Looking into buying a leo

[megmac]

Hi, I have been considering getting a leopard gecko lately and I am not sure where I should get it from. I have both a petland and a pets mart, but I am not sure if I should try somewhere esle, but I know I will be working while the reptile show is going on. I do have some experience in leopard geckos because my boyfriend bought one and I was taking care of it for the first month he had it, so I have done a lot of reading on how to take care of them.
If I do end up buying it from one of the stores I will have two options, baby geckos and juvenile geckos and I was wondering which would be the best choice. And last is there any keys to picking out the healthiest in the bunch because I know my pets mart has at least 6-7 in the cage right now so its a good selection. Thanks for helping.

 

[acpart]

Welcome to GF. People do get leopard geckos from big chain petstores and are successful with them, but it is risky. There are advantages and disadvantages to either a juvenile or a baby and to some extent it depends on how important it is for you to have one to raise from when it's little. If you do end up having to go with a big chain store, I'd recommend the juvenile because it's had some time to grow and prove it can survive. Many of the basic gecko books talk about how to pick out a healthy gecko. In general look for a reasonably fat tail, open eyes (after it gets woken up if you buy it in the day time), no discharge from eyes or any other part of body, no sores or lesions on the body. A regrown tail isn't a problem if you don't mind it and if you're going with a big pet store, you should ask for a discount if yours has a regrown tail.

Another way to go is by using a private breeder. If you let us know where you live, I'm sure someone will chime in and tell you that he or she is local to you.

Aliza

 

[gixxer3420]

I would recommend a breeder from this site. Look up to the top of the forum in those little rectangle adds. They are site supporters and have quality geckos.

 

[megmac]

I'm from Columbus, Ohio, but I am not in favor of paying a ton of money on it, it is only going to be a pet so all that matters is that it is healthy and looks fairly normal. I think I want a male because the more I read the more a male sounds better, since they tend to live longer than the females. I have been trying to see if there is any one locally that is breeding/ or putting their own up for adoption, but no real luck (at least as far as craigslist goes). I would rather not buy a leo online just because I am not wild about the idea of having them shipped esspecially in the unbearably hot weather.

 

[Mel&Keith]

It looks like there's a reptile show in Columbus on June 19th. I would check it out and see if there are any Leopard gecko breeders there. You can almost always find Leos at shows that are close in price to pet store Leos. The advantage from buying from a reputable breeder is that you will be informed of the exact age of the gecko, it's genetic background (which it good to know even if you don't plan on breeding), and you have the support after purchase that you don't get at a pet store if you have any questions or problems.

I'm sure we have other members from Ohio here but I do know that my fellow moderator, Thad from Ohio Gecko, does quite a few shows in Ohio throughout the year. You might try contacting him.

Best of luck with your search!