Saturday, May 12 2012 07:26
Wally Kern
WELCOME TO SUPREME GECKO
I am so glad you took the time to join us here. I try to provide educatoin and entertainment in the reptile world. Click on the following links and you will find TONS of info under the Learning Center. Enjoy our Videos, Check out our very favorite Photos. Chat with me on our Facebook page and on Twitter. If you enjoy the info, please LIKE, comment, or repin on these sites.
Importantly, I would like your feedback. Check out our pages (the Supreme Gecko site, YouTube, FB, etc.) and our Newsletter and please leave a comment below-
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Your comments are valueable to us!
Wally
Saturday, May 12 2012 00:00
Wally Kern
Have you been thinking about caring for a reptile as a pet but don't have much experience in the area. You've seen them in pet stores or maybe at a reptile show but are not sure what questions to ask to ensure you make the best decision for you, your family and your new pet. You've narrowed your selection down to two- a crested gecko and a leopard gecko. But which to choose! Below, I will help answer this question for you.
Here are some similarities- Both geckos are smaller in size (about 10 inches maximum) and a male and female can be managed easily in about a 20 gallon enclosure. They are both easily handled and readily become accustomed to being held in just a little time. I feel both geckos are simply adorable as well. Leopard and crested geckos are readily available at pet stores and on-line, of course including our Web Store. Concerning health, the two geckos are considered extremely healthy with few issues. In fact, both have a lifespan of over 15 years! If breeding is ultimately your goal, both animals are a great starter reptiles to breed- from getting eggs to hatching the eggs out. For the advanced breeder, both have outstanding patterns and color varieties that will make even the most advanced breeder drool with envy.
But there are differences. The leopard gecko requires live feeder insects. Crested geckos, while they enjoy hopping and crawling meals, readily eats the Repahsy Crested Gecko Diet, which is an inexpensive, complete meal. We feed CGD but also offer crickets on weekends. PLUS 2 for Crested geckos (live food not required and less expensive to feed)
Leopard geckos require a heat gradiance. About 20-30 % of the enclosure should be around 90-95 degrees. This is attainable with an Under The Tank heater. Crested geckos do just fine at room temps. +1 Crested Geckos
Ability to handle- while both are at the top of the reptile list, I would say crested geckos are more handle-able PLUS 1/2 for Crested Geckos
Health- Both are normally very healthy animals but leopard geckos do occasionally succumb to a disease call cryptosporidian. I have never had an issue with crested geckos PLUS 1/2 Crested Geckos
Enclosure orientation- Leopard gecko are terrestrial and do best with long enclosures. Crested geckos are arboreal and require high enclosure for climbing. Push as neither gets the advantage.
Egg Incubation- Leopard gecko eggs need to be incubated. Crested eggs will hatch at room temp. PLUS 1 Crested Geckos
Colors/Morphs- leopard geckos are very predictable in producing offspring due to co-dominance and recessive genes. Crested genes determination is still all up in the air. While it is interesting to see specific, expected results from leopard gecko breeding, it is certainly fun to see what crested gecko babies turn out to be. Push as neither gets the advantage (depending on what your preference might be).
As you can see, there are a few advantages to the crested gecko- food preference, cost of ownership (live insects/heatpads,etc), etc. This is not an easy decision but, I can relate that we sell many more crested geckos to new families looking for their first reptile pet, and more leopard geckos to I hope this helps make the decision right for you.
Thursday, April 26 2012 00:00
Wally Kern
Ptenopus kochi, Koch's (Namibian) barking gecko
The systematics of the Ptenopus genus is still to be studied carefully, beyond the three existing species, as there are noticeable differences inside the same species, some individuals being parthenogenic, some others having males which do not vocalize (Jon Boone, pers. comm.). This is a rare species, endemic to the deserts of Namibia, often found in colonies of several tens of individuals, each gecko occupying an individual, deep (up to 10 ft) burrow. They often use burrows made by small rodents, but have powerful, muscled rear legs particularly adapted to burrowing.
There are watchers in the colony, vocalizing at the slightest alert, and all other barking geckos will instantly go ba ck to the depths of their burrows. They are mostly nocturnal, but are also active at dawn and dusk, and may sometimes b e found foraging for prey during daytime. In the wild, they are often gathered near dry riverbeds or near termite mounds, where a relative humidity can be found. They are the largest of Ptenopus, adults are about 4 1/4 to 4 1/2 inches full length. Males have orange-yellow throats and do vocalize very loudly.
Females lay single eggs. They are not easy to sex until they reach their full size, and some parthenogenic females were recorded. They have short snouts with nostrils on top, rounded and plump bodies, but no bulges, an adaptation to their sand dune biotope. They have eyelids, though they are not taxonomically considered as "eyelid geckos". They have powerful jaws and eat a variety of prey in the wild. Their cousins P. garrulus do pose major issues to keepers as for feeding, they would tend to ignore crickets after a while as their diet is mostly based on termites in the wild. P. kochi do not pose such problems and will readily accept any fast-moving insect. One interesting fact when they forage for prey is that they can run as fast forwards than backwards!
In captivity, I do not recommend handling them at all, they seem to be particularly prone to handling stress. They are  very hardy though, and voracious eaters. A common mistake is to house them in numbers. House them in pairs, this will avoid mutual aggressions. PVC tubes can be used as artificial burrows, and it is not only useless but also more complicated when it comes to egg-spotting to offer them a too deep layer of sand. A one inch thick layer is absolutely fine. UVB lights are not necessary, but cannot harm. They do need small drinking vessels, a light spraying every 4 to 6 days at night will be enough to keep them properly hydrated.
Feed juveniles every day, adults 2 to 3 times weekly. They are best kept in PVC containers without any light, to simulate the conditions in their burrows they need CONSTANT temps from 82 to 88°F with little variation and no night time cooling. Total darkness is also one of the keys, along with a THIN (1 inch) layer of sand. Do not keep them too hot, this is another common mistake. Make the decoration of their enclosures as simple as possible; plants will not last long as these geckos will unearth their roots. Along with PVC tubes, you can use flat rocks as shelters, or pieces of cork bark oak -the latter are safer because they will not crush the geckos shelteting under them. Ptenopus kochi are not shy, and will readily come out at feeding time.
They are a pleasant species to watch. They are still quite expensive and rare, but they do deserve advanced keepers to acquire a small breeding group so as to make the species more accessible.
Hervé Saint-Dizier
Monday, April 23 2012 00:00
Wally Kern
Saturday, as we were setting up for the reptile show, and the last gecko deli cup was added to the table, I started to look around for Speckles our male crested gecko that has been to about 50 shows with us.
He is an attractive flame crested gecko, not spectacular and not really that large of a male. However, he is very well behaved. When he comes out at a show, there are a couple of jumps and then he settles into his walking from hand to hand.... then he just settles into his 'I'll just lay here in the warmth of this person's hand'.
With everyone that has held Speckles over the years, he has become if not famous, at least beloved. One show about 6 months ago, I mistakenly brought one of the females in his enclosure instead of Speckles (I'm packing animals at 4:30 am for the show so I'm usually half awake). People were actually mad at me for not bring him!
As I brought Speckles out for Saturday's show I had a great idea (yes, I've had one or two in the past). I will take photos of folks holding Speckles and put them on the web page ! I think people will get a big kick out of seeing their photos with Speckles and it will be interesting to see these photos years later.
IF YOU HAVE BEEN CAUGHT HOLDING SPECKLES, PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW TO IDENTIFY YOURSELF
WIRE- Spring 2012
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
She Asked for it!
 
 
 
 
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Friday, April 13 2012 18:22
Wally Kern
"This just in".... sounds like a news flash. Well, for Supreme Gecko it is. A couple weeks ago, we made arrangements to ship in Lygodactylus williamsi, the Electric Blue gecko.
A little history- four or five years ago, the L. williamsi started showing up in the hobby. It seemed like every other table at reptile shows were offering these beautiful little geckos. First they were around about $250 each but quickly were  priced under $50. Their price was so depreciated that I felt other hobbyist must have been breeding these gekcos like crazy and decided not to purchase any at that time. Besides, back then, I was keeping crested geckos, leopard geckos, bearded dragons, and chameleons. I had no interest in these tiny little geckos.
At the time, information came out that the geckos were limited to a very small ecosystem in Africa- not square miles, but square blocks in size! It wasn't long before the government shut down exporting the animals. You would think that with so many in the country that captive breeding would have established L. williamsi in the hobby and they would be readily available. This did not happen and now they are nearly impossible to find.
Keeping in contact with a wonderful keeper, Linda of Switzer Reptiles. We purchased other small geckos from her this past year and in one of our conversations, she mentioned that she had several L. williamsi that she was growing up. During subsequent discussions, I made sure that I let her know that I was very interested in the animals and as luck would have it, they became available about 2 weeks ago.
It's extremely exciting to be able to work with these wonderful animals for the first time. I hope, with the 8 individuals, that we have at least one male in the group. Keep checking back as I would really enjoy working with other hobbyists that are as interested in these jewels as I am.
Other related articles
Saturday, March 31 2012 21:14
Wally Kern
Every year for over 25 years,  I have taken the baseball's opening day off of work. My wife makes brats, buys peanuts and crackerjacks, and decorates the family room full of baseball decor. It's a special day as the first game usually starts at 11 am and the last of the 4 games ends around 11 pm. Am I a baseball fan? You know it! Below are the Top 10 activities I will be doing-
1. I will Signon to my work Email and see all the tasks that I am not doing a thing about… and close my work Email as quickly as possible.
2. Wad up a piece of paper and throw it at the TV because I’m upset that someone on my favorite team struck out. Log in to the computer- check to see how my fantasy team is doing- wad up a piece of paper, and throw it at the computer.
3. Eat way too many salty peanuts. Have a brat for lunch… swear because the ketchup burns my lips from all the salty peanuts.
4. Wish I were tailgating on opening day instead of watching the games on TV. Walk outside to get the mail in 32 degree weather and run back inside because it is so cold out.
5. Reminisce about the cubs playing in Japan 12 years ago and think about all the good thoughts like Sammy Sosa and the great expectations about the cubbies in 2000. Then remember that Oakland and Seattle played a week ago and quickly realize how truly uneventful that game was and that I fell asleep in the 5th inning.
6. Hear a home run call some time during the day and hear the echo of "HEY HEY" and "HOLY COW" then remember how much I miss Jack Brickhouse and Harry Caray.
 
7. Check my the standings of my fantasy league after the first set of MLB games. Do a quick fist pump as my team is in first place. Check my fantasy league after the second set of MLB games. Look at all my players to trade them.
8. Think about the 45 MLB opening days in a row I've watched and realize how very very old I really am...... Realize it will be another 45 more opening days I will have to watch before my beloved Chicago Cubs win the WS.
9 Thank my wife for putting together the beautiful spread of food and decorations for the 25 some year in a row.
10. Remember sometime during the day that my mother and I would watch baseball games when I was a kid and use to write down the score at the end of every single Cub game in the back of her big Bible- and miss her so much....... I will then pick up our granddaughter Cristal, hold her in my arms while watching a baseball game, and keep the Kern tradition going.
Saturday, March 31 2012 00:00
Wally Kern
Aeluroscalabotes felinus!!! The Malaysian Cat Gecko
Slow, silent and stealthy, it makes its way through the jungle leaves along the branches. Large black eyes pierce through the darkness of the night. It's long slinky body almost invisible as retractable claws grip the bark of the tree. Its tails wisps slowly back and forth as it hunts its prey. Suddenly it stops, motionless, like a statue. Muscles tense, and then it pounces, grabs, and devours its meal. A panther? A leopard? No...it's Aeluroscalabotes felinus!!! The Malaysian Cat Gecko. And this is what I love about the species...a mini panther in the form of a gecko.
Not so many years ago, this species was considered nearly impossible to keep in captivity due to the poor quality of imports and the lack of knowledge of the species in general. This is a big part of why it is so underrated. However, due to the dedication of a few hobbyists, in fairly recent years many of the mysteries of keeping and breeding this species have come to light. The quality of the imports also increased, and now, captive bred specimens are available at reasonable prices. While still not what I consider a "beginner" species, it makes for a great intermediate level captive when proper husbandry techniques are followed. Although shy, the natural behaviors of this animal are a joy to watch and they do particularly well in a naturalistic vivarium setting. And in my opinion, it's cat like motions, slinky body and tail, and beautiful coloration and patterns make it a "must have" gecko species.
Ethan M. Allen
Riverside Reptiles
Geckos Unlimited Forum
Wednesday, March 28 2012 00:00
Wally Kern
Nephrurus levis levis - Smooth knobtail gecko
The Smooth Knob Tailed Gecko (Nephrurus levis levis) is a mid-sized terrestrial Gecko from Australia. There is some debate on the taxonomy, while most American keepers classify them as: Nephrurus levis levis, Nephrurus levis  occidentalis and Nephrurus levis pilbarensis. Many European keepers dismiss occidentalis entirely.
Knob Tailed Geckos have been a real joy to work with. Although small when compared to Varanids, their voracity towards food and quirky behavior can become quite endearing. Generally when stalking their prey (crickets or dubia) they take on a "cat-like" stance slowly stalking behind their soon to be food. The entire time this is happening their "knob" at the end of their tail is wagging absurdly almost as a sign for how pinned up with excitement they are internally.
We have found all three Smooth Knob Tailed Geckos simple to maintain, breed and hatch. Genetic diversity has been limited, which has spawned various morphs. So far I have seen no genetic defects to be concerned with.  Although arid, I see this species kept too dry too often. Look at your animals, keep them hydrated and well fed.
Jordan Russell
California Breeders Union
Tuesday, March 27 2012 17:52
Wally Kern
As you may know, my latest passion involves the little geckos- Lygodactylus, Spearodactylus, and Gonatodes. Yes, the ones that are smaller than most other gecko's babies. These animals are ALWAYS active and on the prowl for food. The challenge is 1. finding the smallest of foods for them and 2. Finding enough of it. I have been on a quest the past months to match supply with demand.
My initial source was Abby Malvestuto from Chicago (aka Herpetological Girl). Her wingless fruit flies were a perfect staple food. With feedings occuring every day though, I quickly ran out and was not able to successfully set up other cultures in time. My next source came from Captive Bred Specialties. About once a week, I would stop in and chat with the guys about this or that and purchase a hundred little crickets (actually would get a few more than that :) Very convenient and inexpensive but I still wanted to be a bit more self reliant. I tried mealworms and that worked great but again, supply ran out far too quickly. I had to find those fruit flies!
Well, the NARBC show was last weekend and at the end of the event, I found my 'source'. Josh's Dart Frogs had a great supply and the food and the cups, well they had everything. A bag full and about $50 lighter, I had 6 containers of flies- 3 D. melanogascar and 3 D. hydei, food, and cups. If you keep dart frogs, and know that I only have about 15 animals to feed, you know where this story is headed.
Feeding time rolls around a few days after the show and I set aside a high deli cup (similar to the one the flies are in). A tap or two and the insects should all be down at the bottom. I open the top and about a million fruit flies are still on the lid! In unison, they all decide to hop down to my cart and start crawling in all directions. Top back on and a few quick sweeps of a piece of paper later and miraculously, about 99.9999 percent are in the once empty deli cup now being topped off with another lid. In those 30 frantic seconds, I used every swear word I knew... and made up a couple in the process. All's well that ends well but I quickly realized that I had enough wingless fruit flies in this one cup to feed for WEEKS! And I have 5 other cups! Anyone need some fruit flies?
Saturday, March 24 2012 00:00
Wally Kern
As I walked toward the leopard room, the run-away darted under our utility cart.  I was checking out the size of the tiny crickets in the feeding cup at the time so I barely noticed it. Moving the cart, I quickly realized it was NOT a cricket and knew right away WHAT IT WAS! There was a Loose Little Lygo. Right there on the cold basement floor.
The Lygodactylus kimhowelli adult pair are housed in a 10 gallon, screened top glass enclosure. Puck light heat and high intensity fluorescents brighten the enclosure. In the tank, wedged tightly in a little crevice on their cork bark we found eggs a while back. With no way to get the bark out to claim the eggs, we allowed them to stay in the tank, being very careful whenever we misted not to get the eggs wet. I knew the parents allow hatchlings in their enclosure without bothering them and somehow thought I would be lucky enough to see them soon scooting around the tank. Well, it didn't quite work that way.
The cricket cup was put aside, the cart moved, and an empty deli cup and piece of paper used to capture the little lygo. Although I knew the babies of these pint size little jewels would be small, I did not expect THIS small. I setup a makeshift tall deli cup to hold them initially as they will go into a more permanent setup in the next day or so. Barely longer than a penny, it will be difficult to find appropriate sized food for these little guys. We usually get a cricket hatch once a week or two in one of our leopard gecko enclosures (warm and moist lay box) so I will be looking for a few tiny crickets to get them up to size. Wish me luck!
  
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