Is it better to get a baby or a juvenille leopard gecko?

Question

Is it better to get a baby or a juvenille leopard gecko?

Answer 1

a baby needs a little bit more care and attention, you have to watch and moniter its eating, but you get to see it grow up, change as it ages, and it will probably get used to you quicker.

a juvenille needs less care, it can eat on its own, its almost grown so you would need to upgrade to a bigger vivarium.

either way, with good care and kindness, you will grow to love your pet and it will trust you eventually (:

Answer 2

First ask yourself this question: Do you have the time to look after a baby?

Getting a Leopard Gecko as a Juvenile is easier and takes much less time.

A baby can have a 5 gallon tank to live in.

You can't see a Juvenile grow up.

Babies will need a lot of care.

Answer 3

i hatched mine from a egg. it is a lot more fun to watch him/her to grow up instead of getting one already grown. but if you get a baby make sure you know what you are doing. but it you think you are up to the task i would say a baby for sure.

Answer 4

if you have cash, can provide the right setup no skimping, id get the babies to enjoy from their start for many years. if you are worried about them get juvys, so you know they will live. but dont ever think, oh they will survive, thats not fair, let them live life and enjoy, not survive

Answer 5

First off, MANY KUDDOS on doing some research and trying to find out about the animal BEFORE you get it.  That shows responsibility, and bodes well for a happy owner, and a healthy pet.

The younger an animal is, the more fragile it is.  If this is a first time gecko pet, then I would recommend that you go with a baby that is established, and already eating well, has a nice fat tail, but still is young enough to be showing the vivid markings of the young animal.

I'm not real sure what you mean by baby and juvenile.  But babies are TINY lil guys.

No matter what age Leo you get, you will need the proper equipment for it.  The basics are: tank, basking light, heat source, basking perch, digital probe thermometer (strip therms are not accurate), hide & moisture hide; shallow water bowl, calcium powder/reptile vitamins (refrigerate these), and either reptile carpet (be sure it has a very short nap so delicate toes aren't snagged, and you will need two pieces so one can be washed/dried while the other is in use); plain brown wrapping paper; paper towels; aged newpaper (at least a week to allow the ink to dry and fumes to disapate); or plain white paper for a substrate.  Please never use a loose substrate for you Leo.  Impaction can result in death (ask you vet about this issue).

Google the lil guy from hatching right up to becoming an adult, and learn what its present and changing needs will be.

Diet is very important, so I'll post you a basic gut loading recipe for the insects you will be feeding to you new Leo:

GUT LOADING CRICKETS for REPTILES:

The number one problem:

Dried up and malnourished pet store crickets and mealworms. These food items are essentially useless. A dehydrated and unfed cricket contains almost no nutrients at all; refrigerated mealworms are even worse. A lot of the variety in nutrients found in wild insects is actually in the stomach content - usually plant material. We need to duplicate this to provide the best for our reptiles; without the risk of illness/disease/parasites which can result from feeding our pets wild insects.

Please note that wax worms, while fattening, are not nutritious.  Young geckos can eat small silk and phoenix worms, as well.

Basic Dry/Staple Cricket Food:

Equal amounts of dry Iguana food, dry dog food, chick starter mash, oatmeal (you can add dry baby food wheat/rye/barley, etc. as well; even shredded wheat - no sugar).

Grind these items together.  Place in a small lid/bowl for the crickets to eat.  Store the unused portion in the refrigerator or freezer, until needed.

Supplement daily with one of the following: sweet potato, bananas, zucchini, oranges, carrots, strawberries, assorted squashes (acorn, yellow, etc.), grapefruit, green beans, apples, kale, spinach, cactus pads, and just about any other nutritious item you can think of (do not use white/yellow potatoes - these are starchy and only good if used as a moisture source during shipping, and NEVER use Avocado - it's poisonous to most animals).

Provide the dry food and kale at all times (kale is readily available during the winter months, too), rotating the other food items through in succession. The key is variety, and to provide an assortment of varying nutrients. What you are trying to do is offer your reptiles crickets with guts 'loaded' with fresh foodstuffs.

The crickets should be gut loaded for 1-2 days prior to offering them to your reptiles.

Also, provide fresh clean water in a lid/bowl, adding a sponge or folded paper towel to prevent drowning.

  

Don't offer more crickets than the reptile(s) will consume within: 1.) a few hours if it’s a lizard, salamander, frog/toad (shorten the time for babies), or 2.) a few minutes, if it’s a water turtle, so you know the crickets will still be full of the good stuff when eaten.

The crickets should be dusted (shaken in a plastic bag gently to coat them) with vitamins (keep these refrigerated) and calcium D3 powder 2-4 times a week, depending on the age of the reptile.

Be sure to remove any uneaten crickets so that they do not soil your pet's environment/water or bother your pet, once it is full.  Crickets CAN turn the table - and feast upon your pet! Or aggravate them, causing stress and even cessation of eating.  If the habitat is large, you might want to move the reptile to a smaller container/tank for the feeding of its insects.

Also be sure the crickets are the correct size for the reptile.  The cricket should be the same size long as the reptile’s head is wide (about the space between the lizards’ eyes).

Peek out the links below to get you started on your quest, but please note my disclaimer.

Most of all, enjoy your new pet!

I hope this has been helpful.

Answer 6

I would say a juvenile they're more developed and have established themselves in the 'real world' better. Because of this, They're much more hardy then hatchlings. They also don't require as much observation and feeding. Hatchlings need to be fed often due to their rapid growth. Juveniles are also easier to tame as they have had more human contact, they also tend to mellow with age, hatchlings can be very skiddish.