Gecko in the classroom

Krittergal

New Member
Messages
1
Location
California
I'm a teacher and I currently have a bearded dragon, a blue tongue skink, and a leopard gecko in my classroom. I was interested in getting another lizard and was thinking about either a gargoyle gecko or a crested. I would be the only one to handle them and take care of them. I was wondering if they would be suitable in a classroom? If not, any suggestions on another lizard that may be more suitable.
 

indyana

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,336
Location
Massachusetts, United States
The only thing I worry about with both those species is their heat sensitivity. If your school is anything like the ones in my town, the A/C and heat are run as little as possible to save money. While all the lizards you currently have could tolerate temporary temperature swings, Crested and Gargoyle Geckos begin to experience heat stress at ambient temperatures above 80 F. One hot weekend with the A/C turned off could spell major trouble.

I don't have many species recommendations, as you already have the species I think of as being the hardiest. If your students like the Leopard Gecko, you could look at an African Fat Tail Gecko. Day geckos and anoles are extremely interesting in a communal terrarium setup, but the heat, light, and humidity requirements get more complicated.
 

DrCarrotTail

Moderator
Messages
3,590
Location
Ridgewood, NJ
I know a lot of teachers that have leopard geckos in their classrooms but almost none with cresteds or gargs. They need to be misted twice a day which makes leaving them for the weekend or vacations difficult unless you want to invest $100+ in a quality misting system. Also, as Indyana said they can't tolerate any length of time over 82 degrees and over 85 degrees may kill them or cause brain damage. In my experience many schools shut off their cooling systems over the weekend or holidays which might make keeping them alive problematic. If those things I've mentioned are not an issue then they might work for your classroom!
 

smeigel

New Member
Messages
14
Location
NM
As long as your classroom stays within 68-78 degrees and you can mist the animal at least once a day. You should be fine with housing a crested or garg. They are resilient animals and great if you don't want to have UVB and heat lamps. I think they are a great choice for a class.
 

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