Thinking of getting a pet Gecko

Cookmeister

Hi,

Over the past two years or so I have often thought on purchasing a pet gecko. I am will aware of the set up required, price of purchasing and keeping a gecko and all the other previous essentials.

But what I am wondering is if, owning a pet gecko rewarding?

All comments on this subject welcome.

Thank you, Seán

Shanao

Depends really on what type of gecko you are thinking of getting. Leopards are the easiest to tame, tokays are nippy little buggers (and their bites hurt!!) and some species of day geckoes shouldn't be handled due to their sensitive skin. I've got a trio of leopards and they can be pretty tame once you put the time in. My three are handfed most days and will sit on my hands or shoulders. Most geckoes are purely decorative pets and most of the other species are a bit harder to tame.

Cookmeister

Ya it a leopard geckos that I was thinking of getting anyway. I was hoping to get two females but ill have to save up for another while I reckon.
Just wondering, how do geckos normally live. Would it be better if I got two geckos (for company) or would one gecko live on just as happy? - Probably a silly question!

anniehoo

Cookmeister wrote: »

Probably a silly question!

Its not a silly question if you dont know the answer

Shanao

They are mostly solitary enough but a male and female pair do quite well. Same sex pairs can be more difficult- two males will kill each other and two females will fight over territory. I only introduced my second female because she was so quiet and bigger than the first female (meaning the resident would have trouble killing her). After some tail waving and a bit of chasing and nudging, the resident female got over it and pretty much ignores her now. I have a feeling that I just got lucky though.
I thought my male would do fine on his own, but he was constantly hiding and would rarely come out. Then i got my female and the two of them are constantly out basking; though she liked to sit on top of him when they were younger. Having a male and female doesn't mean that they will breed either as you have to provide the right environment for the mating.
With a large enough tank, you could easily have one male to four or five females, though I've mostly seen pairs or trios. You've prob read up on it, but you really have to be careful with their shedding. My first female has trouble everytime she sheds and I end up having to help her peel it off, which she hates. But if dead skin isn't pulled off the toes, it can choke off the circulation and they can lose them.

BengaLover

Having kept reptiles in the past, my advice is to do your research - there are SO many factors you need to consider, heat, substrate, humidity, get something wrong, and the animal can go downhill very fast.
We had a tame Savannah Monitor for a pet, and the slightest change in temperature in her enclosure would turn her practically comatose.