Do lone geckos get bored to tears?

[Neville]

Silly question but - Do you think Geckos get bored alone? Im watching my guy in his 15G tank and he looks bored!
Are there toys for geckos? lol like gecko soccer balls? Maybe gecko goKarts?
Maybe I should just get another gecko friend...
What entertains these guys?

 

[Imperial Geckos]

food

 

[Tony C]

Leopard geckos are not social animals, they do not get bored or require companionship.

 

[LeoGirl575]

Mine looks like she wants to escape... And she climbs my arm sometimes when I put it in the cage because she's so determined to get out.... I wonder if she'll grow out of that?

 

[Khrysty]

Mine looks like she wants to escape... And she climbs my arm sometimes when I put it in the cage because she's so determined to get out.... I wonder if she'll grow out of that?

For the geckos that try to climb out, I usually give them a place to climb. First, make sure there's a secure lid on the tank, then either take some screening and line the back wall with it, or get a climbing stick. In my experience, the ones that claw at the glass walls are the ones who like to climb.

When I find geckos digging at the paper, I put moss or coco fiber in their moist hide. They then spend their time digging there.

Either option gives them something to do. They seem content with that.

 

[Neville]

Good idea about getting them something to climb on, I might do that. Hes a glass scratcher sometimes.

 

[LeoGirl575]

For the geckos that try to climb out, I usually give them a place to climb. First, make sure there's a secure lid on the tank, then either take some screening and line the back wall with it, or get a climbing stick. In my experience, the ones that claw at the glass walls are the ones who like to climb.

When I find geckos digging at the paper, I put moss or coco fiber in their moist hide. They then spend their time digging there.

Either option gives them something to do. They seem content with that.

Thanks! Does this trait affect their personality for handling at all? Like, are they generally more feisty for handling if they like to climb? Because my girl is only 4 and a half months old, but she's pretty feisty. She likes to get away. But I don't know if it's just because she's young. Thanks.
Sorry for kind of changing the subject of this thread.

 

[Daedric1]

Mine looks like she wants to escape... And she climbs my arm sometimes when I put it in the cage because she's so determined to get out.... I wonder if she'll grow out of that?

Both of my leos used to do this when they were in their smaller tanks. I think I remember you saying in another thread that you had your leo in a 10G tank, and were planning on upgrading soon.

The smaller the tank, the less room there is to move around, or for "items" to hide under, crawl on, or climb. So when you upgrade to a 20L, there will be a lot more room for "things to do." Also, the 20L tank provides a much nicer heat gradient. It's much easier to have a warm zone and cool zone. In a smaller tank, it's harder to find the temperature they prefer, so they might be trying to find their ideal temperature.

For whatever reason, my male loves to sit in his 90 degree zone all day and night, while my female likes to sit in a zone that is like 80 degrees and never uses her hot side. My female also loves to climb her lizard ladder and get up on her hammock quite often, while the male doesn't really use his unless you put worms up there lol.

These guys just have really different personalities.

 

[Neville]

My guy likes to sit in the 85F zone on top of his house and only goes to the hot side once at night after he eats. Strange lil guy. Guess he likes it cold. Maybe Ill take him for walks to the park this winter...

...k, maybe not that cold.

 

[goReptiles]

No toys. Wouldn't do a mate unless u plan on breeding I'd just add more decor to climb and whatnot. Mine that are housed as a group just hang out like those housed solo

 

[STUTFL]

food

Yes - carnivores that "play" with toys are generally pretending to hunt. Geckos get to hunt for real.
That and room to roam/climb/maybe dig a little (mine loves rearranging his cage decorations by digging under them :main_rolleyes: ) either in or out of the tank should meet his exercise needs well enough.