Shiraz and Clementine

Today I want to focus on Shiraz (pictured above) and Clementine. I am going to do the segment on them together since I got them at the same time.

After owning Gonzo for several years, I started to toy with the idea about breeding reptiles as a hobby/mini side business. Reptiles were something I have always been interested in, so I figured it was finally time to become more involved in the hobby. I am really into red Crested Geckos, so I started looking into red morphs a lot as I planned everything out. Then, over this past summer I went ahead and picked out my stud gecko.

I was looking on the Tiki's Geckos website since they are one of my favorites gecko breeders, and came across a morph that I instantly loved. It was a red pinstripe Crested Gecko from a superstripe line, and I knew I had to have him. The best part was that he was on sale, so I quickly sent in my order before the chance could get away from me.

Part of the summer sale that their website was having included a free baby Crested Gecko. However, that promotion ended right around when I purchased Shiraz. I was hoping to get one of the baby geckos since they produce so many beautiful ones, but I was still happy just to be getting such a high quality animal at an awesome price. Much to my surprise, I received a text the night they were shipping my gecko telling me that they decided to give me a free baby gecko anyway! It was awesome! I couldn't wait to see which one they picked out for me.

The next morning my geckos arrived and I brought them inside to open them up. It was my first time ever having an animal shipped to me, and it turned out to be a great first experience. Both geckos looked very alert and healthy. I put Shiraz in his tank and left him alone so he could settle in after his long journey. Instead of hiding in the cork bark or in the plants I provided, he decided to curl up on the floor of his tank and put his empty food dish on top of his head. It looked like I had another weird one on my hands, and that was perfectly fine with me! After all, their goofiness is what makes them so endearing!

When I opened up the container that the baby was in she instantly jumped onto my hand. She wasn't shy at all for such a young gecko. Her morph was a yellow Citrus line partial pinstripe, with some Dalmatian spots. She was so tiny but so cool looking. I named her Clementine because I'm guessing she's a girl. She is too young to tell for sure, so if she ends up being a male I may have to come up with a different name.

I wanted to start off slow, so I did not get any adult females right away after getting Shiraz. I wanted to make sure I found the perfect morphs to go along with him, so for the first couple months I just focused on Shiraz and Clementine, and Gonzo, of course. There was a reptile expo coming up in my area at the end of summer, so I decided to target that as a place to find breeder females.

Shiraz is an awesome gecko to look at. His markings and structure are incredible, especially when he fires up. He is not quite as social as Gonzo, but he is pretty easy to handle and has never shown any signs of aggression. One of his favorite things to do his hang out on his hammock that hangs in the top corner of his tank.

Clementine is pretty outgoing for such a young gecko, and is quite the avid hunter. When I first got her she wasn't a huge fan of the Crested Gecko Diet. She preferred to have crickets and even though I feed her dead ones, she still likes to "hunt" them. If I lower the tongs into her tank she will throw herself at them, no matter how far away she is. It literally looks like she is flying across the tank. It is so funny. And when I put the crickets on the floor of her tank or in a dish, she will sneak up on them like a panther, and then will literally stare at them for the longest time with a crazy look on her face. Then she frantically dives at them, as if she expects them to come back to life and run away. Her hunting antics are always fun to watch. Now that she is older she is more enthusiastic about her Crested Gecko Diet, but nothing can compete for her love of crickets!

I swear that every time Clementine sheds she looks more amazing. Her shade of yellow becomes more brilliant, her pattern becomes more dramatic, and she keeps adding new inky spots to her skin. I know it's normal for hatchlings to change as they age, but I still can't get over how nice she is turning out. I can't believe she was free!

I love the markings on Shiraz! These photos don't do him justice.

Below you can see Shiraz hanging out on his hammock while I was cleaning out his tank

Clementine playing in the fall leaves!

I can't wait to see how she turns out once she is full grown!

Below is a picture of Clementine when I first got her. Her eyes have a slight greenish tint

Below is Shiraz right after I got him out of his container when he was shipped to me. He picked a strange area to sleep in, but I guess he thought he was hidden since he put a dish on his head.

Above is Clementine and below is Shiraz. I thought the camera angle was hilarious because it made him look like his head was giant.

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