I couldnt agree more with the impaction comment. I never like mealworms, for one they do have the hard exoskeleton and further more, they tend to bury themselves under any substrate you use, eventually coming out as beatles that apparently are very bitter and not something the lizard will eat. It is really a pain to feed mealworms, the only benefit is you can keep them in the fridge for months.

I would deffinetly go with a leopard gecko if this lizard is intended for a child. They are very hardy, handling will not stress them out very much, and I have only heard great things from beginners that started with leopard's. I know I started with leopards 5 years ago, and it was a great dip into the reptile world.

I also agree that Crested Geckos are deffinetly an incredible lizard compared to leopards. They are highly addicting, come in a plethora of colors, hardy and eat less insects than leopards. The only thing I would be wary about is handling, especially for a child. These lizards tend to hop around and if the child gets scared it is easy to injure it. As well, they tend to lose their tails very easily if grabbed by a person/other animal. Bad part is it does not grow back, where as leopards do grow back. Crested geckos also require higher humidity and their tank set up can be slightly more involved.

Beardies are VERY high maintenence. They require very large enclosures, poop a lot and eat even more. You would be going through about 10 dozen crickets a week at the very least, feeding vegetables more often as they get older.

Comparing all three reptiles, I would definitely go with a leopard gecko. If you have any questions at all, give me a shout. I worked at a reptile zoo for a while so I am used to the questions :D

My son has a breeding pair of Crested Geckos . They are very easy to care for, they require no special light or heat rock.
They eat baby food and crickets that you can buy in a self contained container. Crested Geckos are very easy to handle and they have been great for my 8 year old. Another bonus is they do not require a large enclosure.

I suggest you don't use the baby food, I have heard many things that the high sugar content is not good for the long term.

There is a brand of prepacked powder you mix with water and is perfectly supplemented for cresteds.

You should visit www.Northerngecko.com if you are interested in crested geckos. The fellow, Mark Orfus, is very educated on this species and keeps over 400 hundred of them. He is a great guy, email him.

wow, over 40,000 crested geckos? that's a lot of lizard :mrgreen:

This is the lady I got my two female geckos from, she is very nice and was helpful giving me pointers on housing. :)

I am sorry I must correct myself... its Renee not Rene. :redface::mrgreen:

Um, 400, but 40,000 would be nice :wink:

This was an question in my mind as well. I'd certainly not keep other lizards on that kind of diet.

I can't remember the exact quote from the leopard gecko manual but the information on the all mealworm diet is presented as part of a write up on the longest captive longevity in leopards. AVS books are really well researched and with Ron Tremper participating I'd say you'd have to give it consideration. There's nobody in the world with more hands on geck experience than Tremper.

That's true of any feeder insect.

+1, and calcium supplements are very important! I'm sure your research has explained why already :)

One thing to keep in mind when buying a leo; is their life span. Is your son prepared to be looking after his gecko for 10+ years?

Make that 20+ if properly cared for. ;)