>>I have about a hundred dollars in store credit at our local mom and pop pet store. I've decided to either get a crested gecko or a leopard gecko, and I was wondering which you gecko people think are more fun to keep!

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Well, as my sig shows, I've got one of each. They both have lots of personality and are reasonably easy to take care of. It's a little difficult to say which is more fun; that depends on what you like. They're both enjoyable as display lizards, and if you like watching them hunt, that's pretty cool on both fronts too. There are some very significant differences to be aware of though.



Leos are strictly insectivores, so you'll need crickets or mealworms as a staple for them, whereas cresteds can be fed solely on a powdered meal replacement and given crickets as treats if at all.



As far as handling goes, leopards are probably slightly more easily handleable, but as I'm sure you're aware from your other animals, every lizard has its own personality and individuals might vary. Cresteds' sticky pads have a really neat feeling to them, but of course, given that they can stick to anything and are reasonably powerful jumpers, you need to be aware of that when handling them; they can be a bit more of a handful.



Housing-wise, they're pretty different; leopards need a 10 gallon or larger terrarium with at least 2 hides, one on each end so they have a warm and a cold place to be secure. Cresteds prefer tall enclosures to long ones, and adults need at least 20 gallons. They also need lots of cover to hide in, preferably leafy; I see lots of people posting pics of their terrariums with what seems to me to be inadequate cover.



Finally, and lots of the time people forget to mention this - leopards will pick a 'bathroom corner' and always drop their deposits there, making cleanup pretty easy. Cresteds, being arboreal, don't feel the need to be tidy and just drop bombs whenever they feel the need, so be prepared for cleaning to be both more difficult and more involved.



All that said, they're both fun animals, and I love both of mine. Individually, my leopard is the lazier of the two, with the crested being a bit neurotic; we think she has the gecko version of ADD or something.



If you've got specific questions on either or both, don't hesitate to ask.
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0.1 Albino Leopard Gecko - Tigger

0.1 Crested Gecko - Pooh-Bear

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