New member says hello

[zekiss]

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Hello all!
New to the club, name's Leo. We've got a light-yellow AFT, not sure of age and sex yet.
Our son, 7, wanted an exotic pet to care for, but spiders and scorpions were a big NO for me and wife, so we settled on this cute fellow.
Only have it a week now, but already (I'm) concerned and to find answers here I am.

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[Elizabeth Freer]

Welcome to Geckos Unlimited, Leo! I hope we can help you and your son out.

In case you're wondering, you can post a message right here about your new African Fat Tail.

http://www.geckosunlimited.com/commu...-hemitheconyx/

[zekiss]

Thanks for the warm welcome.
So much good info and great advice here, love it!

[Elizabeth Freer]

Thanks for the warm welcome.
So much good info and great advice here, love it!

You're welcome, Leo!

My part is an ongoing labor of love especially for geckophiles and their animals.

[acpart]

Welcome! As far as I can tell from the picture (you may want to send another closeup if possible) this is not an AFT (African Fat Tail) gecko, but rather a leopard gecko. Based on its color it's an albino (no black pigmentation). The care is very similar except that the leopard gecko does not require misting and is more inclined to eat crickets than an AFT. You may want to google the following: "AFT" image (to see what an AFT looks like) and "leopard gecko care".

Aliza

[zekiss]

It is not an original tail as You can see - bad handling at the pet store. It has also got quite skinny tail now since it didn't eat for a week: first it was stress of moving, then shedded skin for 3 days. Also my incompetence. Today tried yet another approach and feeding was successful: 2 crickets eaten! YAY!

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[Elizabeth Freer]

What are the dimensions of his/her enclosure?
What is the ground temperature range from warm to cool as measured by the probe of a digital thermometer?
What brand and exact name of powdered supplements do you have for him?

(4) Sexing Leopard Geckos -- A leopard gecko's gender can be confirmed when that leo is over 5 inches (12.7 cm) in total length. That may happen when the leo is near 6 months old. Males can be distinguished from females by a distinct /\-shaped row of femoral pores above the vent and by two hemipenal bulges below the vent. To see their vents, potential male femoral pores, and hemipenal bulges gently press their bodies up against the glass. They'll squirm if you try to turn them over.

• Click here for a photo: Sexing Leopard Geckos

Temperatures - A temperature gradient from warm to cool maintains your leo's health. Here's a temperature guide for all leopard geckos as measured with the probe of a digital thermometer or a temp gun. Set your thermostat at 91*F/32.8*C.

Tape the thermostat's probe and a digital thermometer's probe together, but offset a little. Place them right on top of the substrate underneath the warm dry hide. If you use a UTH + a CHE you'll need 2 separate thermostats, because ground and air temperatures are substantially different.

• Warm dry hide ground temperature: 88-92 F (31.1-33.3 C) inside a leo's warm dry hide.
• Warm humid/moist hide: Place the humid hide 100% on top of the heat mat. Keep temperatures similar to the warm dry hide.
• Cool dry hide ground temperature: 70ish-75 F (21.1-23.9 C) Usually the cool end ground temperature matches the room temperature where the enclosure sits.
• no greater than 82ish F (27.8ish C) surface temperature - 4 inches (10 cm) above ground on the warm end
• no greater than 75 F (23.9 C) surface temperature - 4 inches (10 cm) above ground on the cool end

Leave your heat mat on 24/7 IF ambient room temperatures drop lower than 67ish*F (19.4*C). If NOT, during the night turn off overhead lighting/heating (~12 hours on and ~12 hours off).

[zekiss]

So it's a leopard for sure?
It's 10-11 cm in lenght now.
Enclosure is 45x45 cm and 60 cm tall (too tall, I know now, but when buying, girl at the store advised and I took it).
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[Elizabeth Freer]

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So it's a leopard for sure?
It's 10-11 cm in lenght now.
Enclosure is 45x45 cm and 60 cm tall (too tall, I know now, but when buying, girl at the store advised and I took it).
image_123927839.jpg
image_123927839 (1).jpg

I believe you have a leopard gecko.

At 12.7 cm long a leo's sex should be evident.

Hopefully you can return this enclosure. The person who sold the enclosure to you did not know much about leopard geckos.

Please replace this enclosure with a long enclosure with a minimum size approximately 30 x 12.5 x 12.5 inches high (76.2 x 31.75 x 31.75 cm high). The enclosure you picture does not allow for a decent thermal gradient. A leopard gecko requires both a warm end and cool end.

Please share a ~60 second video of your leo walking around on some solid surface like a carpet. I'd like to check your leo out for MBD (metabolic bone disease). BOTH front arms seem unnaturally bent. That could be just the way he's resting.

Once you take this video, I can post instructions on how to share the video here.