Leopard gecko info!

[Matty]

Hi i have just bought a young leopard gecko and i think i know how to care for one properly but if you have any info please let me know. The two main things i'd like to find out are what is a good tank setup [ what should i add to the tank rocks,plants etc] And how do i tame and handle a leopard gecko Thanks a lot any info appreciated! :)

[WingedWolf]

This is actually something you should have done before you brought the gecko home....

A 15 to 20 gallon tank is a good size for an adult leopard gecko. It should be lined with newspaper, paper towel, or reptile carpet. There should be two hide boxes--one dry, the other filled with dampened moss or peat, or damp paper towel.
A heat spot lamp should be placed over one end of the tank, where the dry hide is. Don't place it in the middle--you want a heat gradient, so the tank is hotter on one side.
A pair of stick-on thermometers should be placed in the tank where you can read them easily, AT THE LIZARD'S LEVEL--don't place them at the top.
The hot end should be 88 to 90 F, the cool end should be 75 to 80F.
If you choose, you can use an undertank heater instead of a spot lamp--again, place it under one side of the tank. I'd recommend using an indoor/outdoor thermometer with a remote probe--put the probe on the floor of the cage over the mat, to make sure it's no higher than 90F. Many undertank heaters get too hot, and you'll need to attach a rheostat or thermostat to control them.

Put lights on a timer so they have a regular day/night cycle. A "moonlight" blue light or red light can be used to provide heat at night without disturbing them. Geckos are nocturnal, so that type of light will also allow you to watch them when they're active.

Those are the basics...all the rest is window dressing. Don't stack rocks or sticks that your gecko might get behind or under, and push over--they could injure it.
Decorations are for your amusement more than the geckos. Some leos appreciate a sturdy climbing log, particularly if you use an overhead lamp.

Taming is fairly simple. A few points to remember--your gecko doesn't "like" you, and it never will. It will, however, get USED to you.
Don't overdo it. Your reptile's needs are best met by the tank you set up--heat is essential to its health. If it's out being handled, it's not in regulating its temperature properly.
Keep sessions down to 10 to 15 minutes, 20 minutes perhaps when the gecko's an adult, and always be aware of the room temperatures. If the room is 80 F, then your gecko is fine...if it's cooler, then you'll need to restrict how long it's exposed to those temperatures. Excessive cooling and drafts can cause respiratory infections.
Try to handle your gecko for about 5 minutes every day, to tame it. Do this before it eats. If you notice that it isn't eating well, try every other day until it gets more used to you.

[Matty]

I did research them before i bought the gecko home i'm only asking for some general advice and anyway according to my numorous amount of books some of your information is incorrect.

[WingedWolf]

If some of my information is incorrect, most likely your books are wrong.
Which information, specifically, were you referring to?

[lizard64]

ummm i might be getting a leo soon so could one of you guys tell me how often do u feed them but i know that u feed em crickets for awhile do you ever feed them bigger stuff as adults? and any more info i should need about raising leos.

[iggysbirds]

The info provided above does sound right!!! A lot of older books will tell different information on care for reptiles. Many will tell you to use heat rocks which can burn your gecko. It is best when reading books to always make sure you get ones that have been published recently and read more than one to see if they agree on all the main points or if there are large disagreements. We have never provided hide boxes as listed above for ours we do make sure they have hiding places in their cage though just not necessarily as listed in the above post. If you are wanting to breed (and I hope you aren't especially as this is a new hobby for you besides the overabundance of geckos right now on the market) but then you need to be more specific on your hide boxes etc. We have a very basic care sheet on www.iggysbirds.com for the leapord gecko but as I said it is basic. We also list links to several other sites that would give a lot more info on them. We deal in rescuing almost all sizes of lizards and have just started posting care sheets so at this time they are not real extensive.

Stephanie
IIRBS

[WingedWolf]

A hide box (or cage, or hollow log) is essential to a reptile's mental health. In the wild, reptiles spend most of their time in hiding--whenever they are not basking or hunting, they are sleeping in a secure place. Without a secure place to sleep and hide, your reptiles will be stressed. Stress can decrease resistance to disease and infection.

A humid or damp hide is used with many desert species because these animals often spend the day in burrows which are cooler and slightly damp. The moisture helps loosen skin when they are shedding.
Continual humidity is unwise, because it can cause respiratory infections--the humidity should be around 30% in other areas of the cage.

Without a humid hide, these species (ground geckos such as leopard geckos, for example) are prone to retaining skin on their toes and tail tips. Retained skin in these areas can shrink as it dries completely, and tourniquet their digits, causing loss of toes or tail tips. If you discover retained skin on any part of your gecko, you may have to run your gecko on wet paper towel for an hour or two, then try to remove it gently. If it does not come off easily, a trip to the vet will be necessary.
Prevention is much easier.

Leopard geckos may eat crickets, mealworms, zophobas (super worms), silk worms, feeder roaches such as lobster roaches or juvenile hissing roaches, butter worms and wax worms (in moderation). They may also take the occasional pink mouse (baby mouse).
It's a good idea to vary the diet, rather than just feeding a single type of insect all the time. Make sure all insects are gut-loaded (fed a nutritious diet of fresh (well-washed) greens and vegetables) for at least 24 hours before you give them to your reptile, and dust them with a calcium supplement.

[iggysbirds]

Yes we do provide hollow logs and also have found some "hollow" rock structures that work well for hides we just didn't provide the hide "boxes" that you had listed above. That is why I said your earlier post sounded right and that we used hiding spaces instead of hide boxes. Just wanted to clear that up. I also like your choice of insects we usually just mention the crickets (which do not make up all of their diet but usually 50% or so) and silk worms, super worms and meal worms. The reason why we mention these is because at the pet stores in our area those are really the only kinds of insects available. The others are of course available online but we usually just buy them locally.

On the gutloading we use greens and veggies (fresh) but we also use fish food, and hermit crab food which helps up their protein levels quickly and is still healthy for them. We have also used the specific cricket gutload foods available at a lot of pet stores and online.

As far as the pink mouse it is a good protein and calcium source but the only time we have used them is when a leapord gecko is egg producing to offer more calcium the rest of the time we stick to insects which of course are fed a calcium supplement and are dusted with calcium every other time. We have had really good luck with our rescues and at this time don't have any leopard geckos because they seem to be adopted out faster than many of the other lizards!!

Stephanie

And WingedWolf I haven't been arguing with any of your points in your posts because it sounds like you definitely know what you are doing I was just pointing out a few things we did a bit differently.

[WingedWolf]

Didn't think you were arguing, just clarifying for other folks. :)

Fish food is ok for gut loading, but use it in small quantities occasionally...as I understand it, it can be quite high in phosphorus, and most feeder insects already have too much phosphorus. Whole grains are another good choice.

Pinkie mice are actually lower in calcium than adult mice (though of course leos can't eat adult mice)...their primary value is as a source of protein and fat for breeders. :)

I imagine leos would be easy to adopt out, because they are so easy to care for, and take up so little space in comparison with other commonly sold reptiles.

Up to your ears in igs and burms? It's sad that these animals are sold so freely to folks who have no idea about their most basic care and adult size.

[Matty]

Winged wolf
How can you seem so sure that my books are incorrect. I really don't know who you think you are but the books i have where published this year and i think the author is just a little more experienced than you and i couldn't care less about what stupid remark your probably going to make.

[iggysbirds]

Hi!

I know this will probably start an argument but would you mind telling us what the names of the books are and the author. Also were they actually published this year or a reprint from ones published in an earlier year. Not saying anyone is wrong or right just curious because I would like to read the books myself to see what they say.

Thanks
Stephanie

[WingedWolf]

Yeah, and I'd also like to hear which specific points the book disagrees on....that hasn't been stated yet, either.
Who do I think I am? I think I'm an experienced reptile keeper who breeds leopard geckos. Who do you think your author is?

[Tennessee Girl]

I am brand new here but really had to put my 2 cents in here. WingedWolf is 100% accurate in the information that they provided. I myself did a lot of research on Leopard Geckos before purchasing mine and am curious as to what you think is inaccurate about the information that they provided? You came in here asking for info and then attack the person who was kind enough to provide it? Personally I think you are full of it when you say you have books that say different but that is just my opinion. By the way, you are supposed to research the pet before you go out and get one!

[Tennessee Girl]

Shedding problems

Failure of leopard geckos to fully shed can be due to a lack of access to a moist environment during shedding. Unshed skin is particularly common around the snout, toes and eyes, and should be removed as soon as possible. If ignored, unshed skin can lead to a number of more serious problems such as infections, eye problems, and loss of toes (unshed skin restricts the blood flow to the toes). Unshed skin can be removed by letting the animal soak in warm water for about 10 mins then gently rubbing the unshed skin with a wet cotton bud until the skin comes off, this may take several attempts. Unshed skin should never be forced off, this may damage the leos skin, leaving it open to infection. Shedding problems can be avoided by providing a moist hide and ensuring that it is always moist. If infections arise, a vet should be consulted, and the substrate should be changed to papertowel until the infection is cleared up.

Info Found Here:
http://www.thegeckospot.com/leohealth.html

[Reilly122602]

I am brand new here but really had to put my 2 cents in here. WingedWolf is 100% accurate in the information that they provided. I myself did a lot of research on Leopard Geckos before purchasing mine and am curious as to what you think is inaccurate about the information that they provided? You came in here asking for info and then attack the person who was kind enough to provide it? Personally I think you are full of it when you say you have books that say different but that is just my opinion. By the way, you are supposed to research the pet before you go out and get one!

This was posted 3 months ago

[PopCulturePets]

Visit A Very Cool Pet Site! (http://www.PopCulturePets.com)

[Tennessee Girl]

This was posted 3 months ago


Sorry, but what difference does that make?

[Reilly122602]

The difference is, it was posted 3 months ago. The original poster isnt even a member here anymore.

[Tennessee Girl]

The difference is, it was posted 3 months ago. The original poster isnt even a member here anymore.


Look, I had no idea they weren't a member here anymore. I was not directing my reply towards only them anyhow. But I did feel drawn to post that you don't ask for help and then get nasty with someone who responds to you with answers that are correct.

[Reilly122602]

I understand, although I kindly replied "This was posted 3 months ago".
Theres alot of other threads that are on here. So let's on keep going on this one.

[SpongeBob]

I may sound a bit stupid but ive read that geckos will not like you and will not interact with you because they are purely wild and have tiny brains. Does this make it any less enjoyable to keep one?

[Reilly122602]

You've read that from?.. Leopard Geckos by Missy Elliot?

That is so not true. Wild caught geckos arent going to be friendly. Leos are very friendly, and great animals to have.

[SpongeBob]

Thank you for that. Is it safe to get a leo delivered. I was thinking it might be stressed from the travel or something like that. Missy Eliot?

[shadowfx78]

The wingedwolf dude has a warped vision of reptiles, i find my leos to be rather personable

A 20 gallon long tank is good for 3 to 4 leos a 10 gallon is appropriate for single leo. There are a few other things that he says i dont agree with but i wont get into that.

SpongeBob, now adays its pretty common to ship reptiles thru over night delivery stories. Yes most reptiles will be stressed even if you get them from a breeder or pet shop. I takes time for them to adjust to their new settings. I have had my leos for a month now and they are just finally settling in and recognizing me as a "food source" and one that wont hurt them.

[Tamizan]

if you want a good place sb, use www.jvreptiles.com i got my corn from him, he ships great, food, water and a bit of space :)