What to look for when buying a new gecko

[Chessie]

Hi everyone,

My little boy and I are preparing to get a gecko as a little pet for him. He's been saving money for it for nearly a year now. Now that we're close to getting one, I was just wondering what we should look for when picking one out.

I figured we should look for obvious signs of health, like clear eyes, good energy, active, and no missing parts like toe tips and tail.

What are some less obvious signs of trouble, and or good health?

Thanks!

 

[SC Geckos]

Everything you mentioned are good things to look for. A few others are... Make sure the animals eats, if you are getting him from a pet store ask them to toss in a few crickets and see which ones eat or are interested in eating. Another thing would be to make sure the gecko has body weight. Make sure the gecko has a nice plump tail and you cant see any hip bones, spine, things like that. Last make sure he does not have any stuck shed... anywhere, face, toes, tail, or vent. There are probably a few more but I am at work so this will have to due for now. Good luck.

 

[j&k lemmy]

Has all its toes has a tail. regenerated tails are fine lol if its a fat tail
If you buy from a breeder ask about what it eats cuz there so many things we feed are geckos.
Mine eat mealworms, roaches, wax worms, Phoenix worms & crickets. Mostly mealworms.
Some might go off food when you give them something they are not used to.

Breeders generally have healthier geckos than pet stores. Some breeders are better than other same can be said of pet shops to.
I have 20 something geckos all but one came from breeders or hatched at my house. My first was from a pet shop.

Giants & super giants tend to be calmer

 

[Chessie]

Well, I'm happy to say that we found our perfect gecko through a local breeder who is awesome. Spot is super healthy and so far happy in his new home. He's already eating his mealworms, and he really likes his warm hide.

 

[Phoenix1115]

I demand pictures!