Thinking about getting a Leopard Gecko

[Jaycies]

Hi all,

I am thinking about getting my first leopard gecko and am wondering if you all can tell me what it's like to have one of these cute little peeps?

 

[Dreamsong]

^-^ Having Leos is simply wonderful. They're easy to feed, easy to house, and no two have the same patterns or personalities. Some are going to be shy/wary of handling even after they're hand-tame, while others (like my original baby, Hiryu) will practically stick to you like glue, or even come running out to see you when they hear your voice. Granted, some can be a bit skittish or nippy when you first bring them home (Sanzo was both of these, and the only one out of my family's 5 geckos to ever bite anyone...Me...lol.), but once they're used to you and being handled, even they can become the sweetest critters in the world.

They are really simple to care for...A 10gal aquarium tank with a screen top & UTH is perfect for a young leo, with a few hides thrown in of course. Likewise, an adult can live comfortably in a 15 to 20gal tank, with 20gal long tanks being a nice choice...Though I do know some people who spoil their geckos with much larger tanks, or who house multiple females in 30-50gal tanks. Warm hide, cool hide, moist hide...All three can usually be found in pet stores, or you can make them using things like plastic containers with holes cut in the side or lid. For the moist hide, you'd keep the lid on to retain some humidity, the others you could just cut a hole in the side and tip them upside-down with no lid.

Leos don't really need any special lighting, unless it's particularly cold where you live and your UTH alone isn't enough. If you want lighting just to see things in the tank, a low watt blue light (moonlight) bulb is a reasonable option, though all the geckos in our house had their own low-watt fluorescent bulbs. UVA/UVB isn't really needed, so they were more for show than anything else...These can both some geckos, but they all react differently towards lighting. Our five never had any issues with their lights.

Substrates for young leos are cheap and easy to find - Paper towels and/or newspaper. Adults do well on repti-carpet, slate/ceramic tiles, vinyl tiles, non-adhesive shelf liner...Some people do house them on sand with no issues, but most prefer to play it safe. If you do use sand, never use the type sold at pet shops, use the finest grain playsand (un-colored) you can find. If you feed crickets, I'd suggest feeding them in a separate container, and if you feed mealworms make sure they can't get out of whatever feeding dish you use in the tank, as they'll burrow into the sand and vanish.

Crickets, Mealworms, Waxworms, Silkworms, Superworms, Phoenix worms, Dubia Roaches...A Leo can and usually will eat all of these. With crickets and Dubia you have to measure their size, and never feed one larger than the space between your gecko's eyes to your gecko. Waxworms are more of a treat than a staple diet, and Supers should only be fed to adults on occasion. I haven't tried Silk or Phoenix worms, but I do plan on getting a container of Phoenix worms to try my future geckos out on, as I keep hearing about them being one of the healthiest staple feeders. Any feeder insects should be gutloaded (fed healthy foods/gutload formula) 24-48 hours before being fed to your gecko, as it adds to the nutritional value of the feeders. Vitamin and Calcium powder (with d3 if feeding crickets, without if feeding any other feeder) should be 'dusted' onto whatever you're about to feed your gecko, and leaving a small dish/bottle cap of calcium powder in the tank for your gecko to lap from is optional. (I'd recommend Dubia over Crickets, as one Dubia has the nutritional value of about 10-12 crickets. They're easy to house, and rather easy to breed, so you'd likely never have to buy feeders again. Dubia don't smell, can't fly, and they don't make noise!)

It might sound like a lot of work to some people, especially when it comes to keeping feeder insects for your gecko (or any reptile in most cases)...But the rewards are well worth the effort. Who knows, you could end up with a happy, healthy little companion for a good 10+ years (20+ with great care, even upwards of 30 in some cases!), or multiple scaley companions, since everyone knows Leos are like potato chips...It's hard to stop at just one! If you're lucky...You may even end up with a little ham who literally -sits- in your hand for 5-10 minutes, like the ham featured below.

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Hoping you do decide to get a Leo, they're wonderful little pets and will always bring a smile to your face, especially when they smile back at you!

 

[B&B Geckos]

I'm hesitant to chyme in, for Ashley gave a very thorough, passionate reply. i'll simply add that Leopard Geckos are ideal pets as they are hardy, most often docile, require minimal effort, food and space, and lack the heavy odor associated with many other pets. Their curiosity and fascinating behaviors makes for interesting personalities and much charm. As adults you can feed them 2-3 times per week.