My Errol (crested gecko)

[Vectis Hamstery]

Now there's a section for him, I would like to show off my not-so-little-anymore man. Errol came home with me from a hamster show at the end of 2011 and is an honourary Vectis hamster!
http://i912.photobucket.com/albums/ac323/vectishams/Errol/Errol-1.jpg

Technically though, he's a crested gecko! He's about Chinese hamster size and has a lot of Chinesey behaviours:
Climbing
http://i912.photobucket.com/albums/ac323/vectishams/Errol/L1100350.jpg
Clinging with paws and tail
http://i912.photobucket.com/albums/ac323/vectishams/Errol/L1100152.jpg
Licking his own eyeballs
http://i912.photobucket.com/albums/ac323/vectishams/Errol/L1100193.jpg
Well, maybe Chinese hamsters don't do that last one :mad:

As you can see, although he is a yellow tiger morph, his colour varies depending on how grumpy/happy/warm/active he is. As he grows he sheds a layer of skin, and he is rather lethargic and very pale before hand. This is him starting to shed:
http://i912.photobucket.com/albums/ac323/vectishams/Errol/L1100372.jpg

He's nearly 2 years old, and should live to 15-20 years old. He's grown a lot since he came here. He was 15g and is now 32g and growing!
Errol then:
http://i912.photobucket.com/albums/ac323/vectishams/Errol/junp.jpg
Errol now:
http://i912.photobucket.com/albums/ac323/vectishams/Errol/L1110596.jpg http://i912.photobucket.com/albums/ac323/vectishams/Errol/L1100576.jpg
Errol's house:
http://i912.photobucket.com/albums/ac323/vectishams/Errol/db7b21f3.jpg

[SnickersTheFirst]

He's a beauty! I love geckos, Cresties are beautiful but I ended up getting a Leopard Gecko. :p

[Sandti]

My god those eyelashes are so cute!!

[Kissa]

Okay, he is surprisingly adorable :D

(I also have a mental image of a Chinese trying to lick their own eyeballs :D)

[Vectis Hamstery]

Errol says thanks for the compliments! He's just started his own facebook page and is now getting a big head :)

Don't tempt me with leopard geckos! Errol's old house has already been filled (with a harvest mouse). I must not forget this! So many beasties I would like!

[sakuraheart]

Wow hes amazing!

[kyrilliondaemon]

You just made us want a gecko... He looks lovely :)

[Charley101]

Wow, he is gorgeous!

[Flamestriker]

Awwww I love geckos they are such cute lil lizards!

[shazzy]

Aww that first pic is super cute! What a lovely little man :)

[Hammielover]

I have always wanted a Leopard Gecko but thanks to Errol i now want a crested as well ! he is too cute !!

[Ren]

Wow he looks really cool! How big do they get?

[HollyHamster]

Why do I suddenly have the urge to talk like the Geico Gecko now? :mad:

Anyways, I absolutely love his coloring and his cute little eyelashes. Makes him look so adorable!!

[daniellep]

omg!! he is sooo cute !

[littlepeanut]

Wow! He's gorgeous! I've wanted a reptile for a while now, first tempted by a leopard, and then I moved my interest to a bearded. Now I've seen Errol I'm having other thoughts! Out of interest, did you see the programme on Channel 5 this eve about exotic pets? So many beautiful reptiles looking for homes. Very sad :(

[Stockannette]

Wow! I have never seen anyone like Errol - SO cool!

[Vectis Hamstery]

Cresties aren't too difficult to keep well compared to other reptiles I looked into. He's most active when the lights are out, but I've tricked him by putting his lighting on a timer 7am-7pm so he comes out in the relative dark of the evenings when I'm still awake. He's currently staring at the TV while hanging out on his vine!

This is him enjoying the nice weather this afternoon:
http://i912.photobucket.com/albums/ac323/vectishams/Errol/L1120161.jpg http://i912.photobucket.com/albums/ac323/vectishams/Errol/L1120171.jpg

He wasn't too sure about the wind so he waited for cuddles til he came inside again :)

[Liz'sHammies]

He's so cool:)

[littlepeanut]

Yep, I'm definitely loving Errol. I see my student finance being mentally spent already...!

[purple_x]

Aawww how cute is he! Loving his name too :D

I'd love a Gecko but....do they eat bugs? I wouldn't be able to feed live bugs to anything.

[Vectis Hamstery]

Errol came out for daytime snuggles today and measuring. He's still growing! He's two in a couple of weeks and weighed in at 39g today (he was 15g when he came to me at the Kingswinford show last year).
http://i912.photobucket.com/albums/ac323/vectishams/Errol/L1130720.jpg
This is my little man over the past 5 months:
http://i912.photobucket.com/albums/ac323/vectishams/Errol/Errol1yr.jpg

[HammieandMerlin]

I cannot get over how amazing he is! I can't wait to get back into reptiles and amphibians again. He looks majestic

[GhostsInSnow]

Awwwh he's adorable! I didn't realize how cute they are

[Rinha]

There is some serious eyelasheage (yes, spur of the moment word) going on with Mr. Errol! :D he's charming and looks so happy!

[Hope]

Thats one killer smile! :)

[petal10]

What a little character :)

[ami_j]

I LOVE cresties! He is smiling <3

[karinanlyla]

OMG he is adorable! I love him! I've been trying to convince myself that I don't have room for a lizard (while mentally moving stuff around in my head!) and now all I can think is sure I do! haha! I second what purple said though, do they eat bugs and stuff? I could do it, but it's the only thing making me stick to my reasoning of not enough space lol

[Vectis Hamstery]

Cresties are fab! They don't need bugs - Alan Repashy has developed a crested gecko diet (often abbreviated to CGD) which he has fed his breeding geckos on for decades without the need for bugs. I feed Repashy's CGD (http://www.repashy.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=1) as it was recommended to me by Errol's breeder as the best. There are others out there, but Repashy and Clarkes are the best. Apparently most cresties aren't a fan of zoomed which is often found in pet shops. It may seem expensive, but I bought 2 4oz packets a year ago and there's still almost a whole packet left! I change his bowl of food every other day - it smells lovely and fruity (I have mango and peach, but recently they changed so there's only one tropical flavour).

I do also feed crickets (usually a few times a month) as it does give Errol exercise. Crickets need to be dusted with Nutrobal powder. If you feed crickets in the vivarium, you have to be careful with substrate and have one that can't cause impaction if swallowed. I use reptile carpet as I find it so much easier to clean than the coco fibre and orchid bark (which you shouldn't use for young geckos).

[karinanlyla]

aww thanks! If I end up seriously looking into it I am sure I will be asking you lots of advice before and afterwards lol

[karinanlyla]

I just read that there better in a tall terranium rather than a wide one (which would save on space)! what are the measurements of yours?

[Vectis Hamstery]

Tall rather than wide is right as they live in the canopies of the rainforest in the wild and are great climbers. Errol started in a 30 x 30 x 45cm viv when he was smaller - this is the size sold in the starter/home for life packages. He moved up to a 45 x 45 x 60cm viv at about 18 months old. Really small babies often are kept in plastic faunariums (similar to hamster carriers) as they can struggle with a lot of space when they are tiny and may not find their food etc. I really prefer Errol in the larger viv as the old one was getting cramped and he still is getting bigger!

Errol in the smaller viv just before he upgraded:
http://i912.photobucket.com/albums/ac323/vectishams/Errol/L1100198.jpg
Errol in the larger viv several months after the upgrade:
http://i912.photobucket.com/albums/ac323/vectishams/Errol/L1100365.jpg

All three of my vivs are second hand Exo Terras as I find them well made and secure, but look on preloved/gumtree/ebay for bargains. They are very expensive new!

I like these books about cresties if you wanted a little reading with pretty piccies:
Crested Gecko - Pet Expert: Understanding and Caring for Your Pet: Amazon.co.uk: Lance Jepson: Books (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Crested-Gecko-Expert-Understanding-Caring/dp/1907337164/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1345390593&sr=8-3)
Crested Geckos (Advanced Vivarium Systems): Amazon.co.uk: Philippe De Vosjoli: Books (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Crested-Geckos-Advanced-Vivarium-Systems/dp/1882770803/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1345390593&sr=8-1)

[karinanlyla]

Thanks will definately look into everything before/if I get one! Would also need to look into vets in my area that specialise in exotic animals and stuffs like that! xx

[Mushiemallows]

Aww! My brother used to own a couple of geckos. He also owned a bearded dragon that he also called Errol.

He's absolutely gorgeous! And those eyelashes are the cutest thing ever. Everyone acts like animals that aren't furry are generally gross - so not true!

[Vectis Hamstery]

Errol was 2 yesterday :) He got the new viv as an early birthday pressie, but will have a little honey as a treat tonight.
http://i912.photobucket.com/albums/ac323/vectishams/Errol/2yrbdaycard.jpg
http://i912.photobucket.com/albums/ac323/vectishams/Errol/errol2yr.jpg

[HammieandMerlin]

ah! I swear I love him more every time I see him, he is so magnificent! happy birthday <3

[Vectis Hamstery]

Goodness, it's been ages since my last Errol update! He's grown a lot since August - I can't believe how small he was when I got him. He still isn't great at catching crickets but loves to nom his gecko food. Unfortunately over recent months he hasn't been as sticky as he was so we had an interesting vet trip where the exotic vet just threw the idea of cutting off his toe as a way of getting a skin sample into the conversation! My precious gecko-man still has all his toes and I've been making changes to his environment to try and help things as a less drastic route.

Errol's had some stronger lightbulbs put in his canopy which have perked him up and has been having 'gecko baths' and shed aid which are helping slowly. Today his cage got a makeover to help hold the humidity and make it easier for him to climb about as he'd outgrown some of his decor.

His cage this morning:
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8382/8671924703_81366e8656.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/vectishams/8671924703/)
L1200427 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/vectishams/8671924703/) by vectishams (http://www.flickr.com/people/vectishams/), on Flickr
His cage now, with bark background (instead of the slippy plastic one), new branch, rearranged vine:
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8542/8686620628_743ff231b3.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/vectishams/8686620628/)
L1200439 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/vectishams/8686620628/) by vectishams (http://www.flickr.com/people/vectishams/), on Flickr
He also has a waterfall (on a timer so the humidity doesn't stay too high) and a moss hide:
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8541/8685500183_6359f64636.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/vectishams/8685500183/)
L1200442 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/vectishams/8685500183/) by vectishams (http://www.flickr.com/people/vectishams/), on Flickr

E-man's not in the mood for piccies, but I'll try when he feels less grumpy!

[Axeria]

Omg I Love geckos!! He is just so gorgeous! Really cute little man :D Love his habitat also :D

[squishyhammy]

Aww he's adorable. My brother used to breed leopard geckos. And as when the last litter were born he was at uni half way across the country I ended up looking after the last loot and finding them homes. TIts so hard to not get attached to the babies :(

[evel_lin]

Cutting off his toe to get a skin sample???!!! Glad you said no!

[Vectis Hamstery]

He's a lot more active with his new lightbulbs and is less grumpy today. He decided to pose for you to show off how handsome he is:
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7043/8688912392_8a600f16ae.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/vectishams/8688912392/)
L1200483 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/vectishams/8688912392/) by vectishams (http://www.flickr.com/people/vectishams/), on Flickr

[Nikkigrace]

Wow his eyes are amazing!!

[Gazmo]

gorgeous! :D

[Vectis Hamstery]

Errol left me a present for when I got home from work today...
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8402/8748643962_a4bbb2fcaa.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/vectishams/8748643962/)
image (http://www.flickr.com/photos/vectishams/8748643962/) by vectishams (http://www.flickr.com/people/vectishams/), on Flickr

I have had a word with him and informed him that boys aren't supposed to go round laying eggs. Looks like I've found out why he's an "underdeveloped" male :mad:

[slatted]

That may explain the fantastic eyelashes! lol :)

[Silver]

LOL

Bless her she said the only way hoomin will know I am a girl is to lay a egg!

xxx

[souffle]

Now I've looked but and she is clearly far too beautiful to be a boy :) Now time you got a boy gecko so Errolina can get hitched and have babies ;)

[Vectis Hamstery]

I remember someone wanting me to get Errol a girlfriend to make babies with, Souff ;) Keep threatening the new her with babies and I'm sure she'll turn back into a boy pretty quick lol

[slatted]

She knows how to lay eggs already though, perhaps she is trying to tell you something more than just her gender ;)

[evel_lin]

That may explain the fantastic eyelashes! lol :)

lol!!

Must have been a bit of a surprise!

[Vectis Hamstery]

Errol came out for cuddles this afternoon. She rather enjoyed the sunshine:
http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2885/8925984089_6c75fe29cb.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/vectishams/8925984089/)
L1220010 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/vectishams/8925984089/) by vectishams (http://www.flickr.com/people/vectishams/), on Flickr
She's a lovely large lady (which is one of the reasons the vet said she was a boy - a girl wouldn't be that big. He also called her chubby. Needless to say Errol didn't enjoy her vet trip!)
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3818/8925992021_41e2d62392.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/vectishams/8925992021/)
L1220022 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/vectishams/8925992021/) by vectishams (http://www.flickr.com/people/vectishams/), on Flickr
She decided to act like a Chinesey and zoom up my sleeve to nest in my hair!
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8553/8925982801_acbefa60a0.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/vectishams/8925982801/)
L1220028 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/vectishams/8925982801/) by vectishams (http://www.flickr.com/people/vectishams/), on Flickr
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3671/8925981513_6e05199761.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/vectishams/8925981513/)
L1220032 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/vectishams/8925981513/) by vectishams (http://www.flickr.com/people/vectishams/), on Flickr

[Silver]

AWWWWW

Your....urm.....Cute :D

xxx

[Panda's_mommy]

omg he's so cute, i love the eyelashes. i had a female leopard gecko named Devin. i got her as a baby and she lived for 13.5 years!

[J.Bosley]

Yay for Crested Geckos! They are the best :cool:

[Sanctuary]

LOL she is beautiful. <3

[hamsternut]

he's so cute! I have a gecko, a white spotted gecko and he looks like yours. :-)

[Vectis Hamstery]

Miss E has been rather active today and made a beeline for her mossy hide. I'd wondered if she was going to lay again but there was nothing in there when I cleaned her out.
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3708/9108531965_169a5f2aa8.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/vectishams/9108531965/)
L1220167 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/vectishams/9108531965/) by vectishams (http://www.flickr.com/people/vectishams/), on Flickr
I loved how she folded herself up!
http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5330/9108529649_d93ba0a057.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/vectishams/9108529649/)
L1220169 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/vectishams/9108529649/) by vectishams (http://www.flickr.com/people/vectishams/), on Flickr
My cheeky little monkey:
http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5481/9110749720_41663e6377.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/vectishams/9110749720/)
L1220191 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/vectishams/9110749720/) by vectishams (http://www.flickr.com/people/vectishams/), on Flickr

[Silver]

ARHHH

I'm getting more used to her now lol

Love that pink tongue xxx

[DrKMcK]

Very, very, cool. My best friend had an iguana, Spike, who she really loved. He'd hang out with her while we gabbed on the phone after our kids went off to school. This was about 20 years ago. We both were, and still are, animal lovers.

[Vectis Hamstery]

Time for a little update on Miss Errol. She's been a good girl with shedding over winter, but then she has stopped laying eggs so maybe that's why. She finally got her magnetic vine in her tank which provides lovely cover for her on the branch although it's too thin for her to sit on. Recently I changed her substrate to orchid bark (apparently it's bark despined for orchid growing rather than made of orchids - the question bothered my friend enough for her to google it while she was on the phone to me!). It looks a lot nicer and holds the humidity better, although I prefer the reptile carpet for clean out time!

http://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7322/12954283404_e4ab070603.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/vectishams/12954283404/)
Errol's House (http://www.flickr.com/photos/vectishams/12954283404/) by vectishams (http://www.flickr.com/people/vectishams/), on Flickr

http://c4.staticflickr.com/4/3666/12953824303_56c927f099.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/vectishams/12953824303/)
Errol's Forest (http://www.flickr.com/photos/vectishams/12953824303/) by vectishams (http://www.flickr.com/people/vectishams/), on Flickr

http://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7397/12953684855_96f33385e5.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/vectishams/12953684855/)
Errol (http://www.flickr.com/photos/vectishams/12953684855/) by vectishams (http://www.flickr.com/people/vectishams/), on Flickr

[Syrian Hammy]

Aww she is lovely.

[Ilovehamsters]

Awwww I want a crested gecko so bad!
But my money box can't deal with one ;)

[Vectis Hamstery]

Errol had a clean out today and a deeper layer of orchid bark - so of course she's stuck up in her plants and refused to come down!
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5288/13953833611_ae6f687a22.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/ng43A8)P1030203 (https://flic.kr/p/ng43A8) by vectishams (https://www.flickr.com/people/93874714@N03/), on Flickr
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7375/13953831791_ec90bf6f6a.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/ng433K)P1030209 (https://flic.kr/p/ng433K) by vectishams (https://www.flickr.com/people/93874714@N03/), on Flickr
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7059/13958687065_e222689501.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/ngtVmn)My Dragon (https://flic.kr/p/ngtVmn) by vectishams (https://www.flickr.com/people/93874714@N03/), on Flickr

I can't believe how big she is compared to when I got her!
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7245/13955508831_d710b92f0d.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/ngcCze)Now (https://flic.kr/p/ngcCze) by vectishams (https://www.flickr.com/people/93874714@N03/), on Flickr

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7164/13935668166_015423935b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/nerWCN)Then (https://flic.kr/p/nerWCN) by vectishams (https://www.flickr.com/people/93874714@N03/), on Flickr

I got Errol in November 2011 (but didn't start measuring her right away). She's 3 years and 8 months old today :)

[leedsgurl]

Aww Errol is amazing :) I can't believe how big she's getting :)

[EmilyS_79]

She is the only non furry animal (hamster, guinea pig, etc.) that I actually enjoy seeing a picture of!!! She is so precious and adorable and I love her eyelashes they are gorgeous! :)

[rmarkham]

I love cresteds! I have 6!

[Vectis Hamstery]

Errol's loving this warmer weather! She's a lot more active and has started laying eggs again. The waterfall in her viv is keeping things nice a tropical for her.
https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2898/14589117548_00b8a1fcca.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/oec3ns)Errol (https://flic.kr/p/oec3ns) by vectishams (https://www.flickr.com/people//), on Flickr

She's due a cleanout so I thought I'd take some photos before as she sulks afterwards!

[DrKMcK]

Man, oh, man. She is lovely. I've already got everything set for a leopard gecko, so a Crestie is out for now. They need different habitats. But the food thing really interested me as I am not thrilled with the idea of live bugs., Ah, well. I love the look of a Crested Gecko, but I fell in love with Mio, Colby's Leopard Gecko. So, it'll be a leopard gecko first, and we'll see about a Crested later on. Errol looks like a dinosaur. I just love her. :-D

[souffle]

aww Errol is so cute. Eggs??? I think she needs a husband so she can have babies :)

[Vectis Hamstery]

It's been a long while since I updated this thread and unfortunately it's bad news. I found Miss Errol had died on Friday 13th March, the day after the creator of the character she was named for.

Run free, sticky girl x

[Silver]

So sorry for your'e loss Vectis,

Play well at that bridge pretty girl xxx

[Panda's_mommy]

So sorry for your loss vectis. Do you know why she died? They have long life spans. Was she sick? This is heart breaking news. I just lost my baby Panda 1.5 weeks ago. On a better note I got a second crested gecko about 3 weeks ago. A beautiful baby named Gemini, looks to be a harlequin. Also Topaz is doing great I've had her over a year and she's tripled her weight since I got her. I'm curious to know what happened to your beautiful Errol.

[DrKMcK]

I am so sorry to see this about Errol. I loved how she reminded me of the "Land of the Dinosaurs" movies every time I saw her. That had to be shocking. {hugs} Vectis. Play well at the Bridge Errol. Big beautiful eyes :-(

[Vectis Hamstery]

Thanks all.
Panda, I don't know why she died. If she'd have been sick, I would have taken her to the vet.