Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I currently have a Chinese Water Dragon and absolutely adore him because of his wonderful personality. I'm looking for a new reptile pet that doesn't mind being handled. I had chameleons once, but I don't enjoy having a reptile I can't interact with as much as one that I can. Jake, my cwd, loves to sit on my shoulder and watch TV with me. Do leopard geckos handle well?
Is male or female better in that regard?
Any recommendations?

I have had my Leopard Gecko for a little over a month. I think she is really cool. I have gotten her up the point where I can pick her up withou too much trouble. As a juvie, she is still a bit skittish. Leos are relatively easy to care for and have great coloration. While I was at a small petsore buying crickets, the guy there said that African Fat tail geckos are way more mellow, even as babies. I don't know any more about AFT's though. I kinda feel like I should have researched them before I got my Leo.

Leo's will "tolerate" being handled, it's not something the average Leo really enjoys much. When I've seen similar questions asked I've seen lots of responses saying that if you want a reptile you can handle alot & that has a great personality to try a Bearded Dragon instead of a Leo. I've never had a BD and I absolutely love my Leos, but I don't really handle them a whole lot. I think they are happy just being fed and talked to LOL

well if ur looking for sumthing lik that i would get a bearded dragon my leos lik 2 be hanled but my beardie loves to!

I have 7 Leos, and all seven have different herpinalities, personalities doesn't really fit reptiles. Not to say that they don't have individual traits they do. My patternless pumpkin sat in our hands for about half an hour when we first brought him home from the herp show. This is very rare though, ecspecially when they are young. Most babies are extremly skittish and can get agressive when they feel threatend. Nothing scary or anything, some of their shows of bravado are pretty comical. Leo are howvever not really the herp to get if you want something that craves attention, they really prefer to be left alone. They can actually become very stressed if handled to often. I would recommend a Beardie if you want a hands on experience. My Bearded Dragon Tequila is sweetie, but even she has her moments when she doesn't want to be handled. More often than not though she is dying to come out and activly seeks our attention. As with any herp though there are the rare few who don't like to be handled. Also do research on them first, they are alot of work in the beginning, and as babies they are skittish. It takes time to build a bond of trust between you. I believe you said you already have a water dragon, so you probably already have the herp keeping skills necessary to keep up with a Beardies needs. Hope this helps, please contact me, or post again if you have any further questions.
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7 Leos
Milo(my adult male) Mongo, Raptor,and Spaz
Popeye and Boo(named after Monster's Inc. Character)sex unknown, but I am pretty sure they are females.
Pumpkin the Patternless (he's a boy too.)

1 Female Sandfire X Blood Aboriginie Red Bearded Dragon. Tequila Sunrise, Tequila for short

1 dog
Baby (Peekapoo)

2 Cats
Mr. Kitty and Shelly (my adopted senior citizen. She's 14!)

I lost my baby blizzard before I even picked out a name. May he/she Rest in Peace

my leo loves to be held. she gets skiddish after a while but likes to untill then. they become really trained and eat out of your hand too. as for the type of sex it doesnt really matter. males cane be tempermental sometimes but so can females. i had a male that never liked to be held. and i also had a female that would bite me till i finally trained her. so it really just depends on the gecko. they are like people they are all different.

Thanks for all the replies!

That was very helpful information.
The one reason I was leaning away from Bearded dragons was because of the size enclosure they demand. I had heard it was pretty large. I will continue to consider Leopards with the information you have given me. I held two wonderful Leos at the Texas Reptile show that I fell in love with. They were very tame, and one was a baby. I understand now that this is not the norm. Thanks again,

Tania
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~~Tania~~
(and Jake, Peter, and Mary) the lizard family.