mixing?

geckolord1 · #1 10-11-2010, 09:11 PM

hi all, I was wondering can i mix crestie and garg geckos?

JoeG · #2 10-11-2010, 10:47 PM

Aside from idea that mixing is not a good idea...Definitly not a good idea. Gargs are WAY to aggressive, your crestie will lose its tail for sure, stress out and could eventually get sick or die from the stress. Even male and female of the same species (R. Ciliatus in this case) are generally kept apart unless they are breeding due to stress put on the females as the males constantly try to breed them.

Its good to understand that we all spend a lot of time trying to create a nice environment for our pets but even our best attempts pale in comparison to nature. Space alone is a big factor. In nature we see many species but there is room to escape and hide if need be. In our little tanks...not so much.

Its a long standing discussion with a lot of people but IMO if I want interaction from a multiple animal enclosure, I would look at something like a P. Standingii who mate for life but i would steer clear of multi-species tanks.

Also, this is a great excuse for more tanks in the future!!

geckolord1 · #3 10-12-2010, 09:39 AM

ok how about L. williamsi? its not too agressive and its nice and small and it eats fruit (and its gorgeous)

JoeG · #4 10-12-2010, 10:49 AM

Well, the dominant male is a nice shade of blue...but females are rather plain.
L. Wiliamsi get to a max of about 3 inches... a full grown ciliatus is usually 8 inches... almost 3 times the size. You can bet the crestie will try and eat them when they cross paths, especially if the size difference is dramatic like a young williamsi vs. a fully grown crestie.
Another consideration is the environment requirements...they are close but they are a bit on the high side fro a crested gecko. You'll also need UV since wiliamsii are diurnal.

Another thought is if you put a breeding pair, any hatchlings would be food for sure.

Here is a thought...if you want something else in that tank consider the following:
1. Giant Millipede (NOT centipede)
2. a glass divider to separate the species

3. Doing something on a scale like this, where a low mix could work.

geckolord1 · #5 10-12-2010, 12:38 PM

i has a UVB 5.0 bulb already its a tube flourescent

geckolord1 · #6 10-12-2010, 02:25 PM

i would do that if i could but sadly money is an object

how about red eyed tree frog? (wanna try all my possibilities)

JoeG · #7 10-12-2010, 04:45 PM

So consider this...IF (and I mean IF) mixing were a easy thing where no real experience were needed... the animals need to have similar environmental conditions (temp and humidity to start with).

RETF and Cresties don't have the same environmental conditions so someone is gonna suffer. Which of your pets would you like to watch suffer? Sorry, its a harsh question but the reality is, if the temp gets too high or I forget to buy food...or I introduce a parasite from another animal...its my fault. Its part of being responsible but its also part of being respectful to our animals.

Here is an interesting combination I do NOT recommend. African clawed frogs in a pond and some RETF or darts maybe. no biggie.. the africans are in the water and the darts on land...nice... cept for africans are know to carry chytrid fungus...bye bye darts..or whatever.

Lots of stuff to think about...if you want to mix... but if cash is an issue and you cant afford a bigger tank...none of this is a concern.

My honest advise, take your time and enjoy what you have...learn to maintain it and as you build an interest...build your collection. FYI cresties have a lifespan of ~20 years so you have some time.

geckolord1 · #8 10-12-2010, 08:51 PM

k thanx

beckdg · #9 10-13-2010, 09:08 AM

joe brings up some good points... and for good reason.

however... mixing is possible at a certain point... and under the right conditions... with the right species...

BUT... if you're going to try to mix... for most species you should have a long standing relationship with all the individuals you plan on mixing... and know that one can't eat the other... and keep an eye on them once they're mixed... even if everything seems to be workable there could be the occasional missing leg, a fungus or parasite that one carries that the other cannot fight off... etc., etc., etc. ... so lots of precautions to be taken... and plenty of setups for each individual long before they're mixed...

THEN... there's those that have symbiotic relationships or just live together commonly in the wild... for example i'm pretty sure there's a thread on this site where someone put a palu together for red-clawed crabs and mudskippers... but you have to do your research to find such combinations that just work... usually what we want to put together doesn't just work that way... unfortunately... for us AND the poor critters that suffer from such ideas.

bottom line... if YOU don't know the care... the animals... whether they SHOULD be mixed... all their quirks... what they're carrying... you should not even be considering it.

sorry

geckolord1 · #10 10-13-2010, 11:11 AM

thanx thats perfectly fine no need to apologise i was looking for an answer even if it was no like on my old forums (repticzone i hated these forums) people would come on and if they didnt get the answer they wanted they throw a hissy fit and frankly i got banned for telling someone to stop being an idiot (they wanted to keep their green anole with a house gecko).