It is a good idea to start with a good beginner gecko like a leopard gecko before taking on breeding (I see you have concerns about here). Beardies are not bad for beginner lizards either, although they demand more care than leopards (eat greens also, keep on sand - extra work for a beginner to keep clean). Beardies also have a much shorter lifespan than leopards (about 8-10yrs vs. up to 30 years in leopards). I have set up a lot of eight year olds with leopards, also mature six and seven year olds, and they can do the whole care regimen by themselves in a short period of time. I say that to my adult customers to give them an idea of the simplicity of leopard gecko care.
There certainly are other geckos that are good beginner material if you are willing to let go of the handling requirement. I usually recommend larger Day Geckos for those who want a more active and colorful gecko. Phelsuma madagascariensis grandis (big green gecko with red markings, tropical) or Phelsuma standingi (big blue gecko, drier environment than grandis) are those geckos. These geckos are day active, as the name implies, and live in a vertically oriented terrarium. That's just for starters, there are a bunch of good beginner geckos if you can resist picking them up as a habit. ;)
There are rules about how many geckos can live in a set-up and who can live in pairs or trios. These rules depend on the specific type of gecko. Leopards are nice because most females get along and you can get two for more interesting interactions you would not see in one by itself.
Who should you believe? Gecko websites are a dime a dozen, and generally you get what you pay for. If I was a beginner again I would seek a breeder who has been breeding a minimum of three years with plenty of babies to show for it. One to two years of successful breeding can occur with many wrong conditions. Usually these wrong conditions will eventually catch up with the breeding program. The longer they have been in business the better, and don't be afraid to ask for references. Folks who have been breeding a long time successfully know what works.
Also look for health guarantees and good care sheets with the gecko. A good care sheet clearly outlines what you need to have for terrarium set-up, conditions, and exactly what to feed and how often. It also has the correct scientific name along with the common name. This is really key - without the correct scientific name you really do not know what you have, and probably the seller does not know either. In that case, how was the gecko kept before you got them? In this situation the seller is usually just guessing. This is often the case with wild caught geckos, which as a beginner you should avoid. Beginners should always start with captive bred.
Hope this helps!
Julie Bergman www.geckoranch.com GGA lifetime member
Emma Lomax wrote:
Hmm thanks for that. Still got a lot to mull over methinks... Not sure I want to be over run with hundreds of baby bibrons at my first attempt!!! Do you know whether bibrons particularly mind being kept alone or as female-female pairs? What other geckos/lizards do you have experience with? I got a little excited about the idea of keeping a bearded dragon a while back -i know theyre meant to be quite easy and affectionate but i kept reading about people who had converted their houses to accommodate them... not sure my house mates would appreciate me doing that!! I've come to my senses on that one... maybe someday tho!!
From: "maleldil" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: Re: [gecko]Leopard vs Bibrons Date: Thu, 4 Mar 2004 09:05:33 -0500
Bibrons geckos are not hard to take care of. And once they start breeding,
they never stop. You will end up with more bibrons than you'll know what to
do with.
The gecko to choose will depend on whether you want a pet to handle or an
animal to look at. Bibrons geckos do not like being handled and will bite.
They are quite mean, both to you and to each other. My male has recently
snapped off the end of a female's tail and they have drawn blood on my
fingers a few times.
But don't be discouraged because generally, they are a nice gecko - to look
at. If you happen to have a breeding pair/group, they are very vocal and in
the mid to late evening they will chirp and squeak.
As for care, I also used to follow the online care sheets but gave up on
them. I don't agree with much of what is written there. For a trio, I use a
24" glass tank that is 18" high, with a screen top. I keep them on dry sand
because I find the female likes to bury eggs in it. I don't monitor the
temperature but it is somewhere in the mid to high 80s in the day and low
80s to high 70s at night. Heating is by a heat pad and by a day time basking
lamp.
I have two lengths of driftwood for them to climb on and a small plastic
cave which is where they spend most of the day sleeping. I also have some
silk-screen plant leaves for colour and to retain moisture.
I mist them twice a week. I feed them large crickets every other day. It's
not much harder than that.
Despite all that, you can still keep them on paper towels with a few thick
sticks to climb on and a cave, the female will then "bury" her eggs under
the paper towel. Be careful here because those eggs might be stuck to
whatever is under the towel.
They lay about 4-6 clutches a season consisting of 2 eggs. The eggs are
sticky all over so they will be covered in immovable sand when you collect
them. The female does the regular bury and hide, typical of desert geckos.
Incubate at low 80s and the eggs will hatch in just under 60 days.
Alternatively, you can put the eggs in a dark container, put them in a warm
cupboard and they will still hatch. It just takes a little longer.
The babys eat a lot of anything you put in there. They are fast and I lose
them a lot (don't worry, I find them again but it's hard).
Good luck with your choice. I've never had a leo but I think handling leos
is easier than handling bibrons but breeding and raising bibrons is easier
since you really don't have to do anything.
Mike
----- Original Message ----- From: "Emma Lomax" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Thursday, March 04, 2004 8:28 AM Subject: [gecko]Leopard vs Bibrons
> G'day!
>
> I'm a complete beginner when it come to keeping reptiles and i've been
> planning to start keeping leopard geckos for gawd knows how long-cant
> actually until i move out of my current house. I know leopard geckos are
> meant to be the easiest for beginners but i've become really stuck on the
> idea of getting Bibrons geckos instead... Is this too ambitious? I've
heard
> they're trickier to look after and i cant find an awful lot on caring for
> them on the internet. I think know the basics but does any body have any
> tips or know of any books/referances on the bribrons(i already have many
on
> leopards)? So many of the web sites contradict each other- i dunno who to
> listen to!!
>
> Thanks
>
> Emma
>
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