Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have an empty 20 gallon tank after the death of my Rankin's Dragon last week. It is cracked so no aquatic species could be housed in it. I also don't want to get something for myself. My sister kinda liked the look of the leos when we were wandering around wasting time in petco today(animal would not be purchased from them, but would probably be purchased at the NARBC in Philadelphia). So, we have loads of time to look at different species. She's not entirely sure of the idea either. I told her to think about it though and if she decided she wanted (with the agreement of our parents) I would help her out on it. She could have my 20 gallon tank and screen lid, I have a 3 or 4 extra clamp lamps since I just built new cages for my bearded dragons and used different lighting. She'd need to buy the stuff for inside the cage, include the animal itself.
Anyway, i'm gonna take a guess and give a total cost of gecko and supplies of $100. The show is around the time of her birthday, so in addition to getting some birthday money soon afterward, it means I might be willing to pitch in a bit.
She's a bit reluctant on the bugs idea, but so was I when I first got my bearded dragons. I got used to it pretty quick, and she probably would too. She did feed crickets to one of the bearded dragons when I wasn't home to do it. She wasn't excited about it, but did do it. Mealworms might be easier to deal with since they don't jump so much. If I understand correctly leo's can be fed a diet consisting primarily of mealworms. Have I read incorrectly, or is that fairly true? None that I have seen would absolutely require mice, but if there are any that do, they are out of the question entirely.
While the species wouldn't need to be as handleable as the typical bearded dragon, something that is completely untouchable wouldn't really be appealing I think. We both understand that even within a species there is a lot of variation on this characteristic, I have one bearded dragon who does anything to draw attention to himself it seems, and another who is much more aggressive and prefers I drop in his food and get out. There's some species though that there would never be a chance of touching, and that is something she'd be avoiding.
I thought I mentioned this, but in checking it over I can't find it anywhere, so i'll say it here possibly again. It is preferred that one or more of the species be able to live it's whole life in the 20 gallon tank. I have been a sufferer of empty tank syndrome in the past, and do not want to have an empty tank sitting around if a larger one is needed as it gets older. It will only cause me to have strong urges to go out and buy something to put in it. I am only leaving the tank open right now because she expressed an interest and I haven't found anything I really like for a 20 gallon tank yet. Secondly, if we should break the tank even more while cleaning it so that it is beyond use, I would not want to be forced to rush out and spend a load of money on a tank. If the 20 gallon tank broke beyond usage, it wouldn't be a a hardship to run out and buy one really quick. If we broke a big tank beyond usage, it'd be a nice chunk of change to run out and buy a replacement.
So, with that information, are there any geckos other than leos I should tell her to take a look at?
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3.0.0 Bearded Dragons Woodrow, Dexter, Tehko (My first beardie Griffin who turned me crazy, and Erik my Rankins, who will remain a midget- deceased)
1.0.0 Cat- the regular variety (Dominic- fat cat)
0.1.0 Dog- Lab mix(Betty- escape artist extraordinaire)
1.0.0 Red Eared Slider (Franklin)

-Pictus geckos are cool but also small and fragile.
-African fat tailed geckos are like leos and are awsome.
-Tokay gecko but not for handling really, bit hard but one of most beautifulest and interesting, will need larger enclose eventually.
-Day geckos are very interesting
-Also Mossy leaf tail geckos
-spider gecko and gargolye gecks have awsome personalities along with
-Golden and mabled geckoes are cool also

i didn't really read your post just skimmed i think this is what u asked for.

-Forget the Tokay, 20 gal is too small unless it's a hatchling;
-Forget the Mossy leaf-tailed or any other Uroplatus if this is your first gecko, what with UV, humidity, and temps they are pretty care-intensive;
-Gold Dust Day Gecko, maybe, but they also need a bit of care as far as supplementation, also tall tank is better for them as they are climbers;
-Gargoyles and Cresties are easy to care for, but again, tall tank is better;

You might really consider Pachydactylus turneri or one of the Tarentola species if you're looking for something unusual, but for a first gecko you really can't beat a Leo or African Fat Tail.

That's my 2cents.

Chris

>>-Pictus geckos are cool but also small and fragile.
>>-African fat tailed geckos are like leos and are awsome.
>>-Tokay gecko but not for handling really, bit hard but one of most beautifulest and interesting, will need larger enclose eventually.
>>-Day geckos are very interesting
>>-Also Mossy leaf tail geckos
>>-spider gecko and gargolye gecks have awsome personalities along with
>>-Golden and mabled geckoes are cool also
>>
>>i didn't really read your post just skimmed i think this is what u asked for.

No, it doesn't have to be anything unusual, but that wouldn't be out of the question.
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3.0.0 Bearded Dragons Woodrow, Dexter, Tehko (My first beardie Griffin who turned me crazy, and Erik my Rankins, who will remain a midget- deceased)
1.0.0 Cat- the regular variety (Dominic- fat cat)
0.1.0 Dog- Lab mix(Betty- escape artist extraordinaire)
1.0.0 Red Eared Slider (Franklin)

If it is your first gecko... it is best to get a leapord gecko. They are the easiest to handle... but if you would like a different, the ones mentioned are good...