Leopard geckos are my second favorite reptile for a children's/ beginners reptile, and I recently purchased myself one, which we named...well we actually haven't come up with the perfect name yet.
But here is our new baby!
Are they okay for you child or a beginner reptile keeper? Definitley.
Good Child Age- Probably around 10 years old. They have to be old enough to know to be very gentle with the leopard gecko, They also have to be able to understand that unlike the bearded dragon, these reptiles don't want to be constantly played with because they are nocturnal. (They sleep 14 hours a day, and are awake at night for 10 hours)
How Big do they get?- 8-10 inches. Definitely smaller than a bearded dragon.
Pros-
-The first huge pro, is the cost of leopard geckos. Although starting up is a bit pricey (No where near as much as a bearded dragon) they are a relatively low cost reptile. I think for everything he needed I paid 50 dollars. Once again, like I stated in the bearded dragon article, you might be able to find things much cheaper. I shop at Petsmart because it is the only pet store that sells reptile things within 100 miles of here. They also need no special lighting, which you know if you've owned another reptile that the light can be the most expensive part. The flooring of their cage can also be paper towel. (Some people put the repti-carpet, which I have in my bearded dragon cage, but I prefer the easy clean up of the paper towels.)
- Extremely friendly creatures! Like bearded dragons, you have to "train" them to be calm when their little, which is as easy as putting your hand in the tank every day, and just letting it sit there for 1-2 minutes just so the leopard gecko can get used to your hand. When they get older, and more used to you, they are very sweet, and very calm.
-Unlike most reptiles, you can always tell if a leopard gecko is healthy by it's tale. The fatter the tail, the better. In their tale is where they keep all of their extra nutrients.
-They eat less than bearded dragons, and most other reptiles. When they are babies, they eat every day (Or your supposed to give them food every day) but only a few crickets or meal worms. When they are older they wont eat every day, and they don't eat as many.
-You can put more than one in a tank. The rule to follow is, 10 gallons per leopard gecko. (And only one male per tank) But they can live together, unlike bearded dragons. (People do it, but they shouldn't unless for breading purposes.)
Cons-
-The whole "Nocturnal" thing is probably the worst thing if your child wants one. It doesn't mean you can't take them out during the day, but they are kind of boring then, which could cause your child to not want to take care of them.
- The tank set up can be a little confusing.
Here's a list of the things that they need:
1. (For 1 leopard gecko) a 10-20 gallon tank
2. A lid that air can move through. (Their about 10 dollars at Petsmart)
3. 3 or more reptile houses (One on the hot side, one on the cool side, and one moist) Their most hide can be as easy as putting a damp paper towel underneath a reptile house on the cool side, or putting damp reptile moss (Found at a pet store)
4. Repti-Carpet, Paper towel, or other non sand flooring for the leopard gecko. Let me repeat,
DO NOT use any kind of sand (Not even if it says impaction proof) on your leopard geckos floor. It can kill your reptile because their stomachs can not digest it if they ingest it. Like I said, I use a few sheets of paper towel, because when it's time to clean, all you have to do is take it out and replace it with new paper towel. Easy as pie. (Which is a strange saying if you think about it. Pie is NOT easy to make.)
5. An under the tank heater, which usually run around anywhere from 20-30 dollars. On the hot side of the tank it should be around 85-90 degrees during the day. At night, it can get down to 65 degrees, and your creature will be just fine. Do not put an LED light above their tank, like you would for most other reptiles, It will seriously stress them out.
6. A water bowl. Just has to be a cheap, shallow water bowl, which you have to empty and put fresh water in every day.
7. Pure Reptile Calcium (You can find it in your nearest pet-co or Petsmart, or you can order it off amazon) Which costs about 8-9 dollars. Just put in a clean shallow dish or a bottle cap, and leave it there. You can also coat their food in this calcium. They will lick it probably about twice a year, but you always have to leave it there.
8. If you would like to see your leopard gecko at night, you can also buy a non heated moon light (Also found at pet stores.) and put it over their tank.
So compared to other animals, the list isn't too terribly bad or expensive. The most expensive thing is probably the under the tank heaters.
-Their tales CAN fall off. If your child picks the leopard gecko up by his tale, the gecko's first instinct is to drop his tale. If this happens, don't panic too much because it will normally grow back.
-If your child or you don't have a lot of patience when getting a baby leopard gecko, then this might now be the best animal for you. The processing of taming the leopard gecko, like the bearded dragon could take a few days, a few weeks, a few months. It just all depends on your gecko, and how much time you put into it.
Other than that, there's nothing that is a huge con. Just make sure you have the time and patience, and your child has the time and patients that is needed to tame, and take care of a leopard gecko. They are amazing creatures!
-anonymousmom92
