Pet for a 5yo - Guinea pig or leopard gecko

[Allfednonedead]

DS(5) is mad to have a pet. He has diligently fed our cats for two months plus, to show his commitment.
I approve in principle, but am having cold feet about taking on another pet alongside the two cats - not to mention DS(5) and DTs(3).
Can anyone advise on whether a leopard gecko or a Guinea pig would be a better choice and help me feel ok about the commitment?
How much trouble are they? Is there anything easier?

Sorry to gatecrash but I'm really interested in the helpful reptile chat. We are thinking of getting a bearded dragon or leopard gecko for our family. Any thoughts on which might be better? I like that the BD is mainly veggie (I think) but it may be higher maintenance. DS is 7 but I will be taking the lead on care. We have a dog but he isn't allowed upstairs which is where I plan to keep the tank.

Leopard gecko is cheaper than a beardie food wise

I was spending nearly £30 a week on food alone for my growing bearded dragon compared to £10 a week for the gecko

But the leopard gecko is a nocturnal animal whereas the beardie is diurnal.

Cage is big difference aswell

Beardies need as big as possible plus uv whereas a leopard can have a smaller tank and doesn't need a uv bulb

Thanks "Soubriquet". That does sound quite £££ - certainly more than double the cost of our dog. Is there any massive difference in handling/personalities? Do I need to get over squeamish tendencies for a leopard gecko re food?!

Beardies can be a bit more handable as they are a lot bigger whereas leopards are bit more skittish.

But then remember you mustn't pick them up by their tails either as its a defence mechanism to distract a predator

Unless you go for a crestie or iguana (really don't advise an iguana) then you will have to get used to feeding insects to your lizard

What about a tortoise , they're fun .

I've just spent the afternoon researching this and I think we are realistically looking for a leopard due to size and cost. My main worry is that perhaps less social and being nocturnal but we can't manage a beardie. Thanks Soubriquet. Think I might look into rescue/adoption to minimise the life span in our household, if that's a possibility.

There's a lot of reptiles being sold because people don't realise what they have let themselves in for so it shouldn't be a problem to get an older one

Geckos are definitely the best reptile choice of pet, as I say I always recommended crested as they don't need live food (leopards need dusted crickets and worms) but neither need uvb or a huge space, I've handled both and they can both become fairly sociable. Neither need huge amounts of heats but it's always good to have a heat mat for the winter as neither should be below 22

Thanks jwww, I will look into the cresties. Apologies again for derailing the thread!

We also have a tortoise. She's a great pet, I'd recommend one. Eats weeds from the garden, no live insects. We can also leave her overnight without any worries, so she's much easier to keep than a gecko.
She's actually much more interesting than you would think, loves to wander around and climb on things.

She has a uv heat lamp on 12 hours a day which costs a bit though.

We've also got fish, they're not so interesting though.