Savannah's 'bed'!

Hi guys!
A less serious/business post now - an update on the adorable couple!

Rocco and Savannah have been doing brilliantly recently.
They've been eating very well, hunting on their own, and Savannah has shed since the last time I updated you. She's grown so much! Rocco we think is due a shed tonight, as his skin feels rough and baggy and he's a very pale white.

There's so many videos and pictures I'm desperate to show you, so I'm going to show them to you in sections.

Savannah's Bed

The geckos took a few days to find their way around the vivarium and discover the new attractions that awaited them. Now they're comfortable in their surroundings, they've once again found their favourite places in the vivarium.

Every single day when I go into the vivarium, I always struggle finding Rocco and I will find him hidden in different places. Savannah, however, I can guarantee will be in the same place. We now have a nickname for it, and call it her bed.

She found a pretty stand-up flower on the left of the vivarium I'd put there, which has two large cupped leaves. She'd climbed into the pouch, as she's so little, and hidden deep down in it towards the center of the flower. I can find her there every single day, all day.

I found one day that Rocco had joined Savannah! 

Look at them snuggled in their own little pouches. 

You can just see their little noses poking out from the front of the plant! What a brilliant hiding place. Kudos to Savannah! 

One day, I even found them upside-down! So funny! 

Here's Rocco's amazing hiding place. Haha! I always told you he was rubbish at hiding.
He looks so cool and streamlined! It's like he's about to dive. 

Here's a wet Savannah tucked in her pouch after a misting.

Drinking

The other thing I really want to show you is the videos and pictures of Rocco and Savannah drinking.

They've really got into drinking water droplets after a misting recently. I don't know if the larger vivarium gives them more things to drink the water from, and now they can climb the glass easier it is probably a lot easier for them to drink from it. They have been drinking water droplets off of the glass, leaves, wood and plants!

It's absolutely adorable, and everytime I spray they are super eager for a drink, so I try to spray them and their surroundings directly. They always end up super covered in water droplets, yet for some reason they love it. It's like watching a pig in the mud.

Maybe I should make them a little paddling pool...

These pictures are truly awesome.
I'm not going to caption them, but seriously enjoy them. They're amazing.

Ah, got some really good pictures of Rocco this morning! They are SO sweet.

I hope you really enjoyed these pictures and videos - they are amazing. You can't get much better than that, other than an action jumping shot! They're difficult to snap.

Thanks again for reading!
Elly. x

15 Reasons to Buy a Crested Gecko

Why should I get a crested gecko?

This is a question a lot of people have been asking me recently, curious as to why I might be selling them.

"Who would want a crested gecko?" they ask. "Why would you want a reptile as a pet? Surely they do nothing but sit around. What makes them so interesting?"

There are a lot of misconceptions that come with crested geckos. A crested gecko is a reptile, and a lot of people tend to be afraid of reptiles. They associate cresties with snakes: slimy and predatory, and killers of fluffy white mice.

Crested geckos are not this way at all, and my post today is here to reassure those doubtful that crested geckos really aren't what you would expect.

1. They're soft.

People automatically assume that a crested gecko will be slimy or scaly. They picture that they'll feel like a snake or a frog, or your average lizard. This isn't the case.

Crested geckos are commonly nicknamed the 'velvet geckos', due to how soft they are at touch. They're especially smooth along their head and their back, in between their crests.

2. They're not predatory towards humans.

A lot of snakes or other reptiles can be vicious at times. So can a lot of other animals. Crested geckos can be jumpy and can occasionally bite if they have not been handled enough or correctly, but they have tiny teeth. When they are young, they've no teeth at all. Bites do not hurt, and barely make you jump, and once they realise you oppose no threat they will stop.

You would not find a crested gecko attacking you for no reason. When handled frequently, crested geckos are tame and harmless, and quickly come to learn that you are their friend.

3. They make beautiful decoration.

Even when not action-packed and adventurous, your crested gecko will be fantastic decor for your home.

Many people buy fish due to the relaxing nature of an aquarium. A vivarium is the same thing, just minus the water. Especially when you kit out an aquarium with jungle vines, sculptures, beautiful forest plants and fancy backgrounds, even those who do not admire your gecko will admire your set-up.

4. They satisfy both genders.

Whether you're a broody woman seeking an adorable pet, or a man seeking something cool and masculine, a crested gecko can fit both of these.

For the women, cresties are soft and adorable with large, dopey eyes. They have tiny little padded feet and waddle rather sweetly, and can lap up baby food from the tip of your finger. They're ever so tiny, and cling to you like a finger monkey.

For the men, a crested gecko is commonly described as a baby dragon. Many males enjoy watching their dragons jump and leap across the cage or onto their clothing. They're awesome climbers and terrific hunters, if you'd rather see your gecko leap for a cricket than lick at some baby food.

5. Their diet is up to you.

Your gecko doesn't have to be a vicious, merciless killer if you don't want.

If you're squeamish about the hunting side of things, you can feed your gecko on a paste-like substance called Crested Gecko Diet. Owners should know all about this. It comes in a powder form that you mix with water, and needs no vitamin or calcium supplements. It contains everything your geckos need and is fruit flavoured, and most cresties love it.

If you're squeamish about particular insects but what your gecko to eat live food as the more natural option, there are different things you can feed to him. For example, those who are squeamish about jumpy insects like crickets and locusts may feed their gecko on meal worms.

6. They don't take a lot of looking after.

When you know what you're doing, there's not really much you have to do.

Feeding your gecko every other day, cleaning the vivarium about once a month, misting at night times and lightly in the mornings and perhaps changing the bulbs if you have any is all you really need to do for your gecko. Handling regularly is also important, but anyone who loves cresties won't find this a chore but more of a delight.

My partner has fish, and he always states how easier the geckos are to care for. There is much less cleaning out and much less feeding, yet they still make gorgeous decoration and do a lot more than the fish.

7. They're beautiful creatures.

When people in my family have come to visit us and have seen the geckos, they've really been surprised at their appearance. They've expected scaly, intimidating, large and unattractive reptiles. Crested geckos are far from this. They're delicate, soft, they have bulging adorable eyes, little padded feet, intricate patterns, fragile tails and gorgeous crests that form 'eyelashes'.

People who are terrified of lizards and snakes have visited Rocco and Savannah and called them adorable, beautiful and brilliant. Chunkier males like Rocco are majestic and proud, whereas smaller and delicate females like Savannah are petite and dainty.

8. They last a jolly long time.

Smaller creatures, such as hamsters and mice, often don't last a long time.

Crested geckos are classed as 'small pets', yet they can be seen to last 20 years. You should at least get a minimum of 12 years out of your gecko. As a childhood pet, it could be something that could grow up with you and see you through adulthood.

9. They don't smell.

Something that puts parents of young children off of them having a pet is the fact that they smell. Things like hamsters, and even things like snakes, are messy and dirty and have smelly excrements.

Crested geckos do not smell at all. You can easily go a month without cleaning the vivarium, and you don't particularly need to wash the geckos. A good moisture-filled substrate will absorb any excrements in the vivarium, and it should be left with no odour. If it does start to smell though, you know it's time it needs cleaning out.

10. They're small

Women in particular are put off by large, intimidating reptiles. A large reptile means you need a large enclosure, and large animals are often more frightening for children.

An adult crested gecko should average about 9 inches, nose to tail. A crested gecko without a tail is much smaller, and juveniles are a lot smaller. Savannah at the moment is just under 5 inches, and Rocco is just over.

11. You can choose your size vivarium.

So long as your sized vivarium is recommended for the gecko you have, it can be as small or as large as you like. The people in the store will tell you the range you can go for, but it should be reasonably varied. If you're worried about space, as reptile enclosures can be rather large, then you can always purchase a smaller enclosure. You don't have to go all-out with a larger one.

12. They each have their own personality.

Crested geckos are not all the same. They have different appearances, sure, but they also have different personalities. It can be fun to investigate your crested gecko's temperement: is she adventurous and daring? Is he calm and tame? Does she like to be active? Does he eat a lot, or eat little? Is she a fussy eater? Does he like to climb?

13. They don't 'just sit there'.

This was a comment made by my dad before I got Rocco. He was worried I'd lose interest because apparently, crested geckos 'just sit there'. They do far more than that.

Crested geckos jump, climb, run, pounce on food, lick their eyes (so adorable), weave in and out of obstacles, climb your clothing, cuddle into your neck/body for warmth... They're as active as you raise them to be. If you let them climb all over you since you've had them, they'll grow up this way. If you'd rather have them stay on your hands, they'll grow up this way too.

14. They are inexpensive to maintain.

Once you have your Crested Gecko Diet (mine was £13), it should be months and months before you need to buy any again.

A box of 100 odd crickets or meal worms at my local pet store costs £2, and they last an awful long time too. If you get a critter keeper and remove the dead ones, feed the live ones and allow them space to grow, they last even longer.

You won't need to go out buying food regularly, and there's nothing else you need to buy to keep everything maintained once you have your vivarium and all its equipment.

15. All crested geckos look different.

There are different morphs and colours that come with each crested gecko. There are more rare kinds that are difficult to find, such as the moonglow (some even say this morph of gecko is a myth), and the more common kinds, such as those with a duller greeny-grey colour.

You can go crazy searching for the most beautiful crested geckos you can find, which will be more expensive, or settle for something more common. Rocco is a flame, but he turned out a lot more dark than expected, and Savannah is a harlequin who also gradually got darker. At times, she can even appear blue at the sides!

They're not like a leopard gecko, which all look the same.

I hope this has enlightened you a little, and steered you a way from the typical reptile stereotypes.

It's always difficult to believe these facts or understand them until you have experienced it yourself, but I assure you that I have changed a lot of people's views over the past 6 months about crested geckos.

I'll be posting again tonight with an update on Rocco and Savannah!
Sorry I haven't been around for a while, but it's been a little bit hectic recently.

Thank you for reading, and for all the views when I've been away!
500, woop woop!

Elly. x

A brand new home! (With challenges...)

I got my GCSE results on Thursday.
For those of you that want to know, I did really well and I'm very pleased! I got a lot of A*s, and some As and Bs here and there.

I explained in a previous post that it is a tradition in our family to have a certain allocated amount of money for each grade received by the student, in hope to motivate them to work harder to get the higher grades. I was very lucky to receive a lot of money for my good grades.
There's not really a lot I want or need for myself, and I'm very grateful for all the wonderful things I have; I'm a very lucky girl! The only thing I really wanted or needed was a new vivarium.

After seeing my geckos, my next-door-neighbour Simon had fallen in love with them and recently popped out himself to get his own crestie. He got his from the same place as Savannah, and he looks an awful lot like her. He's even one of the ones we looked at whilst we were at the store.
We admired his vivarium, which measured 18" by 18" by 24". It was beautiful and large with a gorgeous background and lovely spacious floor, which we need for egg laying. We liked how there was a lot more room for equipment.

Excitedly, we dashed out to the store to grab ourselves one of the vivariums. They had 2 in stock and on offer, with ultraviolet heat bulbs.
We picked up lots of pretty things to put in the cage. We got 4 plants, a large jungle vine, a piece of cork bark, 2 beautiful branches and a drinking bowl. It looks like a little forest in there, and it's gorgeous.

After we set it all up (outside, to avoid any mess!), we carried the vivarium into my bedroom and exchanged it for the old one. We popped the geckos inside and left them to explore for a while.
They settled in straight away and they loved the space and area to climb. For some reason, they found it a lot easier to climb the glass in this vivarium.

I'm so super-duper pleased with their new home, and it's so beautiful.

Here's some pictures and videos of Rocco and Savannah.
There's a few challenges in some of the pictures. If you figure it out, give me a comment!
I hope you enjoy them. x

These videos show Rocco and Savannah eating their favourite things yesterday.

Rocco's joint favourite things are blueberry puree and meal worms. Unfortunately we had no blueberry puree, so we settled for worms!

The first video shows Savannah enjoying her favourite food: Crested Gecko Diet! You'll see what I mean about the way she bites.

 

When we went to the store to get the vivarium, there was this little big guy trying to escape from his house! He was so clever, using his little feet. So cute.

Rocco and Savannah won't drink from the water bowl, but the big leaves in the new vivarium get covered in water droplets. He must have been thirsty, and lapped them up like a hot puppy. 

Haha, look at his blurred little tongue. So cute. 

He's so beautiful, and I love the new leaves! They're gorgeous, too! 

My auntie holding Rocco! 

And again. :-) 

Rocco and Savannah on the new jungle vine. So cute, they love to be close. 

A distant view of the new vivarium. It's bigger than my bedside table / chest of drawers! 

Inside the vivarium. Isn't it so gorgeous? It's like a real jungle. 

Challenge One: FIND ROCCO.

Rocco perched on the vine. 

 Another view of the vivarium. It's just so beautiful. It's a lovely addition to my bedroom.

 I know this isn't really relevant, but look! My doggy enjoying the sun!

Challenge Two: WHERE'S SAVANNAH? 

Ah, so exciting!!! Rocco can stick to the glass now!!! 

Here he is again, stuck to the glass and being cute. 

Savannah joined him. They're so cute, aren't they? 

You can see how big she's gotten here. She's really caught up with him.

Here's Rocco and Savannah drinking water from the glass! Sorry about the cut-out bit at the end, it's because it got really slippy and they started to fall, haha!

Hope you enjoyed it.

I'll post again really soon - an advisory post this time!

Thank you for reading.

Elly. x

Some photo updates!

Hello, everybody! I'm back! Hooray!

First of all I'd like to say that although I haven't been on blogger in a little while (apart from the post earlier today [which I wrote yesterday]) my page views have been absolutely fantastic!
Thank you so much to everyone who has been viewing the blog regularly and helping with recommendations and +1's! You're all great and I love you so much!
Keep the views and the recommendations coming, it means a lot to me. :-)

Now that's out of the way, I would like to give you some updates on Rocco and Savannah.
We've had some very exciting activity, unusual behaviour and fantastic events that I'd like to share with you all.

To start with, the exciting news!
We all know that it's a bit early for Savannah to lay any eggs just yet. Both of my geckos are a little small and a little young, and they've not quite been together a month.
However, we are excited to tell you that Savannah has been burying in the substrate!!! We've done lots of research and gotten a lot of advice on what this could mean, and the only two reasons for burying in the soil are for egg-laying or to help alter body temperature.
I have a very accurate dial thermometer which I check regularly, and know that it cannot be down to the temperature in the vivarium! So it can only be down to one thing... Egg laying!
Savannah definitely is not gravid at the moment, and when stress can be avoided we have been enthusiastically going on egg hunts in the viv (just in case!)
People have suggested that perhaps Savannah is preparing herself for when she does lay eggs. If this is the case, Rocco and Savannah are certainly getting along well. <333

Next, the unusual behaviour.
My partner and I got Savannah out yesterday at feeding time, and he turned to me and said, "Isn't that Rocco?"
I inspected the gecko carefully and thought to myself, 'Am I going mad? Has Rocco shrunk?', for she was a strange dark colour different from her usual gold, and her eyes were wide and hyper. She is usually a light, delicate morph (even when fired up!) with gentle, narrow eyes.
Savannah is extremely chilled out the majority of the time and refrains from much exercise or activity, but she seemed on a complete high that day. With her pupils hugely dilated, she sprinted all over Jack and pounced here and there. At points we almost lost her as she crawled into the smallest spaces she could find. She was far more adventurous than usual.
If anyone has any idea why Savannah might have been suddenly acting this way, please let me know! It was most peculiar!

Lastly, some general news for you.
The pair of them have been eating very well recently, and yesterday Rocco consumed seven meal worms without any fuss.
The day we'd found Savannah buried in the soil, she ate a colossal amount of Crested Gecko Diet! She really went for it, opening her mouth wide as if hunting and pouncing on it. She took the largest chunks I'd ever seen (5 times more than that of her first feed!) and wolfed it all down with no leftovers. She's now grown a tremendous amount and her ribs are becoming less visible by the day, which is terrific.
I'm getting my exam results tomorrow, and it has been a tradition in my family to give an allocated amount of money for each grade in hope to motivate the student for better results. I'm predicted some pretty good grades so I'm hoping for quite a bit of money, which I will spend to buy a larger vivarium for Rocco and Savannah. The old vivarium will then be used when separating the pair at the end of the breeding season, and when they are together some older hatchlings may even use the smaller viv.
We are hoping that the larger vivarium will be large enough to provide a nesting box; we don't quite have enough ground space in our current viv for this. :-(

Now without further ado, here are the pictures and videos from the last week or so!
I hope you enjoy them as much as we have. :-D

 Savannah buried with just her little head poking out, just to the left of the water bowl and under the leaves! Do you see her?

Here she is again, looking very cute. She was licking off some CGD from the leaves - I'm not sure why it was there!

Doesn't she just look adorable?

 Savannah often sits herself on Rocco's back and just chills. Rocco doesn't mind unless her feet go in his eyes, then he gets annoyed and shakes her off. He will sink his eyes into his head to protect them.

So gross yet so cool!

Same here. Look at them! So cute <333 

I love how you can see the bones in Savannah's head on this picture. They always make a capital I or a sideways capital H! 

Whilst hyped up, as I mentioned, Savannah held an adorable pouncy pose on Jack's shirt! Ohhhh, I could have just squished her. She is so adorable and she looks super cool. 

Here's my little poser again from a bit of a distance. Maybe geckos can read Morse code? 

Here's the pair of them chilling out on the spare cork bark outside the viv. They love climbing all over it. You can really see how big they've gotten here, and how dark Savannah was that day!

Savannah is on the left and higher up, Rocco on the right and a little hidden.

Here's my little fired up Savannah perched on the bark. Her markings are really starting to come out now she's growing, and I'm starting to notice some dalmation spots.. Nothing like Rocco's, though! 

...And here's Rocco! He's gotten so big, right!? I can't believe how much he's grown.. I miss my little baby Rocco the first time I held him in the store... He was so smooth back then! Now he's all bumpy! 

Look at Savannah, ready to pounce!

I love her tail here. It is so golden and so pretty, as always.

You can really make out the 'golden cricket' on Rocco's tail here too.

Rocco is really difficult to get pictures of because he's so damn active, but this is him munching on a meal worm. My camera was being really annoying and just would not focus, and it's not very good at capturing movement. But yes, he was eating one of his seven crickets here.

I really should have recorded it like I did with Savannah! 

Haha, I love this action shot, it's fantastic!

Here's Rocco licking his lips after a nice long dinner. Ooh, yum yum! 

Here's my golden girl also licking her lips after her first meal worm of the day.

More, mama, more!

I had trouble uploading the video sadly.

Hope you enjoyed these pictures. They're so cute, aren't they!?
I swear they get more and more adorable everyday, and I love them so much. <333

If anyone has any ideas about the whole Savannah getting all hyped thing, please comment and let me know.
You don't have to leave a name if you don't want to :-) I would really like to know what it was all about!

Elly. x