Are Leopard geckos smart?
- Thread starter vlad
- Start date
CountGecko
New member
I wouldn't say they are one of the most intelligent but definitely above average, imo Monitors are the smartest. Leopard geckos are among the highest in character though.
Riverside Reptiles
Administrator (HMFIC)
In my 20+ years working with herps, I'd have to say that tegus are about the smartest herps I've come across.
They do seem pretty smart sometimes.no leopards are not intelligent. they are inbred and have no natural characteristics left as they have all been bred out with each mother father daughter uncle grandma breeding they have gone through.
Most intelligent reptiles I've come across in the last 21 years, varanids and teiids. Varanus salvadorii takes the cake for any reptile that has sized me up, knocked me down, and gone for the bite as well as flee. No damage done other than bruising my chest from where I was hit. An 8 - 9 foot male croc monitor is no animal to f*ck around with.
Most intelligent reptiles I've come across in the last 21 years, varanids and teiids. Varanus salvadorii takes the cake for any reptile that has sized me up, knocked me down, and gone for the bite as well as flee. No damage done other than bruising my chest from where I was hit. An 8 - 9 foot male croc monitor is no animal to f*ck around with.
Allee Toler
Member
If you hate leopard geckos so much, why linger on this subforum? You surely must have some better things to do than spew negativity.
cliff_f
New member
cliff_f
New member
Someone has to tell the truth about leopard geckos. There is already to much bad info out there. Then people like you get all mad when you know it is the truth. They are a easy and nice looking gecko for people. But the reality is they are the most screwed up species of gecko out there.
J.P.
New member
first off, i think being smart is different from having wild instincts. take dogs for example. different breeds have been manipulated over the centuries, and the wild streak has been totally bred out of some pedigrees. but the dogs remain smart in general.
i used to think that some leopard geckos are dumb, because some of them wouldn't eat even if they obviously need to eat. but i have changed my onion.
amidst the inbreeding, i'm now convinced that some leopard geckos still have natural instincts left in them. as a concrete example of this, i have a female that escaped, i really felt bad because i thought she wouldn't survive on her own. thankfully, i found her a month later. she was fatter than ever. so that means she was doing well for herself, among the stray cats, mice, rats, skinks, snakes, huge cane toads, and our dogs that prowl our backyard. if she was not so smart, she would not last a night out there.
can't say this intelligence or instinct holds true for all leopard geckos. they have different personalities and different levels of intelligence.
i used to think that some leopard geckos are dumb, because some of them wouldn't eat even if they obviously need to eat. but i have changed my onion.
amidst the inbreeding, i'm now convinced that some leopard geckos still have natural instincts left in them. as a concrete example of this, i have a female that escaped, i really felt bad because i thought she wouldn't survive on her own. thankfully, i found her a month later. she was fatter than ever. so that means she was doing well for herself, among the stray cats, mice, rats, skinks, snakes, huge cane toads, and our dogs that prowl our backyard. if she was not so smart, she would not last a night out there.
can't say this intelligence or instinct holds true for all leopard geckos. they have different personalities and different levels of intelligence.
lindsaydo
Newbie
I agree with you J.P.
Leopard gecko's in the wild will inbreed no matter what, they cannot distinguish siblings from any other gecko. So really, aren't any other wild reptiles the same? Aren't any other animals the same? I am sure down the line, lots of people had children with cousins, sisters, brothers etc.
People come on this forum (mostly) because they enjoy their animals, and they seek advice to find out how to best care for their leopard gecko's. Not to be told that their animal is an inbred monstrosity.
I for one think that my leopard gecko's are amazing. They are fascinating. Even when one got ill, I didn't cull it, I didn't leave it to die, I went and paid a lot of money to have her operated on. I am not ashamed. I want to prolong her life, and I want to find ways in which to make her life better.
I think leopard gecko's are smart. I work this out not only with personality, or their ability to understand their environment, but also survival value. These animals have developed the ability to drop their tails when in danger, and re grow another, they have the ability to retain sperm, so that they can lay eggs and procreate all year round. So in all, evolution has made them intelligent, but compared to humans obviously they are a lesser species.
Riverside Reptiles
Administrator (HMFIC)
I have a pair of leos that come from parents that are true wild type leos over 20 years old. They carry zero morphed genes as their parents were born before any genetic morphs were available. Let me tell you that they are NOTHING like current leos. They are shy, reclusive, they bark and they bite. They do not desire any human contact and they eat anything that moves. This is how a leopard gecko is supposed to be.
Look at that, a leo with SPOTS!!! And no, he's not smiling...he's getting ready to bite the camera.
Look at that, a leo with SPOTS!!! And no, he's not smiling...he's getting ready to bite the camera.
cliff_f
New member
What you are describing is a natural instinct. That does not really show how smart they are.
GeckoGirl1990
New member
I'm sure that all the crazy genetics that are in leopard geckos these days have had negative effects on the animals. But anyone who has kept leopard geckos (healthy) knows that they have great character and, for some people, are much more suitable as pets than monitors. Not to bash on monitors, I'd love to have one someday.
Monitors are obviously much more intelligent than leos, but that's like comparing a dog to a mouse. Varanids are very active by reptile standards. In the wild they track down their prey, and roam around more than some mammals, over all kinds of terrain. Leopard geckos (and I guess you could say geckos in general) are a "sit and wait" predator, superbly specialized for a single habitat and that kind of lifestyle doesn't require much problem solving skills. So what? At least my leos seem to enjoy watching people and will willingly walk onto my hand. Thats more than we can say about a lot of reptiles in the pet trade.
Don't hate on a species because of what people have done to them.
Monitors are obviously much more intelligent than leos, but that's like comparing a dog to a mouse. Varanids are very active by reptile standards. In the wild they track down their prey, and roam around more than some mammals, over all kinds of terrain. Leopard geckos (and I guess you could say geckos in general) are a "sit and wait" predator, superbly specialized for a single habitat and that kind of lifestyle doesn't require much problem solving skills. So what? At least my leos seem to enjoy watching people and will willingly walk onto my hand. Thats more than we can say about a lot of reptiles in the pet trade.
Don't hate on a species because of what people have done to them.
GeckoGirl1990
New member
lol, I had only read the first page of posts before I posted my thoughts. Sorry for being behind in the discussion :lol:
J.P.
New member
exactly cliff_f. i mentioned "natural instincts in my post". i was stating that even if leos have been inbred several times over, they still had instincts left in them. sorry if i misused the word smart near the end.
another example of what i think shows a certain level of intelligence is how leopards seem to learn when it is feeding time. they first start as shy creatures when newly hatched, but eventually learn to associate people with food. the key word is "learn". if an animal has capacity to learn, then i believe it is smart to some extent. i do not think that leos are the smartest lizards. they are in my opinion, however, the most interesting.
Riverside Reptiles
Administrator (HMFIC)
Any animal that you can look in its ear and see light through the other side can't be but so intelligent! lol
GeckoGirl1990
New member
uhhhg are my posts even read?
First off, it can't be denied that leopard geckos are much more 'responsive' towards their owners than MANY of the other gecko genuses (sp?). You can't ask for much when it comes to intelligence if you're working with geckos! But I think leopards (mine at least) display the same behaviors towards their owners that Philippe de Vosjoli uses to categorize Rhacodactylus trachyrynchus and chahouas as "the most responsive and inquisitive".
Second, the poster asked which lizards are the smartest. Obviously, its the varanids/teiids, nobody seems to disagree with that. NO ONE has claimed that their leos are the smartest lizards. So why do people go on saying how stupid leos are? And bashing anyone who wants to think otherwise?? If leopard geckos and the people who keep them are such idiots why don't you just remove the leopard gecko part of the forum! :angry:
I'm tired of the negativity.
First off, it can't be denied that leopard geckos are much more 'responsive' towards their owners than MANY of the other gecko genuses (sp?). You can't ask for much when it comes to intelligence if you're working with geckos! But I think leopards (mine at least) display the same behaviors towards their owners that Philippe de Vosjoli uses to categorize Rhacodactylus trachyrynchus and chahouas as "the most responsive and inquisitive".
Second, the poster asked which lizards are the smartest. Obviously, its the varanids/teiids, nobody seems to disagree with that. NO ONE has claimed that their leos are the smartest lizards. So why do people go on saying how stupid leos are? And bashing anyone who wants to think otherwise?? If leopard geckos and the people who keep them are such idiots why don't you just remove the leopard gecko part of the forum! :angry:
I'm tired of the negativity.
Riverside Reptiles
Administrator (HMFIC)
The question posed in this thread was, "Are leopard geckos smart". Not, "are they responsive". Not, "Do they like pancakes". Not, "Do they like kisses". The quick and easy answer to this is, "No, they are not very smart" (as you admit yourself). So, why this is making you angry is beyond me.