Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I tried to do this last week but i didn't but survey in front of the Post. I was wondering how everyone got started in raising and breeding Leopard geckos. I'm sure there are some interesting stories out there!

i became interested in leos and finally got one after my interest in turtles

i saw a baby RES (red eared slider) turtle that was the size of a quarter...and i wanted it i remember catching a wild turtle in 7th grade while I was at the lake...and i remembered how HUGE it was and how much it stank up my house. i proceeded to do more research about the best "beginner" turtle. i read that turtles can get pretty huge and a couple of my guy friends that had turtles said they smell really bad after a while - so i decided not to get one.

i still wanted a pet that i could hold in my hand... i have a black lab which is too big to sit on my lap because he's 100 lbs. he's too big to crawl all over me. i have a fish, but he couldn't crawl on me either. i've had hamsters and rabbits, but i was allergic and they stank up my room. i've had birds and chickens and roosters, but they get really loud and won't stop chirping. i didn't want bugs coz i'm scared of bugs, ESPECIALLY spiders. my cousin & his girlfriend were going to give me their frogs, but i've seen them try to jump away while they clean the tank...so they cant really hold them. i almost took them though because i was interested in reptiles as i've never really owned one before.

i did research on frogs and almost bought an african dwarf frog... but i saw them at the pet store and they don't look too interesting...plus i already have an aquatic pet that i can't hold. so i did research on "beginner reptiles" and found that lizards were pretty good. so i did research on "beginner reptiles" and a little more than half of my research was done on the old beginner lizard forum on the kingsnake website (forum.kingsnake.com ... scroll to BEGINNER LIZARDS). it came down to leopard geckos, crested geckos, and beardies. i pretty much narrowed it down according to 1) size, 2) handling, 3)price. and i came up with leos! after that, i did research for about a month to a month and a half. i tried to figure out their best living situation, feeding, hand taming, etc. i took notes and read as many care sheets, forums, and misc info as i could. after doing all the research i could possibly do, i decided that, NO I WONT BUY ONE UNTIL OUR HOUSING EXTENSION. this way, i have more room for my lizard. BUT THEN, i was browsing craigslist.org and found someone giving their leo for free with tank & accessories... so i emailed him and said i can pick up that evening

since then, my leo and i have been very happy i love having him crawl all over me... he doesn't bite or scream and loves to sit on my shoulder. when i put him back, he goes off to eat and then hang out in or on his humid hide or the little log in his tank i'm glad i got into leos... i'm planning on breeding in the future (hopefully when the house is extended ) coz i'll need that extra room!

[aimee]

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1.0 Albino Leopard Gecko (Melvin)
1.0 Black Lab / Pitbull mix (Mikey)
1.0 Blue Fighting Fish (Blue Balls)

Water turtles are supposed to be the dirtiest reptiles you can keep as a pet. Even with frequent maintenance, they're still swimming, eating, and pooping in the same place.

Still cute lil' buggers though.
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chickabowwow

3.2 leopard geckos (Rosie, Locke, Lisa, Caesar, Tommy)
and 3 eggs a' cookin'

hehe yeah i'm glad i didn't get a turtle!! i don't like it when my room...or anything for that matter...smells like [bleep]! i'd constantly be cleaning twice a day for a water turtle... at least with my leo, i clean his poop once every other day and then his actual tank once a week...AND he doesnt smell!! i'm glad i got a lizard ^_^
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1.0 Albino Leopard Gecko (Melvin)
1.0 Black Lab / Pitbull mix (Mikey)
1.0 Blue Fighting Fish (Blue Balls)

A thread that was started just a couple of days ago....
http://forums.kingsnake.com/view.php?id=213057,213057

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Steven
Royal Gold Reptiles
Offspring available now from LV Patternless Albino stock for '03 and '04.
Working towards Bell Patternless Albinos for '05.

I first got interested in pets when I got two feeder goldfish and 2 hermit crabs. I was fascinated keeping animals in the house, but when I was six I love catching reptiles and amphibians, and I really wanted a frog. I went to the pet store. I ended up getting to fire bellied toads. A couple of months later I got two anoles that can go with them. Then I got a baby red footed tortoise but it shortly died since we didn't know how to keep it. The fire bellies were the only pets I had until I was nine. Then I owned gray tree frogs, green tree frogs, green frogs, bullfrogs, tadpoles, and fish. But then I really wanted a reptile. My dad then got me during that summer a male adult RES, and an adult European pond turtle. They were easy to keep but it was a hassle for my dad to clean the 55-gallon every day. We eventually gave them away. I than felt sad. Maybe two or three weeks I got a Texas fence lizard, but it was covered with ticks and died a few days after. Eventually went into a horned frog craze but my lizard craze didn't end either.

That same year in the month of November I went to petco and saw two healthy 4inch geckos. I read the fact sheet and they said they were simple to keep. I begged my dad to get it. He than bought both as a reward for my straight A's. One gecko was for my younger brother and the other was for me. I named mine Spot, and my brother named his Ranger. When we held them I will be especially careful and very gentile, while my brother will rough handle Ranger. At the time I was glad my Dad got 2 because the way my brother handled Ranger, he wasn't going to so well. But guess what? My gecko died of prolapsed of the intestine, and Ranger is still alive today. In November he will be 5 years old. He has a beautiful "wife" in his tank, and one of his eggs just hatch. I'm proud of him and I'm glad he is still alive.
Now I have 2.1 fire bellied toads, 0.0.1 white's tree frog, 1.1.1 leopard geckos, and 0.0.2 baby Red Eared Sliders. And many fish.

Ok,
I was at my brothers apartment, and he told me he needed a little room for more snakes ! ( he is a snake breeder ) So I went home, and told my mom and dad what it was and they are like, why would you want a gecko ! They never gave a ansewer, so about a week later, my sister came to pick me up from his apartment, came inside, and was like " Can I hold that ? " We let her hold her, and she was like, " awww, look how sweet" ( weird thing is she usually doesnt like any animals lol ) So we were driving home, and she was like " I wish I had the money " brother was selling it for the pet store he works at ) I told her, " well I have the money ( her birthday was 2-weeks later), jus convince mom and dad to let you have it and I will get it for your birthday ! " Well she finally convinced them and I went to his apartment about a week or so before her birthday and got it and kept it until her b-day ! Well during that week or so, I went searching sites and after about 1000 Lol I found this one, which I love ! I researched on how to care, so I would be able to tell her how oftern to feed, so on so fourth ! That week or so I had the gek, I just IDK, liked her so much! Well about a month later , I walked in the pet shop, and someone had a baby gecko that they wanted to sell ! I told them $15 and they were like ok! I continued along my journey for the past abot 11 months, and now have 12 geckos, w/3 I hatched myself, and 4 eggs incubating ! During this adventure I bought a rack ( only because my romm is 11' X 12', and only space I had was about 4ft wide open ) and keep almost all my leopard geckos in it ! To make the story better, my sister went to college, couldnt bring the leo, so now I have my first leo back !

Nick
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Titanic Geckos

My Geks Pics

Email Me

AIM : LilWoadie2790 ( im always interested to talk to other herpers !)

Lol, I just realized I put a (sad face) instead of a ( lol ! It goes with the sentence too lol !

Just thought it was funny !

Nick
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Titanic Geckos

My Geks Pics

Email Me

AIM : LilWoadie2790 ( im always interested to talk to other herpers !)

I've always loved lizards. I guess it started with my love of dragons. Born in the year of the dragon with a firey disposition hehehe it just suits me. Lizards are as close as i can get to a living breathing dragon......and every time i look at them i see what a dragon could have looked like. Silly i know.

My geckos all have their own personalities and quirks its hard not to love each of them. I love my dog and i'd get a cat in a second but i love my geckos....and wouldn't give them up for anything

Red
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Crested Gecko Zeek:1.0
LEOS: Boo: 1.0 normal , Bronx & Nala: 1.1 blizzard,
Lily: 0.1 patternless, Abby: 0.1 albino, Zoe: 0.1 reduced pattern, Dot: 0.1 hypo
Chip: 1.0 papillion (small dog)
2.0 bettas