Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I live in Hemet, CA, and my son just caught a hatchling leopard gecko in the backyard! The house is in a fairly remote area backed up against a large rocky wash. Has anyone else ever heard of wild populations in the US?

Are you sure it is a leopard gecko? Can you post some pics?

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Check out this link, it has some info and pics of banded geckos in the US. Let us know what kind it was...
Adam

gkherps.virtualave.net/BandedGeckos/BGecko.htm

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My pic gallery

Thanx! I believe it is a desert banded gecko! I had no idea there was a wild gecko thar resembled a leopard gecko so much! I guess the care is the same? Thanx again for the info!

Unfortunately wild caught geckos dont do good in captivity. It is best you just let in go, but if your interested in keeping a gecko, a leopard gecko is good beginers herp. A good site to learn care about them is drgecko.com. If you have any questions you can also post them here and we'll be glad to help. Later
Mac

why do you say they don't do well in captivity? have you ever had a WC banded gecko? i catch them all the time here and they do very well. they almost always eat right away, and they even breed, though its a little more difficult then leopard geckos. if you set up the banded gecko like a leo, it will probably do very well.
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your head will collapse, but there's nothing in it, and you'll ask yourself, "where is my mind"

if you have AIM, IM me at iluvblackfrancis

I have had my banded gecko for almost 3 years now, he was a wild caught Tuson Banded Gecko that I traded to one of my friends for a baby leopard gecko. I feed mine baby crickets about 2 times a week, I've tried feeding mine mealworms but he seems not to have much interest in them, and I give him water once a week. I have him housed on play sand, and he has a sort of "burrow", there is a picture of one of mine below under the post "desert" I think. Basically I burried a hide box and left the opening open. They dig a lot, so make sure nothing heavy is just sitting on top of the sand, chances are he will try to dig under it. If you do decide to keep him, then good luck and do some more research, I know there are a lot of banded gecko caresheets out there.
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Bradley Baquial

I had 2 female WCs I kept for about 8 months before releasing. They were very small when i got them. kept them real simular to Leos, small crickets a few times a week, small water bowel. They dug like crazy every night, dont like to be handled, very facinating to watch. They left very healthy looking with big fat tails.
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My posts and replies are my experiences only
1.2.6 Tokays
1.4.3 Leos(6 albino)
0.0.2 AFT's