geckos

[b.c.f.c]

i know its very sad but im thinking of emtying my fish tank and having a couple of geckos it will be a couple of months yet of course but ive got to find out a bit about them and was wondering if u guys new anything about them.so far ive found out that theres 7 main types of pet geckos the main 1 being the lepard which i think i will end up having.ive got my 28 gal tank which they will go in and i will be able to have 2 or 3 in there but i think 2 is a better number.ive never kept reptiles befor but my grandad has so im sure he will give me a bit of advice.i have a normal clear light in my tank but ive heard a duller light is prefered like red,but 1 thing i dnt know is were the heat comes from,do you only need a light or is there special heaters u can get.if i am wrong on any info ive found plz correct me and any more info would be great.thx in advance.

 

[elgecko]

I kept and bred Leopard Geckos for several years.
Here's my page I made for them with some helpful info.
http/www.geocities.com/elgecko1989/geckos.html

 

[Bloo]

Very interesting web page you have there ! Do you not keep them (or any) anymore ?

 

[Shark_Lover]

how many varieties are there?

 

[b.c.f.c]

over 300 i fink

 

[b.c.f.c]

thats a great web page and some very nice geckos as well thx for the info.

 

[elgecko]

bloozoo2,
No I do not have any Leopard Geckos anymore. I have thought about tearing down the 40 gallon tank and getting some lizards again. I seem to do this every 6 or so years, switching between fish and lizards.

b.c.f.c,
Thanks.

 

[troutfly]

BCFC - I have to warn you about having two or more leopard geckos in the same tank. If you get 2 males, they will fight to the death over territory, if you have 2 females, they will be more compatable. In a 28 gallon, you have to be careful because they are ground dwelling lizzards and need plenty of floor space to run around on. If you get a Caladonian or house gecko, they like to climb so you will have to get a screen to cover them. I have 2 leopards at the time, one is a full grown male and the other is a juvinile albino (I hope it is a female). When you get them from the pet stores, it is hard to tell what sex they are until they reach about 4 to 5 inches in length. The males will have a V shaped set of pores at the base of their tails and 2 lumps just past their anus, the females will be void of these markings. I keep them in different tanks because the adult could attack the juvy and kill it, so I am waiting until it is bigger to put them together as long as the are different sexes. Each leopard needs about 3 square feet of space in the bottom of the tank to be happy. I also want to advise you not to put sand in the bottom because juvies will ingest it and become impacted which leads to death, I used a product called "reptile carpet" for mine to run around on, no chance of them ingesting it. I used a regular 60 white light for day time conditions and at night it switched over to a 60 black light. It keeps the cages around 80 degrees F all the time. I hope you have fun with them no matter what type you buy, and good luck raising the little buggers.

 

[twinsmom]

Just a bit of info. I used to work at a small pet shop. Many people make the mistake of buying a heat rock, or pad for their tank. For some reason most lizards (any species) don't have the same sensitivity as we do on their bottom side. They don't always move off of these heat sources when they become too hot, and most of them wind up with severe burns on their stomachs. Many people brought them back to us because they didn't know how to care for them after the burns occurred. I agree 100% with troutfly the light bulbs are the best thing, and the reptile carpet is great even for adult geckos or just about any lizard. It prevents from having any age gecko accidentally ingesting the sand or other substrate. Not to mention, you can just rinse the carpet off (if it is the rinsable kind) when it's dirty. Very easy! Oh and one more thing, if it is possible for you to find out, make sure the gecko you get was handled a lot, especially if you purchase an adult gecko. From experience, we carried geckos at our store from juvi to adult, and the adults we got in that were not handled before we got them were very nasty little devils. I got bit soooo hard by a leopard gecko, I couldn't open his jaws. It took to other people to pry him off of my finger. As long as they were handled a lot, they make totally awesome pets. It is easier to correct their behavior when they are young, adults, not so much. Don't let this stop you from getting one, just make sure you check out different pet shops and ask if they were hand raised or not. They have to tell you. Make sure you find out their return policy on livestock. You don't want to be stuck with a pet who is nasty Make sure you handle them enough, or they will get nasty.