Gecko likes it cooler?

shanao · #1 12-06-2011, 02:24 PM

Hello all you helpful individuals. I am a happy and proud relatively new friend of a gecko (since August). Her name is bisquit (in my avatar) and she is about 6.5" long.

She eats crickets, has a good appetite and poops - is there a post on the poop?

I am getting a nice piece of slate for her very soon, which should help alleviate my impaction paranoia. But wait...there are other things to obsess over...

Bisquit spends most of her time in her moist hide. It's only about 70-75 degrees in there. Only 75 in her tank. She seems to like that. At night she stays near her warm rock - when the light is off, but during the day she only goes on it to warm her belly after she eats.

She couldn't be any cuter or sweeter. I am so surprised at how much I adore her - since I'm mainly into dogs as pets go. She is out of the tank every day and seems cool with just hanging out with us in the house which is around 70 degrees. Could she just be used to this lower temperature? Is it going to be bad for her health?

I did add a small heater on the side of the tank, but it hasn't made that much of a difference. Between the lights, rock and side heater...

Any thoughts are much appreciated...Oh - and what kind of leo is she? I have no clue.

Thanks again! I'm happy I found this forum to obsess over my new baby since my friends all think I'm crazy!

Mardy · #2 12-06-2011, 02:35 PM

70's are definitely too low of a temperature for a leopard gecko to sustain good health. You want to look into an under tank heating pad. It should be one large enough to cover 1/3 of the tank on the warm side. Leopard geckos require belly heat to digest food properly. I know you saw your gecko bask under the light on a rock, but it's only doing that because that's the only source of heat you have provided her. Ideally there would be an under tank heating pad to allow her to just lay on the ground and warm up. The hot spot temperature should hit 90-95 degrees.

Once you have that, a basking light is not necessary. You would find your gecko more active once you have provided her proper belly heat. Now if you live somewhere that has consistent below 70 air temperature, you may want to look into a ceramic heat emitter. Those ceramic heat lamps will emit heat without light, and they are great for heating up the air temperature as well as supplement the ground heating needs of a leopard gecko.

Be sure to get a digital thermometer with a probe or temperature gun to test the temperature on the floor properly. The temperature you need to look for are the ground temperature, they should be 90-95 degrees. Hope that helps, good luck

shanao · #3 12-06-2011, 02:45 PM

Thanks, Mardy. The rock is heated and the side heater is an "under tank" but it recommended (on the package) that I put it on the side of the glass. I don't have a good thermometer, so maybe a more accurate gauge will help.

I have to say, there is so much differentiation in the information out there. Now I understand I will need a longer tank when she gets bigger. Not at you - just generally - why are people sold sand? And tanks that aren't long enough, etc. So frustrating. I guess I do keep buying....so the stores just keep selling. And they aren't experts!
Thanks again for your help.
-Shana

Mardy · #4 12-06-2011, 03:06 PM

The under tank heating pad should be under the tank, not on the side. Also a heat rock is not recommended as they are still unsafe to use due to possibility of them overheating and burning your gecko.

There's definitely a lot of different information and recommendation out there. One thing for sure is to never get sold on things in pet stores. While there are some knowledgeable pet store employees out there, majority I've seen do not know enough about leopard geckos. They treat leopard geckos like any other "lizards" like iguanas, and thus they recommend things for you to buy based on what other lizard needs are.

You'll find better information online, on forums like this especially since information is more up to date.

Melissa · #5 12-06-2011, 07:32 PM

Hello,
Mardy has given you good information. It could be, because of the size of your
set-up, the warmer part of the enclosure might be too warm for that particular
Leopard gecko. I'd also offer your Leo mealworms. There is a good forum dedicated
to Leopard geckos. You can find a lot of info. there, including
finding out what morph your little one is. A little difficult to tell from your avatar,
but she looks pretty!
Best wishes.

Melissa

shanao · #6 12-07-2011, 09:31 AM

Thank you for responding, Melissa. I will check out the other site also!
-Shana

**Riverside Reptiles** · #7 12-07-2011, 12:47 PM

Mealworms are junk. If she's eating crickets well, stick with them. They are far better nutritionally than mealworms. make sure that you are gut loading and dusting your crickets. As mentioned, heat rocks are a poor choice as they have a reputation for over heating and burning reptiles. I'd throw it out as it's completely unsafe. Also as mentioned, you want to put your under the tank heater under the tank. A good digital thermometer can be found at walmart or home depot for around $10 or less. Try to find an indoor/outdoor one with a probe so that you can measure the temps on both the warm side and the cooler side of the tank. It's normal for her to be in her hide during the day as these are nocturnal animals. They hide during the day, and come out at night to hunt.

Angey · #8 12-07-2011, 07:23 PM

You are getting some wonderful advice.
I am very confused by this post though...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Melissa

There is a good forum dedicated
to Leopard geckos. You can find a lot of info. there,

As this IS the leopard gecko forum.
I have looked into many other forums on the net for leopard geckos and this is the best one I've found. The experts here know what they are talking about and care for your leo as if it was their own.

shanao · #9 12-08-2011, 10:19 AM

Bisquit has new substrate - slate and rocks. Also a new larger under tank heater and the warm rock is gone. All thanks to you guys! Her temperature is at least 80 now...still need a better thermometer and thinner slate...coming soon.

Wish I had a picture, but I'm sure you will all know what I mean...surprise yesterday when Bisquit turned into "ghost of bisquit" a whiter, grayer version of herself. Of course, she was getting ready to shed and she did - and all is well in the moist hide...super cute to see her sleeping with her head resting on the sponge!!!

Also - I did as advised an put a bowl of calcium in the vivarium - do they actually eat it though? I think she gets plenty off the (white) crickets.

Trying to get some photos uploaded.

Yoshi'smom · #10 12-08-2011, 10:35 AM

While it seems like they don't ever lick it up (and in fact, you may never see her do it) they will when they need it. I've spotted one of my leos lick up his calcium occasionally. The others i'm not to sure about. They seem more keen on walking through it and making a mess for me to clean up. It's still a good idea to provide it for them. Just make sure that the calcium you dust insects with has D3 in it and the calcium you provide just in the tank is without D3. It's possible for leos to overdose on D3.
Btw: your little one is looking good! Keep up the good work with her and her tank.