Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi guys,
Im new to this part of Kignsnake. Im usually over in the Corn Snake forums.But lately I've had an interest in leopard geckos and I have a few questions.

1. What is the average price of a normal Leo at a reptile show?

2. Do they need UV light or is heat tape and a day night cycle good?

3. I have a 20 gallon cage, would this be good for a Leo his whole life?

4. What is the best substrate for one?

5. Can you handle them, and if so, how much is too much?

Thank you very much!
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As I turned around I smelled a
horrible "dirty body" smell, and there standing behind me were two poor homeless men. As I looked down at the short gentleman, close to me, he was "smiling". His beautiful sky blue eyes were full of God's Light as he searched for acceptance. He said, "Good day" as he counted the few coins he had been clutching. The young lady at the counter asked him what they wanted. He said, "Coffee is all Miss" because that was all they could afford. (If they wanted to sit in the restaurant and warm up, they had to buy something. He just wanted to be warm).

~Ty

Excuse my haste, i've not long before my class starts.

1. At a show, depending upon "morph", 19-30$ for a baby. This is my experience, but it's been proven 3 years in a row.

2. Some people say they need UV, which doesn't make sense to me, as they're nocturnal. I don't see when the UV advocate's animals are actually in the light.

3. Absolutely.

4. A lot of people use paper towels. I use 12x12" slate, from Home Depot. It's pretty open, just avoid sand, sharp substrates that can harm your gecko's delicate skin, and basically anything it can ingest.

5. Handling is also one of those things everyone has an opinion on. I don't handle my young animals (cresties and leopards alike) because mine have always seemed more hyper. I handle my adult male crestie probably twice a week, and he doesn't seem to mind too much (no regular stress behavior) I'd say it depends on the gecko more than anything else.

Cheers!
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2.2 Corn Snakes
1.2 Leopard Geckos
1.1 Crested Geckos
1.2 Green Anoles
1.0 Russian Tortoise
3.2 House Cats
0.0.1 African Millipede

RIP
Alice, Bruno, Lars

Andrew gave good answers, just adding my 2 cents:

I hope you mean 20 gallon long, I am guessing you do, but wanted to clarify. That is "penthouse" style living for one gecko, my girl loves it.

I am a firm believer in UV light, simply because our first gecko wasn't eating as well as we thought he should, so for christmas I bought him a UVB (I think, is it Zoo Med's "good for emotional well being one" sorry I'm not at home to check) and after 3 days he was eating like a champ. Now, I won't go back and feel strongly it is worth the extra money too. Obviously, there are breeders with rack systems where there isn't that opportunity, I'm just here for the other point of view where I was convinced. As for the thought about not necessarily being out, we need to remember in the wild these guys are active at dusk and dawn as well as night, they do see the sun and ours follows this pattern as well. At the very least, she makes sure to do a "gecko lap" to make sure everything is in order. I have even found ours leaving her tail or nose outside her hide. (Now this does ensue a bit of making fun of her, but she still does it.)

As for handling, Olstyn is the expert, somewhere around here he's got a good thread I used to copy. I would suggest handling them earlier than later as in my experience this has lead to much tamer geckos overall no matter the personality. Perhaps once every other week for the wee ones, but after a few months I'd go weekly if you want a real charmer.

Welcome to leos and good luck!
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0.1 Albino Leo Gecko
0.1 Crested Gecko
1.0 Dear Boyfriend
Departed: Harvey and Spock

Ok thank you all very much! I just need to work on the dad! He said no more reptiles, but he doesnt know what it's like for a 12 year old to have a limit on the reptiles he keeps! Im very interested in herps and hope to base my job around them in the future!
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As I turned around I smelled a
horrible "dirty body" smell, and there standing behind me were two poor homeless men. As I looked down at the short gentleman, close to me, he was "smiling". His beautiful sky blue eyes were full of God's Light as he searched for acceptance. He said, "Good day" as he counted the few coins he had been clutching. The young lady at the counter asked him what they wanted. He said, "Coffee is all Miss" because that was all they could afford. (If they wanted to sit in the restaurant and warm up, they had to buy something. He just wanted to be warm).

~Ty

Well, hate to say it, but I probably agree with "the dad". At 12, you are just starting to get into the busy time of your life, I mean, I remember school then work then sleep was most of my high school years so that I could earn money to pay for what my scholarships wouldn't.

Also remember that leos live 25 years, you'd have to plan that far ahead. If you are thinking biology or exotic vet schooling, then you are probably talking many years of dorms, small apartments, and moving for work and residency. Not to mention limited time. That's a lot. Now, I'm not saying a pet doesn't help with the stress level, but multiples, well, I've just seen too many people get overwhelmed. (Take my brother in law the vet student, for example.)

My advice (which you probably won't listen to, but that's ok too) read, read, read. Learn everything you can about whatever reptile interest you, but stick to caring for the ones you have now. Remember, if you follow your dream, you will have more than enough reptiles to care for someday. Good luck, we need more good exotics people.
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0.1 Albino Leo Gecko
0.1 Crested Gecko
1.0 Dear Boyfriend
Departed: Harvey and Spock

Ok thank you very much! I was going to go out this weekend and buy a book about then actualy.You are right though. Im not tryingt o be stubborn in any way, but I do have a couple of friends in mind that I can ask to care for them in later years. I'm also fully comitted to giving them the best to my ability. I know this is off topic, but this is what I've accomplished so far for my Snakes with my own money that I've saved for these cages.

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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As I turned around I smelled a
horrible "dirty body" smell, and there standing behind me were two poor homeless men. As I looked down at the short gentleman, close to me, he was "smiling". His beautiful sky blue eyes were full of God's Light as he searched for acceptance. He said, "Good day" as he counted the few coins he had been clutching. The young lady at the counter asked him what they wanted. He said, "Coffee is all Miss" because that was all they could afford. (If they wanted to sit in the restaurant and warm up, they had to buy something. He just wanted to be warm).

~Ty

1. What is the average price of a normal Leo at a reptile show?
The cheapest I've seen was probably around $20.00 and the most expensive that I've seen was well over $1000.00, but that's because of the morph of the leo. You can always find leos for about $20-$30 at reptile shows.

2. Do they need UV light or is heat tape and a day night cycle good?
IMO, UV light isn't needed because they spend their time sleeping in their hides during the day. They are most active at night, so you can either have lights off or a night lamp for additional heat or for viewing. However, you'll need a UTH on at all times to aid in digestion.

3. I have a 20 gallon cage, would this be good for a Leo his whole life?
Yes, that's big enough! A leo can live in a 10 gallon it's whole life, but I like to give room for it to roam around So a 20 gallon is great!

4. What is the best substrate for one?
Paper towels because the risk for impaction is extremely low. I've been using paper towels since 2003 and it's worked well for me.

5. Can you handle them, and if so, how much is too much?
Yes, you can handle leopard geckos. They're pretty hardy and easy to hand tame. At a young age, you want to limit handling to 1 or 2 times a week because they're very skittish and jumpy. With handling and age, your leo will become more mellow and easier to handle. I let mine out every other day for 15-20 minutes and she does fine. They get cold, so they like to stay on your warm hands or between your neck & shoulder. Because they get cold, I let them exercise and place them back after 15-20 minutes to warm back up with the lamp & UTH.

*** Your cornsnakes look great and I love their enclosures! I'm planning on purchasing one this weekend at the NBHS Reptile Bazaar in Petaluma! It'll be my first time owning a cornsnake, so we'll see how it goes Good luck with your leo!

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ALGeckos
Aimee Salazar & Leon Holland