heyy

i am thinking about getting my 2 1/2 yr old son a leopard gecko he loves animals. and I wanted to get him something easy for me to care for. Of course he would be supervised and never alone with it at all. I know you have to be very careful. It's Not only for him for also for my pleasure. anyways I have some questions. Do you think its better to have 1 alone or 2 together? If I have only 1 do you think it would cause a problem or it doesnt make a difference? Would it be better to get a baby or a juvenile leo? I called a few pet shops around asking for price ranges they all had different prices..maybe because of size? one place told me 75, two places told me 50 and another place told me 25. Are they easy to tame? Or are they like certain hamsters where you have to make sure you keep petting them or they forget they were tamed. If any of you's have pictures of your geckos please post them for me also, with their age. greatly appreciated!! im trying to do as much homework on this as I can!

More than the cost of the Leopard gecko I would be more concerned with the health of it and the other critters in the pet shop and the reputation of the pet shop.. Many of them have herps or all their animals in general are under fed, housed inappropriately, and in bad health for their financial benefit rather than what is best for the animal. before I would take cost into consideration I would look around and just make sure everything seems to be fed well, free of parasites( you can sometimes see mites and ticks around the eyes and under the chin if you can see those parts from the outside of the tank), and hopefully what appears to be a healthy environment.

Leopard geckos are usually readily available and recommended for beginners I do believe

All the leopard gecko specific questions I cant help you with but I am sure someone will be able to help you shortly

Good luck with your search

Beware of sales I have a local pet shop here in town that regularly has sales on their critters and it is usually because they are sick... I have no clue how many snakes, monitors and uramatyx (SP?)that had died in their possession

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Randy

I plan to live forever... And so far its working

0.2.0 Ball Python (Jaxxie and Kyree)
1.0.0 Savanah Monitor (Sullivan)

also another question, whats the best type of cage for it? i keep seeing plastic cages? wouldnt they get out?

Unless you are purchasing sexed leopard geckos, you will want one. If you purchase 2, and they both end up male, they will both require separate housing as they will fight. Males are territorial. I suggest 1 and there will be no issues with this. The leo does not mind not having to compete for food.

The prices of leopard geckos is not normally depictive of size, but rather the "morph" or "phase" of the leo. While size may play a role in it, it certainly isn't the leading factor. At $25.00, you can purchase one from petco (where you may have gotten that quote and it will be a baby.)

If you intend on allowing your son to hold this leo, you will need an adult leo. Babies and juveniles are too frisky for a 2.5 year old and the likelihood of a tail drop is high. (Autotomy)

Taming a leo is as simple as interacting with it regularly. I recently took in 2 more leopard geckos (I own 15 of the little buggers) and they are already content with me handling them. As babies and sometimes juveniles, they will be more concerned with escaping you holding them than they will staying still or just looking around. Its more a matter of just picking them up and making sure they don't fall as they go back and forth between your hands rotating. (Like an escalator. Simply keep one empty hand in front of the direction they are walking and they will keep walking in that direction "typically". lol

If you haven't already, read our sites caresheet:

Leopard Gecko Caresheet

###### Just read your newest post.

If the plastic enclosure has a top, escape would not be possible. The caresheet explains housing however.

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I'm not sure I'd buy a child that young any sort of reptile, to be honest. Children that young don't think anything of sticking their fingers in their mouth or rubbing their eyes, and no matter how diligent a parent is, they can't prevent every instance where this might happen. So them catching salmonella is a big risk, and it has a much worse effect on a child than an adult.

People will often tell you it's not that big of a deal, but it really is a serious disease, so you might want to think very carefully before you get him one.

I'd consult with his physician, maybe, and see what age would be safe to get him a reptile. Until then, perhaps you can get one, but make sure it's a no-touch pet for a little while.

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"Let's eat, Grandpa!"
"Let's eat Grandpa!"

Punctuation. It saves lives.

Yea I didnt think about that, i've never had a reptile before. I would still like to get one and then I guess wait till hes ready for it then he can touch it.

Like I said, you can definitely check with your doctor. They'll know much better than I will when it becomes safer for a child to have one. I know babies are especially susceptible, but I'm just not sure when that changes.

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"Let's eat, Grandpa!"
"Let's eat Grandpa!"

Punctuation. It saves lives.

most people say children under 5 have a huge risk with the salmonella, when mine were only two I never let them handle any of the reptiles for any reason. I have always practiced extremely good hygiene, however it only takes a second as Typh said. they say children under the age of 5 and the elderly have a real tough time fighting off that bacteria and it can be deadly. Oh and people with weakened immune systems.

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I have sucker tattood on my forehead

2 1/2 is a high risk age for Salmonella.
Salmonella is a valid concern but preventing it is as simple as practicing good hygiene. Salmonella bactieria is carried in the feces. As long as the cage is kept clean and the child's hands or other areas where the lizard is in contact are washed well after handling there should not be a problem. Of course the child should never be allowed to kiss the lizard or put it near his mouth.
And the cage should be secured to where the child would never have access to the animal unsupervised.
My concern would be for the lizard. A child of that age is not the most well co-ordinated and a leo is pretty small and could be easily damaged.

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Merlin,
What's Life Without A Little Magic!

I certainly hope this is for you because I don't think any 2 1/2 year old needs a gecko (or anything else for that matter) as a pet!