Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi everyone!

I'm looking at Leopard Geckos and Fat Tailed Geckos as a pet. I've done lots of research on Leos, but they seem a bit higher in price so I looked to Fat Tails,

Are the primary differences just that Fat Tails need slightly higher humidity and are a bit more delicate? Or are there other large differences I didn't catch?

Also, I'm on vacation this summer and was really eager to get a gecko, but travelling with a 10 gallon tank is not really feasible since we have small vehicles and it's many hours in the car. Is there something a gecko would be happy in temporarily that's perhaps less expensive or travel ready that I could pick up until I get home and get a proper setup? I wasn't sure if there were collapsible enclosures or ones specifically built for travel that I could look into. (I'll only be gone till the 31st, so it'd be by no means permanent, would something similar to what I linked to be all right? ) I'd be sure and still get him the hides and heat and space he needs, with good amounts of exercise of course! If you know of something better, I appreciate suggestions!

Thank you!!
Faunarium good temporary home?

That would be the perfect temporary set up for a Leo or a Fat Tail. And I wouldn't worry about having different hides available in such a small space. One hide should be enough because you want your Leo or Fat Tail to have plenty of space to roam and get some exercise. I would suggest keeping it all dry and if at all possible, just mist your Leo/FT occasionally. Also, I would say go with a Leo only because there are so many different morphs and you can find some good deals. You may be able to rescue one from a Petco or something, and it would most likely be a steal. When I say rescue, I mean RESCUE. Most of the time they aren't in very good shape, so why not save a life?

-Patrick

Thanks very much! I really appreciate it. So leos and fat tails are very similar, then?

Also, I need to use an under tank heater to heat half the enclosure right? (or less than half?) Forgot to ask that at first.

I appreciate it!

I have to agree with the person above on the set-up. I also agree you will be way better off waiting till you get home to get your gecko.

As for my opinion to your first question. I keep & breed both Leos & Fatties. Personally I love the Fatties a little bit more. There is just something about those eyes. It's been my exsperience that they are a little hardier, a little easier to handle, & coexsist with each other a little better. The cons with Fatties are they can be stuborn eaters. They will get a food preference & stick with it. If you plan on breeding them they are not as productive as Leos & there breeding lifespan is a few years shorter. The eggs are also a little trickier to incubate.

With all that said, I'm going to throw a curve ball at you. You would think I would recomend a Fattie, but in this case I'm going to recomend the Leo. The reason why is most leos you see for sale are captive bred, I'd say 99% of them. Fatties are still imported on a regular basis & the Wild Caughts have a hard time adjusting to captivity. With you saying that the Fattie is less expensive then the Leo, that leads me to believe it's wild caught. So if you decide to get a Fattie, get a captive breed. They will be a little more expensive, but they are way more worth it then a Wild Caught.

Good luck !

I agree with Olstyns advice. I responded to the wrong thread. Sorry, my bad.

Being a kind hearted animal lover myself, I would strongly dicourage the previos advice of trying to rescue a gecko that's not in good shape from a PetCo or any other pet store to save a buck. I know your intentions are good, but you could be getting into something that's best left for someone more exsperienced with reptile illness.

Purchase a good quality animal from the start. Either a healthy one from a petstore or better yet find a reputable breeder in your area. It may cost a little more, but it will payoff in the long run.

Good Luck!

>>Being a kind hearted animal lover myself, I would strongly dicourage the previos advice of trying to rescue a gecko that's not in good shape from a PetCo or any other pet store to save a buck. I know your intentions are good, but you could be getting into something that's best left for someone more exsperienced with reptile illness.
>>
>>Purchase a good quality animal from the start. Either a healthy one from a petstore or better yet find a reputable breeder in your area. It may cost a little more, but it will payoff in the long run.
>>
>>Good Luck!

Agreed 100% - rescuing a sick animal from PetCo/PetSmart/etc is only going to encourage that store to continue treating their animals badly, and will make your experience much harder than it should be, esp with your first gecko. (I learned this one the hard way - my first gecko didn't even look sick, but apparently was, and made it several months with me before he gave up on life - I still get sad thinking about the little guy, and will never buy an animal from a big chain pet store again.) Either a pet store that you are sure takes good care of their animals or a local breeder is your best bet.
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0.1 Albino Leopard Gecko - Tigger
0.1 Crested Gecko - Pooh-Bear

I would suggest you wait until you get back from your vacation to get the gecko. It's going to be very difficult to maintain good temps in a car, plus the travel will just generally be stressful on the gecko. You need to think of the animal's health here. Is there some big reason why you can't wait?

On your other question, the under tank heater should cover no more than 1/3 of the floor area in order to allow for a temperature gradient from one end to the other.
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0.1 Albino Leopard Gecko - Tigger
0.1 Crested Gecko - Pooh-Bear