Why Most Crested Gecko Enclosures Are Wrong

Ep. 245 - Thomas Marriott, General Manager of Exotics Keeper breaks down what he observed during his second trip to New Caledonia — this time during the dry season. Many keepers picture New Caledonia as consistently humid and tropical year-round, but Thomas shares the surprising environmental shifts that occur during the dry season and how those shifts directly impact wild Crested Gecko behavior and habitat use. Thomas also shares insights from a recent stint in Australia studying wild Bearded Dragon habitats and how field data can challenge some of the assumptions we make in captivity. If you care about aligning captive care more closely with natural history, this episode is packed with practical takeaways. SHOW NOTES: https://www.animalsathomenetwork.com/245-exotic-keeper/ JOIN US ON PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/animalsathome SPONSORS: Visit The BioDude: https://www.thebiodude.com/ Visit Zoo Med Labs here: https://zoomed.com/ #245 #animalsathomepodcast JOIN US ON PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/animalsathome LINKS FROM THE EPISODE: https://exoticskeeper.com/ https://www.instagram.com/exoticskeeper/ Photos and Video in Episode: Provided by Thomas Marriott 0:00 Intro 2:49 Welcome Thomas - New Caladonia Overview 15:05 Crested Gecko Behavior in Dry Season 19:25 How to Replicate Crested Gecko Habitat 21:47 Wild Crested Gecko Diet (wet vs dry season) 25:27 Zoo Med Creatures Roly-Poly Kit 26:40 Why Crested Geckos do well in Captivity 36:34 Environmental Readings - When are Crested Geckos Active in the Wild? 38:11 Replicating Environmental Cues 42:30 Other Species found on New Caladonia 55:36 BioDude TerraFanua Substrate 56:38 Bearded Dragons in the Wild - impaction & body condition 1:17:40 Leopard Geckos - the plan to find wild specimens 1:21:55 Closing Thoughts SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST: APPLE► https://apple.co/347PjSO SPOTIFY► https://spoti.fi/2UG5NOI GOOGLE► https://bit.ly/3dX6bQq _________________________________________ WEBSITE► https://www.animalsathome.ca EMAIL►[email protected] FACEBOOK► https://www.facebook.com/AnimalsatHome.ca/ INSTAGRAM► https://www.instagram.com/animalsathomeca/ DONATE TO AMAZON RAINFOREST CONSERVANCY (ARC): http://amazonrainforestconservancy.com/ BELOW ARE MY AMAZON AFFILIATE LINKS. PLEASE READ DISCLAIMER: More information here: https://www.animalsathome.ca/affiliate-disclaimer/ PODCAST EQUIPMENT: ZOOM H6: https://amzn.to/3n2YBIP Shure SM58: https://amzn.to/2Gqx2Ze Microphone Boom: https://amzn.to/33g40UT Microphone Desk Stand: https://amzn.to/34r6wHx Headphones: https://amzn.to/3cLmdNl FILM & OTHER EQUIPMENT: Shelving Unit: https://amzn.to/2waz0nD Camera: http://amzn.to/2D8Ed0w Lavalier Microphone: http://amzn.to/2oPjpac Action Camera: http://amzn.to/2HeDug Voice Over Microphone: https://amzn.to/2AXyq22 Drill: https://amzn.to/2SH9Veg ABOUT DILLON: Welcome to my channel, Animals at Home! Here you will find the reptile videos I have made as well as video versions of The Animals at Home Podcast! The podcast mainly focuses on the pet reptile industry. My mission with Animals at Home is simple: To inspire others to push the limits of their reptile husbandry by promoting the importance of high-level, creative husbandry individualized for each reptile.