Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello everyone!

I'm new to the forums and new to geckos as well. I wanted to ask a few questions.

For the past few years, I've really been wanting to get another reptile. (I've had a box turtle for the past 7 years.) I have been really interested in chameleons for years, but recently someone told me to look into leopard geckos, as they sound close to what I am wanting in a lizard.

What I really want is a species that will be very tame. I already know that reptiles aren't cuddly per say, but I would love to be able to take it out of the tank a few times a week, hold it, maybe take it for a little ride on my shoulder once in a while. Do these sound like realistic expectations for a leopard gecko? Chameleons are much more "look but don't touch" animals from what I understand, and I've heard the opposite of the leos, which is why I am now so interested in them.

Oh, and as far as housing goes -- which would be better for a leopard gecko, a tank or something like a Rubbermaid storage modified? I ask because I already have an empty 20 gallon aquarium, but I'm not sure if leopard geckos might feel uncomfortable in an all-glass environment like turtles do.

I still need to do a lot of research, so if I were to get one, it would still be quite a ways off. I just want to make sure I've got accurate information.

Any help and advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

Leopards tend to be very tame, but, of course, it depends on the gecko. Spot our oldest is tame as heck. He is perfectly happy to be held, sit on your lap, or watch tv with you. Jesse on the other hand wants nothing to do with people except get fed. Every other leopard I have seen/handled has been very calm so I think you are good there. However, I wouldn't carry one on my shoulder as they might fall off. I think a bearded dragon would be better for that, though they require far more space and eat crickets by the hundreds while growing. As for the enclosure. We keep our geckos (leopards and fattails) in both glass and rubbermaids. With the aquariums we cover three sides of the glass so they aren't out in the wide open. THe 20 gallon would work fine.

Hi! Thanks for your reply and advice!

That's fine about the shoulder riding bit; I'm perfectly content to just carry the gecko so long as it is content to be carried.

If I were to get one, I'm hoping I could get an adult from a breeder, that way the temperament would already be known.

Hmm more research for me.. thank you again!

i wouldnt get a chameleon (spelling?) because they say that they dont live long in captivity. one of my lizard books it says that chameleons dont live usually over a year in captivity unless by an expirienced herpatologist because the habitat has to be perfect.

I wouldnt recommend a chameleon by any means. They aren't a herp for novice reptile keepers and can be hard to keep alive for intermediate keepers too. They can get a disease fairly easy and die. My friend had a chameleon and out of the blue its tail was deteriating. She took it to the vet and when they couldnt help she went to clydes peelings to see if they could help and they couldnt either. But shortly after that happened it died because without their tail they cant balance and its hard for them to get food. Even with food it still died though so really chameleons aren't for a novice keeper.

Also when i was reading your original post on whether or not to get a leopard gecko. If you don't mind the size of the animal and getting a bigger cage, like a 40 gallon breeder then a Blue Tongue Skink would be perfect for you. Regular handling (which you said you would like to do) will make him very tame and their just the cutest things. There are 3 common blue tnogue skinks and they are an average of 100 dollars. The eastern (most tame) and Irian Jaya BTS get around 18-20 inches and the northern gets around 22-24 inches, some get bigger. All of those BTS are very doctile. If your interested just post below and give me your email adress and i'll email you a very good site dedicated to just BTS. Their care sheet is awesome and covers all the basics and more. The forum is great to.

I did this with all my leos except my newest one I let them pick me. When I got my first leo, which is my male, I looked at three of them two of them ran from me and my male sat in my hand like I was the greatest thing he'd ever seen. So I'd suggest finding a local breeder if you decide to get a leo and let the leo pick you. As far as beardies go I wouldn't suggest one for a novice and I should know since I ended up with two and didn't have a clue what I was doing when I got them but thankfully I learn fast and I had a ton of help from someone that has had years of experience with all kinds of reptiles. I also know that they'll eat you out of house and home when they're young because I have 10 beardie babies right now. Its up to you what you get but I'd do some research to see whats best for you.