New guy here bought a leopard gecko for my kids.

[Tackett]

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Hello, My name is Ben. I'm 37 years old and have two little girls. My oldest is almost 6 and my youngest just turned 2.

I try my hardest to keep them interested in STEM and nature. Like all kids they love animals and I want to keep fanning those flames.

My oldest has been wanting a small animal for a while now and I've been looking hard at what to get her. She really wanted a bird, but having raised love birds for years in my younger days I know that birds are a lot of work. So through reading, I discovered the coolness that is the leopard gecko.

So after quite a bit of reading, mostly google taking me to this forum, truth be told, I bought the stuff to get her all set up and ended up getting a very cute little baby leopard gecko from the small mom and pop store we have around here.

Now obviously I know I'm going to be doing most if not all of the maintenance for this little guy for the next few years, but hopefully learning about the care and the habits of an animal like this will help keep her interested in science for years to come.

She named him Cat-Boy by the way. (Again, she's 6 lol)

Anywho, I think I've been bitten by the herp bug through all of this and one day hope to get a panther chameleon or a veiled for myself.

[Elizabeth Freer]

A warm welcome to you, Cat-Boy, and your family. Having a leo in the family is a great way to introduce herps (and science) to children. Keep fanning those flames.

There's even a totally nocturnal male gecko that sounds just like a bird! They range from ~8-10 grams at maturity. They are too small and skittish to be held.

Watch carefully in the second half of this video as this Cyrtodactylus peguensis zebraicus reacts to the recording of his own voice.

[acpart]

Welcome to GU! Geckos are wonderful creatures and have captivated more than one kid (and adult --my kids have never had any interest). Enjoy her and feel free to ask questions here whenever something comes up.

Aliza

[Tackett]

Thanks for the kind words and welcome!

I do have a quick question.

Right now I just have the tank heated but I need a UTH. I've been checking Amazon but all of them seem to have mediocre reviews. What does everyone use?

[Elizabeth Freer]

Thanks for the kind words and welcome!

I do have a quick question.

Right now I just have the tank heated but I need a UTH. I've been checking Amazon but all of them seem to have mediocre reviews. What does everyone use?

You're welcome.

What size is Cat-Boy's enclosure? Have you a thermostat?


PS: Knowing the enclosure size makes a difference with the UTH I recommend. Did you already decide on an UTH?

[acpart]

I prefer the zoo-med heat cable because you can move it from enclosure to enclosure and configure it however you want. The best thing to tape it with is "Nashua tape" which you can get in a home improvement store. It's shaped like a roll of duct tape, but it's essentially aluminum foil with an adhesive backing. Use small strips to tack the cable down the way you want it (there are instructions that recommend running in a sine curve shape) and then use longer strips to cover the whole assembly in order to keep it from sagging.

Aliza

[Tackett]

You're welcome.

What size is Cat-Boy's enclosure? Have you a thermostat?


PS: Knowing the enclosure size makes a difference with the UTH I recommend. Did you already decide on an UTH?

I haven't decided yet on one yet. I bought a dual stage ranco for the purposes of regulating both the overhead heat lamp and the UTH. It's just a little 10 gallon tank.

I am really big into reef aquariums and have been doing that for years now, so I have like 10 or 12 extra tanks downstairs, and after He gets a little bigger I'll probably move him into one of the 20L tanks.

I think I may save my ranco too and buy another apex Jr, so that I can get some control over the habitat while I'm away from it and maybe set up a little web cam so my kids can check in on him when we are away from home.

[Tackett]

I prefer the zoo-med heat cable because you can move it from enclosure to enclosure and configure it however you want. The best thing to tape it with is "Nashua tape" which you can get in a home improvement store. It's shaped like a roll of duct tape, but it's essentially aluminum foil with an adhesive backing. Use small strips to tack the cable down the way you want it (there are instructions that recommend running in a sine curve shape) and then use longer strips to cover the whole assembly in order to keep it from sagging.

Aliza

I have a ton of that aluminum tape, and I think I may have some heat tape (for water pipes) in the basement? Would that work? Hooked to a thermostat obviously.

[acpart]

Yes, except if the heat tape is duct tape, it will eventually pull away from the glass bottom (remember, you have gravity working against you).

Aliza

[Elizabeth Freer]

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I haven't decided yet on one yet. I bought a dual stage ranco for the purposes of regulating both the overhead heat lamp and the UTH. It's just a little 10 gallon tank.

I am really big into reef aquariums and have been doing that for years now, so I have like 10 or 12 extra tanks downstairs, and after He gets a little bigger I'll probably move him into one of the 20L tanks.

I think I may save my ranco too and buy another apex Jr, so that I can get some control over the habitat while I'm away from it and maybe set up a little web cam so my kids can check in on him when we are away from home.

Setting up a webcam sounds super cool. Cat-Boy will never know when you're peeking in.

You can use a 20 long right from the geck-go! It's not too big. Just think of his huge playground and all the exercise he'll get.

IF you want to go for an UTH, I'd get an 11 x 17 inch mat. Both Fluker's and Ultratherm make that size. Buy the one with the higher wattage. It's available via Amazon.