Got Geckos?

[Riso-chan]

I've had a female leopard gecko for about three or four years now. She is one of the most interesting and cute little pets I've ever had. Her name is "Plasma", symbolic of her ancient reptilian blood.

Little info on this species:
Common/Latin Names: Leopard Gecko/ Eublepharis macularius
Habitat: Dry, rocky desert
Region: pakistan, india, and afganistan.
Activity: Nocturnal
Info:
They are terrestrial, which means they lack the suction pads other geckos have. Their little feet have curve toes with sharp nails. They are also one of the only gecko species that have true eyelids. Another trait unique to this family of geckos, is their fat tails, which are used for fat storage, much like that of a gila monster. Their diet is primarily insectivorious. Mine is picky, she will only take live crickets, nothing else I've ever spent money on. If ever there was a roommate I would choose, it would surely be her. Another thing often overlooked with reptiles, is personality and intellibence. This one has everything she needs. She's a daredevil who loves to jump off my bed when I let her out to crawl around on the mountainous comforter. On a few occasions, she's even approached new people for attention. She's climbed ontop of a makeup box just tolook in the mirror. BTW, there's a reason leopard is in their name. They stalk their prey like a cat, and lunge for the kill. Such a little predator :D


Recently I designed this litte maze/dollhouse thing that I want to build for her as a sort of enrichment. She barely ever gets to come out of her terrarium, only when she has problems shedding the skin on her little fingers and I have to help out. I can't wait to see what she does with it. I'm probably going to put some mini furniture in there for so she can chill. She has an affection for felt and other soft comfy materials. I think I'm going to try to do one of those ferret hammock things too. Think she'd find that interesting.

Well, if anyone else has reptiles, or any other unusual pets/family members they'd like to share stories about, join in!:)

[ash]

I like lizards, but I don't have any. But wanna know something odd and random? the first part of her scientific name roughly translated as " good eyelids" in Greek.

[TipStylez]

Dose she save you money on car insurence?

haha...sorry i just had to say it

Any ways i had lizard like animals..miss my fire belly salmander(sp)
show some pics of your gecko.

[Leopardess]

Don't have any but would like to. I always love looking at the leopard gecks at the pet store.

I am so jealous - there is a woman who lives next door who has two massive iguanas (like 5 feet+)...she takes them outside on the lawn in harnesses and lets them sun bathe! She's always out there with them and all you see are these two huge tails swishing around in the grass.

As soon as we buy a house, I AM turning one room (or the basement) into an animal room. And a lizard of some sort will be there.

Do you have any pictures of yours?:)

[Harlock]

Leopard geckos are a wonderful choice. They breed rather readily as well, so if you ever wanted to get her a mate, you could expect eggs and little lizardlings later on as well. Throughout the years I have owned many reptiles, mostly snakes. I bought other species for other folks, however. My wife had the most intelligent and friendly lizard I had ever known. It was a Schnieder or Berber Skink, depending upon which source you look at. It was a lizard with a grey background on top and an orange check pattern on her back, with yellow around the sides and an invory on the bottom. This lizard was active as well and she loved to climb and jump.

When she was removed from her cage she would immediately climb onto your chest, up your shirt to your shoulder then on top of your head, if your hair was long enough for her little claws to catch in. There, she would survey the world and wait for you to walk toward something taller, which she would then try to climb. She ate many things as she was an omnivore. She really enjoyed sliced kiwi and cat food most. We had Sarah many years and she was fully grown when we got her, so I've no idea how long they really last.

We bought my wife's little sister a tortoise that she still has. It's just a tortoise.

As for me? I'll keep on collecting snakes and data on them as long as I live, most likely. I just love those little guys to pieces. It's one of the main reasons Texas is so great for me despite the oppressive heat and all. My favorites ares TransPecos Rat Snakes. These little guys are different from any other snake in North America in that they have 40 pairs of chromosomes rather than the normal 36 or 38 for snakes. They have the prettiest eyes too. Their scientific name Elaphe Subocularis refers to their scalation under the eyelid. Truly gorgeous snakes with decent manners if kept and handled well enough. The guy that owned the reptile store that I used to work at had a blond phase suboc. He was one of the prettiest snakes I have ever seen.

So anyway, yeah, I've had all kinds of reptiles as pets and hope that I can as long as I live.

[JinxXx0085]

Harlock, is there any reptiles that is small enough to fit in a 2.5 or 5 gal tank?
I absoultely love reptiles (snakes, lizard, geckos, etc.)
So far the interesting pet I had was fishes and rats :-D.

[Harlock]

Harlock, is there any reptiles that is small enough to fit in a 2.5 or 5 gal tank?
I absoultely love reptiles (snakes, lizard, geckos, etc.)
So far the interesting pet I had was fishes and rats :-D.
There are some small geckos like a "house gecko" that could live in such a small cage. They are more commonly called mediteranean geckos. They are cute enough, but pale in color and they only get to a couple of inches without tail. They can make okay pets but cannot be handled or trained for handling as well as the larger lizards. Also, feeding them small enough insects can be challenging, especially in winter time. They are not a beginner lizard. I really think your best bet it to get a nice 20 long. All-Glass makes a sturdy aquarium with a built in screen top they call Critter Cages. They are not built to fish tank standards since they are not supposed to withstand all that water pressure, so they can run a bit cheaper. Good beginner lizards would include leopard geckoes, many skinks, a bearded dragon (these can get largeish) and maybe the giant day gecko. I personally would not hesitate twice to get another Berber Skink. They are friendly, easy to find food for, big enough to handle and live a good long time. As for the five gallon, well, th3ere are lots of small sand dwelling lizards that would do fine in one, but they just are not as "pet-like" as some of the larger lizards. Also, a 20 long is sort of a minimum in my book for not just fish, but reptiles too.

[Holly9937]

I would love an iguana, my friend used to have one and it would crawl up her curtains and lay across the bar at the top. At some point in my life I would like one of those and a ferret. However this will require some tricky planning on my part. I think I will always want at least 2 dogs and 2 cats, who should probably be brought up around the weird critters, (especially the ferret, since I'm fond of large dogs) and that would require 5 new pets at once :D

[Riso-chan]

There are many color phases that have been bred in these geckos, many beautiful.

BTW, the latin name means:

Eublepharis= eye lid
Macularius= spotted

Aside from that, I unfortunately don't have any scanned in pics of my own gecko but I found some that look very similar. Her color phase is "normal", or "wild".
You can find some of the different color phases bred at:
geckoranch.com

[ash]

actually just the blepharos is eyelid- the prefix Eu means good. Macularis might be latin but eublepharis is Greek.

[Riso-chan]

Guess you're up you're latin. :o

Speaking of iguanas, I have heard so many stories of them being such wonderful characters. They really become quite a part of the family, but then again doesn't any animal just about?

I actually had one for a short time when I was very young. My dad had bought it for me for my birthday. He was small at the time. I got scared when I thought he was trying to bite me, and he got away, very quickly I might add. But the strange thing was, he kept coming back every summer to our backyard to eat the vines and flowers on the power lines. He walked those lines like a tightrope person. He was huge in no time, at least 4-5+ feet. Neon green, beautiful and happy. I feel bad now that I know the iguana has become an introduced species. Now, years after I've moved from my hometown of Key West, Florida, I hear that there is now a wild population there. I don't know just how damaging they are to native species there, but there were no other really large predators or other animals like that down there. I heard they become very large, and love to be near the water. They are seen often on seawalls and what not. Interesting for the lizards I'm sure, and sad because it shows how many people were illed prepared when they made the impulsive purchase.

[rich311k]

I have a male red eared slider that has been a member of the family longer that any pet we own. Tom is at least 17. He will follow you around the room as you walk through swimming from resting place to resting place. I tease my wife that he is a bigger begger than the dog. If you have the space for another large tank I would hardily endorse them as great pets.

[norm3000]

Are there any small to medium sized lizards that don't require live food? I've always liked the leopards but I am really not interested in handling crickets or other insects.

[Harlock]

Are there any small to medium sized lizards that don't require live food? I've always liked the leopards but I am really not interested in handling crickets or other insects.
Define small to medium-sized? As I stated in my first post in this thread, we had a Berber (AKA Schnieder) skink that ate canned cat food and chooped up mushy fruit, like Kiwi and Cantaloupe. Great lizard that I highly recommend to reptile newbs, especially those wishing to avoid feeding live.

[ash]

Introduced species are a sad thing, but you were little, how could you know? it's better than the people (grown adults usually) who dump them on purpose. And the idiots who introduced starlings- I love starlings, and think the damage they are charged with is greatly exaggerated but the story of how they got here is just absurd. At least Iguanas are pretty limited by climate.

[mwood322]

I love my Leopard Geckos, they are awesome pet reptiles, though my Corn Snakes come a close second...

I have 1 High Yellow Male Leopard someone dumped where I worked, and 2 Patternless, 1 male, and 1 undecided baby. I've also got a pair of crested geckos, and a Fat Tail. Two corn snakes, a ball python, a ribbon snake, and a whites tree frog fill up my reptile room.

I would love to set up a room for an iguana, or failing that a whole room for my cockatiel. I always feel bad that she doesn't get to fly as much as she would like.

--Mia

[elgecko]

I bred Leopard Geckos for a few years, about 7 years ago. I miss them, but not for long. I took down my 40 gallon tank and setting up for Leopard Geckos again, at least thats the plan. I will going to a Reptile show this weekend, I have not been to one in ages, maybe something else will catch my eye.

I have a page on my Leopard Geckos I used to breed here:
http://www.geocities.com/elgecko1989/geckos.html

[Harlock]

I love my Leopard Geckos, they are awesome pet reptiles, though my Corn Snakes come a close second...

I have 1 High Yellow Male Leopard someone dumped where I worked, and 2 Patternless, 1 male, and 1 undecided baby. I've also got a pair of crested geckos, and a Fat Tail. Two corn snakes, a ball python, a ribbon snake, and a whites tree frog fill up my reptile room.

I would love to set up a room for an iguana, or failing that a whole room for my cockatiel. I always feel bad that she doesn't get to fly as much as she would like.

--Mia
Tell me about your corn snakes!? They are what got me solidly into the reptile hobby as an adult. I still have a special place in my heart for them, and of course, all the colors and patterns out there mean you can match them with any outfit!

[Riso-chan]

Are there any small to medium sized lizards that don't require live food? I've always liked the leopards but I am really not interested in handling crickets or other insects.

Well, leopards can get to about 8-10 inches in length, and are a little stout. They are probably in the size range you'd prefer. About feeding live food, I have to feed mine live crickets because she won't eat anything else, I've tried. I have heard some individuals can be conditioned to eat other types of food, but this species is primarily insect eaters, so that may be a bit of a wall to overcome for you.

If I may suggest, Crested Geckos could be what your looking for. hey are roughly the same size as leopards, and they can be conditioned to eat non-live foods. Let me get out an old issue of Reptiles Magazine. They had an article on these guys.

They can attain total length of 10 inches. Life expectancy is anywhere from 10-20 years. There are a few nice colors to choose from. They are also omnivorous and relish non-citrus fruits such as banana, peach, apricot, and will also eat fruit flavored baby foods. They can eat live prey, but can live without it just fine. I would strongly encourage you to do plenty research on whatever species you decide to keep. A good place to start is kingsnake.com, and go from there to other sources that will offer more help. Good luck. :)

[Dale W.]

Boy I miss having herps.

Over here, the only real things that we have are common geckos, big anoles, and the Hawaiian snake which is basicly a worm snake. Not yet concidered established by state are Gold dust day geckos. If you ask me though, they are established.