My first leopard gecko as a first time gecko owner

I remember the first day I bought my first leopard gecko. It was December 26, 2011. I had been wanting to buy one forever.

My First Gecko Story

I did so much research on them because I found these lizards so fascinating. First, I researched crested geckos and found out that they were a little harder to take care of than leopard geckos. Tokay geckos didn’t appeal to me because they were kind of ill tempered. Meaning that whenever you put food in or showed them your hand they almost wanted to fight you. Tokay geckos are the most aggressive gecko.

I remember watching YouTube video after video and just became completely obsessed with them. There were so many morphs. I seriously probably read 40 articles on them online. They had this cute little “I don’t care about the world attitude.”  Maybe Geico sold me completely on them. Still to this day I don’t specifically know why I was drawn to them. But, I was and it really is one of the best pets I have ever owned in my life.

Leopard geckos did appeal to me because from what I had heard they were insanely docile and really didn’t require a lot of care. I certainly didn’t want a lizard that was always going to bite me. Or a reptile that I had to stress about if they got out of the cage. It just seemed like a perfect fit for me.

Sly coming out of her coconut hide.

So, here I was thinking I knew everything about leopard geckos. I bought Sly, my first leo, from a local pet shop. She was so tiny and cute. I called my mother over and told her I bought a lizard. At first, she was kind of like – why? I was like – because they are cool!

She came over and I attempted to show her my new leo. Sly was hiding in her coconut. She didn’t come out one time my mother was there. Instead she was sleeping in her tank probably trying to catch up on some sleep. I would remove the coconut and she would wave her tail and run to the next hide.

When I think about it now, it was probably a really scary situation for her.

Are Leopard Geckos Hard To Take Care Of?

No, they are not at all hard to care for. Of course there are some rules, and some things you need to learn. But once you’ve got their ideal tank set up sorted then it’s just about getting to know them.

I tend to use paper towels for my substrate, or newspaper, for the first 2-3 weeks. What you’re going to be doing is monitoring its poop to make sure it is not runny. It’s a good rule of thumb that if your gecko is pooping then it’s eating!

At night you can use a squirt bottle and ‘mist’ their tank. This is to keep the humidity higher than normal, which geckos need. Geckos love to lick water off the terrarium walls. You can feed them 3-4 small mealworms a day (dusted with calcium powder).

So When Can You Pick Up a Leopard Gecko?

The first thing you’re going to want to do is hold your new gecko. But, you need to observe them to see what they’re doing. Holding a leopard gecko actually stresses the reptile out.

So for the first two to three weeks I just like to let my leopard gecko get used to their new habitat. You probably won’t see them much at first. They are going to be very scared (wouldn’t you be too, at first?).

How To Pick Up a Leopard Gecko

The important thing here is to take your time. If they’re not ready yet, that’s OK. 🙂

Slowly put your hand in the terrarium and see how your leopard gecko reacts. Don’t be worried if they don’t show much interest at first. In fact, they’ll probably just run to their hide. After 2-3 weeks of this they might crawl up to your hand.

Naturally they are very afraid because they are so low on the food chain. They have to make sure you are not a predator before trusting you. It just takes time, but your gecko will eventually get used to your hand reaching inside the terrarium.

Once your leopard gecko starts crawling up to your hand you can pick them up. I would not pick them up from the top because that is how a bird would attack them. Instead put your hand in front of them and gently touch their tail so that they will crawl forward onto your hand. Lift up your hand slowly and just let the gecko crawl on your hands. For the first 2-3 weeks (sometimes longer) I would only handle them for just 5-10 minutes a day.

TIP 1: Make sure you keep your hands inside the terrarium while doing this because baby geckos are very hard to catch when out of their cage.

TIP 2: Remember that you can’t pick up a leopard gecko by it’s tail because their tail can detach.  Just in case you’re wondering the tail does grow back, but it will look kind of messed up.

Once 2 weeks pass you can begin taking your leopard gecko out of their cage. But still handle them over a large plastic box while you let them crawl on your hands. This just means letting the gecko go from hand to hand. It’s very important that you have a box under them so if the gecko gets frightened they will just jump into the box and you won’t be trying to hunt down a gecko under the furniture (here’s some tips on finding an escaped leopard gecko)!

Enjoy The Journey

Provided you have read the leopard gecko caresheet and are taking proper care of your new gecko you’ll be fine. Remember that it’s a very slow process to get your leopard gecko to trust you, but in time they’ll have no problem sleeping on you for hours and hours.

Then you will have 15 or so years to enjoy their company, show them to your friends, and watch them do their thing.

A Few Questions I Got

How long does it take for a leopard gecko to get used to you?

It’s a bit like making a new friend at school. Some folks might warm up to you right away, while others might take a little longer. In the case of leopard geckos, it usually takes about two to three weeks for them to get comfy in their new digs and start feeling at ease with you. Just remember, patience is key!

How to look after a gecko at home?

Looking after a gecko at home is a piece of cake once you get the hang of it! First off, you’ll want to set up a cozy tank for your new buddy. Use paper towels or newspaper for the first few weeks. This helps you keep an eye on their poop to make sure they’re eating right. Speaking of eating, feed them 3-4 small mealworms a day, dusted with a bit of calcium powder. Don’t forget to mist their tank at night to keep the humidity up.

Are leopard geckos smart?

Oh, you bet they are! Leopard geckos might not be able to do your math homework, but they’re pretty sharp in their own way. They can recognize their owners, understand when it’s feeding time, and even navigate their way around their tank. So, while they might not be joining the chess club anytime soon, they’re definitely not just pretty faces. They do have pretty faces too though. 🙂

Can you hold a leopard gecko?

Absolutely, you can hold a leopard gecko, but there’s a bit of a catch. When they first move in, they need a couple of weeks to settle in. It’s like when you start at a new school, you wouldn’t want everyone crowding around you on day one, right? After a couple of weeks, you can start to slowly introduce your hand into their tank. Once they’re used to your hand, they’ll even start to crawl onto it. Just remember, no sudden moves and definitely don’t pick them up by the tail!