Looking at getting a gecko

overrated · #1 (**permalink**) 04-02-2009, 08:23 AM

Hi Everyone,

I am looking at getting a gecko or male female pair of geckos for my daughter's birthday in June she will be 5. I will be doing majority of care. But I want a gecko that we can pickup and hold. And one that is relatively easy to care for. I have been looking into the Leopard Gecko but was wondering if there were others I could look into.

Thanks

beckdg · #2 (**permalink**) 04-02-2009, 01:50 PM

for a 5 yr old to hold, a gecko would not be the best choice... the first time one drops it's tail might not be a good experience... obviously i don't know your daughter so i'd say you know better than i what she's capable of and how she'd react... i will say chinese dwarf hamsters are perfect for a starter pet for a child... they are very ugly on screen, but adorable in person, they don't bite, are very friendly, will nestle in your hands, like company, are very easy to care for, are very soft and cuddly... yadda yadda

as far as reptiles are concerned a ball python would be the perfect pet for a starter because they are very docile and pretty easy to care for and feed and are basically one of the smaller consistently calm snakes... or a rosy boa... they're very small and calm/docile... for a lizard... if you got the room and are willing to feed it right... an iguana can make a great family pet... most lizards small enough to fit in your hand are very weary of being there though and are not suggested to be held by children... especially geckos cause they drop their tails and need special care at the drop of a hat sometimes (more often than not)... i am sorry this is not what you are looking for, but i, as so many others around here, care very much for my pets as well as my kids and i think it's best to tell you the truth b4 suggesting something that may not work out for you!... again sorry

overrated · #3 (**permalink**) 04-02-2009, 02:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by beckdg

for a 5 yr old to hold, a gecko would not be the best choice... the first time one drops it's tail might not be a good experience... obviously i don't know your daughter so i'd say you know better than i what she's capable of and how she'd react... i will say chinese dwarf hamsters are perfect for a starter pet for a child... they are very ugly on screen, but adorable in person, they don't bite, are very friendly, will nestle in your hands, like company, are very easy to care for, are very soft and cuddly... yadda yadda

as far as reptiles are concerned a ball python would be the perfect pet for a starter because they are very docile and pretty easy to care for and feed and are basically one of the smaller consistently calm snakes... or a rosy boa... they're very small and calm/docile... for a lizard... if you got the room and are willing to feed it right... an iguana can make a great family pet... most lizards small enough to fit in your hand are very weary of being there though and are not suggested to be held by children... especially geckos cause they drop their tails and need special care at the drop of a hat sometimes (more often than not)... i am sorry this is not what you are looking for, but i, as so many others around here, care very much for my pets as well as my kids and i think it's best to tell you the truth b4 suggesting something that may not work out for you!... again sorry

Hi there,

Actually my daughter is used to handling pets. We have a dog, cat, used to have skinny pigs, used to have ferrets, we have an Albino King Snake that she loves to hold. As far as care I will be looking after the care of the Gecko. But I know how she is with animals and she will not be unsupervised when holding the animals for any of our pets she asks if she can hold them. She has held gecko's, bearded dragons, snakes, mice, tarantula's, hamsters, etc., etc., etc., so its not a matter of that. I have also done my research on gecko's and want a unique pet for my daughter her cousin has a bearded dragon so I don't want to get one of those. I was just wanting suggestions to gecko's that can be handled I know that they can't be handled as often as other pets but at least one thats not agressive and bits like the tokay's. I also looked at ball pythons but I did not want to spend $100 - $300 on it.

beckdg · #4 (**permalink**) 04-02-2009, 02:52 PM

you can get bp's for as low as $30 if you keep an eye out... froggy got hers at petsmart when they have their annual "it's winter and everything dies, but we don't want to admit it" sale, and he's doing great... pretty sure she named him graham! all geckos will bite... the smaller ones don't hurt, i'd say stay away from the day geckos, but i could be wrong... i really like gargoyle geckos and cresteds, but they more than likely are out of your price range for most of them and then most likely shipping will have to be considered... i think you'd be fine with a leo though as they are colorful and there is a good variety for colors, they really don't hurt when they bite, they're not huge, they're widely available and can be found affordable in any state

there is a lady on the forum right now that wants to sell some cresties soon... i'm not sure if she ever made it to the classifieds or not, but do a little searching, use the search function and check recent posts... i must admit the pics she posted of them are so cute!

i'm sure you should get a reply from someone who is more into geckos soon, hang in there!

btw... welcome to the site!!!

overrated · #5 (**permalink**) 04-02-2009, 03:03 PM

Thanks alot!!!! Thanks for the advise! Yeah a local reptile shop here sells a variety of different geckos. The normal leo's he is selling for $29 cdn. The morph leo's are $60 and up!
Cilliatus - Crested he is selling for $149 cdn.

caymanlucas · #6 (**permalink**) 05-24-2009, 03:09 PM

I'm actually looking into a Crested myself and it looks like they're easily kept. Here are some good sites, LLL sells tons of great stuff for all things reptile and this site is full of good crested info.

Chu'Wuti · #7 (**permalink**) 05-24-2009, 05:28 PM

Umm . . . I've heard of some people who've had some difficulties with herps from LLL . . . be careful.

Jumpshot724 · #8 (**permalink**) 05-24-2009, 06:25 PM

What about Leopard Geckos?? They're pretty cheap, like $20 each or so, and are the perfect beginner-gecko.

My girlfriend just got two, one from Petco (male) and one from PetSmart (female) and they're doing quite well. They're very docile, not as fast as other geckos so if they get away from you it's not as hard to catch them, and conduct themselves like a dog or cat will. In fact, when they're ready to jump on a cricket they wag their tails back and forth, very cute!! Within 2 weeks they recognized my girlfriend's voice and respond to it.

If you get them young, and handle them quite a lot, they will bond to you just as a cat or dog will. They also come in a variety of colors/patterns. Most petstores carry them, I would suggest at least going and having a look before you buy something else.

Also, ask to hold anything before you buy it. Then you can really see the temperament of that particular lizard/animal. I know when we were picking out her first LG there was one in the PetCo tank that hissed whan it was touched. The rest (including the one she got) were very docile!!