5 February 2011

Perfect Pet for your Child


If your child has gotten to that age where they are desperate for a pet but you know they won't clean it out every week and you don't fancy doing it yourself! Why not get a Leopard Gecko?

These little lizards make great first pets and are far more interesting and exciting than a Hamster, and they don't smell either - bonus!! Here is a little information about the Leopard Gecko to clue you up.

Background
Leopard Geckos in the wild originate from Pakistan, Afghanistan and northwestern India. They are nocturnal which means they should be active mostly at night but during the day our geckos tend to be inquisitive and take a wander around their homes to see what's going on. They belong to the family Eublepharidae, which includes all geckos that have movable eyelids. Their scientific name is Eublepharis macularius, which translates to 'true eyelid spotted'.




Handling & Temperament
Once you have brought your new Leopard Gecko home it is best not to handle them until they have settled into their new environment. After this it is best to handle your gecko for a short period each day until they are accustomed to your touch. Never grab your gecko's tail. In the wild they drop their tails if a predator grabs it so they can escape without being eaten. Not to fear, the tail will grow back normally within 40 days but it may be a different shape!

Life Span
Leopard geckos can live for a very long time compared to some other lizards out there. On average you can expect your gecko to live from 6 to 10 years but it is not uncommon for them to live for up to 20 years!

Housing
For some great info on how to house your gecko, please visit http://www.leopardgecko.co.uk/documents/caresheet/housing.htm
They have a great section on how to house you gecko properly.




Food
Live foods are the only thing your Leopard Gecko will eat. They do not each plants or veg. So best to stick with crickets to start with, a good staple food for your gecko. These can be bought online and conveniently delivered to your door for a reasonable price. It is important to feed your crickets before you give them to your gecko so they are packed with nutrients and also to dust your crickets with calcium powder before feeding as Leopard Geckos need the calcium for healthy bone growth and development.

Cleaning
I have found that Leopard Geckos are one of the easiest lizards to keep clean. We keep our geckos on sand and when they do their poo it just hardens in the heat and has no smell so we scoop it out with a siv like tool and put it in the bin. Job done! We also siv the sand to remove any bits of crickets or moss that has escaped from their moist hide.

Well that's about it really, the only other thing that you need to know it that your Leopard Gecko will shed it's skin every few weeks or so and that you need to keep their moist hide moist so that they can shed their skin easily.

Hope that helped! If you need any more info please feel free to get in touch and I'll do my best to answer any questions you have.

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