how many

[peterm15]

at first i was thinking of getting some anoles and stuff to put in a natural vivarium but i like cresties better.....

now i will be getting an octoganal 40 gal tank... it may be 50 but ill say 40.... 18x 36 or 48( lxh)... i know i can get at least 2 but how many do you think would be comfortable in that tank... it will be a natural... real plants, possibly a small pond and waterfall... ( unless not recomended) things like that.... lots of hides etc. etc.

ive read a few sheets and i still am but would just like some other opinions.... i know alot of you love your cresties as will i.( there just beautiful)...

thank you

[peterm15]

oh ya by hides i mean cover... leaves corkbark ect

and i just read that there tail doesnt grow back, i was under the impression that is does... does it???

[CDN-Cresties]

In a 50 Gallon, i bet you could house 1.3 maybe 1.4. I would skip the waterfall idea because its a real pain to clean and the pond could also be a drowning hazard. I would just stick to live plants and cork bark.
Cresties tails do not regenrate, according to the rhac book most adult speciems found in the wild dont have their tails.

[peterm15]

awsome.... ill skip the falls then, thanks,.... so 4 would be ok... (as long as just one male) thanks alot.... how handleable are they... i dont need to, i really just wanna view but is it an option...

any other opinions would be great

one more ? for now at least... how early can they be sexed

[CDN-Cresties]

Just make sure you create a lot of surface area . They are prety handable, they tend to calm down with age but there always in the exception.

Sexing them can be a bit problematic, some males develop a buldge at4 months while others take a year. Generally 8 months you can make a good guess but that can change overnight.

If you are going to get a babies, house them in something smaller and as soon as you know you have a male, house him seperately to prevent fighting and breeding with young females.

[peterm15]

maybe ill just get an adult then.... would breeders sell adults

[noname]

They will sometimes sell adults, but they most commonly sell males. Finding an adult female, that someone is wanting to sell, is pretty unlikely. And if you do find one, they can be pretty pricy.

Court

[CDN-Cresties]

Once in a while people well sell breeding groups in the classifieds but its rare and usually pricy.

[peterm15]

so i still prob have to get a baby... well i dunno.... ill figure something out....

[DragnDrop]

If you house a group together you'll notice they form a pecking order. The 'alpha female' will be the first in line at feeding time, the lower ranking females have to make do with what's left when they get their turn. To make sure they all get a fair amount of food, be sure to feed lots of free-range bugs, that way they all get an equal chance at the buffet table. There's also a chance the lowest ranking female won't breed much, since she's last in line with the male as well. Through trial and error over the years I've decided never to do more than a trio of cresties (1.2) no matter how large the enclosure. With gargoyles I stick to pairs for the same reasons. Also, gargoyles seem to form a mild pair bond, so the extra female(s) could be stressful to the breeding pair.

[peterm15]

so would 3 (1.2) be ok in a 40..... i have a choice oon both tanks....

[peterm15]

does anyone have any suggestions when it comes to cresties... warnings and stuff like that... ive read through like 20 care sheets and would just like to see if anyone has anything to add as far as housebandry, heat, plant types, or just percautions to take.... thank you

[CDN-Cresties]

If you read that many caresheets you should be okay. The only think that I can think of is keep baby cresties on paper towel to prevent them from choking on substrate when they are hunting down prey.

[peterm15]

great thanks

[peterm15]

whats a reasonable price for cresties..... and can anyone direct me to a place to get some....( sometime after x-mas)

[chameo_liz]

check the classifieds

Kris

[peterm15]

i already did... they all seem to be morphs....

sorry i didnt clarify... im just looking for regular cresties... not morphs.... if i can get morphs for a reasonably price however. lol