WATCH THIS BEFORE YOU GET A LEOPARD GECKO! The Pros and Cons of Owning a Leopard Gecko

These little babies, these little sticky babies, are possibly some of the most popular pet reptiles in the world. Get the gloves. Hello everyone and welcome back to Scooping Poop with Vivian and Sprinkles. Sprinkles is my pet leopard gecko and she is just a darling, aren't you baby? So as you've guessed it, today's video will be all about leopard geckos. If you want to learn more about exotic animals, then be sure to click the subscribe button and let's get started. Please don't run away. So if you've been with me for a while, then you know one of my very first videos was all about the cons of leopard geckos. I was still discovering the wondrous world of iMovie and oh my God. Hold them, love them, and cuddle them. However, despite it having the charisma of a B-rated horror movie, people really seemed to enjoy that video. So I thought why not create a second follow-up video talking about both the pros and cons of owning a leopard gecko. Please don't fall. So the first pro I have is that they do not need UVB lighting. Holy heck, the entire world of UVB lights can be really confusing, especially if you're new to reptiles. Basically, reptiles need a lot of calcium, but their bodies cannot absorb calcium without vitamin D3. As we all know, vitamin D3 will come from sunlight, and in order to mimic that in captivity, we use something called UVB bulbs. However, because leopard geckos are crepuscular, meaning that they're most active during dawn and dusk in captivity, UVB lights are not needed for them to live a long, happy life. However, they still need vitamin D3, and this can easily be provided with a supplement. I will say that there are owners who prefer using UVB lights instead of synthetic supplements, but that is a personal choice. The second pro is that they are relatively low maintenance compared to most reptiles and most pets in general. So the basic schedule of keeping a Sprinkles is feeding them insects two to three times per week for an adult leopard gecko. Also, spot cleaning their tank one to two times a week. Spot cleaning basically means wiping down surfaces, cleaning up their poop, refilling water bottles, and those little details. And since they are low maintenance, they do not require intensive daily interaction. This is a wonderful thing, so you don't ever have to worry about your pet missing you when you're at school or work. They're probably just chilling, being little gecko friends and just vibing. My third pro is that they are born potty trained. This is a fact that most people don't know, but leopard geckos will poop in one corner for the rest of their lives. Of course, there are slight variations from gecko to gecko, but the majority of them will choose one corner or one spot to poop, and they will go to that corner and do their business forever. Instead of having an animal that poops all over the enclosure, which makes you clean the enclosure every couple of days, your leopard gecko will most likely go in one place and you're just gonna have to scoop poop, scooping poop, in that one corner and they will be all good to go. The next pro to owning a leopard gecko is that they have a very flexible price range. Now, with certain reptiles, like having a tegu, once you commit, you know you will be dropping a couple hundred to a couple thousand dollars, but with leopard geckos, there is a huge spectrum as to what kind of price range you want to settle for. For example, the morph of your leopard gecko. If you want a common standard morph, your gecko could literally cost around $30. If you want a very high color, unique morph, they can go for over $500. Just make sure you go to a responsible breeder and preferably not get one from a chain pet store. This bitch made wrong decisions in their younger life. And the last pro I have is that they stay at a very manageable size and they're very forgiving reptiles. What I mean by this is that when you get a baby leopard gecko, once they grow into their adult stage, the size difference is not extreme. So the main pro of this is that you do not have to do extreme enclosure upgrades. Now, in my personal opinion, the minimum tank size for an adult leopard gecko should be a 20-gallon long. Some people argue a 10-gallon tank, but seriously, the price between a 10-gallon versus a 20-gallon long really isn't that different, and it literally doubles the space for your gecko. Now, going off of this, I mentioned that they are very forgiving. They are forgiving of your sins or what? What? I'm already burning out. What I mean is that if you make mistakes as an owner, most likely your leopard gecko will be able to handle it. There are certain reptiles, such as chameleons, who are very sensitive. If you mess up the temperature, the humidity, feed them the wrong thing, and they can go downhill really quickly. Leopard geckos, fortunately, are not one of those reptiles. This is not an excuse to be careless around your gecko. As long as you're getting your gecko from a good source, you will rarely run into any serious medical issues, at least in my personal experience. Aren't you pretty? But with any beautiful creature, there are cons. Now, the first con I can think of when keeping leopard geckos, I actually mentioned in my very first video, and it is the fact that you will have to keep live insects in your home. This is not negotiable. Did I say that word right? In fact, I made an entire video talking about leopard gecko diets, and I will link it up here and in the description box as well. The next con I have is that they aren't as friendly as you think they are. Now, if you've already owned a reptile, you kind of get what I'm talking about, but it's important to remember that a leopard gecko is not going to behave the same way as a domesticated mammal. Oftentimes, you can see parallels between leopard geckos and hamsters, for example. However, just due to their reptilian nature, they're not going to form the same kind of bond that a hamster would form with you. This does not mean that they are not lovable animals. It simply means that they probably aren't the best cuddle buddy. Not all geckos enjoy hands-on human interaction, and it's just important to establish that line between having a reptile as a pet versus having, again, a domesticated mammal as a pet. It's a very different kind of bond that you will form, but hey, if your gecko sees you and it's like, look, you're that warm, fleshy object that feeds me. Like, that just fills my cold, dead heart with so much joy. Now, I mentioned that they do not get sick very easily. However, there are certain health scares that come up very, very frequently. But the question I get asked the most in my Instagram DMs is my leopard gecko has stopped eating. What the heck do I do? Huh. Leopard geckos, for one reason or another, will very oftentimes refuse food and refuse food for a long time. I have a very old video detailing the possibilities. I'll have it in the description. But essentially, it could be a lot of different factors, being too cold, impaction, ovulating, a stressful environment, or actually being sick and having parasites. There can be a lot of different factors as to why your gecko stops eating, but if you've never had a pet reptile before, it's important to understand that reptiles can actually go off of food for a very long time compared to your other pets. When a gecko goes off food, it can be not eating for two weeks, six weeks, four months. I have heard all of these numbers before. So if your gecko misses a meal or two, take a deep breath. It's usually not a big deal. However, if you do suspect something is going on, then make sure you go to your vet before you try to force feed. These little babies, these little sticky babies, are possibly some of the most popular pet reptiles in the world. And because so many people have them, there can be tons of misinformation on the internet and at the pet store. So that brings me to my next con. You will get misled super easily. And sometimes you can't even blame new owners for making the obvious mistake because literally when you go into a pet store, right next to the leopard gecko section is sand, heat rocks, and other products that are dangerous to them. Now, I don't want to stand on a soapbox and say I know everything about geckos because I certainly don't. Whenever I say do your research, it does not simply mean doing a couple of Google searches because as we've learned in kindergarten, not everything on the internet is factual. Research can also mean reading books and most importantly, talking to other leopard gecko owners. If you can, try to message some breeders or other people who have had geckos for a very long time. This can really help you get a good idea of what it's like to actually own this animal and then you can make the right choices for yourself. Would you guys like to see a video of the most dangerous pet reptile products? Because I have a couple in mind. And if you do want to see a video like that, then please comment down below. And the last con I have is just very specific to me and it's a quick one, is that the goddamn heat mat will malfunction at some point. For whatever reason, at least in America, I cannot find a source that can give me a good quality under tank heat mat. If you guys didn't know, the under tank heat mat should be your primary source of heat for your gecko, not a basking bulb. Don't use a basking bulb. I believe the most common American options are fuckers, pluckers, flukers, I think, and Zoo Med. And I'm not saying that these heat mats are bad. They do their job as long as they're connected to a thermostat. However, for whatever reason, in the handful of years I have kept Sprinkles, I have gone through five, five heat mats. And that really seems to be the one piece of equipment that malfunctions all the time in this house. My general advice is that if your store is having a sale on heat mats, just go ahead and pick up another one because you're probably going to need it. And hey, by the way, I really like helping people. It's kind of an issue. If you guys didn't know, I respond to every single comment, unless you're being a jerk, and every single Instagram DM, unless you're asking me to be your sugar baby. If you have any concerns, any questions surrounding leopard geckos, please comment them down below. And I promise I will get to you. If you want to be more personal, then feel free to DM me on Instagram, at Scooping Poop. And while you're at it, follow me as well. If you guys like this video, then please give it a thumbs up. You will not believe how much that helps. And also subscribe if you want to see more of Sprinkles, want to see more reptiles, exotic animals, and also my beautiful dog. Anyways, guys, that's all I have for you today. And I'll see you in the next video I make, bye. This is her favorite hide.