Hey, I'm Lisa and I just joined yesterday. I'm desperate to get my first leopard gecko soon and I've done plenty research but I can't seem to find definite answers to a few things, can anyone tell me:

1. How long they usually live?
2. What the vet's bills are like?
3. Is it better to buy an adult or a baby and do the prices change depending on age?

Thanks guys

Hi,
Welcome to the forums.

Leos usually live for about 20 years.
I dont know about vets as ive never had to use them.
Its usually best to buy a baby as you can tame them easier and get to know them better.
Prices usually depend on what morph you want.

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If you buy a male, you could expect to have him twenty or thirty years; females, because they produce eggs, will have shorter lifespans because laying eggs is hard work (and they'll do it even if they aren't bred).

Vet bills can be anything from a quick checkup (phone your local vets and find out what a consultation costs - and MAKE SURE you have a local exotics vet because cat and dog vets might not even look at your gecko if there's a problem) to hundreds of pounds for surgery if you're very unlucky or don't keep your gecko in the right conditions. Having a male will reduce the "big risk" of an egg-bound gecko, since they don't get egg-bound.

I wouldn't recommend a very young baby if you've never had a lizard before - they're fragile, jumpy and prone to dropping their tails as little'uns. I would recommend a youngster, grown on a bit (three or four months old at least, and four to six inches nose to tailtip) who will have grown out of some of the normal baby nervousness. Adults, if they've been well handled, make fantastic pets - you don't need to "bond" them to you because a well-handled adult will be confident around people in general. An adult who hasn't been handled much will probably be jumpy and may bite.

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- Ssthisto





Lizards: 2.2 E. macularius, 1.2 H. caudicinctus, 1.0 R. ciliatus, 0.2.1 A. fragilis, 1.1 T. merianae, 1.0 V. niloticus ittibittius
Colubrids: 3.5.15 P. guttattus, 1.0 P. guttatus X E. climacophora, 1.1 P. o. rossalini, 1.0 P. o. lindheimeri, 0.1 E. anomala, 0.1 C. radiatus
1.2 Lamprophis spp, 1.0 L. g. nigritus, 0.1 L. g. californiae, 1.0 H. n. nasicus
Boids: 1.1 E. c. maurus, 0.1 E. conicus, 4.1.6 P. regius, 1.1 A. maculosa
We HAD a three-bedroom house... Current lodgers: 1.0 E. c. maurus, 1.1 E. c. loveridgei

Hi Lisa, Don't know much about Leopard Geckos but do about vets fees. I'd suggest either get your Gecko(s) insured through a company that specialises in reptiles or set up an account into which you can put a regular amount away for when disaster strikes or if you're lucky at the end of the day you'll have a nice little nest egg to buy more reps Vets fees can be very expensive and even more so for exotics. First on your list of to do's though, find a good exotics vet before you need them!

Be careful with exotics insurers (they all appear to be backed by Exotics Direct) - there's a list of exceptions they won't cover and some of them are NASTY on the basis of what's most likely to happen to your gecko. They won't cover things like egg binding, for example.

I'd advise putting money aside - or, if you can, set aside a credit card for reptile care. THEY won't "not pay" for a problem.

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- Ssthisto





Lizards: 2.2 E. macularius, 1.2 H. caudicinctus, 1.0 R. ciliatus, 0.2.1 A. fragilis, 1.1 T. merianae, 1.0 V. niloticus ittibittius
Colubrids: 3.5.15 P. guttattus, 1.0 P. guttatus X E. climacophora, 1.1 P. o. rossalini, 1.0 P. o. lindheimeri, 0.1 E. anomala, 0.1 C. radiatus
1.2 Lamprophis spp, 1.0 L. g. nigritus, 0.1 L. g. californiae, 1.0 H. n. nasicus
Boids: 1.1 E. c. maurus, 0.1 E. conicus, 4.1.6 P. regius, 1.1 A. maculosa
We HAD a three-bedroom house... Current lodgers: 1.0 E. c. maurus, 1.1 E. c. loveridgei

Thanks guys. I guess now I start saving my pennies and get landlord's permission (he's a lovely little old man, shouldn't be too hard).

I would suggest a sub-adult to adult size. Unlike cats and dogs they don't need to be handled or "tamed" down because as a rule of thumb they calm as they mature anyway.

As said, around 20 years for males and slightly less for females.

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