Bearded Dragon or Leopard Gecko?

[Trackstrong83]

Hey everybody, I know I'm usually posting about Ball python questions but something recently has sparked my interest in getting a lizard.

A little background of my scenario;
-I live in an apartment so the cage can't be that huge
-I work at a pet store and I know the basic care of each, and price isn't much of a factor since I get a huge discount on everything.


Bearded Dragon VS Leopard Gecko
-What are pros and cons of each??
- Are both of them good with handling?
-Which one do YOU think would make the best pet?

Any basic information/opinions about the two would be greatly appreciated

[lizlopez]

Hey everybody, I know I'm usually posting about Ball python questions but something recently has sparked my interest in getting a lizard.

A little background of my scenario;
-I live in an apartment so the cage can't be that huge
-I work at a pet store and I know the basic care of each, and price isn't much of a factor since I get a huge discount on everything.


Bearded Dragon VS Leopard Gecko
-What are pros and cons of each??
- Are both of them good with handling?
-Which one do YOU think would make the best pet?

Any basic information/opinions about the two would be greatly appreciated

Love my son's leopard gecko sweet girl and very easy to deal with. My son got her as a gift when he was 6 and she was a very small juv. they have been great together and at age 9 he still prefers to do his homework with her sitting on his lap. Cage requirements are smaller for them and they need no UV lighting just heat very easy to keep. Go with the leopard gecko

[Trackstrong83]

Okay thank you

So leopard geckos are much easier to care for, correct?

[aldebono]

I know you asked for personal opinion, but I think you need to do a lot more research for yourself before you get either.

http://www.beardeddragon.org/ is a very informative site for beardie enthusiasts.

Both will need a vitamin and calcium supplement. In the dart frog hobby, we get new supplements every 6 months as when the powder is exposed to air, it breaks down and is pretty useless after 6 months.

With bearded dragons, UVB lighting is still being developed. Some MAY have damaging effects to your dragons eyes and people prefer to use the florescent reptisun 10.0 instead of spiral bulbs.

http://www.petmountain.com/product/r...-uvb-bulb.html

[whispersinmyhead]

Leopard geckos
Pros: Easier to care for but like any animal need proper enclosure and heat. They don't eat a ton and are very affordable to feed. They only eat crickets but a few every day. Pretty easy to handle. Light requirements are minimal just 12-14 hour schedule to maintain day/night cycle. Tiny dry poops (big plus compared to a beardie)
Cons: A little skittish and they spend a lot of time hiding during the day. Tolerate handling but generally try to take off.

Bearded dragons
Pros: More substantial size (more impressive). They seem to enjoy human handling for extended periods of time. They are up all day basking or exploring. Pretty easy to care for once you have their proper setup. They are a blast to watch eat. They have can have quite a bit of personality. Ours loved hanging out on me watching a movie or just exploring the main floor of the house (supervised of course).

Cons: Need a larger cage (4'x2'x2' is ideal for adult). UV lighting needed (Reptisun 10.0 fluorescent tube changed every 6 months). They eat a lot. When ours was a juvie it was going through almost 2000 crickets a month. As an adult they eat more greens and I went through around 1000 crickets every 3-4 weeks. The cricket keeping is a con but not terrible. With this many crickets you want to keep a clean bin or the smell will get out of hand fast. I didn't have a problem as long as the bin was cleaned every 2-3 weeks. Poops are messier but not bad. I used tile substrate and it made for easy cleanup and kept the nails filed down so clipping/trimming wasn't necessary.

Personally I really enjoyed having a beardie. Ours was a beautiful 22.5" male with some nice orange and yellow color. Unfortunately passed due to a tumor on his head (apparently it is rare for them to get tumors). We still have out gecko and love him to death as well but what stopped me (barely) from immediately getting another beardie was the crickets. They are not too expensive but enough. Our new edition Gella is a female ball python that took over that enclosure. I love beardies but love ball pythons more.

You really can't go wrong with either one and in the end it comes down to what you are looking for in a pet. IMO Easier and a little less maintenance = leo. More rewarding and fun = beardie.

IMO best pet all things consdered = Ball Python.

Sorry for the long post hope it helps you decide.

Jim

[The Serpent Merchant]

Most everything I was going to say has been covered so I'll just say that I love my little bearded dragon, and that she absolutely craves attention.

[whispersinmyhead]

I second the link for www.beardeddragon.org

That site is excellent. Check out "Podunks" caresheet. Very good place to go for info and help.