Caring for Pet Geckos - Page 3 of 4 - OnlineGeckos.com Gecko Breeder

June 19, 2017March 22, 2018

Should I get a male or female leopard gecko as pets?

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One of the topics we see popping up every now and then is the question, “should I get a male or female leopard gecko as pets?” You are new to the hobby, and you are wondering whether male or female leopard gecko make the best pets. In this article we will go over male vs female leopard gecko behavior, their differences, and what you can expect out of them. Our goal here is to help you make informed decisions so you can pick out the leopard gecko pet that works best for you.

Male or Female Leopard Gecko As Pets – Temperament

Leopard gecko temperament isn’t determined by sex. We have seen equal number of aggressive females as there are aggressive males. Leopard gecko’s temperament comes down to individual geckos. It’s worth noting that some breeders believe temperament can get passed down through breeding. The idea is to breed a pair of gentle leopard geckos for a greater chance at producing offspring that are more docile in nature. And vice versa, often when breeding a pair of aggressive geckos, their offspring tend to be more aggressive and skittish as a result. This isn’t 100% however, as temperament is still quite unpredictable.

One thing that affects temperament above all else in our opinion is leopard gecko’s sexual maturity. As we have discussed in another article, all leopard geckos go through puberty. Male leopard geckos will first hit sexual maturity at around 6-8 months old. Female leopard geckos will hit sexual maturity and ovulate for the first time at around 8-12 months old. Their temperament tend to change a bit as males get territorial for the first time. Females on the other hand will usually stop eating as they ovulate and potentially become gravid. Continue reading “Should I get a male or female leopard gecko as pets?”

May 9, 2017March 21, 2018

Difference Between Leopard Gecko and Fat Tailed Gecko

What’s the difference between leopard gecko and fat tailed gecko? Leopard gecko and african fat-tailed gecko share the same subfamily “Eublepharidae”. Eublepharidae are a family of geckos lacking sticky pads on their toes (they have claws instead). They also have movable eyelids unlike other species of geckos. Aside from being in the same subfamily, leopard gecko and african fat-tailed are two different species from different parts of the world.

Leopard Gecko vs African Fat Tail Gecko – Where are they from?

Continue reading “Difference Between Leopard Gecko and Fat Tailed Gecko”

April 19, 2017July 31, 2017

Best Reptile Pets For Handling – Beginner Pet Lizards – Leopard Gecko As Pets

Leopard gecko (Eublepharis macularius) make for great beginner pet lizards for hobbyists of all ages. Crepuscular in nature, they are the most active during twilight around dusk and dawn. Due to their gentle and docile temperament, leopard geckos are one of the best reptile pets for handling. They are usually skittish when they are young, but they become much more docile and calm as they get older.

Best Reptile Pets For Handling

Leopard geckos tolerate handling very well. They are coldblooded animals, so they will often lay on the palm of your hand to enjoy the warmth of your hand. Unlike other gecko species, leopard geckos are ground-dwelling lizards with claws instead of sticky pads on their feet. You can feel their claws when they hold on to you, but it won’t hurt as their claws are very small.

Leopard geckos rarely bite unless threatened. Key to not spook a leopard gecko is by slow movements. When approaching them with your hands, try to approach from the side of them and scoop them up. If you approach from the backside and touch their tail first, they may get spooked. When you see a leopard gecko wave their tail slowly back and forth, that’s their defensive posture. This tail waving behavior means they are spooked and you should wait until they calm down before attempting to pick them up.

Continue reading “Best Reptile Pets For Handling – Beginner Pet Lizards – Leopard Gecko As Pets”

April 9, 2017May 6, 2017

Why buy from leopard gecko breeder? Why price differences? Worth it? Difference between pet store gecko and breeder gecko

If you are just getting into leopard geckos, you might be wondering why buy from leopard gecko breeder as opposed to buying from local pet stores. You might be asking why there are such price differences, and is it worth it? Here we’ll explore the differences and hopefully help you make your purchase decisions easier.

So what do we know about pet store geckos? Well, very little.

We know pet stores often stuff 5+ geckos into the same display container, a container size suitable for 1-2 juvenile leopard geckos at best. There’s no temperature gradient, and they’re often all crammed inside one small hide.
We know they often use wood barks, sand, or repti-carpet for substrate, none of which are ideal for leopard geckos. While repti-carpet does not pose direct health risks unlike bark & sand, carpet traps bacteria and is very hard to clean.
We know often they have crickets crawling all over the place, sometimes even on the geckos themselves.
The geckos often look skinny, malnourished, and frail. Many have injured tail or bite marks on them.

Now what don’t we know about pet store geckos?

We don’t know their sex, and when asked, store employees won’t know what temperature the geckos were incubated in. So you can’t temperature sex them or even make an educated guess. If you are looking specifically for a male or female, you just can’t be sure.
We don’t know their genetic background, or the morphs of the parents. So there’s no way to tell what geckos are het for or what kind of mix they are. This leaves you out from ever breeding them ethically.
We don’t know the hatch dates of these geckos, so you won’t ever know their age.
We don’t know their weight. Without knowing their age + weight, it’s hard to gauge their growth rate or know if the geckos are healthy.
We don’t know the breeders these geckos are from, so you’ll have no idea if you are buying from ethical breeders or just another gecko farm where they cram multiple hatchlings in small tubs.
We don’t know the reputation of the breeders these geckos are from, therefore we won’t know the conditions they were bred & raised in. This means the geckos could be raised in poor conditions, and likely will carry parasites or diseases which will pose threats to your existing geckos. Not to mention if the geckos get sick, you’ll face huge vet bills.
We don’t know if these geckos are being cared for properly in the pet stores by knowledgeable individuals. We know their living condition is less than stellar as noted above, but are the feeders getting gutloaded? Are the feeders being dusted properly with multivitamin powders prior to being fed? Is the belly temperature inside the display tanks at the proper 88-93 degrees?

But I’m rescuing the geckos from poor conditions. Continue reading “Why buy from leopard gecko breeder? Why price differences? Worth it? Difference between pet store gecko and breeder gecko”

April 3, 2017June 21, 2020

Leopard gecko calcium powder – what reptile supplement to use – how to dust feeders – calcium with D3 or without – best multivitamin – how often do I dust – feeding guide

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What leopard gecko calcium powder do I use? Calcium with D3 or without D3? What brand of vitamin is best? How do I dust feeders? How often should I dust my feeders? Should I gutload feeders? These are all very common questions from leopard gecko hobbyists. We will go through all these questions and hopefully clear things up for you. Here is an easy to follow comprehensive gecko feeding/supplement guide. So let’s get started!

What multivitamin for leopard geckos and african fat-tails?

There are two brands we recommend, they are Repashy Calcium Plus, and Zoo Med Reptivite with D3. We have used these two commercial multivitamins extensively for over 5 years. They have worked very well for us. These are all-in-one leopard gecko calcium and multivitamin supplements, they contain vitamin D3, calcium, other vitamins, trace minerals, and carotenoids for dusting insects . If you use one of these two products, you will not need additional supplement on the side.

As a breeder, I lean towards Repashy Calcium Plus. It is a slightly more potent formula. When our female breeders go through 6-7 months long of breeding season each year, sometimes laying up to 15-20 eggs, their bodies get really drained and exhausted. Repashy Calcium Plus has worked wonders for us. For general hobbyists not breeding, Zoo Med Reptivite with D3 will do just fine.

Here is Repashy Calcium Plus ingredients list and guaranteed analysis:

INGREDIENTS: Calcium Carbonate, Dried Kelp, Dried Brewer’s Yeast, RoseHips, Calendula Flower, Marigold Flower, Paprika, Hibiscus Flower, Algae Meal, Turmeric, Rosemary Extract, Natural Fruit Flavor, Magnesium Amino Acid Chelate, Zinc Methionine Hydroxy Analogue Chelate, Manganese Methionine Hydroxy Analogue Chelate, Copper Methionine Hydroxy Analogue Chelate, Selenium Yeast. Vitamins: (Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Calcium L-Ascorbyl-2-Monophosphate, Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin, Beta Carotene, Pantothenic Acid, Riboflavin, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamine Mononitrate, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex, Folic Acid, Biotin, Vitamin B-12 Supplement).

Guaranteed Analysis: Crude Protein min. .2%, Crude Fat min. .2%, Crude Fiber max. 4%, Moisture max. 8%, Calcium min. 17%, Vitamin A min. 200,000 IU/lb, Vitamin D min. 20,000 IU/lb, Vitamin E min. 2,000 IU/lb.

How often should I dust my insect feeders? Do I still need to gutload?

Continue reading “Leopard gecko calcium powder – what reptile supplement to use – how to dust feeders – calcium with D3 or without – best multivitamin – how often do I dust – feeding guide”

November 20, 2013July 31, 2017

Dubia Roaches As Feeders – High Protein Diet – And Gout In Leopard Geckos

leopard gecko feeding feeder insects nutrition dubia roaches

Dubia roaches (Blaptica dubia) have become increasingly popular in the recent years. Hobbyists are finding out that dubia roaches are great staple diet for their leopard geckos. Not only are dubia roaches a healthy, low fat feeder. They are also fairly clean, they do not smell, jump, climb smooth surface, or make obnoxious noises. Dubia roaches also breed well in a colony, allowing leopard gecko hobbyists to keep a live stock of all sizes ready to be fed off to their geckos. Unlike crickets and mealworms, their life cycle is very long, allowing you to keep them longer before having to feed them off. Pretty much you get the benefits of healthy feeders like crickets, without the negatives. They are also hardy, and very meaty compared to most feeders when looking at the meat to chitin ratio.

Dubia Roaches vs Crickets for Leopard Geckos

A big reason for their increased popularity has to do with the cricket virus that nearly wiped out the cricket stock. This cricket virus is now affecting more than just domestic house crickets, so reptile hobbyists had to look for a new, reliable feeder source. As more hobbyists get over their roach phobia (something I had to get over as well), more and more hobbyists are keeping a running colony of dubia roaches to feed them off to their leopard geckos & reptiles. Unfortunately with increased popularity, there are also lots of misinformation being spread regarding dubia roaches, particularly with their diet. Continue reading “Dubia Roaches As Feeders – High Protein Diet – And Gout In Leopard Geckos”