Geckos are great! There are so many different kinds and they make for great pets if you do your research beforehand. This article lists some of the best pet geckos available, so you can make a choice that’s right for you.
Please note that this list is in no particular order as the best pet gecko for you is something subjective. We’ve just listed the most popular and easy to care for geckos available, along with some general information about them and their care.
Table of Contents
Leopard gecko
Size: Small-Medium (7-10 inches)
Care: Easy with proper research
Hardiness: Very hardy!
When looking at the best geckos to keep as pets, the leopard gecko is always featured in the top three. These geckos are one of the most popular pet reptiles there are and that’s one of the reasons why they’re great.
The fact that they are so common means that getting information about their care is a walk in the park. This, along with the fact that these geckos are relatively hardy and easy to care for make them one of the best geckos for first-time reptile keepers.
My first pet reptile was a leopard gecko and caring for them isn’t hard. They stay quite small and aren’t great when it comes to handling for long periods of time, but they do make for great display animals.
Leopard geckos don’t need a large enclosure but the more space they’re provided with the more you’ll be able to enjoy them moving around. These geckos are mostly active in the evenings and mornings, which also makes them perfect for people who are busy during the day.
Unlike most of the geckos on this list, leopard geckos aren’t able to scale vertical surfaces. They are bottom dwellers and are therefore much easier to keep inside their enclosure!
Leopard geckos aren’t very expensive to care for and they are easy to find. There are certain morphs that are more expensive but the morph you go for is a matter of choice. One downside to leopard geckos is that they do have the tendency to drop their tail easily.
This means that you need to take precautions to prevent anything in their terrarium from falling over and be careful when handling them. That being said, with good husbandry this isn’t a problem. If there is an accident and its tail does drop off, it will grow back and this doesn’t harm the animal long term.
All in all, leopard geckos are one of the best pet geckos available, and a great one to start this list off with.
Crested gecko
Size: Small-Medium (7-9 inches)
Care: Relatively easy with proper research
Hardiness: Hardy
Crested geckos are another one that couldn’t be left off this list of the best pet geckos. Unlike the leopard gecko, crested geckos are arboreal and love to climb. As you’d expect from a gecko, this species does possess the suction cup feet, making them an interesting animal to watch.
Just like the leopard gecko, these animals come in a range of different morphs and colors and are a beautiful animal to look at. They also come with strange-looking eyelashes which is one of the unique features that this gecko species possesses.
Did you know? :
Crested geckos used to be on the extinct species list! Since they had been rediscovered, various captive breeding programs have made this species
When it comes to their care, crested geckos aren’t all too difficult. There is a lot of information available online and they are a lot of fun to care for. You can stick to a reasonably small enclosure too which prevent your new pet taking up too much space.
As with leopard geckos, these geckos can drop their tail. They are much more likely to drop their tail than leopard geckos, and they do not grow their tails back. Even with proper husbandry, a crested gecko can still drop its tail.
African fat-tailed gecko
Size: Small-Medium (7-9 inches)
Care: Easy with proper research
Hardiness: Very hardy!
The African fat-tailed gecko is often featured right next to the leopard gecko on lists on the best geckos to keep as pets. Their care and behavior is a lot like that of leopard geckos and they come with a lot of the same advantages and disadvantages.
Finding information on their care is easy and this makes them a very accessible species for less experienced keepers. They are also hardy geckos which means they are slightly more forgiving than some of the less hardy species on this list.
The African fat-tailed gecko can drop its tail just as with a leopard gecko, and also comes in many different morphs. There are a lot of people who have trouble telling the leopard gecko and the African fat-tailed gecko apart which just goes to show the similarity between these two animals.
They don’t need a very large enclosure and are the perfect pet for people with less space. They are relatively inexpensive to care for and are easy to find in most areas. Whereas leopard geckos are a little more common, you still shouldn’t have a problem finding an African fat-tailed gecko breeder nearby.
Tokay gecko
Size: Large (Up to 15 inches)
Care: Relatively easy with proper research
Hardiness: Relatively hardy
Next is the tokay gecko, and it might just be the most beautiful gecko on this list. It comes in many different extravagant colors and is a contender for the most aesthetic reptile in the world!
Along with its impressive patterns, this is also one of the largest gecko species in the world. This makes them a treat to watch but also comes with a few disadvantages.
The main negative trait that you’ll hear often about these geckos is that they like to bite and that they bite hard. These geckos have one of the most painful bites of all geckos which can make handling a little more stressful.
There are still a lot of wild-caught tokay geckos being sold which is not only bad for wild populations but also results in grumpy pets. Grumpy and a strong bite force isn’t the best combination when it comes to reptiles.
That being said, if you manage to find a captive-born animal, it’s much easier to get them used to handling. You may get a few bites when they are still getting used to you, but they should learn quickly that you’re no threat.
Did you know: Tokay geckos can make crazy noises! Check out this youtube video that shows some of the crazy noises that tokay geckos make!
(Even though their bite is strong, it is not harmful to humans. It just hurts and you might bleed a little)
These geckos are quite the escape artists, so getting an enclosure that closes off completely is paramount. They can scale vertical surfaces so there’s no place inside their terrarium where they can’t get to.
They also need a slightly larger terrarium than the previous geckos due to their size. There care isn’t too challenging and there’s a lot of information available online. Purchasing and caring for a tokay gecko isn’t that expensive either.
Gargoyle gecko
Size: Small (7-8 inches)
Care: Doable with thorough research
Hardiness: Ok – More sensitive than most geckos
The gargoyle gecko is another lizard that’s often named on lists of the best pet gecko. It’s hardiness and general calm temperament make for it to be a great pet gecko to own.
Just as other geckos, they can drop their tail if they feel threatened, or too much pressure is applied to it. This makes them somewhat sensitive when it comes to handling, but the tail does grow back if this does happen.
Apart from tail-dropping, they are great for handling and have a calm temperament that allows you to enjoy your time with the animal.
One downside to gargoyle geckos is that they need daily care, including things like misting, feeding, cleaning and general maintenance. This makes them slightly less desirable by people with busy schedules.
They have a good feeding response which makes them a breeze to feed, and they eat small insects which are relatively inexpensive compared to some of the larger pet reptiles available on the market.
All of this being said, they are less forgiving when it comes to husbandry mistakes compared to other pet geckos. This makes them less ideal for first-time or less experienced reptile keepers. They are also more of a challenge to find which can drive up the price.
Giant new Caladonian gecko (leachianus gecko)
Size: HUGE! (14-17 inches!)
Care: Doable with proper research
Hardiness: Relatively hardy
If you’re looking for one of the best large pet geckos, then the Leachianus gecko (also called the leachie) is a great gecko for you. It’s actually the largest gecko in the world, reaching sizes upwards of 17 inches in some cases.
Their size, as with other reptiles, comes with some disadvantages. Even though the size is impressive and they make for a fantastic display animal, they have a tremendous bite force which can be painful. Luckily, they don’t have as much tendency to bite as the tokay gecko does, and they have a calmer demeanor about them in most cases.
These geckos actually make noise too! This can be seen on this youtube video and can be heard when they feel threatened.
These geckos are not easy to find and can get very expensive to purchase. That being said, they aren’t all too expensive to maintain. Sure, feeding and enclosure size will cost a little more than other geckos, but it’s still within reason for most owners.
They are also relatively hardy geckos making them accessible to most people with some experience keeping reptiles. All-in-all, if you’re looking for a great large pet gecko, the leachie may just be the perfect option for you!
Giant day gecko
Size: Large (around 12 inches)
Care: Ok with proper research
Hardiness: Less hardy than other geckos on this list.
Giant day geckos are a little different to the others on this list. They make great pets but are terrible for handling. They are extremely fast, delicate and will almost certainly escape if given the chance due to their impressive climbing skills and fast speed.
That being said, they are extremely beautiful geckos and are diurnal meaning they are active during the day. This makes them extremely desirable as display animals and the perfect addition to any space you can watch them during the day.
Their sensitivity is not just limited to dropping their tail, but they can actually drop patches of their skin too which is one of the reasons it’s best to keep handling to a minimum. They are fairly large geckos that love to climb, making them a perfect animal to watch and study.
As with the gargoyle gecko, they do require daily maintenance to provide proper husbandry. However, the maintenance is relatively straight forward, and they aren’t all too difficult to care for. This makes them even more desirable amongst budding reptile owners.
Conclusion
Geckos are some of the best pets you can get. They don’t need very much space and are beautiful display animals. We hope that this article has helped you find the best pet gecko for your situation, and has shown you some of the variety that is possible.
If there’s anything you feel we’ve missed or you have any questions, please feel free to leave a comment or shoot us a message. We’re always looking to improve our resources and help fellow reptile fanatics out!
