Leopard - best Gecko for 1st timer?

My 3rd grade son is getting ready to turn 8 and he is wanting to get his first pet (other than a fish). He narrowed his choices down to: leopard gecko, bearded dragon, parakeet, and cat. He's leaning towards the leopard gecko so we went looking at them...actually twice over the past two days.

I didn't realize that there were other types of pet geckos available until we went and looked at the leopard geckos.

In your opinion would a leopard gecko be the best type of gecko (as well as the best lizard) for a first time pet and lizard owner?

I've been reading all the information I can find and the one item that concerns me the most is feeding...what to feed, how to gut load the crickets, how much live food/dead food to give, how much live food to purchase at a time, how to keep the live food, how/what to dust food with, etc. Any advice you can give in this area would be appreciated.

I would also greatly appreciate any additional information you could give me on choosing the best terrariums, substrate, hides, food, shedding areas, heat as well as anything else.

Thank you for your help!

TripleB

Welcome to the forum. =)
Leopard geckos make great first reptiles. They are hardy and easy to care for if you know what you're doing. That is quite a lot of information you asked for, so I'm going to link you to a good care sheet. It should cover a lot of what you want to know, and then you can ask more specific questions.
http://www.goldengategeckos.com/careleopard.pdf

I will cover a few of your points also. Leopard geckos don't need dead food, only live. Most won't eat dead food and it doesn't have a lot of nutritional value. Keeping their food alive is easy. Mealworms, crickets, or dubia roaches are the most common staples. I gutload my feeders with grains (oat bran, wheat bran, and rolled oats) and also offer vegetables (usually carrots) for water and extra nutrients. This will keep the food alive for a good while.

Dusting and supplementation is really easy. I use this: http://www.amazon.com/Repashy-Calcium-Plus-All-Sizes/dp/B00CI6K6H6
This is an all in one supplement and provides correct proportions of all the vitamins and minerals your gecko will need. It's designed to use every feeding and I love it. You can also keep a dish of pure calcium (no D3, it must be pure) in the tank for the gecko to lick when it is lacking.

The most important point I want to cover is substrate. Leopard geckos must be kept on a solid substrate. Paper towels or newspaper is very common, but if you want something more natural, many people use tile. Never use sand, bark, or anything else that a gecko could ingest.

Make sure to pay attention to the section on heating in the care sheet. This is also a very important aspect. Proper heating = healthy leopard gecko.

If you're not sure whether or not a leopard gecko is the best pet for him, check out crested geckos and gargoyle geckos as well. There is much less live food involved and, in general, no need for extra heating.

Aliza

Yeah, if I were you, I'd go with a crested gecko at first, as they're MUCH easier to care for. Not as hearty as a Leopard Gecko, but much easier to keep healthy and thriving, as they don't need the belly heat and as many insects. They can live purely off of a powdered food mix that's pretty cheap (much cheaper than buying crickets/mealworms from the petstore) They are also a little funner to watch when you catch them awake (They're nocturnal)
Don't get me wrong, Leopard's are GREAT first reptiles, but if you don't put the time and effort into research and proper supplies, you're almost always going to end up with an unhealthy animal that you don't want anymore. Especially since YOU'RE most likely going to be the one taking care of it.

LepoInc said:

Yeah, if I were you, I'd go with a crested gecko at first, as they're MUCH easier to care for.

Don't get me wrong, Leopard's are GREAT first reptiles, but if you don't put the time and effort into research and proper supplies, you're almost always going to end up with an unhealthy animal that you don't want anymore.

Click to expand...

How is the temperament of a crested gecko compared to a leopard gecko?

The facts I love are that leopard geckos don't bite, they aren't usually skittish, don't mind some handling, they come in a variety of colors, are readily available, and is basically unlimited info on them.

I've been doing my reading on Leopard Geckos...online mostly but have a couple books headed my way.

To be honest I've really heard nothing about crested geckos other than, and I don't even know if this is true, they lose their tales very easily.

Thanks for everyone's input so far!

TripleB

Well, my first hand perspective is that sometimes leopard geckos can get a little nippy. Especially blizzards for some reason and females around breeding season can get a little nippy. Not to say all leopard geckos are like this but there is still a chance. On the other hand crested geckos like to move and jump a lot. When they get older they do tend to be a little more docile. To this day though I have yet to be bitten by a crested gecko. They are far easier to take care of than a leopard gecko. Basically the food they require is a fruit flavored soy protein shake with added vitamins. There also isn't much added heat that is needed as long as you keep your house around 70 degrees. Don't get me wrong I love Leo's but for a younger adult, a crested gecko would be a better option in my option.

Okay, I will weigh in here and give you my experience for what it's worth. [emoji4]

Both can make a really good first time pet. In my opinion Leos might be a little hardier, but they both are easy enough to care for with the right set up and hardy. [emoji4]

More goes into making sure you have the right temperature gradient for a Leo, but as far as decorations it can actually be pretty bare and make shift (if you want). You can use paper towel as substrate, and Tupperware or butter containers, etc as hides. Pretty bare bones inside... Just the necessary hides (cool dry, warm dry, moist), water dish, calcium dish and possibly meal worm dish. You could get away with a 10 gallon but I suggest a 20 gallon long personally. Cresties do well at normal room temperature (low 70s), but they do need to be misted 1-3x daily (depends on how dry your house is) but they need plenty of things to climb on since they are arboreal, and places to hide (fake plants and hides). In my experience Cresties don't like to be exposed and want to hide in the "trees". Their cage is a bit pricier in that the tall Exo-Terra cages are what seem to work best for them. They need height more than they need width.

Both can bite, but a Leo is probably a bit more likely to than a Crestie. When I have been bit (which has only ever been twice by a Leo) it has never broke skin or hurt. Not saying they can't, but they rarely do. It is usually more of a shock to you to see them nip at you, and then if you aren't expecting it I have seen people drop both Leos and Cresteds. Both times I was nipped I would say they felt provoked because I was trying to work on them (vet tech school) and they found it unpleasant. Not to scare you because neither species is prone to biting, but I don't want you think that they never will.

As far as food I suggest ordering your food if you get a Crested online. I think that Pangea or Clark's is the best and neither is sold at any pet stores that I am aware. Repashy changed their formula so they aren't as good as they once were, and those are the only three that I would even consider. So you will need to keep that in mind and probably make sure you always have some ordered. Unless you have a reptile expo near you then that would be a great resource. With Leos a lot of people raise their own feeders and mealworms are incredibly easy to breed. I know plenty of Leo breeders who use mealworms as their staple diet. They just need to be gut loaded properly for nutrition and that is simple enough. For either I suggest Repashy Calcium Plus for vitamin and mineral supplements.

Both can drop their tails. A Crestie probably easier than a Leo will, and a Crestie will not regenerate their tail. So once they lose it you will have a Crested with what is called "Frog-Butt". I think they are actually super cute that way. My next one I will probably get a Frog-Butt. (I would never intentionally cause one to lose its tail, but when they have it doesn't bother me, I think they are cute either way.) I am not an expert on this as mine has not lost hers yet and I only have one, but I have been told that most Cresteds will usually lose their tails at some point in their life. If you are afraid that the loss of the tail may be upsetting to your son then you could always start off with a Frog-Butt Crestie. LGs will also drop their tails (or part of) but typically only due to trauma or a perceived threat (i.e. cat grabs it, heavy hide drops hard on it, grabbed and yanked roughly, etc.) but they will regenerate their tail after losing it. It won't look as pretty as it did before. Usually looks like a smooth christmas tree bulb... The old big fat ones. Ha

Either way, I suggest you go with a young adult (or sub-adult) that is already used to being handled. In both species the younger they are the more skittish they tend to be and little Cresties can be really jumpy. I know at 8 I didn't have the patience to wait for my pet to learn to accept handling. It will be even harder for your son because for the first week or so he isn't going to be able to hold or really do anything more than look at it, besides feeding and general care. It will need time to acclimate to the new surroundings the first week or two. An older one will be less skittish, not as fragile as a baby or juvenile and handled a fair amount already.

Another big suggestion if at all possible get your gecko from either a breeder local to you or a reptile expo/show. They will have a wider selection, be able to walk you through the animal's health history, help you with any set up issues you may have, etc. They are just generally the better way to go. If you don't mind me asking what general area do you live in? We may be able to point you to a show in your area.

One, sorry this is so long but I wanted to try to answer your questions without swaying you towards anything (except going to a reptile show or breeder [emoji4]). I think both are awesome first pets for your son. Two, please excuses any grammatical, spelling, or other errors. My brain isn't functioning at its highest right now. I had a long night of schoolwork. Three, if you have any more questions I am more than happy to help (as I am sure is everyone else).

Amy