Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Please forgive me for this clueless newbie post that I'm sure you have all seen a million times. I have searched the archives but can't seem to locate this info here. I have been fascinated with Geckos for the last few years, done quite a bit of research and feel pretty secure that I can care for them properly. Problem is that none of the books or articles have recommended a particular type of Gecko. I know there's no way in hell that I could start with a Tokay as I'm rather attached to my fingers. Leopards sound like they might be a good choice but I'm not sure. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. I am an adult and have the resources to properly house and care for them and also have a few years of snake keeping under my belt, so they would have a good home.. Thanks ever so much, Tara
PS I take it that buying those 2 cute Leopards I saw at Petco yesterday, would not be a good idea?

i think a leopard gecko is a great starter geko. they are very hardy and probaly eaiser IMO to keep than the large sankes ect. but most of the princepals are the same. they ectothermic and must have thermal gradiets ect. i would advise against buying at petco. buy from a breeder for not much more money you can have a fantastic leo. i bought from golden gate geckos and have been so happy i did for about 30 dollars more i got a tangerine gecko that is VERY healthy and strong eater and very pretty. she has high yellows for less than petco.

mat

ps i am not aware of anyone loosing fingers to a tokay although i had a free roamer in my apartment in college that could have certinly given a good go at it

Leos are great starters as well as African fat tails. I have read that cresteds are good starters too although I dont know much personally about them.

I've been keeping and breeding leopard and fattial geckos for the past few years and can honestly say they are a blast and very, very easy to care for; just make sure you do your research. We got a crested gecko a month ago, and I think they're even easier to take care of than the leos and fattails.

Here's a short list of Pros/Cons, but I'll warn you, I'm biased in that I love them all -

Leopard Geckos -
Pros:
-Many morphs to choose from
-Reasonable prices Anywhere from $15-2500
-Pretty docile; Godzilla at birth, but turns into a puppy dog in a short period of time
-Relatively easy to care for; need heating, hides and properly gutloaded insects
-Super prolific; one female can produce 16 babies a year

Cons:
-Needs heating
-They're everywhere - if breeding/monetary gain is your goal, it'll be harder to find your niche that's not already filled, but not impossible

African Fattail Geckos
Pros:
-Super docile; only seen one aggressive one, but he was possessed by the devil
-Some beautiful morphs; amelanistics can be unnaturally bright orange
-If you're successful at producing these, you should be able to make a good profit with these; market isn't saturated
-Easy to care for; very similar to leopard geckos

Cons:
-not as prolific as leos; make sure you get Captive Bred ones, that'll make it a little easier
-still need heating

Crested Geckos
Pros:
-don't HAVE to feed any insects; new Crested Gecko Diet is touted as a replacement for feeder insects and other supplemental fruits
-very docile; mine bit me once, but it didn't hurt as much as a leo; I think their jaws aren't as strong as leos/fattails
-Prolific
-Come in all different colors/patterns that are produced seemingly at random in some cases; it's not necessary to have Super high end parents to produce high end offspring (although I'm sure it helps, they are very variable in thier offspring)
-NO SUPPLEMENTAL HEATING; ROOM TEMPERATURE IS FINE!!!!!

Cons:
-tails don't regrow (not really a Con, because they're fine without them
-difficult to find visibly sexed females and when you do, they're a bit more expensive
-can't think of any others.

I'm by no means an expert and this list isn't even close to being complete, but the above are why I would recommend any of those geckos to someone just starting out in geckos. Good luck
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Rob Jenkins
herpcam.com

I really appreciate you all taking the time to answer me. Books are great but it's so much better to get advice from those experienced with Geckos.

hefe, Thanks for the feedback, It looks like Leos are going to be my best bet. I am still not sure where to get them, either a show or a dealer, I guess. There are a couple of reptile stores within a an hour or so, from me, so maybe I will check those out too. I will stay away from the chain places, since they don't seem to have such a great track record, according to what i have read on these forums.

Matt, So Tokays aren't that dangerous huh? I wondered about that, since the guy who told me about the possibility of losing a finger to them, seemed to be pushing the macho thing. From my reading, I know they are pretty aggressive but that did seem a bit much. Still...they not for me, any time soon. The brightly Leos that I have seen on line are gorgeous and as you said, worth the money. Did you have yours shipped? I'm a little nervous about that, as we have been having really hot weather here in CT but it's always a possibility. I'll have to just decide and go for it soon.

Rob, A million thanks for the great info. The pros and cons list was really helpful. I checked out your site and I love the gecko cam. It's on my work computer right now and my coworkers are loving it. Interesting, how even the most herp phobic people think Geckos are just so cute.

You guys are great and I feel really psyched to get my first Gecko{or 2} soon. I'm sure I'll more questions but will try not to be too annoying. Cheers and Happy 4th, Tara

You'd be more likely to lose a finger to a kitten. Gecko bites hurt, but they're not much in the way of tearing through flesh and bone.
Hmm... I know a lady who actually did lose a finger to a cat, but that's a long story.

...for talking herps with some guy in a bar! I did think he was stretching the truth a bit in hopes of coming off as a Croc Hunter, type. Which frankly,did not impress me to begin with. I could see some kind of large Monitor doing that kind of damage but not a gecko. You're right about cat bites! My best friend is a Vet in a small animal practice and nearly lost her thumb due to an infected cat bite.

Monitors.. now THEY can bite. Even tiny ones hurt a lot. It still takes a lot for an animal to acutally remove a finger, infection is what usually does it, I think.

Go with a fat-tailed gecko they are so cute and its very entertaining when they chase crickets,the vibrite there tail when they are about to strike.

keviiiiiiiiin

Hey keviiiiiiiiin! I do recall seeing some pics of them when I was researching on line and I recall thinking that they were really cute.. Thanks for the suggestion and I'll definitely look into them. Do you think it's better to buy from a breeder, reptile show or reptile store? I'm not sure which would be best. Cheers, Tara

I got my lizards(including my fattie)from the newspaper or petstore.I live in Canada and have not been to a reptile show.A petstore you can go see the lizard everyday to see how it is doing.You can see if it eats at the store,some people at shows don't like to feed them there.You where saying you where thinking about geting 2 leos,my not get a leo and fat-tail if you have 20 gallon or more you could house them together.I have a fattie and leo and I wouldn't know what one is neater because my leo is a big bulky female(its huge and fat especially its tail)that bites when you hold it.My fattie is very gentle leting you handle him lots.My leo eats supers,meals and crickets my fattie only eats crickets.
keviiiiiiiiin

you shouldn't keep leos and fat-tails together. though the care is simular, fat-tails like more humidity.
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your head will collapse, but there's nothing in it, and you'll ask yourself, "where is my mind"

Actually my tanks always stay 50 percent humidity.And they are doing great,if you have a leo i bet mine is bigger and fatter.
keviiiiiiiiiiin

50% humidity is too much for a leopard gecko. it can get a respitory infection. i have many leopard geckos. im sure yours is bigger then some, but i doubt it's bigger then all. some of mine are huge. and, i for one, don't want my gecko's fat, i want them healthy.
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your head will collapse, but there's nothing in it, and you'll ask yourself, "where is my mind"

always arguing about who's got the biggest one! ;}

hahahaha
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your head will collapse, but there's nothing in it, and you'll ask yourself, "where is my mind"

Yes!I win!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes!I win!!!!!!!!!!!!

how is it that you "win"? there is nothing to compare it to in that pic, it's just a pic of a leopard gecko.
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your head will collapse, but there's nothing in it, and you'll ask yourself, "where is my mind"

Maybe my gauge is broken it says it is 50 in every tank

.

Look closley at the message you wrote,you keep same species in the same tank.No I keep 2 diffrent species in one tank duuuuu!!!!!!

A Leo or Fattie will make a great first choice. By the way a Tokay was my first Gecko and still my favorite, and they are very easy to care for.

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My posts and replies are my experiences only
1.2.5 Tokays
1.4.0 Leos(3 albino)
0.0.2 AFT's

Tokay was my first too,i can't handle him but I like to set up his rainforset enclosure.

My tokay is actually quite friendly......just have to start playing with them at an early age when their bite doesnt hurt

PS: He got that worm good