Ottakee Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 My 17dd really wants a Gecko. 18dd was a bearded dragon which she has taken excellent care of since she got it 18 months ago when it was very young. How hard are Geckos to care for? Do they tolerate/enjoy being held and played with a great deal? Our bearded dragon is out of her cage and being held for several hours a day. Anything to look for when buying one if we do go with it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheApprentice Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 Gecko's are not really hands-on type of pet. They move extremely fast, and are difficult to catch. My neighbor had a gecko that escaped, her husband was out of town, and she asked my husband to come help her catch. It got caught, but it was very difficult. I've taken care of it a few times their family was on vacation, and just opening the catch to change the water can be risky. They are basically just pets to look at and admire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Library Momma Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 We had a Florida Scrub Lizard which is very similar. It was cute but keeping crickets on hand for it to eat was a pain. It wasn't really a pet you could hold or play with in any way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slache Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 They can live to be 20 years old, so no, you don't want one. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted February 10, 2014 Author Share Posted February 10, 2014 Thanks. She saw one/held one at school the other day. The very fast, escape, not being held thing would be a deal breaker. They hold our bearded dragon all of the time Maybe we get another one of those. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Um_2_4 Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 How about a russian box tortoise. We've had one 5 years and she eats out of our hand, follows us, is very tame. We have it set up so she can roam our backyard some (but we live in CA, so if you are in a cold climate, she would need to come inside in winter.) Oh and no bugs, just veges to feed her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FaithManor Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 We have a gecko. They are easy to keep, but yes, they can live a long time. So, be prepared to re-home it if your kids grow up, can't take it, and you don't want to care for it anymore. DD had one, went off to college so passed it on to middle ds, ds will keep it until he graduates (2.5 years), will revert custody back to dd and her hubby who will be in a place to keep it, and then hopefully it will stay put with them. We will have a tree frog to re-home if ds can't take it with him to college. He's going to be a biology major and has high hopes they'll let it stay in his room since well, this is not the kind of creature that causes the slightest problems ever, or become a part of the college amphibian menagerie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoot Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 Honestly, it depends on the type of gecko. There are a ZILLION different gecko species. We have an incredibly friendly leopard gecko. She loves to come out of her enclosure and be held. She will sit on my lap and snuggle down in the folds of my blanket while I'm watching tv. A friend of mine's 4th grade son saw my girl and fell in love. He wanted one for Christmas so my friend and I went to a reptile show where I helped her pick out a really calm one. She is just as calm and loving as my leopard gecko and is held frequently by her young owner. If you are hesitant, find a breeder and buy one that isn't quite so young. Babies are very jumpy and can get loose in the blink of an eye. If you get an older one that is used to being handled a bit you shouldn't have any problems. I have a bearded dragon, leopard gecko, and iguana and, while I love all three to pieces, the gecko is by far the easiest of the three to maintain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gaillardia Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 Ds had a gecko, it escaped; after not seeing it for more than a week, two, a month, etc. we assumed it dead. A year later my dh caught it in the living room, not knowing what he was catching because it was so fast and was sneaking around out in the early morning. It died within two weeks. I suppose it was doing fine catching spiders and whatever else could be found to keep him alive all that time, and that was in Maryland. I love geckos. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoot Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 How about a russian box tortoise. We've had one 5 years and she eats out of our hand, follows us, is very tame. We have it set up so she can roam our backyard some (but we live in CA, so if you are in a cold climate, she would need to come inside in winter.) Oh and no bugs, just veges to feed her. I have a Russian, too. To the OP, if you consider a Russian Tortoise, just be sure you are prepared to give it a LOT of space. I have a 3x6 ft. indoor enclosure for when he absolutely HAS to be indoors, and that is a little small, in my opinion. Outside, he has a 3x21 ft. enclosure and, again, we still let him out frequently to roam the yard because that can be a little small at times. They are VERY active, can dig and many are reported to climb freakishly well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 I had one when I was a kid and he wasn't much fun. If I was getting another one, I would want the talking kind of gecko like the one in the Geico commercials. That would be cool. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slache Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 If I was getting another one, I would want the talking kind of gecko like the one in the Geico commercials. That would be cool. ;) You could teach it to clean your floor boards and mop. That would be a good investment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 You could teach it to clean your floor boards and mop. That would be a good investment. I would pay a lot of money for one of those. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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