To Gecko or not to Gecko--"That is the Question"

[harvest]

Hello you all, no I'm not from Texas but I did stay at a Holiday Inn, I mean I did live in Texas for 20 years before moving back to Illinois and now living in Pennsylvania. I am new and I do have a hard decision to make in the next few days. I will either get a Gecko or Bearded Dragon, I know this is a Gecko forum and I would expect to have mostly Gecko as my decision but this is not as easy as it seems to me.
My 10 year old daughter wants me to get a Bearded Dragon since my Boss's son has one that's almost 3 years old and my daughter loves to hold and pet him, and he/she loves it to. I've never had a Gecko so I don't know exactly how much they can be handled during the day and if they even care to be handled at all.
I've told my daughter that we might as well get a Gecko since we have 90% of all we need for the little guys/gals, and we can wait until we get an appropriate tank for the Bearded Dragon. I've seen the fat tail that my wifes cousin has and the gecko seems to be great with my kids.
If I decide to go with the Gecko what is the best over all type to get that would be more of a pet for myself and kids to hold. I know they can't be held constantly, but I want one that has a fairly good disposition. Again or before you answer I'd like to say thanks.

 

[acpart]

Obviously, they each have their advantages and disadvantages and it's really what you like. The biggest differences I can think of are that the beardie is bigger so you can actually take it out and let it run around the living room while you couldn't do that with a leo. On the other hand, some of the "spines" on the beardie are pretty sharp if you touch them the wrong way and that can be a problem for some kids. Leopard geckos poop small, dry stuff in one corner; beardies poop big gobs of stuff all over the place.

If you decide to get a leopard gecko (or a fat tail gecko), get one from a breeder. Get an older juvie or adult so the kids don't have to wait too long to handle it. The babies are a bit more delicate and very jumpy.

Another choice is to get a baby beardie which you can keep in a leopard gecko size tank and then upgrade the tank as the beardie grows.

Good luck with your decision. I have a lot of leopard geckos, some fat tails and one beardie among other things.

ALiza

 

[ez2animate]

If your daughter is a big influence on what you pick, I'd go with a bearded dragon. Leopard geckos are nice for holding occasionally, but nothing like a bearded dragon.

Then comes maintenance and cost. Probably the biggest factor, if you have probably done your research (like I'm assuming you have) then you know bearded dragons are a lot more expensive because they need a bigger tank, and eat a lot more. So if your strapped on time and money a leopard gecko is your choice

 

[rubym]

I have both. I prefer my Leos......only because they are alot easier to care for. Our beardie takes up alot more time and he is more expensive then my leos. The cost of our beardie set up was more then my leos too. I say though if you aregoing to be a single reptile family then choose the one that you and your daughter like the most. Only having one reptile leaves you with alot more time and money to care for it.