out there and then start refining from there.
In contrast to large commercial producers who have literally thousands of crested geckos, as many as 15,000 in some cases, and sell to the large chain stores and reptile distributors, I maintain a relatively small colony consisting of less than a thousand top quality specimens. We probably spend just as much time caring for our colony as a commercial producer would for a colony of 5,000 geckos, but it's necessary because we're producing a different caliber of gecko intended for a different kind of customer.
