I got a baby leo about 3 or 4 days ago and the lady at the pet store was great assistance to me, she seemed to think my gecko has a great terrerium. I'm not positive if shes had any experience with leopard geckos first hand so I thought I would post on this forum as I know majority of you do! I have bark chips as a bottom for his tank, I wouldn't prefer to stay away from paper towel if possible, would anyone suggest any other substances such as digestable sand? I have an over-head day light (75 watts), the average temperature of the warm sidebeing about 83 degrees Ferenheit, and the cool side being about 76-77 degrees. Are these temperatures acceptable, if not, what are some changes I could make? At night, I turn the light off and turn his night time light on (purple 75 watt). I have heard alot of people using heating pads but if possible I would like to stay away from those also, but if its best for him of course I will change my opinion. How would I go about setting one up? I have a small plant for him to hide behind, two hides, one on each side of the tank, a small piece of wood - mainly for decoration, the hide on the warm side is made of rock so he often lays ontop to bask. I have a shallow water dish and I feed him every other night - about 12 mealworms each feeding wth calcium of course. He is in a 20 gallon tank. I want my gecko to be happy with his surroundings and for him to be as healthy as possible so I would really appreciate some feedback and advice that would improve my tank!! Thank you so much for your help.
NEW TO THE LEO WORLD - Please help.
- Thread starter wrayannem
- Start date
Embrace Calamity
New member
1) NEVER use "digestible" sand. Ever. It's not digestible. Your leo will die on it. I've been told wood chips aren't a good idea, but I'll let someone else with more experience on that matter touch that one.
2) Warm side isn't warm enough. Should be 88-93 on the surface - measured digitally, no analog gauges.
3) He needs a humid hide 24/7. Get a Tupperware container, cut a hole in the side or top (make sure there are no sharp edges), and put moist paper towels in it. Leave it as close to the warm side as you can.
4) NEVER listen to pet store people. They might mean well, but the fact of the matter is, they are very rarely trained or experienced enough to give you any decent advice. You're much more likely to get advice from them that'll kill your reptile than advice that will keep it healthy.
5) If he's in a 20 long, I suggest three dry hides - one on the cool side, one on the warm, and one in the middle. If you get temps right, your cool side should stay in the 70's, which your gecko will rarely need to use. It'll likely stay in the hot or middle areas.
6) Fill out what you can of this (pics of the enclosure are good too):
Gender:
Age:
Weight:
How big was the reptile when you first acquired it?
Source (pet store, breeder, previous owner):
Captive bred or wild caught?
Do you handle him? If so how often?
Enclosure:
Cage: type, size:
Substrate provided?
What types of hiding places are provided?
Is there a humidity hide? location?
Please describe any other furnishings:
Lighting:
Artificial lighting?
incandescent (“screw-in” bulbs): wattage(s) ?
fluorescent (tube bulbs)?
Temperature:
Do you have a thermometer(s) in the cage? what type?
What is the temperature in the warm part of the cage? under the warm hide? In the coolest part?
What device(s) are used to maintain the temperature? hot rock, UTH, heat light, ceramic heater, other:
Are you using a thermostat?
Which hide does she/he spend most of her time?
Is the temperature decreased at night? by how much?
Humidity:
Is the humidity measured? Range:
List other animals that are kept in the same cage:
Recent acquisitions (new pets within the past 6 months)
Are any of your other pets ill?
List recent changes in the environment, if any:
Diet:
Insects, list type?
Are they “gut loaded”? If so with?
How often do you feed your reptile?
Please list any supplements used. How are they given and how often?
What calcium brand are you using? with D3, without or both?
Is the calcium in the tank with D3 or without?
Multivitamins?
Please list any recent additions/changes in the diet:
If your reptile is sick, please describe the signs and how long your reptile has been showing these signs:
Is your reptile’s general activity level normal, decreased, or increased?
Is your reptile’s appetite normal, decreased, or increased?
Have you noticed any of the following?
Weight loss, Weight gain
Discharge from the eyes or nose
Increased breathing rate or effort
Change in the droppings
urates white or yellowish
Abnormal skin color or shedding
Parasites on the skin or in the feces
Weakness
~Maggot
2) Warm side isn't warm enough. Should be 88-93 on the surface - measured digitally, no analog gauges.
3) He needs a humid hide 24/7. Get a Tupperware container, cut a hole in the side or top (make sure there are no sharp edges), and put moist paper towels in it. Leave it as close to the warm side as you can.
4) NEVER listen to pet store people. They might mean well, but the fact of the matter is, they are very rarely trained or experienced enough to give you any decent advice. You're much more likely to get advice from them that'll kill your reptile than advice that will keep it healthy.
5) If he's in a 20 long, I suggest three dry hides - one on the cool side, one on the warm, and one in the middle. If you get temps right, your cool side should stay in the 70's, which your gecko will rarely need to use. It'll likely stay in the hot or middle areas.
6) Fill out what you can of this (pics of the enclosure are good too):
Gender:
Age:
Weight:
How big was the reptile when you first acquired it?
Source (pet store, breeder, previous owner):
Captive bred or wild caught?
Do you handle him? If so how often?
Enclosure:
Cage: type, size:
Substrate provided?
What types of hiding places are provided?
Is there a humidity hide? location?
Please describe any other furnishings:
Lighting:
Artificial lighting?
incandescent (“screw-in” bulbs): wattage(s) ?
fluorescent (tube bulbs)?
Temperature:
Do you have a thermometer(s) in the cage? what type?
What is the temperature in the warm part of the cage? under the warm hide? In the coolest part?
What device(s) are used to maintain the temperature? hot rock, UTH, heat light, ceramic heater, other:
Are you using a thermostat?
Which hide does she/he spend most of her time?
Is the temperature decreased at night? by how much?
Humidity:
Is the humidity measured? Range:
List other animals that are kept in the same cage:
Recent acquisitions (new pets within the past 6 months)
Are any of your other pets ill?
List recent changes in the environment, if any:
Diet:
Insects, list type?
Are they “gut loaded”? If so with?
How often do you feed your reptile?
Please list any supplements used. How are they given and how often?
What calcium brand are you using? with D3, without or both?
Is the calcium in the tank with D3 or without?
Multivitamins?
Please list any recent additions/changes in the diet:
If your reptile is sick, please describe the signs and how long your reptile has been showing these signs:
Is your reptile’s general activity level normal, decreased, or increased?
Is your reptile’s appetite normal, decreased, or increased?
Have you noticed any of the following?
Weight loss, Weight gain
Discharge from the eyes or nose
Increased breathing rate or effort
Change in the droppings
urates white or yellowish
Abnormal skin color or shedding
Parasites on the skin or in the feces
Weakness
~Maggot
Welcome to GU and to the world of geckos. I'll vouch for not using wood chips. I took care of a leopard gecko once that had dropped her tail for no known reason --until the next day when she passed a few pieces of walnut bark which had probably been hurting her so much inside that she dropped the tail. The advice above is good. Feel free to ask more questions.
Aliza
Aliza
Thank you very much for the feedback! One question for Embrace Calamity: how can I heat the tank up more on the warm side? Will definately work on getting the humidity hide either tonight or tomorrow, any othe suggestions for the bottom of the tank? I figured the pet stores wouldn't be too educated on the subject.
Corwin's Keeper
New member
I am not sure why you stated you wanted to stay away from an under tank heater (UTH) but they are almost a necessity. As you said you have an overhead heat source already adding a UTH would also help to bring the temperature in the tank - specifically the heat on the floor of the tank (leo's require belly heat to properly digest their food). They are fairly inexpensive ~$25 and stick right on to the tank. If you haven't already read through Elizabeth's Care Sheet extremely thourough and a great read! 
Embrace Calamity
New member
Elizabeth Freer
Well-known member
wrayannem......
Nice you have a big tank right from the geck-go.
Paper towels will work temporarily when you remove the bark chips (bad news). Get some ceramic or porcelain tiles from a place like Home Depot. 6 x 6s or 12 x 12s or a combo work well. Don't grout them in.
Overhead lighting is important too.
What type thermometer have you?
Warm end temps: 88-93 F
Warm end air temps about 6" above ground: no greater than 85 F
Cool end air temps about 6" above ground: no greater than 77 F
Nice you have a big tank right from the geck-go.
Paper towels will work temporarily when you remove the bark chips (bad news). Get some ceramic or porcelain tiles from a place like Home Depot. 6 x 6s or 12 x 12s or a combo work well. Don't grout them in.
Overhead lighting is important too.
What type thermometer have you?
Warm end temps: 88-93 F
Warm end air temps about 6" above ground: no greater than 85 F
Cool end air temps about 6" above ground: no greater than 77 F