Why Leopard Geckos and How to Start

Why Leos?
First, I am a huge animal lover. Having family members with allergies has really kept my pet options very slim. My pet history consists of ducks, chickens, rabbits, and most recently, my first indoor pet, a hamster. When my hamster died after only two years I was devastated. I knew dwarf hamsters did not live for much longer than 2 years but I really loved that little guy. In my search for a new pet I had some important criteria.

1. Longer lifespan
2. Able to keep in my dorm room and my home
3. Easy to care for
4. Touchable

Using my favorite resource, Google, I started searching for "small pets" and "apartment/dorm room pets." I came across the idea of a lizard. I read many different options and learned that Leopard Geckos were a great pet for first time lizard owners. After seeing a few pictures of Leos I was hooked. They always looked like they were smiling! It was very possible that this could be the perfect pet for me. While away on vacation I began to research Leopard Gecko care every night for the entire week. I found that they met my criteria and more:

• Tolerate handling
• Live in a Tank
• Only get 6-8 inches
• Live for 10-20 years
• Great "beginner lizard"
• Many color options

How I Started:
The following links were very useful in researching how to care for Leopard Geckos. I have found that most are slightly different. I read many resources from successful owners, breeders, and experts to be as informed as possible before I decided to own a Leopard Gecko.

• http://www.leopardgecko.com/emcare.html
• http://www.drgecko.com/
• http://www.anapsid.org/leopardgek.html
• http://www.leopardgeckoguide.com/

There are many excellent resources out there. Simply search for Leopard Gecko care. Thanks to the research I did online, I learned that the pet stores do not always know what is best for Leo. Places such as Petco and Petsmart sell a commercial Leopard Gecko starter kit. This kit contains a few things that will not only be useless, but could do harm to the Gecko.

• Harmful- Repti sand/calcium sand...any sand or loose substrate. Pet stores label these to use on the bottom of lizard cages. Leos (especially babies) can accidentally ingest anything loose. They are not able to digest or pass the sand and become impacted, will not be able to eat, and can die.
• Useless- Can of pre-killed or freeze dried crickets and meal worms. Leopard Geckos like their food live!

I suggest reading up on Leopard Gecko Care as much as possible before deciding to own one. They are wonderful pets, but as I take you through my experiences you will see that they are easy to care for in comparison to other lizards, but they can pose some difficulties for a first time owner such as myself.

After my research I decided I wanted to get two Leopard Geckos from a breeder.