How to Choose A Leopard Gecko

Once you've made the decision to bring a leopard gecko into your home, you may be aware of the proper husbandry and care that it takes to house a leopard gecko, but are you 100% aware of how to choose a leopard gecko?

You need to be aware of all the signs and symptoms of a sick leopard gecko versus a healthy one. Now, it may seem like common sense, but some may not be as obvious. And, remember, when you see a sickly leopard gecko, it may feel great to rehabilitate it back to health, but please take into consideration the financial means that it truely takes.



Make the decision of where you want to purchase the gecko, as at times, pet stores may not have the best idea of proper care of reptiles. In many cases, pet store reptiles are not at their optimum health. They may have parasites and genetic illnesses.

Breeders can be cheaper or more expensive depending on the morph. You will have to pay a shipping fee, unless you live close or if you go to a reptile expo in your area.

Leopard geckos make great pets, just make sure to pick out a healthy one. Make the right decisions for your new pet.

Winter Shipping

With winter at our heels, it can be a big concern when shipping and receiving reptiles. The cold weather can be a detriment to their health if not packed properly, which is why we, at goReptiles, ship in insulated boxes packed with newspaper for added insulation and heat packs. We do not ship in temperatures lower than 50 degrees. And, please remember that there is an added $2.00 charge for heat packs, which I will make you aware of before payment.

When recieving reptiles via UPS or FedEx, if you follow the below method, you should have no problems with your new reptile(s).

Anything lower than 98.6 degrees will feel cold to the touch.

If you receive a gecko that appears dead, don't panic, yet.
* First, check if there was a heat-pack in the shipping container, and feel it to see if it is still warm. If it is, then the chances are your gecko is in a cold coma.
* It is critical that you do not introduce a gecko in this condition to direct heat, as exposure to heat at this point can cause serious neurological and tissue damage.

Allow the gecko to remain at normal room temperature until it is responsive and moving around normally before introducing it to direct heat. It is a natural instinct for us to want to warm-up a cold gecko that just arrived, but remember that it just came in from the cold, and room temperature is significantly warmer than the back of a delivery truck.

Notify the person you received the gecko from IMMEDIATELY. Follow their instructions, which may be to take a photograph of the gecko, the box, and it's contents.

If the gecko has not revived within a few hours, take a penlight and shine it against the gecko's side/back through the ribcage and see if the heart is beating. If it is, even very slowly, continue keeping the gecko at room temperature until it wakes up.

After the gecko is active, you can introduce it to heat.

Watch the gecko for several days for any evidence of respiratory infection, like wheezing or clicking sounds during breathing, or blowing bubbles through the mouth or nostrils, or gaping mouth breathing. If the gecko shows any of these symptoms, notify the person you got the gecko from and get the gecko to a vet.

Please thank Marcia with Golden Gate Geckos for this very informative instructional guide to recieving reptiles in cooler temperatures.

Crested Gecko Breeders

Crested geckos are one of the best beginner reptiles because of their docile temperaments and ease of housing in captivity.

They are a part of the Rhacodactylus group, which means like other species in this group, in the wild they primarily eat fruits. But, in captivity, they eat a special meal replacement diet. You can purchase larger quantities at Pangea Reptile. But, if you have a fewer number of geckos, one small bottle will suffice for a month, give or take. You can purchase smaller quantities of the meal replacement various pet stores or online. You can find a link to the Crested Gecko Diet, to the right of this page.



So, maybe you're interested in owning a crested gecko... Where can you find one?

Pet Stores

Breeders

Remember that with purchasing any animal from a pet store, whether it be a large commercial pet store, such as PetCo, Petsmart, or Pet Land, or a small "mom and pop" pet store, there are different things that you must consider. You really don't know where they got the animals, the breeding behind the animals, or the true care. You don't even know if the employees truly know how to take care for hte animals. And, these concerns apply for any animal ranging from hamsters, guinea pigs, fish, dogs, cats, and reptiles.

You may want to check out Buying Retail Reptiles before you purchase from a pet store.



The other alternative is a breeder. Breeders know how to care for the animal in question, they know the proper diets and husbandry requirements. Breeders know their animals.

When purchasing from a breeder, you must consider the price will be cheaper than at a petstore, for the same quality or better animal, but at the same time, you may have to pay more for shipping costs.

If you don't want to pay from shipping, you can ask around reptile forums for breeders in your area or attend reptile shows in you area.

When purchasing from breeders, you tend to have a larger selection of morphs (colors and patterns) to choose from, versus maybe one or two that the pet store has.

And, crested geckos come in a wide variety of colors and patterns. Because the species is relatively new to the pet market, they have a wide range of morphs still coming out daily.

Currently, you can find:

Patternless

Buckskin

Pinstripe

Flame

Harlequin

Dalmatian

Super Dalmatian

Red

Cream/Blonde

And a variety of mixes of the above morphs.