Capital Geckos
Joined on Jul 22, 2020
68 Followers
Joined on Jul 22, 2020
68 Followers
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About
Capital Geckos and the Rhacodactylus Research Initiative in 2019 with the goal of breeding New Caledonia gecko species for the dual purposes of conservation and scientific research. We practice a science-based approach to raising and breeding New Caledonian Geckos - emphasizing health, enrichment, and naturalistic husbandry. Working with: R. auriculatus, R. leachianus, M. chahoua, C. ciliatus, and C. sarasinorum.
Our research facility supports New Caledonia Gecko conservation efforts in three main ways: (1) by maintaining ex-situ assurance populations and a captive breeding program breeding, (2) pioneering research that is directly transferable to supporting New Caledonia conservation programs, and (3) through raising awareness and providing educational information to the general public. For more information please checkout our site www.ingridthesnake.com/about .
(1) *Conservation Breeding*
The natural populations of Giant Geckos are declining due to habitat loss and degradation associated with mining activities, agriculture, logging, invasive species, and fires. As the habitats of New Caledonia Giant Geckos become increasingly altered and degraded by human activities the risk of extinction increases, and the need for sustainable ex-situ populations becomes increasingly critical in securing the long-term survival of these species. We have established a diverse captive population of Rhacodactylus auriculatus that can be sustainably maintained for generations without experiencing the effects of inbreeding depression. This breeding population of geckos was established from an original founding population with an effective population size of 300 individuals with an average Pedigree-Based Inbreeding Coefficient equal to F=0.007 the probability of two individuals sharing identical alleles by descent is approximately 0.7%. The degree of relatedness for this ex-situ breeding population is far below the recommendations for a maximum IBD of F=0.125. Additionally, we have several unrelated wild lineages of Yate and Mount Koghis localities (F1, F2, and F3 generation). Ultimately the goal of maintaining this assurance population is to reduce the risk of extinction and to preserve options for future conservation strategies. This population could be used to restore the genetic viability of wild populations experiencing a bottleneck or signs of infertility, supplement natural population numbers, or to reintroduce geckos to their historic range.
While we have mainly focused on R. auriculatus we are also breeding and maintaining the following species in smaller numbers: Bavayia cyclura, Correlophus ciliatus (Ile des Pines), Correlophus sarasinorum, Mniarogekko chahoua (Grande Terre and Ile des Pins localities), and Rhacodactylus leachianus (Grande Terre, Ile des Pins, and Ilot Moro localities).
It is important to remember that individuals managed in artificial conditions experience different selection pressures from those in natural conditions of their natural habitat, but that reptiles when compared to mammals have a lower relative risk for artificial adaption during consecutive generations in captivity. In an attempt to reduce the rate of artificial adaptation I have maintained all geckos in semi-natural conditions where individuals are subject to near natural environments (climate, living environment, shelter, nutrition, water). At some point in the future with enough funds and space I would like to construct large multi-species enclosures that more closely mimic the selective pressures that they experience in the wild including competition for access to resources, sexual selection, and predation.
(2) *Conservation Research*
Our captive gecko populations provide an opportunity to conduct conservation research projects to gain insight into the ecology of New Caledonian gecko species. Specific research efforts that support conservation include recognizing specific life stages that are at higher risk of exploitation or human-related mortality, life stages that would provide a greater benefit for reintroduction, factors influencing developmental success and survival rates, optimal population age and sex distributions, life history information, species interactions, species-typical behavior, and nutritional requirements. Ongoing projects include life history, behavioral ecology, sexual determination, and color quantification.
(3) *Conservation Education*
Furthermore, maintaining these geckos in captivity allows for educational demonstrations which gives people a chance to learn about and observe them in captivity, which has been an effective method for increasing awareness to the threats that New Caledonia geckos experience in the wild and the need for their conservation. By providing the herpetoculturist communities with free information we hope to empower informed decision making and improve husbandry standards.
Store Policy
Terms of Service (February 28, 2023)
1️⃣Payment
Keep in mind, the gecko prices listed above do not include the cost of shipping** (unless otherwise indicated). At the moment all transactions are done through PayPal or wire transfer. Kindly, please note that all sales are final.
2️⃣Holds and Payment Plans
Geckos are available for purchase by anyone until I have received a deposit or the full payment for said gecko(s). Geckos can be placed on hold for up to 14 days with a 25% non-refundable deposit. The customer must pay the remaining 75% of the balance within 14 days (unless otherwise arranged) or the hold will be forfeited.
3️⃣Shipping & Handling
Shipping is available throughout the continental United States, Canada, most of Europe, and parts of Asia. Geckos are shipped through FedEx Priority Overnight to arrive the next morning, pricing depends on the size of the box and your distance from our location and ranges from $40 to $100. Geckos can be shipped to arrive Wednesday or Thursday morning. All geckos are shipped in industry-approved insulated boxes with a Cyropak Phase 22 gel packs, 72-hour heat packs, or cool packs as appropriate. I will only ship when temperatures along both ends have a daily high between 55-90F and a daily low above 44F.
*I reserve the right to hold geckos if the weather or other events do not allow for safe shipping. During temperature extremes I will only ship to approved FedEx facility hubs near the customer’s location, when picking up your gecko, remember to bring an acceptable form of ID that matches the information that you provided for the shipping label. Customers must be present at the time of delivery or pick up their gecko(s) from the FedEx Hub within an hour of the time it becomes available.*
*COVID-19 Pandemic Update: At the moment I am only doing Hub-to-Hub shipping, this is to avoid unnecessary risks to the geckos.*
Zone States
USA Zone 1 ($40 USD) DE, MD, NJ, PA, VA, DC
USA Zone 2 ($55 USD) CT, NC, WV
USA Zone 3 ($75 USD) GA, IN, MA, ME, MI, NH, NY, OH, RI, SC, TN
USA Zone 4 ($80 USD) KY, VT
USA Zone 5 ($85 USD) AR, FL, IA, IL, KS, LA, MN, MO, MS, WI
USA Zone 6 ($90 USD) ND, NE, OK, TX
USA Zone 7 ($95 USD) SD
USA Zone 8 ($100 USD) AZ, CA, CO, ID, MT, NM, NV, OR, UT, WA, WY
4️⃣Live Arrival Guarantee
To the best of my knowledge, all geckos are in good health at the time of sale and shipping. I take extreme care to ensure the geckos will arrive healthy and alive, therefore I personally guarantee that the animals will arrive alive at a FedEx shipping hub. In the event that a gecko is dead on arrival (DOA) at my fault alone, I will offer a refund in the form of store credit or a replacement gecko, excluding the cost of shipping.
In order to qualify for my live arrival guarantee the following conditions apply:
1) Temperatures on my end or yours must stay between 44 and 91 degrees Fahrenheit.
2) The geckos must be shipped to an approved FedEx Hub rather than a residential address.
3) The package must be delivered on time.
4) You must pick up the animal within one hour of the time-stamped delivery.
5) If the animal is DOA then I must be notified and receive photo proof within one hour of the delivery.
*Furthermore, I am not responsible for damage done by “acts of god” such as extreme or unexpected weather events (i.e.: hurricanes, tornados, blizzards).*
I cannot control what happens to the geckos once I hand off the package to FedEx, so I do not offer refunds for injury/death resulting from delays in FedEx. Furthermore, I am not responsible for any injuries or illnesses that occur to your gecko once it is in your custody.
5️⃣Sex and Color Disclaimers
I will make my best educated-attempt when sexing geckos, but sex is not guaranteed for geckos under 25 grams. I use a 30x and 60x magnification loupe to check for the presence of pores to determine sex, I can double-check or send photos prior to purchase if requested.
Finally, New Caledonia geckos are quite unique in that their colors can vary widely due to temperature, stress, lighting, age. None of my images are edited or altered in any way, however, the appearance of the animal might be different due to the device you view the images on, whether the gecko was fired up/down at the time of the photo, age-related color changes since the photo was taken, lighting and/or background, and any number of reasons. This being said, I have multiple photos of each animal on my website to give you an idea of what you should expect your new gecko to look like. If you would like additional images of a gecko just send me a message.
6️⃣International Buyers
I can ship internationally upon your arrangement with a third-party international reptile shipping company (ex: GeckosEtc, Dutch Dragon Import, etc). It is the buyers responsibility to cover all costs of shipping and importing. A fee will also be charged for currency exchange (where applicable).
Last Updated: February 28, 2023
*We used to provide a flat-rate shipping of $65 but due to increasing costs of shipping materials, gasoline, and inflation we can no longer offer this price to customers living on the west coast, so please contact us to receive a shipping quote.*
MorphMarket's Default Store Policy
specifies any terms which have not been overridden by this Seller's stated policy.
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