Leopard Gecko vs. Bearded Dragon for 1st Lizard

[reptile4me]

Thought I might be able to get some good input from those that have much more experience than I with keeping lizards.
I have never owned a reptile, I have been researching and reading as much as possible on the forums for about 4 months and I am trying to make up my mind as to which lizard I would actually like to get.
I enjoy woodworking very much and therefore have built three diy enclosures, one that would be suitable for a bearded dragon with the following dimensions:
48 wide, 34 deep, 18 high

one that would be great for a leo with dimensions:
18 wide, 12 deep, and 12 high and also a platform bottom so that belly heat will fit perfectly.

and a huge enclosure that may eventually be subdivided, it is equivalent to about 260 gallons with dimensions:
78 wide, 36 deep, 26 high

So, my question is what is everyone's opinion as to which would possibly be a better fit as far as maintaining and also as a beginner for keeping lizards b/w a leo and a bearded dragon?
I have the capability to keep either as far as equipment and setup goes.
I know this is totally based off of opinion, but I am sure many on this forum may have had the same of similar decision to make when getting into the hobby.

 

[yellermelon]

Well I prefer leos. Ive had both. The beardeds take more food, they will need to be fed and hour after lights come on and cant be fed 1 hour before lights go out. So theres a window in wich they have to be fed due to heat and digestive reasons. Then they do make a much larger mess when they "go" than the leos. As far as ligghts and heat leos are much easier...beardeds require uvb lighting on a 12 hour cycle, and a 100-110 degree basking spot. Leos need a UTH at 88-90 degrees 24/7 both require crix/worms but the beardies require more of this since they need more to be fullfileld and a quality salad regime daily. I find it MUCH easier to care for my 100 leos than my 2 beardeds.....

 

[Bodon]

If you want to go by looks, i know they say all the new colors there are for beardeds and LOOK HOW ORANGE THIS BEARDED IS! and what not, but compared to leos they dont hold a candle, leos come in literally a rainbow of colors to choose from.

 

[rubym]

It sort of depends on yur schedule. I have a bearded and I have leopards. I prefer my Leos because they are nocturnal and it's alot easier for me to give them attention. Aragon is ready for bed by 7 pm and most days that is just when I have time to really spend with the reptiles.

 

[nats]

IMO, leos are the way to go.
They are beautiful, with a mind boggling array of morphs, they have
fascinating habits, they have great looking eyes with eyelids that give
them a "non-lizard" and almost cat-like look, they are very easy to care
for, they can be very tame and some even seem to enjoy human contact.
To me, they are the perfect lizard pet for folks who are not crazy about
lizards, because for the most part, they dont act like most lizards.

 

[Euphoric]

Beardies require more care, daily greens, baths, and their poop smells.
But they are really awesome.

Leos are a lot easeir, smaller, more compact and easier to take care of.

 

[moosassah]

Leos are often recommended as 1st reptiles because their care requirements are very basic. I would agree & start your collection with a leo. This way you will be sure that this is truly the route you want to go. Keep in mind a leo can live 20 years or more--though the oldest I recall here on GF is in its teens.

 

[Lady_Kiya]

I agree, for a first lizard I would go with a Leo. Not to say beardeds are a bad pet, they just require a lot more work and detail.

 

[Lacedolphin]

Honestly, I would suggest going to a local reptile show and hold both a bearded and a leo and see which one you are drawn to. I never thought I would own a AFT until I held one, then I had to take her home,lol.

 

[LIZARDLOVER]

Leos all the way!!!

 

[Nigel4less]

Leopards are by far the best starter Lizard out there.

 

[Jenn]

I have both and they both have there good points and bad points. My beardie is awake during the day, she enjoys going outside on her harness and really is not that much more care its just different care. I would research them both sit down weigh the care of both to see what fits into your life, hold and interact with each and go from there.

 

[Neill]

Im going to speak for beardies just because everyone is saying leos. Yes a beardie is slightly more work, but if you have a set schedule its not bad. I am a new owner of both leo/bearded about just 2 months and i like both a lot! I do have to say i like beardies because they do for a bit of a personality. My bearded is a character. Wakes up basks, watches me, jumps around a bit fun to take out and have him do a hunt in the room. Large size which is kinda nifty great color scale so days hes brown other days hes showing off his bright orange. I do have leos to, but i have to say don't get turned away by the (there a lot of work). Its not that bad you have the hardest parts covered, tank and lighting. Long as you keep cage clean like any other animal and give him his foods like normal breakfast (veg) and dinner (crickets) you should be fine.

 

[reptile4me]

thanks and enclosure pics of what I plan to house a leo in.

Thanks to all that posted for all the help. I really appreciate you all taking the time to give some feedback on this question. I wanted to post some photos of several of the enclosures, the smallest two will be used hopefully eventually to house leos. The smallest one is what I am going to begin with as I think from what I have read it would be an excellent size for a young leo. I am not finished with the enclosures yet, still need to stain the smallest and just have a temporary lid on the larger enclosure for now. Will be doing some more trimming for a more complete appearance. Anyway, here they are and thanks again, I am sure that there will be many more posts to come in the future as I continue learning.
As you will see with the first enclosure, there will be a raised glass platform so that I can either have heat cable or uth under the back of enclosure and have contact paper then tile above the heat. There will also be glass in the front of the enclosure.

 

[elnott]

well i know crested geckos were not one of your choices, but since you love building cages i would suggest building a cage that is tall and keeping crested geckos instead... seriously if i were to choose between a leo and a bearded i chose leos and my gf chose a bearded. size, cost of feeding, and personal preference are my reasons for choosing the smaller geckos rather than the larger lizard. in my experience the beardeds have more personality but i am just not a fan of them. around here they are kinda like belly buttons, every body has one, but this is not so for the high end leo morphs and the crested geckos.

 

[GeckoDude94]

I think a good one for a begginer would be a leo because bearded dragons are much more work than a leo and there for just nicer for begginers and the 18 wide 12 high 12 deep is perfect for a leopard gecko i made my own tank with almost the same demensions and it is perfect.

 

[Foreverandever]

Leos all the way. Plus beardies get pretty big so they are more expensive (ie, bigger tank)

 

[PrettyMomma]

Leo's

 

[nevinm]

we have around 500 adult beardies and about 100 leopards. and i must say, that for no one in this forum can answer between the beardie and the leo. they are the 2 best pet lizards there are. everyone here is ofcourse going to be bias twards a beardie. the amount of work for a bearded dragon is not much more than for a leopard, but where the beardies make up is they can be handled A LOT easier than a leopard. yeah leopards are easy to handle, but compaired to a beardie they dont come close. they both have theyre ups and very few downs. but what you need to do is go to a show, or find some leopard and beardie owners and get a feel for both. this is a living thing, dont go by what other people tell you. take into consideration the care of both animals, and then handle both as much as you can. dont let someone else make that dicision for you.

good luck with what ever you choose
nev

 

[zwara]

leos i have 2 BD none

i only prefer leos they are my pation