Which species make the best pet geckos? We’re glad you asked! Geckos are fantastic pet lizards that come in many shapes and sizes. Some can climb walls, some are colorful, and others are just downright interesting to observe. Either way, we highly recommend a gecko for a pet if you are in the market for a lizard.

List of the Best Pet Geckos

Leopard Gecko (Eublepharis macularius)

Our favorite pet gecko has got to be the leopard gecko. These desert-dwelling lizards are very common in the pet trade – and with good reason. They’re extremely easy to care for, easy to breed, and they even have easy-going temperaments. As you can see, they’re just “easy” lizards all around!

Leopard geckos are great because they can be housed communally within reason. Geckos that are of similar size are generally safe to keep together, although unless you have an enormous cage, we don’t recommend housing two males together as they will almost always fight over territory and/or females.

Adult male Leopard geckos will reach a maximum of around ten inches and females will stay slightly smaller. Although, we should mention that there are specific leopard gecko morphs called “super giants” that will actually grow longer than ten inches, even approaching 13 inches and much heavier bodied!

Although they’re fairly small lizards, leopard geckos actually have pretty long life spans. On average, a life span of six to ten years is expected, but if you get a male, don’t be surprised if it lives into its twenties! These are very hardy little lizards.

Temperament-wise, these geckos are almost always very docile and calm. I’ve bred hundreds of them and haven’t been bit once. They’re a hardy reptile that doesn’t require a lot of attention in captivity. Leopard geckos are probably the single easiest pet gecko to keep in the world.

These geckos are easy to feed too, readily accepting mealworms, waxworms, crickets, and roaches.

Leopard geckos are also available in countless morphs, which means you can pretty much find a leopard gecko in any color and with any markings you can imagine.

All of the preceding reasons clearly show why this species takes the top spot on our list of the best pet geckos.

Want to learn more about leopard gecko morphs? Check out the article we wrote about the most popular leopard gecko morphs sold at Backwater Reptiles.

Here’s one of our articles on creating a Leopard gecko habitat, which we highly recommend reading if you’re not experienced with these lizards.

Ready to purchase a leopard gecko of your own? Backwater Reptiles has got you covered, with everything from normal-sized, giants, and even super giants!

Tokay Gecko (Gekko gekko)

Tokays are absolutely gorgeous pale blue geckos with bright red or orange-colored spots. Visually, they are definitely quite stunning which makes them appealing to hobbyists. They even make noise, which is either a unique quirk or an annoying habit, depending on who you ask.

We maintain that if Tokay geckos were rare, they’d be one of the most sought-after species in the world, due to their appearance, size, and spunky personality.

Unfortunately, Tokay geckos tend to have a reputation for being aggressive. While this is not always the case, we’ve found that they can be a bit more prone to hiss or bite at their owner. However, with socialization and positive reinforcement, they can be trained to be docile. It just takes some patience.

When we handle our Tokays, we try to not ever restrain them as this can come off as threatening to the gecko. You should hold it loosely and allow it to sit comfortably in your hand.

Due to their arboreal nature, Tokays should have lots of things to climb on and hide in placed in their enclosure. And because they are hefty of body, we recommend a fairly large enclosure with both vertical and horizontal space.

A twenty gallon tank with a screen top lid is our go-to for housing a single lizard. The substrate we recommend is damp peat or sphagnum moss. Using a simple setup like this, these geckos thrive in captivity for years.

If you think you want to put forth the effort to train and socialize a Tokay gecko, Backwater Reptiles sells these bold blue geckos. They’re one of the best pet geckos, but for different reasons than the preceding Leopard gecko. Tokays are more of a display animal.

Crested Gecko (Rhacodactylus ciliatus)

Crested geckos are popular because of their cute “eyelashes” and calm and docile personalities. “Cresties,” as they are affectionately known, can be quite tame as far as lizards go, and most will readily allow being handled by their owner.

Originally from New Caledonia, Cresties used to be quite rare in the pet trade. Now they’re widely available in a variety of morphs, with some of the most popular being reds, fancies, and pinstripes.

Cresties are arboreal geckos with “sticky” toes, so be sure to provide plenty of climbing space. They like temperatures that stay in the range of 78 to 82 degrees Fahrenheit during the day and will tolerate night time temperature drops to the low 70s.

Keepers maintain this temperature by using numerous methods (usually ceramic heat bulbs and pads), although we always recommend investing in a good reptile thermometer.

You can feed your Crestie live insects such as crickets, mealworms, and roaches, although because they have become such common pets, many stores and breeders now sell pre-prepared crested gecko food. It comes in a powder form and you simply add water. The liquid that results contains everything your Crestie needs to stay healthy, although we do recommend supplementing with living food for the sake of variety.

If you’re interested in breeding Crested geckos, here’s a tip: add plenty of cork bark rounds to their enclosure. This tends to stimulate breeding.

Backwater Reptiles sells healthy crested geckos of various sizes and morphs, so check them out today if this sounds like the species for you.

Conclusion – The Best Pet Geckos

Geckos make amazing and entertaining pet lizards for a litany of reasons. They often have docile personalities, are relatively simple to maintain in captivity, and generally remain a very manageable size.

Leopard geckos and crested geckos are great options for first time gecko owners with little to no experience, whereas the Tokay gecko is a better option for the more experienced reptile enthusiast. We hope you’ve enjoyed reading our list of the best pet geckos for captivity!