Picking a leo based on personality.

[nats]

I know everyone wants the prettiest, most awesome latest morph, but has anyone ever just wanted to ask your favorite breeder for the friendliest leo he/she has?
Regardless of sex, age, or morph and no interest in breeding it?
Just a really friendly pet.

I know next spring I will be buying my 4th leo, I just cant seem to help myself! and I really would love to have a tang, like some of the ones
I have seen on the forum.
But, the more I interact with my leos, the more attached I get to them.
What if I just asked for a leo that is known to be the friendliest one in the whole batch?

I have noticed that some breeders will make a note in their discription of an animal about it's personality. Small breeders tend to take the extra time to get to know their leos, where the big breeders dont.

Does anyone think I'm just being to sentimental?

 

[Halley]

I think if you’re just looking for a pet, personality would be a big thing to look for. I’m sure the majority of breeders would set you up with a leo with a good temperament if you asked for one.

 

[acpart]

I'm a small breeder and I definitely see personality differences in many of my geckos. There are a certain number that are undistinguished. I'm actually keeping a hatchling that I wasn't planning on keeping just because she is so cute and engaging. There's no guarantee that personality traits will be hereditary, but this season I have found that the Mack super snows I produced were, for the most part, the most alert and engaging of all the hatchlings (the parents are not particularly so).

Aliza

 

[fallen_angel]

I can't necessarily prove that personality traits are hereditary, but I have noticed that if the parents are sweet geckos, the babies will be too. We have a very sweet and docile female, and all of her babies have had the same kind of temperament, sweetness, and seem to get used to handling much quicker than others. We had another female that was very skiddish and aggressive, and most of her babies also tend to stay very skiddish, regardless of how much human contact I have given them.

I also know what you mean Aliza, I want to keep a certain one of our hatchlings just because of the sweet and engaging personality he has too

 

[runko]

nats this is a common question I get as many breeders do during reptile expos...imho I would stay away from petshops...the best way to introduce this is to get a hatchling at least 20g no experienced breeder will sell under this weight for a healthy leo...and handle it few times a week...although I have favorites i handle three and fours times a week..hope this helps

 

[nats]

nats this is a common question I get as many breeders do during reptile expos...imho I would stay away from petshops...the best way to introduce this is to get a hatchling at least 20g no experienced breeder will sell under this weight for a healthy leo...and handle it few times a week...although I have favorites i handle three and fours times a week..hope this helps

I agree, petstores are out of the question.
I am thinking more of a breeder I trust (who would also be a forum member).
It would be tempting for someone to sell me an animal that no one seems
to want if I ask for one that is very friendly. They could sell me whatever they want, and just say, well, he was friendly when we had him. :main_rolleyes:

I'm sure breeders get asked this question. Mostly from folks who are buying as a gift, or simply want one leo as a pet.

 

[runko]

i would suggest talking to a FM and get a hatchling. also different morphs act different....imho go with tang or carrot tail....and I think female are more friendly then males....I think

 

[Golden Gate Geckos]

I think your question is a GREAT one! I can tell the personality of EVERY one of my geckos, and that includes the babies. I do believe that personality and demeanor is inheritable. In many cases, my sweet, calm geckos produce sweet, calm babies. Likewise, my more nervous or skiddish geckos seem to produce nervous, skiddish offspring.

I have never had anyone ask me for my 'friendliest' gecko, but I have had many ask which gecko would have the most appropriate personality or character for a child, or other specific type of person. On the flip-side, I've had people say they didn't care when I told them the gecko they were interested in was a little booger!

 

[Mel&Keith]

I've had people ask to recommend a gecko with a great personality and I'm always happy to help them pick one out. I always have a few geckos that I don't advertise just because I want them to go to a home that will really spoil them. I think picking a gecko on personality is a fantastic idea, I don't know if that you can judge by morph alone but generally a breeder can steer you in the right direction by trying to match you with the right gecko.

 

[thestack510]

Incubation temp. could play a roll in attitude also. "Hot" males and females tend to be more aggressive. Of my leos the Super Snows, one Tremper and one Las Vegas, have the sweetest dispositions. My Tremper SS greets me every time I slide his tub out from the rack. He's a real cordial fellow. I have a really mellow set of DBs too. On the other end of the spectrum, I have two Enigmas who are sisters and who seem to only like each other, and when placed with other females they can be aggressive. Not so far as to bite, just with body language. They run up on the others, and I think it's a little overwhelming to the other lizard. They don't act the same with each other (wicked step-sisters, lol). I think they just get over exited. They both mated fine, without issue. Doesn't it seem odd that they sort of favor each other? I put a DB female with them for a hour or so, but I got nervous and put her back in her normal housing. Most Leos are the sweetest things you'll ever meet.

 

[acpart]

This is a little off the topic, but it reminded me of something that happened at the last show I did. I had a gecko that had a mild foot and leg deformity --the leg was a little foreshortened and it had only 2 toes on the foot, but was growing well, very pretty, calm and doing fine. A 10 year old boy came with his parents to pick out a gecko. He seemed a little spacey and having some trouble paying attention (the parents seemed a bit more into it than he was, but were also willing to do the care). He eventually picked the gecko with the deformity. I was happy to sell it to him, but I wanted to make sure he was aware of the deformity. He looked at me and said "just because it has a deformed foot that doesn't mean it won't be a good pet". That was when I knew the gecko was going to the right home.

Aliza

 

[fallen_angel]

Very nice story Aliza

I always have a few geckos that I don't advertise just because I want them to go to a home that will really spoil them.

We do the very same thing

 

[paulnj]

I was contacted early this spring from a referral . The person was looking for a pet for his 6 year old's Bday and his son was set on a leopard gecko.

I sold him a plain old tremper albino I hatched from the calmest gecko I owned. The first thing the kid did apon recieving it was pick it up by it's tail after I gave him the 10 minute rundown on leopard gecko ownership.

The gecko just looked at him and could care less

After 6 month I forgot about that sale and guess what.... I got a Bday card with that boy holding a nice plump tremper albino that was giving him a lick on the cheek. ]
Hand made card signed by the Boy that read......

The best gift I ever recieved turned one last week. We both thank you.
(Boy's name) and Rex

That card was awesome!!!!!


Personality is what makes a pet and genetics and looks makes it a breeder.

 

[MSMD]

On the flip-side, I've had people say they didn't care when I told them the gecko they were interested in was a little booger!

:main_laugh: This makes me think of the Fasciolatus pair that I got from you, Marcia! While everyone else is as sweet as can be (obviously you spend a lot of time with your babies :yes, they (Fascios) are stinkers, but I adore them for it! It's kind of fun to have some Leos with some....uhhhh....'spunk' and 'charisma'! They are silly and endearing in their very own cage remodeling, vocal, 'put me down and quit bugging me right now' way! :main_yes: They're not aggressive in any way, just 'opinionated'.

On the other hand, I do love my sweeties. I just picked up another sweetheart of a Mack Snow male that I don't need for any breeding projects along with some others. That makes 2 Mack Snow males that I have that I'm not using for any projects right now. They're both dolls, though, and I have no plans to part with them. They are the hang out on your shoulder, docile, sweet boys. :smitten:

ETA: Aliza and Paul, those are great stories! Those are the warm fuzzies that I think make breeding and placing Leos even more rewarding than keeping up on the latest trend (although hatching our 'goal morphs' is very satisfying as well! )

 

[nats]

After reading some of these posts, I wonder if it's possible that leos from
some breeders might be more aggressive in general then from others!?

 

[hoppslover]

Nats I don't know how much of a roll that plays. I am sure it does to an extent. I know that the breeder I have purchased a few of mine from handle their geckos a lot. I have 6 from them and all but two of them are really friendly. Im working on the two that aren't so nice and hopefully they will settle down. I think some of temperament is in the morph. In my opinion I feel that the ones that aren't as sensitive to light are a lot more laid back than the others. With that said I am not sure if red eyes are light sensitive or not, but I have the most laid back female red eyed raptor. I really cant wait to see what she gives me in the way of personality for her babies. I can give her to my girl and she just sits in her hands while I clean the tubs. My girl is only 5, and that raptor just walks slowly around in her hands. I just love these guys.

 

[nats]

Nats I don't know how much of a roll that plays. I am sure it does to an extent. I know that the breeder I have purchased a few of mine from handle their geckos a lot. I have 6 from them and all but two of them are really friendly. Im working on the two that aren't so nice and hopefully they will settle down. I think some of temperament is in the morph. In my opinion I feel that the ones that aren't as sensitive to light are a lot more laid back than the others. With that said I am not sure if red eyes are light sensitive or not, but I have the most laid back female red eyed raptor. I really cant wait to see what she gives me in the way of personality for her babies. I can give her to my girl and she just sits in her hands while I clean the tubs. My girl is only 5, and that raptor just walks slowly around in her hands. I just love these guys.

Maybe that makes all the difference, how much they are handled.

I know some of the bigger breeders do not handle very much.
That would mean it's best to buy from a small dealer/breeder who is doing it more for the hobbie than money.

 

[samthebigkid]

yea I actually got mine because she seemed to be friendly right off the bat.
She saw me from her cage, and walked right up to the glass and just stared at me. I came by later to show my girlfriend the gecko i was thinking of buying and sure enough, she recognized me and walked right up the glass again. Thats when I knew I would buy her.