Thinking of getting my first Leopard Gecko! Advice?

[Laura Lehr]

Hi!

I have never had a leopard gecko but I did have a bearded dragon when I was younger.

I would like to get another lizard and thought a Leopard Gecko might be good this time around.

I was hoping to get advice before I make a decision- I want to be as prepared as possible!

I have two young children, ages 2 and 4. While neither would be allowed around the leo without an adult, would a leopard gecko be a good first reptile for young children? My four year old loves to help out with our pets and I am sure would want to hold it (under very close supervision!). Do they become docile enough for this? My two year old would have less contact with it until older but would probably want to touch it (I would hold his hand and help him to be gentle).

Also, I read they can be kept in a 10 gallon tank. Is this accurate? I have a 10 gallon tank already so, if so, that would be awesome! If my current tank is acceptable, how should I sanitize it to make it safe?

What kind of heating system do I need? I read under tank heaters are best? Are these a fire hazard in anyway? My largest concern is making sure I am not introducing a fire hazard into my house, and keeping my family and of course the leopard gecko safe!

Food/substrate advice?

Any other advice of information?

I would appreciate as much info as possible!!

Thanks so much!

Laura

 

[Lindz0518]

My 4 year old holds our leopard geckos with supervision and does well, they are very tame by nature and get used to handling easily. You would need an under the tank heater and as long as you follow the directions there shouldn't be a risk. You will need something to monitor floor temps (they should be between 89-95 on the hot side) like a temp gun or probe, a lamp dimmer can be used to control the UTH temp. For substrates you can use paper towels, reptile carpet ( if you turn the carpet over it has a smooth side and I have no issues with my leo getting her teeth or nails stuck) or you can use tile. As for supplements I use Repashy Calcium Plus, it is an all in one and you just dust every feeder, that's it! A 10 gallon should be fine, you just need to find a way to incorporate a hot hide, cool hide and humid hide. You can explore this site to get lots of ideas. There are a lot of helpful people on here!

 

[Embrace Calamity]

I think the above poster covered about everything, but as for the tank, you could probably look on Craigslist or eBay classifieds and find a cheap tank. I really like my 20 gallon long tank because it gives an awesome temperature gradient and has plenty of room for hides and plants and stuff. Not that a 10 gallon won't work, but bigger is always better.

I use dirt with a little sand in it for my leo, but that's not the most common choice. I like it though.

Some warnings:
Don't use calcium sand
Don't use heat rocks
Make sure there is a gap between the bottom of the tank where the UTH is and what it's sitting on
Don't use analog or strip thermometers; digital is most accurate

~Maggot

 

[Ghostoftangerine17]

Because the other two posters have covered the care basics, I'd recommend going to the Leopard Gecko Wiki and checking out the morphs available. That way when you look online or in a store you can have a good idea of what color/pattern/etc you'd like to have.

 

[lisa127]

The only thing I would add is get an infrared temperature gun to check surface temps. IMO, it is the most accurate way to measure temps.

 

[Ozy]

Reptiles carry salmonella. So if your kids touch them or anything that the leo has come in contact with they need to wash/sanitize their hands right away. Also, some leos NEVER like to be handled no matter how much you try. I know mine doesn't. She tries to run off, tries to suicide dive off my hands, etc.. There have been a couple of times where she has had some stuck shed and I HAD to handle her. She tolerated it with ALOT of vocal protesting and tail waving, but she' never bitten me. I think it's awesome that you are interested in leopard geckos, but in my opinion reptiles don't make the best pets around small children. If you want something they can play with and cuddle and stuff Guinea Pigs are AWESOME. I had one and I loved her SO MUCH. Rats also make REALLY awesome pets. They are super clean and smart and REALLY friendly. You can even train them to do tricks and stuff! :heart:

EDIT - Realized that post sounded like I was trying to deter you. I don't want to discourage you getting a leopard gecko if you want, but I wouldn't let my kids hold it AT ALL until you know it's SUPER tame and won't try to escape. I was just thinking out loud about the guinea pigs and rats, but yes, some leopard geckos can get that tame and they aren't inclined to bite. Like I said, mine is a HUGE brat, but I hand feed her and she's never tried to bite me or anything. Here's some pics of her, just because I love my little bratty girl. Her name is Ozy, she is a Banana Blizzard morph.

 

[lisa127]

Ozy, I heard somewhere that Blizzard morphs are feistier than other morphs. I don't know how true that is though but maybe yours is one of the feistier blizzards. She is beautiful though. I myself have never had a leo that wasn't friendly but I've never had a blizzard.

To the OP, my kids are grown now but when they were those ages I was keeping reptiles as pets. The only ones my kids ever really handled were the box turtles. The rest of the reptiles they would enjoy by watching them but never really handled them.

 

[Ozy]

LOL! Well Ozy DEFINITELY fits that bill.. She is about as feisty as they come. hehehe! that just makes her all the more cute to me :sweetheart: And Ozy appreciates the compliment!

 

[lisa127]

LOL! Well Ozy DEFINITELY fits that bill.. She is about as feisty as they come. hehehe! that just makes her all the more cute to me :sweetheart: And Ozy appreciates the compliment!

I like feisty too. In any animals. I used to foster small dogs and it was either the real timid females or the feisty females that I always bonded to. And though I'm not a cat person, I have had two cats for the past 14 years. My very feisty female tortie cat passed away last January, and I have a very friendly black male cat as well that is still with me. Guess which cat I was closest to?...lol

 

[Lindz0518]

Well I guess my Bell female is just a grump! Lol. I do tend to like them with a bit more personality! My little guy Loki is just so calm and content, my son easily handles him, we always sanitize before and after handling and he is always sitting right beside me. As for the newbie Thor we will see what personality he has in the next few weeks.

 

[tov_13]

a leo would be a great pet for your kids because they can live for 20 years, so they would have the heartbreak of them dying. but be very careful because if they get scared or the tail is moved or touched wrong, they will drop it. 10 gallons is ok, but 20 is recommended. and under tank heater is best, and shouldn't be a fire hazard.

 

[Karah]

a leo would be a great pet for your kids because they can live for 20 years, so they would have the heartbreak of them dying. but be very careful because if they get scared or the tail is moved or touched wrong, they will drop it. 10 gallons is ok, but 20 is recommended. and under tank heater is best, and shouldn't be a fire hazard.

I do not want to be rude, but please pay attention to the dates of posts before replying. Your information would have been very helpful to this person, but they posted this roughly two years ago and they haven't visited this site since then.

 

[INDRAJM]

Ozzie, your Gecko looks like my Nix!!