Leopard gecko or crested gecko? Choosing your first gecko

The leopard gecko in brief

• Where it comes from: dry, rocky scrubland in parts of South Asia and the Middle East.
• Lifestyle: ground-dwelling and mostly active at dusk and through the night. It does not climb glass because it has no sticky toe pads.
• Eyelids: it has proper movable eyelids and blinks, which many owners find endearing.
• Diet: live insects only. If you are squeamish about crickets, roaches or worms, this matters.
• Setup: a horizontal enclosure with a clear warm end and cool end, using a heat source on a thermostat.
• Handling: usually calm and tolerant of gentle handling once settled, which is why it is so often recommended for beginners.
• Tail: it can drop its tail if grabbed or frightened. The tail grows back, though it looks different afterwards.

The crested gecko in brief

• Where it comes from: the forests of New Caledonia, in the South Pacific.
• Lifestyle: a climber that spends its time on branches and leaves, active mostly at night.
• Diet: a complete powdered diet mixed with water forms the base, with live insects offered as well. That suits people who would rather not keep insects in large numbers.
• Setup: a tall enclosure with plenty of branches and foliage, misted to raise the humidity, then allowed to dry out between mistings.
• Temperature: comfortable at ordinary room temperatures and stressed by heat. A home that gets very warm in summer can be a bigger problem than a cool one.
• Handling: tolerant but jumpy. It leaps from hand to hand, so handle low down and over something soft.
• Tail: if a crested gecko drops its tail, it does not grow back. Many adults in the hobby are tailless and perfectly healthy, but it is permanent.

Questions to ask yourself

1. How do you feel about live insects? Leopard geckos need them every feed. Crested geckos need fewer.
2. How warm is your home? A cool house suits a crested gecko with little extra heat; a leopard gecko needs a heated warm end whatever the room. A house that bakes in summer is risky for a crested gecko.
3. Floor space or height? Leopard geckos want length; crested geckos want height.
4. Do you want to watch it? Both are mostly active after dark. Leopard geckos are often out in the evening; crested geckos tend to emerge later, when the room is dark.
5. How long can you commit? Both species can live for many years with good care, often well into their teens. Think about holidays, moving house and who would look after them.

Where to get one

• Look for a reputable breeder or a rescue rather than an impulse purchase. A good seller will tell you the hatch date, what the animal is eating and how it has been kept.
• Choose an animal that is alert, has clear eyes, a full rounded tail base on a leopard gecko and no stuck skin on the toes.
• Have the enclosure set up and running for a few days before you bring the gecko home, so you can check temperatures and humidity first.
• Avoid buying very young animals for a first gecko if you can; juveniles that are already feeding well are more forgiving.

Before you buy, budget for

• The enclosure, a thermostat and thermometers, which are not optional.
• Hides, décor and substrate.
• Ongoing food, supplements and replacement bulbs.
• A consultation with a vet who sees reptiles, ideally found before you need one.

Is one easier than the other?