[Tarrawr]

Well, I've always been a huge animal lover, and I've owned every type of pet I was allowed to have in my parents house. lol This ranged from birds, to small fuzzies to cats and dogs, rabbits, we've even owned horses and a chicken! But my older sister was the one who did the snakes. In middle school a really wanted a Leo but wasn't ready for the bug part.

Now that I'm grown and out of the house I've been seriously considering adding a reptile member to my animal family. I did all the basic research that Google offers and narrowed it down to 2. Leopard Geckos and Bearded Dragons.

But there are a few questions about them I haven't found the answers to.

1. Who's more friendly? As in likes a good bit of handling.

2. What's the real personallity of each, not the petstore review but the view of owners.

3. How long does it take for each to grow to full size?

4. Smell? No one ever asked about the smell that is going to come with the lizard on any website I found! lol I have dealt with cat litter box at it's worse but what's the lizard stink like?

5. Do males act differently from females? With my rabbits the females were more tempermental, is it the same with lizards?

Any other advice you could add would be amazingly helpful. I just really want to make an educated dicision before I jump in too deep.

Thanks! xD

 

[VanillaRat]

I can only answer for leos...I used to have two,a male and female. To be honest they didn't do much. And they pretty much just tolerated being handled. The male did like to sit on my head though because it was warm.

I really want a beardie and hear they have A LOT of personality. They have much more personality then leos. They do need more space though too. I am not sure if space is an issue for you?

My leopard geckos didn't smell at all. And were very easy to take care of. They needed some heat (I used an UTH...don't use heat rocks,it can burn them), substrate (NO sand as it can cause impaction...I used peat moss/untreated soil,but I know a lot of people who use tile) and a few hides. Leopard geckos are not very active usually and my two didn't have much personality difference. The female was less picky when it came to food then the male,but otherwise there was no real big personality difference.

Even though they are not very exciting,I love them and do recommend them for beginners. They are quite easy to look after.

 

[VanillaRat]

I can't answer how long it took for them to reach their size...as I got both of my leos as adults...one was from a breeder and one was from an ex breeder.

Males and females...well,like I said with leos...both of mine pretty much had the same personality. They never bit or anything and just tolerated me at best. My female was not very picky when it came to food,but my male was semi picky.

 

[Dragonrain]

I have two leopard geckos - a male and a female. My two actually do have two different personalities. My male tolerates being held very well. In the tank he's kind of lazy, and he loooves to eat. My female is shy. She doesn't like being handled, but she is fun to watch in her tank because she's a lot more active than my male and spends a lot of her time walking around/exploring her tank.

My leo's don't smell. Actually both of them picked one spot in their tank to use as a bathroom, so they only go in that one spot. I use tile on the bottom of the tank and it's very easy to just take the tile out and wipe it clean.

What are you looking for in a pet reptile? If you are looking for something that will be more friendly and interactive I think a beardie might be best. I love my leo's, but I pretty much treat them as a 'look but don't touch' type of pet. I can handle them and do once in awhile, but for the most part I just leave them alone to do their own thing.

If you do decide to get a leopard gecko, they are pretty easy to take care of

 

[Jess]

I can answer for the beardie!


~Beardies are very friendly and very handlable. Mine LOVES to be cuddled to sleep, go outside on a harness, ride around on my shoulder, and even go places with me. My first beardie had so much fun on car rides, he would watch out the window like a dog LOL. So beardies are basically like scaley puppies.
~They are full grown by the time the are about 1 1/2 - 2 yrs old.
~As far as stink... Umm, it's kinda bad to be honest LOL, but I've definately smelled worse. As long as you clean it up right away the smell is gone in a few minutes.
~For male vs. female, you will have to think about whether you want to deal with unfertile eggs or not. That's about the only difference though.


But keep in mind that beardies are a LOT more expensive and time consuming that leos are. For a beardie you need UVB lights (UVB lights need to be replaced every 6 months), preferably a 4ft x 2 ft enclosure, fresh veggies around 24/7, the time to handle them regularily, and the time to soak them at least twice a week (They don't get the concept of water dishes...). If you adopt a baby, be prepared to go through about 500 live feeders a WEEK.


Check out and join this site, if you are seriously interested in one. www.beardeddragon.org I'm Jess4921 on there.

 

[Tarrawr]

Thanks a lot guys. I think I'll go for the Beardie based on the personality and they're awake during the day. Leos are gorgous to the eye though.

And thanks a lot Jess, I'll make sure to join that site.

 

[Jess]

Awesome, you won't be disapointed!