A Beginner’s Guide to Owning a Pet Gecko
For a child who loves reptiles or the person that has allergies and cannot own a pet with hair, an excellent option is a pet Gecko. These reptiles come in a number of species, one of the most popular being the Leopard Gecko. This is a small reptile, so it makes a great choice when there is limited space, as well. For this particular article, we want to use the Leopard species as the example.
This pet Gecko has actually been bred in captivity for more than 30 years and due to selective breeding, it has amazing color and color combinations. In addition, this type of pet is easy to handle and care for, making it an ideal pet for someone with no experience with pets or the person that has owned pets all his or her life.
When buying a pet Gecko, remember, you are taking it from one home to another, which is stressful. For this reason, we recommend that once you have him in his new cage, you should give him a couple of days to settle in before you try to pick him up. If you do not give the reptile time to become accustomed to a new environment and he gets overly stressed, you could face additional problems. Typically, the reptile will not eat for a day or two, which is perfectly normal.
Your new Leopard Gecko could be kept in a number of cage designs as long as he is comfortable, warm, and safe. One of the least expensive options is known as the rack system, which is designed to hold a number of plastic boxes. For this, a heat tape is placed under the boxes to create warmth that the reptile needs to live. To make cleanup easy, simply place newspaper underneath and once dirty, toss it, and replace with new newspaper.
However, if you prefer a more refined look for your new pet Gecko, purchase a 10-gallon aquarium, place some gravel in the bottom, add in some pieces of wood and plants, and the reptile would feel right at home. Some people use sand as substrate but Geckos eat most anything and many have died from an impacted stomach caused from eating sand. If you decide you want more than one pet Gecko, you would need to increase the size of the home and usually a 20-gallon aquarium usually suffices.
If you have several reptiles, you want to make sure they are eating in that it is common for the Geckos to compete for food. The favorite menu item is live insects such as crickets and flies but they also eat mealworms. Be sure to remove any uneaten crickets still alive in that they stress the Gecko. To keep your new pet in the best of health, we strongly recommend you sprinkle his food once a week with a powdered multivitamin.
Additionally, you never want to put two males in the same cage, which would cause ongoing fighting, sometimes serious. For humidity, the level within the cage needs to be maintained. Remember, the Gecko is originally from the desert so they love heat and humidity. You could purchase a humidifier made specifically for this type of reptile, as well as place a heated rock inside the cage, giving your pet Gecko a nice place to relax.
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