The gecko breeding has grown to enormous proportions as the years progress and it isn’t stopping anytime soon. There are many terms to learn if one wants to walk to walk and talk the talk. New acronyms, abbreviations and slang make it difficult to stay caught up…or even understand what people are saying in the first place. This guide includes the common terminology you will need to stay in loop.
Acronyms:
1.1.1 (1.0, 0.0.1, etc…) – The first number character refers to the number of male geckos; the second number character refers to the number of female geckos; the third number character refers to the number of juvenile or unsexed geckos;
Example: 2.6.8 denotes two males, six females, and eight juvenile geckos
BFG – Big fat geckos brand; often in reference to the BFG Gecko Smoothie diet
BOI – Board of Inquiry®; Forum on FaunaClassifieds where buyers post feedback about sellers and transactions
CB – captive born (often refers to captive born and bred)
CBB – captive born and bred
CGD – crested gecko diet (usually in reference to the Repashy brand)
F1, F2, etc – filial one and filial two respectively; refers to the genetic proximity of offspring to wild caught parents;
Example: An F1 gecko has at least one wild caught parent, an F2 gecko has at least one wild-caught grandparent
FS – for sale
FT – for trade
FS/T – for sale or trade
FTS – floppy tail syndrome; a condition in which the gecko has a kink or curvature at the base of the tail;
SYR – FedEx “ship your reptile”; an overnight shipping service for live reptiles and amphibians
PM – private message
KK – Kritter Keeper (see also Exo Terra Faunarium)
LTC – long term captive; the gecko was taken from the wild but has been in captivity for a number of years, this term implies a healthy acclimation to captivity
QT – quarantine
MRP – meal replacement powder (in reference to the Repashy brand crested gecko diet)
MBD – metabolic bone disease; a condition in which a gecko either:
1) Develops in the egg without significant calcium for bone growth, and hatches with permanent physical deformities; usually a disfigured spine, jaw or limbs
2) Is deprived of the necessary calcium for growth and/or breeding and suffers from varying degrees of physical deformity; usually a disfigured spine, jaw or limbs
NARBC – North American Reptile Breeders Conference; six shows per year at three different locations, with both Tinley Park and Arlington locations attended by Josh’s Frogs
NFS – not for sale
NRBE – National Reptile Breeders Expo; Annual show in Daytona, FL
OBO – or best offer
OBRO – or best reasonable offer (typically a warning to “low-ballers”)
PFM – Pangea fruit mix; a great powdered diet to add to Repashy meal replacement powder
RTB – ready to breed; meets or exceeds the minimum weight and age for breeding
SVL – snout to vent length; a measurement taken from the snout and ending at the vent /cloaca
WC – wild caught or wild collected; an animal taken from the wild
WTB – want to buy
WTS – want to sell
Abbreviations:
Cal – abbreviation for “calcium”; a supplement needed in the diet of most insect and fruit-eating geckos
Dal – abbreviation for “Dalmatian”; in reference to spots on the gecko
Dubia – abbreviation for Blaptica dubia, a species of cockroach commonly fed to crested geckos
Repashy – abbreviation for “Repashy brand crested gecko Meal Replacement Powder”
Clark’s – abbreviation for “Clark’s gecko diet”
Crix – abbreviation for “crickets”
Pin – abbreviation for “pinstripe”; a dorsal pattern of the crested gecko
Harly – abbreviation for “harlequin”; a gecko with a pattern (contrasting color to the base) on the laterals and legs of the gecko
Het – abbreviation for “heterozygous,” not relevant to crested geckos or other new Caledonian species as of yet (this can be a red flag to new buyers!)
Mod – abbreviation for “moderator”; an individual with the authority to enforce the rules of an online forum or group
Poss – abbreviation for “possible”
Pr – abbreviation for “pair”
Prob – abbreviation for “probable”
Viv – abbreviation for “vivarium”; a live naturalistic enclosure, includes live plants and microorganisms all available at Josh’s Frogs
Other Slang:
Low-baller – someone who makes a very low price offer on a gecko for sale
Flipper – someone who buys animals at a low price only sell them immediately, usually without disclosure to the original seller
About the Author:
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Lauren Phillips is a graduate student studying Tropical Conservation at Michigan State University. Lauren is currently in charge of tadpole husbandry and gecko-related inventory here at Josh’s Frogs. She owns and operates The Adventure Gecko, a small-scale business focusing on breeding New Caledonian gecko species. Check out her Facebook page. |
Nice site, very informative.