Which is better to have as a pet? By ‘better’ I mean for someone new to the reptile hobby. I’ve never kept any kind of reptile before and I really want a leopard gecko. I’m doing research before buying and I’m leaning toward male. The reason is bc I’ve read females tend to brumate longer and can have problems with laying eggs, becoming egg bound, etc. Can anyone with more experience and knowledge shed some light on how it is to keep a female? Do they have more health issues than a male bc of egg laying/reproductive tract etc? Also unsure of the ‘best’ age. Thanks so much! 
I have a juvenile male leopard gecko, he is the first reptilian pet I’ve ever kept. He’s very easy to take care of, I haven’t had any problems with him. Leopard geckos are a great choice for an easy to take care of pet that is very friendly. As long as a female leo is old enough to lay eggs, about 2 years, then there shouldn’t be any problems with egg laying.
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I’m more of a snake person than a lizard person, but a leopard gecko was one of my earliest forays into lizard keeping. I got an adult male, already full grown from a large scale leo breeder. Despite probably not being handled every day, being from a larger facility, he is very tame, very calm and very simple to take care of. Adult animals in general tend to be more even keeled than babies so if you’re looking for a pet you can handle and that’s easy to care for a well established adult male would be an excellent choice. So long as you’re giving it the appropriate diet and amount of vitamins and minerals it needs, an adult female shouldn’t give you any trouble either.
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I have no experience with Leo’s but it’s generally true with all reptiles that a well cared for juvi or adult are a safer bet health wise, hatchlings are more fragile and despite even great care and good breeding, can sometimes suffer from failure to thrive. Males also generally have fewer potential health issues related to gender. Can’t comment on temperament related to gender since I’ve never kept them. In other reptile species, one or the other are generally better pets and in others it doesn’t matter.
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