Below is a glossary of terms used in the rest of the website.
If I have used a word, anywhere in the website that you do not understand the meaning of, and I have not included in the glossary, then please email me at scTreasureCrest@aol.com.
Thank you
Arboreal - an animal which spends all or most of its time living in trees or bushes off of the ground.
Aquatic - an animal which spends all or most of its time living in water (e.g. a fish)
Autotomy/Autotomize - to cast off a limb or body part. In geckos, it refers to the ability of the animal to 'drop' its tail (usually in fear, for predator evasion or during mating)
Bask/Basking - a term used to describe the behaviour of some species of reptile, in which they deliberately expose themselves to heat/sunrays (perhaps in order to warm up or absorb UV). Mostly exhibited by diurnal animals.
Beaphar - a brand of reptile products, perhaps best known for their reptile safe disinfectant spray.
Calcified - the incorperation of calcium into the shell of an egg. Over-calcified eggs have too much calcium, and under-calcified eggs have too little (neither has a good chance of success).
Calpyso - a brand of pure Calcium supplement powder. It contains no vitamin D3 and so is impossible to overdose.
Candling - a technique used to assess whether an egg is fertile or infertile.
Captive Bred/CB - an animal which is born/hatched in captivity as the result of the successful breeding of a pair of captive animals. Often displayed as CB (year of hatch) e.g. CB08.
Captive Born - an animal which is born/hatched in captivity from a pair of animals which bred in the wild.
Captive Farmed/CF - a practise of animal collection in which an area of land is targetted (usually fenced off or similar) and within which various methods are used to collect wild animals. Some of the methods used can be horrifying, such as the live burial of gravid females so that the eggs can later be dug up and removed from her grave.
Chahoua/Chewie - names commonly used to refer to Rhacodactylus chahoua.
Clutch - the number of eggs developed by a female at one time (e.g. R.ciliatus lays a clutch of two eggs every 25-40 days)
Cloaca - the anal/posterior opening of an animal. In Rhacodactylus geckos, the cloaca appears as a small opening, covered by a flap of skin just above the base of the tail.
Coco Fibre/Coco Earth - a substrate made from ground coconut husk. It comes in the form of a compacted brick which expands after soaking in water to make a soil-like substrate.
Cold-Blooded - the common term used to describe an animal that's body temperature varies with the temperature of its surroundings. See also 'Ectothermic'
'Cool-down' - a term used to describe the period when the male gecko is separated from the female/s to give them all a break from breeding. In many species of reptile, this is accompanied by a drop in temperature to simulate winter inside the vivarium (hence the term 'cool down').
Copulation - the act of mating/sexual intercourse. AKA Coitus.
Crestie/Crested - names commonly used to refer to Rhacodactylus ciliatus.
Crested Gecko Diet/CGD - a meal replacement powder formulated as a complete diet for all Rhacodactylus geckos. See also, 'Meal Replacement Powder' and 'Repashy 2-part diet'
Cryptosporidium - an infectious disease (caused by an intestinal parasite) which can cause fatality and quickly spread if not dealt with quickly. Symptoms include weight loss, anorexia, lethargy and diarrhoea. AKA Crypto
Dechlorinated/Dechlorinator - having the chlorine removed. A dechlorinator (AKA Water Conditioner) is used to remove the chlorine and heavy metals so that it is safe for the animals to drink.
Diurnal - an animal which is active during daylight hours and sleeps during night.
Distribution - the range or location that a species inhabits.
Dorsal/Dorsum - the area which is equivalent to the gecko's back.
Dystocia - difficulty with birth/egg laying. Often associated with nutritional deficiencies such as Metabolic Bone Disease and under-weight breeding. (AKA Egg-Binding)
Ecotype - a very particular set of environmental conditions specific to a certain area.
Ectothermic - unable to regulate it's own internal body temperature. Body temperature varies with its environment. (AKA Cold Blooded, or Poikilothermic).
Egg-Bound - a term used to describe an animal which is suffering difficulty in, or is unable to successfully lay the eggs that it is carrying. See also, 'Dystocia'
Egg-Tooth - a forward-pointing tooth used to help break through the egg shell during hatching. The egg-tooth quickly falls off after hatching.
Electrolyte solution - a solution which is designed to rehydrate both animals and humans. Particularly useful for bathing weakened, dehydrated or impacted animals. For more information visit the Medical Health page.
Endoparasite - a parasite which lives inside the body of its host (Opposite: Ectoparasite).
Extant - still existing in a particular area (Opposite to Extinct).
Exo Terra - a major manufacturer of reptile products.
Extinct - no longer existing in a particular area. Worldwide extinction means the complete disappearance of a species, usually due to man's interference.
Faunarium - a plastic, usually small sized enclosure commonly used for raising young geckos. See also, 'Kritter-Keeper'.
Feeder Insects - insects, such as Crickets, Mealworms and Locusts which are fed to reptiles and amphibians. They are eaten alive and can be bought in tubs from most reptile petstores and online. Feeder Insects should make up only part of Rhacodactylus geckos' diet.
Femoral Pores - see 'Pre-anal pores'
Fired-up/Firing-up - the term used to describe a gecko which is displaying its brightest or darkest colours.(Opposite = unfired or unfired-up).
Flanks - the area equivalent to the gecko's sides.
Frugivorous - an animal which eats fruit.
Gargoyle/Garg - names commonly used to refer to Rhacodactylus auriculatus
Genus - a level of taxonomy (species classification) which groups very similar species together. All of the species discussed in this website are from the same Genus (called Rhacodactylus) which means they are closely related.
Gravid - carrying eggs. Used in the same way as 'pregnant' but for egg-laying animals.
Hatchling - see 'Neonate'
Heat lamp/bulb - a type of bulb designed specifically to give out heat in order to warm vivaria. Available in different wattages. See also 'Thermostat'.
Heat mat - a heating device which forms a thin flat mat which can be attached to the outside of a vivarium to provide heat. See also 'Thermostat'.
Hemipenis - the genital organs of male Rhacodactylus geckos. The hemipenis is similar to a penis, but has two lobes and is held internally aside from during copulation. (Plural: Hemipenes)
Hemipenal Bulge - the bulge found at the base of tail in male Rhacodactylus geckos. It is where the Hemipenis is held when not in copulation. In adult geckos, the Hemipenal bulge can be used to visibly determine a male gender.
Henkel, Friedrich Wilhelm - renowned scientist and author of many reptile books including 'Rhacodactylus; Biology, Natural History and Husbandry. Robert Seipp and Friedrich Wilhelm Henkel'. Discoverer of the two subspecies of R.leachianus (and also numerous other species, such as Uroplatus henkeli)
Herptile - a term refering to any species of reptile and amphibian. (Common abbreviation: Herp)
Herptology - the study of reptile and amphibians. A herpetologist is someone with a keen interest in herptology.
Humidity - the moisture content of the air. An important factor in correct reptile husbandry, particularly in rainforest dwelling species.
Husbandry - all aspects of the care and maintenance of an animal (e.g. the husbandry of the Crested gecko is quite simple).
Hybrid - the offspring produced by breeding between two different species together.
Impaction - the blockage of an animals digestive tract, usually by hardened faeces, undigested food or ingested substrate. A serious medical condition. See Medical Health section for more details.
Incubation/Incubator - the act of keeping eggs at a constant temperature and humidity in order for them to hatch. The specific temperature required, and duration of incubation will depend on the species. The container used to keep the eggs in the desired conditons is called an 'Incubator'.
Incubation medium/substrate - a material (such as vermiculite or perlite) which is used to keep the eggs moist during incubation.
Infertile - is unable to fertilise or has not been fertilised. This can either apply to an animal itself (e.g. the gecko is unfertile - meaning the gecko is unable to reproduce), or more regularly applies to an egg which has been laid by a female, but has not been fertilised by male sperm (and therefore will contain no embryo).
Kritter Keeper - a small plastic vivarium often used to raise young geckos (American term). See 'Faunarium'
Lamellae - the name given to the 'sticky pads' on Rhacodactylus geckos' fingers and tail tips. (Singular: Lamella).
Lay-Box - the container provided in a vivarium for the female to lay her eggs in.
Leachianus/Leachie - names commonly used when refering to the New Caledonian Giant Gecko.
Livefoods - see 'Feeder Insects'
Locale - an isolated population within a species. Geckos from each locale will have slightly different features to those from other locales. Locales are usually named after the area where the geckos were collected from (e.g. Pine Ilse Locale come from Pine Isle), or a distinguishing feature of the gecko.
Long Term Captive/LTC - an animal which was wild caught (see 'wild caught') but has been kept in captivity for a period of time (i.e. the animal is not from a recent import). LTC animals may be hardier than WC as they are already somewhat acclimated to the captive environment. The length of time an animal has to be in captivity for it to become a 'Long Term Captive' varies widely, so always check how long it has been in captivity before purchasing.
Masticate/Mastication - to chew/chewing
Meal Replacement Powder/MRP - a powder, usually mixed with water, which is formulated to replace the natural diet of an animal.
Metabolic Bone Disease/MBD - an advanced nutritional deficiency which is often fatal. See Medical Health section for more details.
Misting - a term used to describe the practise of spraying the vivarium with water (e.g. with a spray bottle) in order to raise humidity.
Moist Hide - a hide placed in the vivarium in which humidity is very high, usually created by filling the hide with moistened moss or paper towel. Especially important in Desert vivaria where the ambient humidity is low, and so without the moist hide they can have problems sloughing.
Morph - the specific combination of colours and patterns on a gecko. See also 'Polymorphic'
Morphology - the structure and form of an animal - 'Morphological features' are therefore the features that make an animal look the way it does.
Mossy - name commonly used to refer to Rhacodactylus chahoua.
Multivitamin - a type of supplement powder which contains a range of vitamins and minerals. Multivitamins usually contain Vitamin D3, which is essential for bone growth and density, but is also toxic and so should not be overdosed.
Necrosis - the death of tissue or cells, usually due to disease, infection or constriction.
Neonate - a newborn or hatchling reptile.
Nocturnal - an animal that sleeps during daylight hours and is active during the night.
Nutrabal - a brand of multivitamin supplement powder.
Oviparity (noun) - a form of reproduction in which the female lays undeveloped eggs with a supply of yolk in order to provide nutrition. The eggs then develop and grow during incubation outside the mothers body, and eventually hatch. Adjective: Oviparous (to reproduce via oviparity)
Ovoviviparity (noun) - a form of reproduction in which the female produces an embryo inside an egg, but retains the egg. The egg 'hatches' inside her, and the appearance of livebirth is given. The main difference between Ovoviviparity and Viviparity is that in Ovoviviparity, the embryo recieves nutrition from egg yolk stored within the egg, not from a placenta. Adjective: Ovoviviparous (to reproduce via ovoviviparity)
Oxyurid - a type of endoparasitic worms (AKA Threadworms or Pinworms) which infest the digestive system of many species. For more information please see the Medical Health section.
Paludarium - a type of vivarium which houses semi-aquatic animals. The paludarium usually has a large water area covering most, if not all of the base, and plenty of climbing material out of the water.
Perlite -a material usually used in horticulture, which is often used to incubate gecko eggs in due to its excellent water retaining ability.
Pinky - a newborn rodent which has yet to grow fur. Mouse and Rat Pinkies (AKA Pinks) are common feeder items. Available frozen from all reptile stores and online (in bulk).
Pinworm - see 'Oxyurid'
Polymorphic - a species which can look a variety of different ways (have a number of morphs). (noun: Polymorphism)
Population - a number of individuals of a certain species within an area, creating a closed, local community.
Pre-anal - the area just above the cloaca.
Pre-anal Pores - a row of pores lying in a horizontal line in the prenanal region of male Rhacodactylus geckos. Used to identify male geckos before the hemipenal bulge is visible.
Prehensile - adapted to be very good at grasping or holding objects (such as a monkey's tail).
Prolapse - a medical condition where an internal body part (usually the hemipenis) remains outside the body (usually protruding through the cloaca). See the Medical Health section for details.
Prolific - highly reproductive, producing many offspring each year.
Repashy, Allen - prominent figure in the Rhacodactylus community and co-author of the book 'Rhacodactylus; a complete guide to their selection and care. Phillipe de Vosjoli, Frank Fast and Allen Repashy'. Original developer of CGD, and owner of the largest collection of Crested geckos in captivity.
Repashy's 2-part diet - a new form of CGD which comes in two parts; the nutrient filled 'base' and the flavoured 'nectar'. The nectar comes in a range of flavours so that you can change the flavour of the CGD. Only available from the USA at the moment, but I highly recommend www.Pangeareptile.com
Rhacodactylus - the name of the genus of geckos which includes Crested geckos, Gargoyle geckos, Mossy prehensile-tailed geckos, Sarasin's geckos and New Caledonian Giant geckos.
Sarasinorum/Saras/Sarasin's Gecko/Sara - names commonly used to refer to Rhacodactylus Sarasinorum.
Scientific name - the scientific name of an animal is the official, international name given to a species when it is first discovered and described. These are important because the common names given to species can differ between countries and languages (e.g. The Crested gecko is called 'Kronen gecko' in germany). A scientific name (AKA Binomial name) will have two parts; the genus, and the species. The scientific name of a species is always written in italics, e.g. Rhacodactylus ciliatus
Semi-Arboreal - an animal which spends some, but not all of its time living in trees or bushes off of the ground. Many species will sleep in the trees to get protection from predators, and come onto the ground at night to hunt for food.
Semi-Aquatic - an animal when spends some, but not all of its time living in water.
Setae - the name given to the thousands of microscopic hairs which make up the lamellae and allow the gecko to climb vertical surfaces. (Singular: Seta)
Shed - another term commonly used instead of 'slough'. It can refer to both the leftover skin (e.g I have a collection of gecko sheds) and the process of sloughing itself (e.g. my gecko just shed or I think my gecko is going into shed)
Slough - the dead outer skin of a reptile, which is shed (or 'Sloughed') periodically.
Snout to Vent Length/SVL - a measurement used to assess the length of the animal excluding the tail. The measurement is taken between the tip of the nose/snout and the cloaca.
Subspecies - a further division of a species, in which the differences between the animals are not great enough to count as separate species, but are still significant. In a subspecies, the scientific name will have three parts; the genus, followed by the species, followed by the subspecies name (e.g. Rhacodactylus leachianus henkeli).
Substrate - the material which lines the vivarium floor. It can be anything from tiles, to kitchen paper or soil.
Supplements/Supplementation - additional vitamins and minerals added to an animals diet in order to keep it healthy. Usually in powder form, or sometimes liquid.
Symbiosis/Symbiont - a close association between two organisms of different species in which both parties provide a benefit to the other in some way. For example, some bacteria are provided a warm, protected environment in the gut of an animal, and in return the bacteria aids the animal's digestion. A Symbiont is the term used to describe one of the organisms involved in symbiosis.
'Tail-dropping' - a common term used to describe the autotomy of the tail. (see 'autotomy').
Tamodine - a medical solution made from Iodine and Peridine which is used to clean wounds and help treat fungal infections.
Taxonomy - the practise and science of classifying and naming organisms. Organisms with similar morphological features, geographic ranges, and genetics are grouped together in various levels to show the relatedness of different species.
Temperature Dependant Sex Determination/TDSD/TSD - a natural phenomenon in which the sex of an animal is determined by the temperature it is exposed to during incubation. Knowledge of the specific temperature ranges (which are individual to each species) has allowed reptile breeders to select which gender they want their hatchlings to be. Examples of reptiles known to use TDSD are Sea Turtles, Leopard geckos and many Crocodilians.
Terrarium - a type of vivarium which is mostly or entirely land (intended for terrestrial animals). This word is commonly used in the same context as 'vivarium'.
Terrestrial - an animal which spends most or all of its life on the ground.
Thermostat - a piece of electrical equiptment which is used to control the temperature of heating devices so that the vivarium does not overheat. There are different types of thermostats available for different heating devices.
Threadworm - see 'Oxyurid'
T Rex - a major manufacturer of reptile products
Unfired/Unfired-up - a gecko which is displaying its dullest or palest colours. Also see 'Fired-up'.
Ultra-Violet Light/UV- a wave length of light which is just outside the visible light range. UV light is emitted from the Sun and is used by the body for numerous functions, including the production of Vitamin D (essential for bone growth and density). In a captive situation, we must simulate the Suns UV output with specially designed bulbs, but the necessity of UV light in nocturnal species is under debate.
Van-der-Waals forces - a simple molecular attraction which is caused by temporary asymmetry in the position of a molecule's electrons.
For more information on Van-der-Waals forces, see the following website; http://www.chemguide.co.uk/atoms/bonding/vdw.html
Vent - commonly used term for 'cloaca'.
Ventral - the underside (equivalent to the belly) of an animal.
Vermiculite - a material usually used in horticulture, which is often used to incubate gecko eggs in due to its excellent water retaining ability.
Vitamin Powder - see 'supplements'
Vivarium - the term commonly used to describe an enclosure which houses living animals.(Plural: Vivaria).
Viviparity (noun) - reproduction in which the embryo develops inside the mother, recieving nutrition through some form of placenta. The mother gives birth to live young (as in humans). Adjective: Viviparous (to reproduce via viviparity)
Vocalisation - the sound or sounds made by an animal
Vosjoli, Philippe de - well known herpetologist and author of a range of reptile books, including 'Rhacodactylus; a complete guide to their selection and care. Phillipe de Vosjoli, Frank Fast and Allen Repashy'.
Water Conditioner - see 'dechlorinator'
Waxworm - the larvae of the Waxmoth (Galleria melonella). A commonly used feeder insect. It does not make a good staple food however due to its high fat content. AKA Waxie
Wild Caught/WC - an animal which was born in the wild and has been collected and imported into the pet trade. WC animals usually take longer to acclimate to captive conditions and may have greater parasite infections.