TheBoy has decided that he wants a gecko. Now, he's eight years old. He has the capacity for responsibility common to eight year old boys (read: none). All evidence points to geckoes being on the harder side to care for; however some species of geckoes are easier than others.
With that said, anyone have any thoughts/hints as to what kind of gecko would be appropriate for an eight year old boy? I'm allergic to animal dander (not the fur) so we're pretty much limited to the reptile and ichthyoid families for pets. I know that there are reptile owners out there in blogland, so any assistance would be greatly appreciated.
And no, we're not going to use it to sell insurance...
That is all.
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9 comments:
Leopard geckos are about the easiest gecko to maintain. They have their problems, but aren't too bad. I kept anoles at about his age and they did pretty well.
Tokay geckos are robust, but basically are bad tempers with mouths. And they call a lot at night.
Dunno about geckos, but when I was 10 I had an iguana...
Pretty easy to care for, but they're smelly bastards.
+1 on the American Anoles. They're cheap, easy, friendly, and if The Boy wants to upgrade, many of the things you'll get for Anoles will work for other reptile species. (Might be worthwhile to buy a bigger aquarium...or a cheap plastic one so you can upgrade more easily down the road)
Also for something bigger but still relatively easy to care for there's the Bearded Dragon which is a REALLY cool critter.
Certainly with the high-energy and curious nature of The Boy I suspect he'd be much more interested in a reptile he can handle and is relatively friendly.
I could be wrong, having never raised them, but from what I gather many Geckos are generally nice to look at, but don't make good "Pets" in the "Hey let's play with the lizard" sort-of-way.
Also I had a turtle for a number (18 if I counted correctly) of years, starting when I was younger The Boy, they're easy so long as you don't mind committing to dumping smelly water out once a week and building a habitat for it. Overall they're pretty friendly and easy, and they live as long as most dogs and cats.
My daughters have a bearded dragon. They are able to hold it and carry it around. Fairly easy to care for. They are not real "fragile" like some of the geckos.
We have ten living on the back porch and seven on the front. Wild here, so no care required.
+1 on the bearded dragon, if you have to have a mini-dinosaur around.
Whatever you get, go cheap, and when it dies you won't be out a case of ammo.
Leopard geckos are pretty awesome. If you're buying from a pet store, make sure you only buy one to start - they're not sexed yet, and two males in a tank can be a big issue. I got lucky - one of my males is a bully, but the other one is a pushover, so there's no fighting. I did have to separate the females, though, because neither one was eating when they lived together.
You can't really tell the sex of a gecko until about 10 months, when they either grow balls or start laying eggs...heh.
The diet required: some crickets, mainly mealworms (no longer than the lizard's head), and calcium powder to "shake n'bake" the insect in before you feed. If The Boy wants some interaction, a good way to get it is to feed the gecko with a pair of long feeding tweezers (available at the pet store)...watching them grab the worm or cricket is pretty entertaining. The adults can also be held pretty easily, as long as they know you.
Contrary to what several sources have said, I've never had problems with sand as a substrate, and it's really easy to clean - you get a sifter and clean out the dried poo from the corner once a week (they always poop in the same spot). They need a water bowl for drinking, and a larger water area for soaking. They need a covered area in the warm area of their cage (about 80*F) and in the cool area of their cage (no less than 70*F). A UV bulb during the day, with the light turned on and off at regular intervals...and they don't make a lot of noise.
I had an anole when I was 11 - it lived for almost a year, which was apparently a big deal, especially since I had no clue what I was doing when I received it. They'd be a great "tester" lizard to see if The Boy really enjoys it and is responsible enough. If he does (and is), you can try the gecko - but a leopard gecko can live for 20 years, so make sure you REALLY want one before you buy it.
I'd be more than happy to help you guys out - you can email me (squeaky.wheel.seeks.grease at the gmail) with any questions. :-)
I'm gonna add my endorsement to the beardy. We had one that was crippled: even missing most appendages, he was still able to cruise around like nobody's business.
Either way, you CAN raise crickets for feeding yourself. And that's where the real smell comes from...
Dad and I raised crickets when I kept a small desert Iguana.
Let's just say the house was filled with cricket song long after the Iguana had died.
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