A question for leopard gecko owners...

[lizard_of_oz]

I am considering getting a few leopard geckos to put in the two 20 gallon long tanks that Sookie and Carina have outgrown.  In your opinion, which of these two, beardies or leos, are more quick to bite?  I've also read that leos shouldn't be handled a lot, and that they are more for show than anything. Some articles I've read said that leos have a gentle disposition, and some say that they are cranky.  Please tell me your experiences

[Thewolfmantom]

I have several leos, they get handled but not as much as a dragon. Being nocturnal I dont mess with them much. I have never seen any aggession.

[lizard_of_oz]

I noticed you had one female for sale, Tom.  Will you have any more for sale any time soon? I really like the lavender and tangerine morphs, although I'm having a really hard time finding the lavender.

[ladyknite]

I look at leos much the same as dragons.  once they acclimate to you, they're friendly.  but if they're not accustomed to people touching them and handling them, they can bite.  Not that it hurts.....

Personally, if i wanted to set up a 20 permanently.........I'd go with the gex.  A male in one tank, a couple of females in the other.

[lizard_of_oz]

Thanks Gina, my thoughts exactly on how to set up my tanks.  I did manage to find a breeder who sells the lavender morphs, but all he has is females for now. 

[ladyknite]

I think I might have a male..........i'll have to make sure.  he'd still only be around 5-6 months old tho.  But definately not a baby.

Buy your males carefully, and try to buy them older.

[lizard_of_oz]

That sounds good.  I don't mean to sound ignorant, but the advice to buy my males carefully,does that have to do with some being more aggressive than others?  I've seen some nasty bite pics from males on another forum.

[ladyknite]

no, it has nothing to do with aggression.  It has to do with the rate of incubation, and how some gecko morphs adapt better to that than others.  Buying a pretty young gecko would not give you a good idea of how they will look when they are older, and it also doesn't indicate how acclimated they are to humans.  At least with some older geckos you get that knowledge.  Babies can be so tempermental, to handle them would make them drop their tails.  Stress..........go figure.  A slightly older male (3-6 months) would still be young enough to get accustomed to you, yet old enough that if it had a problem, parasites, or eating issue you could see it immediately in most cases.

[lizard_of_oz]

So it would be better to go with a slightly older gecko than a baby?  I had no idea that if you purchased a lavender at a young age it may not stay that way.  Looks like I've got some research to do! Definitely before I get into breeding them.

[ladyknite]

So many babies hatch brown and yellow striped (sorta).  Yet they're not all the same morph.  Personally, I know what it's like to be disappointed when something turns out to look totally different than you expect.  it's not just the lavender, it's many morphs.  Simply because they look so similar as babies.  One wrong mark and they're easy to mix up.  Especially when we're raising some 200+ of them per season.  By the time they're around 3 months, they've got a somewhat solid hold on coloration.  By the time a couple more months pass, it's very apparent what he/she will look like as they age.
Last year i hatched a totally BLACK leopard.  By the time she was 6 months old......she appeared to be a super snow.  I really wanted that black.........it looked awesome.  lol........but no cigar.