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Leopard Geckos or African Fat-Tailed?

S

spartan0823

New member
Hey guys,

Since I wasn't able to convince my parents to allow me to keep a snake at home, I'm going to be getting a gecko, which was my second choice. I've done some research and I think the two that interest me most are Leopard and African Fat-Tailed Geckos.

I read a few care sheets on each species and got a couple of books, and I feel confident that I have the time and resources to provide wither species with the care they need. What I'm looking for is a personal opinion of which one you think makes a better pet and also any good breeders. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.
 
I prefer the fat tails, their face looks a little less evil for me lol, dont know the difference in temprament as ive only had a fat tail, and it used to click and hiss at me. But he was good very cute his feet looked far too small for him. Id go with what you find more appealing
 
I like the leopard geckos because of their beautiful coloring and patterns :0) Plus they seem to be a relatively calm easy going pet..I would say a leopard gecko :0)
 
I like Leopard geckos, I own a ton and i don't have to worry about humidity which AFT need. But they are also easy to keep. I guess it depends what you like. I say go with what you like more. Leopard geckos have a bigger morph selection while AFT don't have such a large one.
 
AFTs for me. I've handled 11 AFTs, with an age range of 6 weeks to 7 years old, and all of them were calm and docile, 4 even decided to go to sleep on my hand. Leopard geckos are a little more skittish, and if this is your first reptile I think an AFT would be a little easier for you, handling-wise.

With regards to humidity, I have one permanent humid hide (plastic ex-spiderling box with a hole cut in the side) that's filled with sphagnum moss. It should be damp to the touch, but not wet. Then, during shedding times, I put some extra moss into his favourite hide. I feed every other day (this is also when I clean his water bowl and put fresh water in, and when I clean his moss box and remoisten the moss). I've never had any shedding problems at all, and the average relative humidity in my house is roughly 50%.
 
I have a leopard gecko, Mr. Butters. I've had him for 2 years and so far he seems to be an easy keeper so far as husbandry goes. AFTs need more humidity, but leopards need just a moist hidebox to go into so their sheds don't get stuck. You have to check the hide daily to make sure it is moist. I have forgotten to mist it a few times and my lizard ended up with little skin "gloves" on his feet that weren't fun for either one of us to get off.

I know people that handle their leos, but I'm not one of them. They don't tend to be aggressive so if you need to handle them don't worry about getting getting bit, just beware that they can be very squirmy. Males supposedly tend to be calmer than females, but there are definitely exceptions. My female was calmer than Mr. Butters is. The thing about Mr. Butters is that he has a crazy appetite. He's developed a bad habit that when ever the screen is opened he thinks its meal time and he will snap at me. I wear cloth gloves now whenever I need to stick my hands in his cage for any reason. The bites don't hurt, but they feel like a rather annoying paper cut and he's nailed my fingers so many times I just don't feel like dealing with it any more. LOL I've never seen another leo act like this, but Butters is kind of special. If I take him out he will mistake my hand for food at first but once he's out he calms down. Most of them won't bother you if you stick your hands in there for whatever reason.

He is very cute and entertaining to watch. They are supposed to be nocturnal, but he is out 24/7 and he will follow people's movements around the room, thinking they have food... or possibly how tasty their fingers are.
 
Just FYI i own eight geckos now, I had owned most of them for about five years now and only had been bit ONCE and that was because i was hand feeding and this one had a stuck eye shed. He is a big male and it felt like he was trying to gum me to death.... Might just be me but their bites don't hurt just simply scare you for a moment. :)
 
I have three leos, 2 are pretty shy to come out (mostly cause of the light because theyre albinos) but amazingly docile, the other is always out strolling around and hes real docile too. I got to take care of an AFT for a week it it was pretty shy didnt like being handled so much. Another thing is that atleast around here you see alot more WC AFTs than Leopard geckos but it may be different where you live.

I'd go with a leo, amazingly nice morphs come pretty cheap!
 
Thanks for all the replies! I still haven't made up my mind but it certainly helps to hear from people with first hand experience.

One last question.What substrate do you guys use? The books and care sheets are a little contradictory. So say use calci-sand,some say avoid like the plague. The one I've seen repeated the most is orchid bark mixed with something else (i.e. top soil or spaghnum peat moss.
 
TheHated said:
Just FYI i own eight geckos now, I had owned most of them for about five years now and only had been bit ONCE and that was because i was hand feeding and this one had a stuck eye shed. He is a big male and it felt like he was trying to gum me to death.... Might just be me but their bites don't hurt just simply scare you for a moment. :)
Click to expand...

No, they don't hurt at all. However, when Mr. B has bitten me it feels like a wussy paper cut, no blood, just a very faint mark. Itches like hell though, that's why I wear the glove. I think it could be my skin's reaction to his saliva. My skin tends to break out for the strangest reasons. I used to go in bare handed until I started getting that itchy reaction. Holding my pet rat gives me a rash sometimes . I don't hold my rat as much as I used to unless I take benedryl, because it gets pretty bad. If a dog licks my face, it will get itchy. Funny thing is, I have 6 cats and contact with them doesn't make me itch.
 
spartan0823 said:
Thanks for all the replies! I still haven't made up my mind but it certainly helps to hear from people with first hand experience.

One last question.What substrate do you guys use? The books and care sheets are a little contradictory. So say use calci-sand,some say avoid like the plague. The one I've seen repeated the most is orchid bark mixed with something else (i.e. top soil or spaghnum peat moss.
Click to expand...

I have a mixture of reptile carpet, paper towels, and slate tile. I have 2 reptile carpets that I alternate. When one is being washed I throw a clean one in. When its nice out, I wash the dirty carpet in the sink and hang it over the fence to dry. I have slate tiles on top of the carpet. Mr. Butters is in a HUGE 40g tank, which is probably twice what is recommended, but he's a special guy. I only have the 20gL reptile carpet sizes so they don't cover the area of a 40g. So whatever is not covered by carpet is covered by tile and papertowel. I think he appreciates the change in textures.

A lot of people will NOT recommend particulate bedding like bark, sand, or dirt because of the impaction risk. My gecko likes to put everything in his mouth. If it fits, its food. I stick with substrate he won't swallow. A lot of people use sand or bark and have no problem with it. A lot of people have used it and have ended up with an impacted gecko. As long as you know the risks, its your call. One thing to consider is you can't re-wash bark or sand. You can scoop it, but you'll still have to replace it regularly. Why keep on buying bedding when you can wash and reuse it?
 
I used paper towel for a long time when he was a baby. He's had 3 different cages in his life, a 10g, 20gL, and 40g. I just wanted something other than stark white to look at, so I added in the tiles and carpet.
 
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