leopard geckos?

[hassman789]

i have been thinking about getting a leopard gecko. they are just adorable little things. do any of you reccomend them or are they really terrible burdens? i have a few questions. are these ok for heatmats or can they too burn themselves with it? and how often and what do you think is the best way to feed from your experience (those of you that have had them) any advice is appreciated

 

[Tindalos]

leopard geckos are easy, just do some searching and you will find out a lot info on how to care for em, just don't keep em on sand if they are juveniles.
for heating i use a small UTH and keep them on one side of the tank in one of the bottom corners under the tank to provide a small basking site. i have something covering this spot such as a layer of substrate with a flat rock on top of it.

the biggest issue ive had with leopard geckos is breeding.
mine have too much sex, i cant sleep over the racket they are making.

 

[hassman789]

the biggest issue ive had with leopard geckos is breeding.
mine have too much sex, i cant sleep over the racket they are making.

LOL do they have babies alot? and if so. what do you do with them. if they r always having sex babies must be pretty regular right?

 

[Mistegirl]

Leo's are great, I have 3 and I love them to death. They have a lot of personality, do well with handling and have the goofiest faces.

They're pretty easy. I keep mine on paper towels with an under tank heater on one side. They'll pick a side to poop on regularly, so it's easy to put an extra layer of paper down there for quick cleaning.

They'll eat any kind of worm, dusted crickets and roaches no problem. The only thing with worms is sometimes they won't show interest unless you show it to them so they see it move and stuff. Also my adults will eat Superworms, but they're so big I've had them regurgitated before, so I would reccomend sticking to the Large mealworms instead.

I don't breed, but I do know the eggs need incubation.

Almost forgot - when they shed you want to make sure you have a damp hide for them, and that you take care to remove any shed stuck on their toes. I got the girl below from Craigslist and they never helped her shed, leading to the lack of toes you can see in the pic They're still fine without them, but an extra 10 minutes of care once a month or so can save them the pain of losing toes.

 

[Tecnition4life]

It just depends on what you want in an animal, i have 2 leos myself but in my personal opinion they are pretty boring. But that is just me, i like big animals that can eat large prey items. But if you are just looking for a cute little pet that will just eat crickets and meal worms then they would be great for you. They are very easy to care for:razz:

 

[sharpfang]

That is a cute one Miste

I recommend them......All of mine are a decade or older - Jason

All have Heat-pads...undertank...Enjoy....they are the cutest creature to hatch from egg IMO

 

[Krazy Kat]

I have just gotten into geckos and am totally happy with my choice to start collecting them.They are some of the coolest little animals.Here is a place you can get all the info you need....geckoforums.net.....This place is a cool forum to learn about leos.Enjoy

 

[Rowdy Hotel]

Thumbs up for a good choice on a pet reptile. I'm mostly a reptile guy and leopards were the second gecko I was able to breed regularly at only 13! My first was actually a close relative of theirs, the African Fat Tailed gecko (look them up! same basic care, they just like it a little more humid). Some people are bored by them because they're so common, they don't get big, they only eat hapless insects, they're easy to breed, etc. All that stuff is actually why I like them so much. You won't be disappointed.

 

[Rowdy Hotel]

And to answer your questions. They are not a burden at all. They're one of the easiest reptiles to own. Only a snake would need less maintenance because eat once a week or less. Undertank heaters are the best heat source for them since they're nocturnal and won't bask. If you are going to use a lamp with a heat bulb, use a red bulb so you can see him at night when they're active. They will eat anytime of day, though nighttime would be better. They don't need UVB lighting like many diurnal reptiles do to produce vitamin d3 for proper skeletal development, just use a calcium supplement with d3 on the bugs and a multivitamin. I use supplements on my growing leopards every other feeding and for my adults every 3rd or 4th feeding. Give them a hotspot of 90-95, their colors are better if they're kept warmer, so I shoot for 95. I feed babies or growing leos every day, adults every other day or every third day (go by the size of their tail, should be plenty of fat reserves in it). That's all there is to them I think.