Geckos in plastic bins?

[geckoman14]

Hey everyone im pretty new to this website so im trying to ask as much questions as i can. Im buying  the 6-pack gecko from pangea(no offense to Anthony he is one of my crested idols i will buy from him when i have more money lol) and i noticed the ones pangea sells in the pack are about 1-2 month olds, so i am using plastic bins as an enclosure, how many quarts/gallons is the max to house them cuz when i look at smaller bins either they are to short or to small. Also I am going to enter the science fair talking about genetics among reptiles and cresteds are one of them, which morphs can i pick to make a good baby that will express their parents traits and also make a profit(im going to be a small breeder i already breed a few pets myself)? One more thing i live in Los Angeles California and i was wondering if i need any sort of lighting or heating cuz the weather gets pretty wierd here now. Thanks, Ian

[architeuthis]

First of all, welcome to the site, I hope you like it here--we're a pretty nice bunch. Asking questions is an excellent idea to get yourself started in gecko breeding. I use 66 quart Sterlite containers for adults and critter keepers (5 gallon I think) for babies. I keep a lot of small containers on hand in case I need to separate anybody, and I use ultratherm heating pads to keep my enclosures warm as they're the only ones I can find that are UL approved for being on plastic. The smaller the better for containers for new born geckos. They seem to have a hard time finding food otherwise.
Your science fair project may be difficult as the hobby as a whole hasn't quite mapped out the genetics of rhacodactylus geckos in the same way that they have for say leopard geckos. We can't really do a whole lot of predictive analysis (like punnet squares)of crested gecko genetics because no one is really quite sure what's dominant, co-dominant etc. Although if you were to ask enough breeders what they tend to get when X is crossed with Y you will likely find some consistency in answers. Maybe do it as a survey--I'm sure you'd get answers here.
As for making a profit--all I can say is--don't get into breeding geckos for money. Do it because you love the animals, are interested in the genetics, etc--but as far as profit goes--it is very, very difficult to make any sort of money at all at it. Sorry to sound negative, just want you to have a realistic picture of this. I have been actively breeding rhacs for about a year and a half now--and leopard geckos before that--it's an awesome hobby, and if your very lucky you might sell enough to go buy a few more geckos.
Lastly, no special lighting or heating is required for cresties if your house is in the 70's. Don't let them get over 85 and you shouldnt have any problems. Good luck and welcome!

[geckoman14]

Thank you very much what do you think about heat tape for plastic? and dont worry i love these animals but just like you also said i will want to try to raise money for new designer geckos=) I really need to get as much info as i can to get this project right or i have to move on to why chameleons change color or why reptiles need certain light lol those are my top 3 that i thought of.

[architeuthis]

Heat tape is widely used for plastics, but needs to be wired properly or else it can be dangerous. There are probably a LOT of things you could discuss about rhacs. Off the top of my head:

How have rhacodactylus geckos evolved differently from other gecko species? You could even discuss island giantism when talking about leachianus. If you need to have a testable hypothesis (as teachers often require) you could study the adhesiveness of their toe lamellae and the weak van der waals force by putting them on different surfaces and testing their grip.

[amcclain1092]

i use all sterlite cont. and sterlite shelves.
all really cheap and the shelves can hold 10 huge sterlite conts.
i think i got mine at like walmart or target for like 30 bucks

[Leif]

I use 66qt tubs for my breeder bins with a ratio of 1.1 or 1.2 with the male only in the tub to do his business. The space is adequate for this grouping and anymore would probably cause trouble for dominant and submissive females. For hatchlings I use a Small kritter keeper with a single gecko or two hatchlings and remove them before maturity. Some breeders keep hatchlings in groups with larger tubs and a lot of hiding places. There are quite a few cons to keeping multiple hatchlings and I don't prefer it or recommend it. Hope this helps.