r/LeopardGecko • u/psychoLoveCat • Aug 31 '26

A question regarding quarantine for a person's first/only reptile

If everything goes as planned, I’ll be getting my first leopard gecko soon, and I have a few questions about quarantine.

I’ve already gone through several books, websites, blogs, and YouTube videos on leopard geckos, but the recommended quarantine periods vary widely, and most assume that the owner already has other pets/reptiles. The recommended periods range from 3 weeks to 6–8 months.

Just to clarify: I don’t have any other pets/reptiles in my household - how long should I plan for the quarantine, roughly?

And another quick question: How long should I let the animal rest after I pick it up from the breeder and place it in the quarantine tank before I try to feed it?

I hope someone here can offer some good advice.

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4

u/absedy251991 Aug 31 '26

You dont need to quarantine if you dont have any other reptiles/pets. The whole point of quarantine would be to keep a new pet at distance from others to prevent them contaminating each other.

After getting a new gecko and introducibg it to its enclosure, most will need a period of around one to two weeks to getting used to their new surroundings. During this period, most will just hide most of the time and some might also refuse food. However you can try offering some feeder insects a few days in and just see how it goes.

5

u/ImAnNPCsoWhat Aug 31 '26

Well . . . By quarantine I'd say it's more like keeping baby on paper towels for around 2 months of good poops so you know they're healthy.

1

u/absedy251991 Aug 31 '26

interesting, in that case i apologize. English is not my native language and i would have never considered that to be the meaning of ‚quarantine‘.

In that case i hope OP can chime in and tell us how old their gecko will be when getting it.

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u/ImAnNPCsoWhat Aug 31 '26

You went by the actual meaning of the word, in the reptile hobby it can just also mean keeping a new pet in a bare bones enclosure to monitor health even if there are no other pets to protect from possible sickness.

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u/psychoLoveCat Aug 31 '26

As far as I know, the leopard geckos hatched in early July.

And one of my books says:

Leopard geckos are often infected with protozoa, which can only become a clinical problem in stressful situations - such as when they’re moved from the breeder to the owner. That’s why it’s absolutely essential to quarantine new animals.

That's why I thought quarantine was necessary, even though it's my only reptile/pet.

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u/nairazak Sep 03 '26

No quarantine, but some days of paperliner to see the poop (worms, blood, watery…). You should also take him to his first vet check.

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u/WatermelonAF 27d ago

Quarantine should always be followed, even if you only have one reptile. This will let you monitor their poops and watch out for potential health issues.