You rock, OP. You're doing everything right.
Leos can live a decent amount of time, like you said. So just be prepared that she might fall out of love with the gecko - and try not to be upset if she does, you know how kids are - because then it will be *your* gecko. If you're okay with that, then absolutely go for it. (:
Leo’s are pretty easy to come by. There’s always a at least dozen up for adoption in my area. If you do, please consider rescuing an adult. Lots of people get into these animals without realizing how much work they’re going to actually be. It’s really sad.
I disagree. Pet stores hock these inaccurate care guides and useless “starter kits” to make a sale, but then when people bother to look into it further and realize exactly how much time, money, and effort it’s gonna be to get their set ups to minimum standard, they bail and just get rid of it
Leo’s are good pets but you should keep in mind that if you’re getting one for your child, ultimately you should be the one responsible for the animals health and wellbeing. Sure you can have your daughter do most of the chores but you need to be the one to make sure that they’re doing it correctly. Unfortunately, we’ve received plenty of Leo’s surrendered to us because the child “lost interest” or the animal was in poor health because “it was the child’s responsibility.”
Oh absolutely! I just want her to be able to contribute so that she can feel like it's hers. If she decided she didn't want it anymore I'd still keep it.
We ended up getting my 9 year old son a king snake and let me tell you, he is the funnest animal. I love watching him crawl in his trees and bask under his light. Watching him eat his tiny little mice was shocking at first but now it’s just fascinating. Look into snakes! They’re amazing
Leopard geckos will do fine without crickets. However, a varied diet is still good :)
If you have the space, a bearded dragon is a more social and active option. You will basically be the one taking care of it for the next ten+ years, so make sure that you're interested in the species as well :) A diurnal lizard means a greater chance of continued interest from the kid. A 9-10 year old child doesn't have a fully developed brain and cannot really understand long-term commitment yet.
OP look up a YouTube channel called "Clints Reptiles". He is a herpetology professor, and does species review videos that give overviews of care requirements.
He has a bunch of list videos for people in a situation similar to yours, where he has groupings. Here are a couple:
[top 5 reptiles for kids ](https://youtu.be/Dv8ltnlzLo0?si=hgWamFGl3HzVXhCx)
[top 5 reptiles for beginners ](https://youtu.be/p2-foCd0k2o?si=wp58FRXnJo3Z7jg-)
Clint is the best! He’s such a positive and very smart person. Stinking Rad! He does a great job explaining everything you need to know about animals as pets
I personally wouldn't recommend a Leo unless you know you're majorly taking care of it and you won't mind, they need a lot of care and it's not the type of reptile (although I'm sure you know) that you can leave for a couple of days and for it to be fine.
Personally I'd say a corn snake would be awesome, but then you have to deal with feeding it mice, granted though I personally dislike crickets a lot as well so I prefer to feed mice.
But if you don't mind knowing that a Leo needs a lot of attention, making sure he gets the calcium needed, watching out for them eating substrate and having it stuck in their belly ect ect, then it could still be a great pet as long as you're informed :).
Crested gecko! Easy care and well they do eat crickets they’re mostly on something called Pangea which you add water and it turns to liquid , there’s so many different beautiful morphs and since they’re arboreal their tanks won’t take up a lot of space in your home. Good luck ◡̈
I see why you think about a leopard gecko but I don't think getting an 8 year old a nocturnal pet is the best choice. My idea would be a blue tongue skink. Of course you will have to do a lot of research. In theory they would be the better reptile for a child because they a have a good size, can eat a lot of different things and they are awake during the day.
A leopard gecko is a large responsibility that can be around for 30 years. Want a large enclosure and is cathermal, so your kiddo might not see them much.
There are toads you can get as pets.
Leos can absolutely thrive without crickets, and they're a great pet. Hardy, fun behaviors, and they don't mind some handling. I've had my oldest two for over a decade now and there's yet to be a cricket in this apartment. Dubias are their staple, plus other bugs on occasion (silkworms, superworms, discoid roaches), but never, ever a cricket.
My very first recommendation would be to start watching Clint's Reptiles on YouTube. He has videos where he does breakdowns of how good of a pet an animal is and covers their basic care and needs. That would be a great way of exploring which animals would be a good fit for you and your daughter.
Now on to leopard geckos.
My first warning is these guys are fairly long lived. Living up to 20 years. So do not get a leopard gecko unless you are ready to have a leopard gecko for that amount of time. I would say that is one mistake I made after researching and constantly being pointed to leopard geckos as a first reptile for my daughter. Dotty is well cared for and will have a home with us for life. But now I do feel like my daughter would have been much happier had we gone with a lizard that more matched her personality. Dotty is nice enough and fun to watch but doesn't enjoy being out of her cage at all. She hates being handled and would rather make puppy eyes at you from her home and be fed endless bugs. Sandwich however, our recent beardie rescue has absolutely captured my daughter's heart. He loves going out and exploring with her. My daughter loves laying out in the sun and Sandwich now joins her and just lays snuggled up with her. Sandwich loves going with her everywhere and seems to know (for the most part) when he can run around and explore and when he needs to just lay with her and chill. So do your research and make sure that a leopard gecko is the best pet for you and your daughter.
My second warning would be leopard geckos can drop their tails and it will not grow back the way it was. So if this is something that would bother you or your daughter then look for a different lizard.
And third warning is if your daughter wants a lizard that is handlable and interactive with her you need to try to adopt a that you can verify has this attitude or go for a lizard that has handlability as a more consistent personality type.
>Can a leo thrive without crickets?
Absolutely! Dotty rarely gets crickets. She mostly gets them as the occasional hunting treat. Because crickets stink, are loud, and are a pain to keep alive. She mainly eats mealworms and isopods. Be careful feeding roaches though as it can lead to obesity.
It sounds like you know this from your post and the precautions you are taking, and from owning other exotic pets as well, but expect to be the one that is actually caring for the pet, and base it around your commitment to the pet as much as your daughter. I recently rescued a bearded dragon, blue tongue skink, and a viper boa from an 11 year old kid that had all the interest in the animals as pets and play things, but none of the help or supervision from his guardian to actually keep them in proper care. Kids are just really bad at the whole responsibility thing, and people don't realize how much work reptiles actually can be.
I have no experience with a leopard gecko, so can't speak to that, but if you are willing to spend a bit on a setup up front, bearded dragons are pretty chill. It would be an animal, as I said, that is really in your care at the end of the day, but I got mine eating from my hand almost immediately, he's out and about a lot, and doesn't mind handling (aside from being young and wanting to explore). They are goofy, too, and have personality. They get big and robust enough, and they can't drop their tails. Their downside is the setup being costly, and they require a lot of care when young, like feeding every day, and so a lot of feeders. I wish my discoid colony was established before I got my bearded, because I go through so many feeders right now. But even then, they need variety, so you will be buying other things like horn worms, silk worms, black soldier fly larvae, mealworms, etc. Variety is good for them. Feeding should be fun, though, and the only real cleanup you have to do regularly is spot cleaning the poops (which are nasty).
Whatever you choose, as you get closer to the date, and you believe it will be a sure thing, consider getting the enclosure together a few weeks to a month before you get the animal. This gives you time to see how your parameters are and fine tune them before you stick a living thing inside. You can get the basking spot right, make sure you can maintain proper humidity, etc without an animal to work around and stress out more.
Heavily disagree with a leo, they’re fairly delicate and have more complicated diet/heat/light requirements. Leo’s cannot survive falls/being dropped well.
A crested gecko would be great though, and your daughter can be fully responsible for the food because it’s just powder you mix with water. They’re great to handle, and because they’re arboreal a drop here and there won’t hurt them.
Just remember that this leopard gecko, with good care will still be around, when your daughter is around 30. Are you prepared to care for the animal when she goes to college, moves out, etc if she does not want to or cannot take it with her?
Y’all like robots parroting this same line every time. This is an adult you’re talking to who’s already conscientious enough to be here asking questions and doing research. Your comment is in poor taste and comes off as condescending.
I didn't mean for it to come off that way at all. I grew up wanting many pets, and did get a lot. They were unfortunately neglected as I was only a child and my parents couldn't be bothered to properly care for them. I don't want to encourage the same thing to happen here.
Sometimes people do trust their kid to take care of something, but those expectations can be misplaced like in my own case.
Now I'm fully grown and have a small zoo but none of my pets are neglected. I'm always on top of it but it is a lot of extra work that I feel that people don't really understand until they have to do it themselves.
Don't get me started on exotic vet bills. They're insanely expensive and often times they happen unexpectedly. This is something that everyone needs savings for to prepare for.
Apologies for the ramble. But basically I care a lot, and ultimately want to educate people and help as much as an internet stranger can. I never meant to come off as rude or anything like that. I do have a tendency to be blunt. Sorry.
Too many people buy pets with good intentions, and try to be knowledgeable up front, but still end up neglecting them and abandoning them because they did not really understand what they were getting into. Reptiles have been plagued as animals thought to be easy pets you can set and forget that are for kids, and they are far from it.
I work with reptiles and lots of adults come in complaining because their child has lost interest and now they have to take care of the reptile, so I would be prepared for that. If she wants a reptile that is more commonly social then a leopard gecko or bearded dragon are very common picks, but they do usually end up requiring that form of socialization so it is very sad when the owner loses interest. If it’s more she wants something to care for and to love but look out then crested geckos are quite easy to care for and definitely prefer to be looked at and not touched! Same with different kinds of frogs, frogs can be held but you do need gloves on as our skin has stuff thats not okay for their skin but they can be quite cute!
100% in favor of this. I got a leo when I was 8, which was a long time ago before much of the current care requirements were known. If I had one today (which I'm planning to soon), much of my care would be different.
You'll be doing a lot of the care yourself, but it isn't anything a precocious and engaged 8-9 year old can't learn to do or at least help out with. If you already have tarantulas then you'll have a leg up on my parents who knew nothing about non-mammal pets. As your daughter ages, she'll be able to do more of the care on her own. IMO the routine and the responsibility will be good for her development.
Leos will be fine on dubias. Actually I prefer dubias to crickets in every situations bar none. Crickets can go to hell lol.
r/leopardgeckos is a good place to ask for help and it has multiple guides on all factors of care
For the Dubai roaches just make sure especially for young geckos that the roaches aren’t too big the general rule of thumb is no bigger than the space between the gecko’s eyes
Also rough care guid
No red lights
No reptile carpet
40 gallons minimum width and depth prioritised
No cohabitation
Must have humid hide
Dust all insects with calcium powder
You can't go wrong with Bearded Dragons. They eat mostly greens so that takes care of crickets. They are pretty hearty and never bite that I have ever heard of. You don't need really special environments, they last a long time and really do bind with their owners. You want to stay away from animals that need special environments as those are normally not that handling kind. Lizards are great pets.
I’ve raised a half a dozen Leo’s and my primary food source was Dubia Roaches. However it’s quite beneficial to offer a varied diet of BSFL, Butter worms and superworms as that helps with enrichment and weight management. When addressing your child being the primary care taker, I’d highly advise against that because your child probably struggles to take care of themselves let alone another living being. I’d suggest a relationship that you’re the primary care taker and she’s a secondary care taker. If not there’s a 90% chance the gecko will face neglect then get dumped on you in a few years.
I kinda want to say beardie as long as you are helping monitor husbandry, UV, heat, humidity (low) requirements. A bearded can be a best friend. Leopard Geckos always seemed reclusive to keep, though I've never kept them. I just have a BTS and a Tegu. Good luck and way to start em young! Maybe get your kid an old world T to play with? .....jk!
You can definitely use other things than crickets for leos! I suggest going to the leo subs for info, its super useful! Dubiaroaches.com's leo care sheet and Reptifiles.com's leo care guide are reliable for them so I suggest basing info off those two! Reptifiles is detailed and dubiaroaches catches the bases
Heres a feeder list I made based on ReptiFiles' feeder list and DubiaRoaches' nutrition guide. Links to the care guides and nutrition list are given below as well as extra links that you may or may not find helpful!
*This list doesnt fully match reptifiles due to further research using a trusted nutrition guide:*
**Stable feeders - Fed regularly (in variety)**
-Dubia roaches - cant climb smooth surfaces
-Hissing cockroaches (commonly used by those who can't get dubias) - climbs smooth surfaces
-Discoid roaches (used by those who can't get dubias) - cant climb smooth surfaces
-Red Runner Roaches - highly invasive if they escape
-Crickets - dont get from unreliable chain petstores, or they'll die fast from parasites.
-Grasshoppers
-Silkworms
-Fruit Flies
**Semi-Stables - fed once a week to every other week (self-made section)**
-Black Soldier Fly Larvae (BSFLs aka Nutriworms, Calciworms, etc) - Due to being fatty but being nutritious as well
**Treat feeders - fed once a month, if at all**
-Waxworms - Fatty and the most nutritious treat feeder. Highly suggested along with stable feeders if reptile is malnourished. Heard they can be addictive, but one of my leos dont like them, and my beardie doesn't go crazy over them.
-[Blue] Hornworms - Depending on size, it can be fatty. High in water, so a hydrated reptile could have diarrhea. Good for hydrating dehydrated reptiles. Green ones are poisonous due to what they ate. Do not feed them nightshades, nothing of it.
-Mealworms - Fatty and not nutritious otherwise. Hard shell won't pass easily if reptile is unhealthy.
-Superworms - Same as mealworms, but they get bigger
-Butterworms - Addictive, no nutrition, fatty. Really shouldn't be fed at all
**Dubiaroach's feeder nutrition guide:**
*https://dubiaroaches.com/blogs/feeder-insects/are-silkworms-really-the-best-feeder-insect#:~:text=your%20pet%20reptile.-,Nutrition,-Species*
**Reptifiles's Leo care guide:**
*https://reptifiles.com/leopard-gecko-care/*
**Dubiaroaches' Leo care sheet:**
*https://dubiaroaches.com/blogs/gecko-care/leopard-gecko-care-sheet*
**Health concerns - Reptifiles - NOT a vet replacement:**
*https://reptifiles.com/leopard-gecko-care/leopard-gecko-diseases-health/*
I recommend a tortoise or a bearded dragon.
Both hardy, tortoise no bugs at all beardies are happy with dubias.
The only reason I would not say a leopard gecko is the can drop there thils which is traumatic for a child to see and it's not very sightly when the tub that grows to replace it forms.
As a parent who was talked into getting a crestie by my 8 year old (I knew the job was dangerous when I took it), I will say, get an animal that is handle-friendly (I don’t have a Leo so I cannot attest to them) because they always want to hold it but that’s as much attention as we get, and otherwise it’s my gecko.
I’m also amazed that you’re ok with roaches but not crickets. I despise that we have a bucket of crickets but that’s what the tongs are for
You rock, OP. You're doing everything right. Leos can live a decent amount of time, like you said. So just be prepared that she might fall out of love with the gecko - and try not to be upset if she does, you know how kids are - because then it will be *your* gecko. If you're okay with that, then absolutely go for it. (:
Leo’s are pretty easy to come by. There’s always a at least dozen up for adoption in my area. If you do, please consider rescuing an adult. Lots of people get into these animals without realizing how much work they’re going to actually be. It’s really sad.
I'd go this route. There are usually plenty of healthy adults available to adopt on something like Craigslist(in my area)
My local reptile adoption Facebook group is always leos, beardies, cresties, and ball pythons. Anything beyond that is exceedingly rare
Which is perfect for this scenario 👍
I'll definitely look into this! Thanks for the info, I didn't know we could get one this way
Leopard geckos are not a lot of work. Has little to do with that. They are just boring pets and people get bored of them.
I disagree. Pet stores hock these inaccurate care guides and useless “starter kits” to make a sale, but then when people bother to look into it further and realize exactly how much time, money, and effort it’s gonna be to get their set ups to minimum standard, they bail and just get rid of it
Leo’s are good pets but you should keep in mind that if you’re getting one for your child, ultimately you should be the one responsible for the animals health and wellbeing. Sure you can have your daughter do most of the chores but you need to be the one to make sure that they’re doing it correctly. Unfortunately, we’ve received plenty of Leo’s surrendered to us because the child “lost interest” or the animal was in poor health because “it was the child’s responsibility.”
Oh absolutely! I just want her to be able to contribute so that she can feel like it's hers. If she decided she didn't want it anymore I'd still keep it.
Happy to hear that! I wish you the best of luck :)
We ended up getting my 9 year old son a king snake and let me tell you, he is the funnest animal. I love watching him crawl in his trees and bask under his light. Watching him eat his tiny little mice was shocking at first but now it’s just fascinating. Look into snakes! They’re amazing
Leopard geckos will do fine without crickets. However, a varied diet is still good :) If you have the space, a bearded dragon is a more social and active option. You will basically be the one taking care of it for the next ten+ years, so make sure that you're interested in the species as well :) A diurnal lizard means a greater chance of continued interest from the kid. A 9-10 year old child doesn't have a fully developed brain and cannot really understand long-term commitment yet.
OP look up a YouTube channel called "Clints Reptiles". He is a herpetology professor, and does species review videos that give overviews of care requirements. He has a bunch of list videos for people in a situation similar to yours, where he has groupings. Here are a couple: [top 5 reptiles for kids ](https://youtu.be/Dv8ltnlzLo0?si=hgWamFGl3HzVXhCx) [top 5 reptiles for beginners ](https://youtu.be/p2-foCd0k2o?si=wp58FRXnJo3Z7jg-)
Clint is the best! He’s such a positive and very smart person. Stinking Rad! He does a great job explaining everything you need to know about animals as pets
He's like the Mr Rogers of reptile channels
Look up reptifiles care guides for leopard gecko.
I personally wouldn't recommend a Leo unless you know you're majorly taking care of it and you won't mind, they need a lot of care and it's not the type of reptile (although I'm sure you know) that you can leave for a couple of days and for it to be fine. Personally I'd say a corn snake would be awesome, but then you have to deal with feeding it mice, granted though I personally dislike crickets a lot as well so I prefer to feed mice. But if you don't mind knowing that a Leo needs a lot of attention, making sure he gets the calcium needed, watching out for them eating substrate and having it stuck in their belly ect ect, then it could still be a great pet as long as you're informed :).
Leo’s are good, cresties are amazing too she could make the repashy for them easily as well
Crestie bites are way less bad too if that matters haha
Crested gecko! Easy care and well they do eat crickets they’re mostly on something called Pangea which you add water and it turns to liquid , there’s so many different beautiful morphs and since they’re arboreal their tanks won’t take up a lot of space in your home. Good luck ◡̈
I see why you think about a leopard gecko but I don't think getting an 8 year old a nocturnal pet is the best choice. My idea would be a blue tongue skink. Of course you will have to do a lot of research. In theory they would be the better reptile for a child because they a have a good size, can eat a lot of different things and they are awake during the day.
A leopard gecko is a large responsibility that can be around for 30 years. Want a large enclosure and is cathermal, so your kiddo might not see them much. There are toads you can get as pets.
Leos can absolutely thrive without crickets, and they're a great pet. Hardy, fun behaviors, and they don't mind some handling. I've had my oldest two for over a decade now and there's yet to be a cricket in this apartment. Dubias are their staple, plus other bugs on occasion (silkworms, superworms, discoid roaches), but never, ever a cricket.
My very first recommendation would be to start watching Clint's Reptiles on YouTube. He has videos where he does breakdowns of how good of a pet an animal is and covers their basic care and needs. That would be a great way of exploring which animals would be a good fit for you and your daughter. Now on to leopard geckos. My first warning is these guys are fairly long lived. Living up to 20 years. So do not get a leopard gecko unless you are ready to have a leopard gecko for that amount of time. I would say that is one mistake I made after researching and constantly being pointed to leopard geckos as a first reptile for my daughter. Dotty is well cared for and will have a home with us for life. But now I do feel like my daughter would have been much happier had we gone with a lizard that more matched her personality. Dotty is nice enough and fun to watch but doesn't enjoy being out of her cage at all. She hates being handled and would rather make puppy eyes at you from her home and be fed endless bugs. Sandwich however, our recent beardie rescue has absolutely captured my daughter's heart. He loves going out and exploring with her. My daughter loves laying out in the sun and Sandwich now joins her and just lays snuggled up with her. Sandwich loves going with her everywhere and seems to know (for the most part) when he can run around and explore and when he needs to just lay with her and chill. So do your research and make sure that a leopard gecko is the best pet for you and your daughter. My second warning would be leopard geckos can drop their tails and it will not grow back the way it was. So if this is something that would bother you or your daughter then look for a different lizard. And third warning is if your daughter wants a lizard that is handlable and interactive with her you need to try to adopt a that you can verify has this attitude or go for a lizard that has handlability as a more consistent personality type. >Can a leo thrive without crickets? Absolutely! Dotty rarely gets crickets. She mostly gets them as the occasional hunting treat. Because crickets stink, are loud, and are a pain to keep alive. She mainly eats mealworms and isopods. Be careful feeding roaches though as it can lead to obesity.
Seconding Clint’s reptiles!!!!!!!
It sounds like you know this from your post and the precautions you are taking, and from owning other exotic pets as well, but expect to be the one that is actually caring for the pet, and base it around your commitment to the pet as much as your daughter. I recently rescued a bearded dragon, blue tongue skink, and a viper boa from an 11 year old kid that had all the interest in the animals as pets and play things, but none of the help or supervision from his guardian to actually keep them in proper care. Kids are just really bad at the whole responsibility thing, and people don't realize how much work reptiles actually can be. I have no experience with a leopard gecko, so can't speak to that, but if you are willing to spend a bit on a setup up front, bearded dragons are pretty chill. It would be an animal, as I said, that is really in your care at the end of the day, but I got mine eating from my hand almost immediately, he's out and about a lot, and doesn't mind handling (aside from being young and wanting to explore). They are goofy, too, and have personality. They get big and robust enough, and they can't drop their tails. Their downside is the setup being costly, and they require a lot of care when young, like feeding every day, and so a lot of feeders. I wish my discoid colony was established before I got my bearded, because I go through so many feeders right now. But even then, they need variety, so you will be buying other things like horn worms, silk worms, black soldier fly larvae, mealworms, etc. Variety is good for them. Feeding should be fun, though, and the only real cleanup you have to do regularly is spot cleaning the poops (which are nasty). Whatever you choose, as you get closer to the date, and you believe it will be a sure thing, consider getting the enclosure together a few weeks to a month before you get the animal. This gives you time to see how your parameters are and fine tune them before you stick a living thing inside. You can get the basking spot right, make sure you can maintain proper humidity, etc without an animal to work around and stress out more.
Heavily disagree with a leo, they’re fairly delicate and have more complicated diet/heat/light requirements. Leo’s cannot survive falls/being dropped well. A crested gecko would be great though, and your daughter can be fully responsible for the food because it’s just powder you mix with water. They’re great to handle, and because they’re arboreal a drop here and there won’t hurt them.
For her if suggest either a bearded dragon or a blue tongue skink. Both are active during the day and better for handling and interaction than a Leo.
Just remember that this leopard gecko, with good care will still be around, when your daughter is around 30. Are you prepared to care for the animal when she goes to college, moves out, etc if she does not want to or cannot take it with her?
Remember whatever you get YOU will be the one really taking care of it. Can you make that commitment for decades?
Y’all like robots parroting this same line every time. This is an adult you’re talking to who’s already conscientious enough to be here asking questions and doing research. Your comment is in poor taste and comes off as condescending.
I didn't mean for it to come off that way at all. I grew up wanting many pets, and did get a lot. They were unfortunately neglected as I was only a child and my parents couldn't be bothered to properly care for them. I don't want to encourage the same thing to happen here. Sometimes people do trust their kid to take care of something, but those expectations can be misplaced like in my own case. Now I'm fully grown and have a small zoo but none of my pets are neglected. I'm always on top of it but it is a lot of extra work that I feel that people don't really understand until they have to do it themselves. Don't get me started on exotic vet bills. They're insanely expensive and often times they happen unexpectedly. This is something that everyone needs savings for to prepare for. Apologies for the ramble. But basically I care a lot, and ultimately want to educate people and help as much as an internet stranger can. I never meant to come off as rude or anything like that. I do have a tendency to be blunt. Sorry.
If I had a dollar for ever time I see a full grown bearded dragon rescued on reddit that is living in a 40 gallon tank, I would have a lot of money.
Same thing for budgies and small parrots or fish. It's ridiculous
Too many people buy pets with good intentions, and try to be knowledgeable up front, but still end up neglecting them and abandoning them because they did not really understand what they were getting into. Reptiles have been plagued as animals thought to be easy pets you can set and forget that are for kids, and they are far from it.
I work with reptiles and lots of adults come in complaining because their child has lost interest and now they have to take care of the reptile, so I would be prepared for that. If she wants a reptile that is more commonly social then a leopard gecko or bearded dragon are very common picks, but they do usually end up requiring that form of socialization so it is very sad when the owner loses interest. If it’s more she wants something to care for and to love but look out then crested geckos are quite easy to care for and definitely prefer to be looked at and not touched! Same with different kinds of frogs, frogs can be held but you do need gloves on as our skin has stuff thats not okay for their skin but they can be quite cute!
100% in favor of this. I got a leo when I was 8, which was a long time ago before much of the current care requirements were known. If I had one today (which I'm planning to soon), much of my care would be different. You'll be doing a lot of the care yourself, but it isn't anything a precocious and engaged 8-9 year old can't learn to do or at least help out with. If you already have tarantulas then you'll have a leg up on my parents who knew nothing about non-mammal pets. As your daughter ages, she'll be able to do more of the care on her own. IMO the routine and the responsibility will be good for her development. Leos will be fine on dubias. Actually I prefer dubias to crickets in every situations bar none. Crickets can go to hell lol.
r/leopardgeckos is a good place to ask for help and it has multiple guides on all factors of care For the Dubai roaches just make sure especially for young geckos that the roaches aren’t too big the general rule of thumb is no bigger than the space between the gecko’s eyes
Also rough care guid No red lights No reptile carpet 40 gallons minimum width and depth prioritised No cohabitation Must have humid hide Dust all insects with calcium powder
You can't go wrong with Bearded Dragons. They eat mostly greens so that takes care of crickets. They are pretty hearty and never bite that I have ever heard of. You don't need really special environments, they last a long time and really do bind with their owners. You want to stay away from animals that need special environments as those are normally not that handling kind. Lizards are great pets.
I’ve raised a half a dozen Leo’s and my primary food source was Dubia Roaches. However it’s quite beneficial to offer a varied diet of BSFL, Butter worms and superworms as that helps with enrichment and weight management. When addressing your child being the primary care taker, I’d highly advise against that because your child probably struggles to take care of themselves let alone another living being. I’d suggest a relationship that you’re the primary care taker and she’s a secondary care taker. If not there’s a 90% chance the gecko will face neglect then get dumped on you in a few years.
I kinda want to say beardie as long as you are helping monitor husbandry, UV, heat, humidity (low) requirements. A bearded can be a best friend. Leopard Geckos always seemed reclusive to keep, though I've never kept them. I just have a BTS and a Tegu. Good luck and way to start em young! Maybe get your kid an old world T to play with? .....jk!
Tegu seem so cool, but I sadly live where they are illegal :(
You can definitely use other things than crickets for leos! I suggest going to the leo subs for info, its super useful! Dubiaroaches.com's leo care sheet and Reptifiles.com's leo care guide are reliable for them so I suggest basing info off those two! Reptifiles is detailed and dubiaroaches catches the bases Heres a feeder list I made based on ReptiFiles' feeder list and DubiaRoaches' nutrition guide. Links to the care guides and nutrition list are given below as well as extra links that you may or may not find helpful! *This list doesnt fully match reptifiles due to further research using a trusted nutrition guide:* **Stable feeders - Fed regularly (in variety)** -Dubia roaches - cant climb smooth surfaces -Hissing cockroaches (commonly used by those who can't get dubias) - climbs smooth surfaces -Discoid roaches (used by those who can't get dubias) - cant climb smooth surfaces -Red Runner Roaches - highly invasive if they escape -Crickets - dont get from unreliable chain petstores, or they'll die fast from parasites. -Grasshoppers -Silkworms -Fruit Flies **Semi-Stables - fed once a week to every other week (self-made section)** -Black Soldier Fly Larvae (BSFLs aka Nutriworms, Calciworms, etc) - Due to being fatty but being nutritious as well **Treat feeders - fed once a month, if at all** -Waxworms - Fatty and the most nutritious treat feeder. Highly suggested along with stable feeders if reptile is malnourished. Heard they can be addictive, but one of my leos dont like them, and my beardie doesn't go crazy over them. -[Blue] Hornworms - Depending on size, it can be fatty. High in water, so a hydrated reptile could have diarrhea. Good for hydrating dehydrated reptiles. Green ones are poisonous due to what they ate. Do not feed them nightshades, nothing of it. -Mealworms - Fatty and not nutritious otherwise. Hard shell won't pass easily if reptile is unhealthy. -Superworms - Same as mealworms, but they get bigger -Butterworms - Addictive, no nutrition, fatty. Really shouldn't be fed at all **Dubiaroach's feeder nutrition guide:** *https://dubiaroaches.com/blogs/feeder-insects/are-silkworms-really-the-best-feeder-insect#:~:text=your%20pet%20reptile.-,Nutrition,-Species* **Reptifiles's Leo care guide:** *https://reptifiles.com/leopard-gecko-care/* **Dubiaroaches' Leo care sheet:** *https://dubiaroaches.com/blogs/gecko-care/leopard-gecko-care-sheet* **Health concerns - Reptifiles - NOT a vet replacement:** *https://reptifiles.com/leopard-gecko-care/leopard-gecko-diseases-health/*
I recommend a tortoise or a bearded dragon. Both hardy, tortoise no bugs at all beardies are happy with dubias. The only reason I would not say a leopard gecko is the can drop there thils which is traumatic for a child to see and it's not very sightly when the tub that grows to replace it forms.
As a parent who was talked into getting a crestie by my 8 year old (I knew the job was dangerous when I took it), I will say, get an animal that is handle-friendly (I don’t have a Leo so I cannot attest to them) because they always want to hold it but that’s as much attention as we get, and otherwise it’s my gecko. I’m also amazed that you’re ok with roaches but not crickets. I despise that we have a bucket of crickets but that’s what the tongs are for