Leopard Gecko Baby!!!

[Sarcosuchus]

I have been checking them out for about two months or so, really fascinate me. I haven't been able to look for them nearby, have spotted some pet shops and will try to go and see if they have Leopard Geckos. But then I am not rushing into this, I will be patient and properly get things that I need and see if I can have the right space in my room to house a single male Leopard Gecko. But before that I would like to share your experiences, from the articles I have read, they sound AWESOME! pretty interractive, docile. Got to be careful with their tail though...it doesn't look the same when it grows back, often fat and short..to think about it, it seems to appear like a Leopard Gecko's head..so it may fool any predator for the tail being its head, thus escape from threat.

I would like to get the original Leopard Gecko though as that's what I am most attracted to although all variations are beautiful. How was it the first time you brought them home? Were they friendly or did it take some time? Did they try to run away when you approached them? Have you allowed them out of their house? Did they try to escape? Any adorable stories about how friendly they are? Their personality? I have read about their housing, how UV light is not necessary since it's nocturnal..however heat light is necessary and to make sure there is 12 hours of day and night temperature in there...I wish you can share what has worked for you all. Thank you for your time and hope to hear soon!

 

[adamstv]

well just to start off, they are awsome pets. You can tell just by seeing how they are the absolute most common reptile pet in the WORLD. They are just straight up freindly. I love mine. I got her when she was a baby and named her titus. SHe is now about three and is the friendliest animal I own. (even more so than my dog lol)
When i first brought her home she was kinda shy but still more friendly than most house hold reptiles....such as the effing tokays! she would run when approached by i always snatched her up and she began to love being held. In my expirience their favorite place to be rubbed is under their chin and between her eyes. DO NOT pet their tail as they hate this and will most likely jump off ur hand and even drop it.
Their tail is a fat storage and the center of their immune system and it is important that they dont drop it in their fisrt year. If they do they are likely to get sick or even die form no insulation/fat storage/immune system. AND at that the tail grows back in a gruesome unattractive mannor, and will never look the same. After that first year they will likely never drop it unless you downright tug it, b/c they will be tame and accustum to you.
3 years down the road she is dog tame and will approach my hand when I put it in their staring right up at my LITTERALLY wagging her tail wanting to be held. (geckos and many lizards wag their tail when stimulated such as happiness or when enticed b4 striking when eating)
She has ran around my back yard b4 b/c i trust she cant get away from(captive leps are very slow) and loves the grass and real sunlight. and a final note of funnyness she gets out of her cage very often and always gos to the same spot, behind the stereo next to her cage. Its funny b/c they always deficate in the same corner of their cage and one time she got out and was obviously on the stereo and pooped in the corner of the stereo as if she was in her cage!

 

[Ophiuchus]

DO NOT pet their tail as they hate this and will most likely jump off ur hand and even drop it.
Their tail is a fat storage and the center of their immune system and it is important that they dont drop it in their fisrt year. If they do they are likely to get sick or even die form no insulation/fat storage/immune system.

I agree that the tail is for fat storage, but I've never heard that it is the center of their immune system. While the physiology is a little different, most vertebrates have the same basic organ systems we do, and that includes the lymphatic (or immunity) system. Last time I checked, the source of our immune system isn't the cellulite in our behinds. And leopard geckos didn't evolve the ability to drop their tails for defense just so they can die later. This includes babies. I've known many baby leos that have dropped their tails and grown them back just fine and lived a normal, healthy life. I don't think its as critical as you make it sound.

In closing, I'm not necessarily saying I'm right and you're wrong, but do you have some reference that backs up what you stated about their immune system? I'll admit I haven't dug up anyting yet specifically about the immune system of a leo, but my 10 yrs of herp experience and 4 yrs of being a Biology major leads me to believe that the tail isn't the center of it.

 

[adamstv]

In closing, I'm not necessarily saying I'm right and you're wrong, but do you have some reference that backs up what you stated about their immune system? I'll admit I haven't dug up anyting yet specifically about the immune system of a leo, but my 10 yrs of herp experience and 4 yrs of being a Biology major leads me to believe that the tail isn't the center of it.

Well i would like to correct myself, as you are correct, it isnt the CENTER persay... BUT it is a vital part of their well being. I have heard many times form workers at a "prehistoric pet shop" by my house and reptile expos that when a gecko such as african fat tails or leps lose their tails they are more likely to get sick.

 

[Ophiuchus]

Well i would like to correct myself, as you are correct, it isnt the CENTER persay... BUT it is a vital part of their well being. I have heard many times form workers at a "prehistoric pet shop" by my house and reptile expos that when a gecko such as african fat tails or leps lose their tails they are more likely to get sick.

In that, I agree with you..it is a vital part of their well-being, but IMO, more of a indicator of poor health not so much as their "power box"; more like how we can surmise a snake isn't doing well if it doesn't shed properly. A skinny, emaciated tail is one of the first signs of a ill gecko.

I still hold that if a baby leo drops its tail, but still receives optimal care, then it will fare just fine. Same in the wild; evolution would not bestow the ability of tail-dropping as a defense if it did not contribute to the animals' survival. Logic tells me that since babies drop their tails more easily, then clearly their physiology has been equipped to deal with the loss. This actually gives them more of an advantage since when the tail grows back, it looks more like their head than the original tail, adding to their defense strategies. Many scientists actually believe that this is precisely why babies are more likely to tail-drop than adults.

 

[Sarcosuchus]

Great stories, discussion and information Adamnstv, Leviathan. That pretty much sums up all I wanted to know. Adamstv, your Leopard Gecko sounds so adorable..I watched some Leopard Gecko videos on Youtube and I did see one wagging its tail! I was surprised, what a cutie!

To watch Leopard Gecko videos on Youtube, here:
http://208.65.153.240/results?search_query=Leopardgecko

Off to my final question, do they make sounds? I am sure they do but what do they sound like? Like the typical sound of the House Gecko?

Hope to hear soon and definitely getting a Leopard Gecko! <3

 

[RadleyMiller]

Those Leopard Geckos are huge and look awesome. NICE!

 

[Ophiuchus]

Sarco, to answer your last question, "leos" (as many herpers refer to them as) can make sounds, but rarely anything other than a mild squeal/hiss/shrieking noise when extremely agitated. Mine did this when they got misted. But they aren't truly vocal like some arboreal geckos that will call/croak loudly for a mate (especially tokays).

 

[Sarcosuchus]

That's awesome! thank you very much!

 

[wild caught]

cute pics. leos rock \m/