When it comes to selecting a leopard gecko to take home, the choice can be tough. There are a few things you need to keep in mind when choosing a leopard gecko though.
In this article, I’m going to cover how to choose a leopard gecko, what a leopard gecko costs and where to buy a leopard gecko from.
Table of Contents
How to buy a leopard gecko
You walk to the pet store, or go online and purchase it… Only joking! I know that there are a lot of things that you think of when thinking about how to buy a leopard gecko.
You’re obviously not literally talking about how to buy one, you want to know where to buy a leopard gecko and how to choose the right leopard gecko for you!
There are a few questions you need to ask yourself before we continue with this article. These are:
- Do I want a normal leopard gecko or a unique/rare morph?
- Do I have the room and budget for a leopard gecko?
- Am I ok with feeding the leopard gecko live insects?
- Can I take on the responsibility of caring for a pet reptile?
- Do I have all the information and knowledge I need to care for a leopard gecko?
- Is it even legal to own pet reptiles in my country?
- Are there any leopard gecko breeders or pet stores nearby that sell leopard geckos?
After you’ve answered these questions you should be clear about your decision to go and buy a leopard gecko.
Remember to always do thorough research before buying a pet reptile. Our leopard gecko care sheet is a good place to start!
Now for the first part of this guide on how to choose a leopard gecko: Where to buy them!
Where to buy a leopard gecko
You have a few different options, but the best one is certainly a breeder or a specialized reptile store that breeds them on location.
Leopard geckos that are bought from a breeder tend to be in much better condition and you know the history much better. Pet stores are generalists and not an ideal place to buy animals like a leopard gecko.
Obviously, reptile stores are an exception to this rule, since they often work in the same way as breeders do.
There’s almost certainly a breeder relatively near you as leopard geckos are very popular pets to own and breed.
Leopard gecko price
When it comes to a leopard geckos price, more doesn’t always equal better. The price that you pay for a leopard gecko is based on the morph.
Morph basically means the pattern it has. As with most animals, albinos and rare color pigmentations can fetch a hefty sum. This is why most people who aren’t diehard enthusiasts will go with “normal” leopard geckos.
I’ve seen leopard geckos going in the US for $20 but have also seen them go for $100. IT really depends on the supply in your area and the demand. Don’t look too much at the price you are paying as it doesn’t indicate the health of the animal in any way.
Choosing a leopard gecko
What to keep in mind when buying a leopard gecko… This is a question that is often asked.
The main priority when choosing a leopard gecko, is the health of your new pet.
If you’re looking for a juvenile, then you should look for babies that are around 4-inches long. If it’s your first time keeping a leopard gecko as a pet, then go with one that’s a little more mature. This will ensure the leopard gecko is less susceptible to problems than the very young ones.
That begin said, there are also many orphaned (or almost-orphaned) leopard geckos online. On sites like craigslist there are loads of people offering their pets up for sale, or even giving them away.
Unfortunately, the future doesn’t look very bright for these animals. Who knows what they will do with their pet if no one wants to take them in.
Luckily, taking in other peoples leopard gecko’s usually isn’t too much of a problem. As long as you make sure that the leo is healthy then it can even save on your costs of buying all the equipment if they are selling this with it.
Leopard geckos don’t provide the problems that cats and dogs do, as behaviour isn’t as much of an issue. Leopard geckos aren’t meant to be constantly handled, so as long as they tolerate it for cleaning and shedding, then there’s really no difference!
Less-conventional options
- Older leopard geckos
Some breeders nearby may sell (or even give away) old breeding animals. This can be a great way of giving the animal a great place to retire as well as getting used to keeping leopard geckos!
Selecting a healthy leopard gecko
Now that you have made up your mind on where to buy and what kind of leopard gecko to buy, you need to make sure the leopard gecko you choose is healthy.
There are a few different things you should keep an eye on when visiting breeders or pet-owners.
- Does it look healthy?
This may sound like a dumb one, but an animal that looks healthy, is healthy more often than not. Is it the right size and weight? Does it look fat, skinny or just right? Is there anything that looks off that I may need to check?
- Limbs!
When choosing a leopard gecko, always check to see if it has all of its toes. If it’s missing toes then this can be a sign of shedding problems, or other problems for that matter.
- Does the jaw and mouth look normal?
Is the jaw shaped normally? Does it have any ulcers or discharge coming from it?
- Check to see what the faeces looks like
Leopard gecko feces should be black, white and pellet shaped. Anything wet or with different coloration could be a sign of health issues.
- Look at the limb and body sizes
Are the eyes normal sized? Is the tail a normal size? Is it clean?
You can also check the weight of the leo as well as have a look at the conditions the leopard gecko is kept in. If there are other insects, take a look at how they are being kept.
Sometimes someone may make everything look nice, but if they aren’t caring for their other animals properly, it will be a wonder if their leopard geckos are being cared for in the proper fashion.
By looking at these things you can get an idea into the health of the leopard gecko you are about to buy. This should prevent you from making a bad decision and ending up with an unhealthy gecko.
Choosing a leopard gecko FAQ’s:
How many leopard geckos should I buy?
In general, one. You can house multiple females together in a large enough enclosure, but leopard geckos fair extremely well on their own too! There is no need to get multiple geckos as they don’t get lonely.
Should I choose a male or female leopard gecko?
This really doesn’t matter if you’re looking for a pet as both male and female leopard geckos make great pets. There are a few things to be aware of though.
First is that you can never keep multiple males together, so keep this in mind. Second is that if you are looking to breed them in the future, you only need 1 male for many females.
Also, males tend to live substantially longer than female leopard geckos! This may be another reason to go for one over the other.
Conclusion
As you can see, a lot more goes into buying a leopard gecko than you first think. We hope that this article helps you to find a healthy leopard gecko. If there is anything that you feel is missing from this article, we’d love to hear from you as we are always looking to improve the recourses we offer!
