u/LoneDefense

(Obligatory gecko picture of course… she has no self control)

This is gonna be a long post so strap in, but I really feel like it needs to be said. I’ve noticed a lot of things that happen in this sub that… honestly do not benefit the OP or the sub as a whole. So I’m hoping that a well articulated post might help a bit.

Being rude, aggressive or confrontational when informing/correcting someone on here is extremely counterproductive.

Why? Because not only is the person less likely to take the advice now, but is also way less likely to come back to this sub and ask for help in the future.

And yes… I do understand how frustrating it is to see the same mistakes on repeat. I understand that is why many people get so irritated when they see yet another person posting a picture of a gecko in a ten gallon tank with reptile carpet.

However, if you truly want the gecko to have the best chance at getting corrected husbandry, attacking OP or being passive aggressive is not the way to go about it.

It’s very rare that anyone who comes to post on this sub is intentionally neglecting their gecko. Most are apologetic and state they will upgrade their setup as soon as possible once informed it’s wrong. There is so much incorrect information about leopard geckos everywhere, we have to be more understanding of when people get it wrong. Even exotic vets still provide wildly incorrect fact sheets about these guys.

Please be more careful about stating things as fact when it’s still something that is debated/varies depending on the gecko.

For example, I have seen on here many times that leopard geckos are more of a “look don’t touch” pet. I’ve also seen people see they should only be handled 10 minutes at a time, once a day, etc.

This is not correct for every gecko and usually only applies to new/young geckos, sick
/injured geckos, or geckos who do not enjoy handling. In fact, letting your gecko out to explore an environment that isn’t stressful to them is good for them. Any animal benefits from enrichment that doesn’t sacrifice their comfort. If they aren’t getting spooked and enjoy being handled/exploring, absolutely handle them more! Even the biggest enclosures can only entertain them so much.

These are the main two issues I feel like I see a lot when browsing this subreddit. It’s not meant to attack anyone or make people feel bad, I just want people to be more conscious of it so it happens less often. We’re all here because we enjoy leopard geckos, so let’s try our best to help each other and make the community stronger overall :)

TLDR
Be more kind and understanding when helping people, even if you’re frustrated. Most people who do something wrong are not malicious and we want them to listen to the advice/come back for more. Also, be careful about stating certain things as fact when it’s a debated topic/can vary gecko to gecko. It spreads false information which is not great.

Thank you for reading and I hope this helps the community overall. If you have other things you’ve noticed/think could change for the better, comment below! Just remember to be constructive :)

Clever girl…