New to Leopard Geckos with questions

[geckogramma]

Rosie, patterned leo (black and yellow) and Blondie patternless
leo (dark blonde) Blizzard Leo? both females both 1 year old, about 8"long unknown weights but both appear to be of healthy weight, I getting a digital scale for them within week
They have been with our family since August/08 Rosie is active and curious, Blondie is laid back both appear to be healthy, just a difference in personality
they spend an inordinate amount of time sleeping in their hides unless there are unusual noises then Rosie has to check to see what is happening
Normal bathroom habits They spend all their time together

ENCLOSURE
Set up info tank size? 40 gal
Temps -what do you use for heat? undertank heater
Warm Area? 80F ambient
Cool area? 70F ambient
What are you measure it with? thermometers (one for substrate temp and one for ambiant temp
What Substrate? plain desert sand cool side, warm side has desert sand with calcium
What hours for day/night? 12 hours each day with day-glo lamp and a UVa and
UVb bulb, night is with a moon-glo lamp or a infra-red
Do you use any type of nighttime heat, if so what? same as daytime
Is there a humid hide available? What medium? yes, coconut shell with moist
moss
FOOD
How is his appetite? Is there a change? excellent unless shedding
What size and how many/much insects does he eat? each get: 3 superworms or
6 mealworm or 3 phoenix worms when they get crickets
What do you feed the insects normally? was feeding mainly crickets with
phoenix worms for extra calcium Supplements: calcium
What kind of calcium/how often?Mineral-all made by sticky tongue farms
What kind of vitamins how often electrolyte and vitamin D3 made by exo-terra
How are these given to him? always added to water
My problem and questions are: They don't "follow the rules according to research" I have given them each hides on warm and cool side, as well as their own moist hides. So they spend their time in one hide together, which we solved by buying a larger hide that borders the heated and the unheated substrate, as well as a larger hide for each the warm and unheated making 3 hides total. They have never gone into the moist hides even when I tried making a larger one that they could both use.

Now for the reasons for my post. I have been reading the forum since August when the girls joined the family but have not been able to find all my answers and I get different answers from the petstore "experts"

There has not been a problem with Rosie shedding but Blondie has a problem with shedding on her toes (she has lost one toe . How often should they be shedding? Blondie sheds every 2 weeks, Rosie sheds every 3.5 weeks what is the norm? Blondie was getting baths to help with toe shedding but she was getting too stressed out so I started lining the bottom of her bath with moss and she is much more at ease with that and with my using the cotton swab to help the shed.

Rosie is also a digger...she sprays the sand all over the place, she will dig normally with front foot but her back foot (on the opposite side) will be pushing the sand forward...silly girlgecko

Rosie is more outgoing and adventuresome, when the vivarium is changed she is the first to check things out (usually looking for path of escape)| Blondie is more accepting of being handled and is less adventuresome.

Thanks for providing this forum as a form of education.

Sue

 

[DecoGeckos]

Hi Sue There are a few things that may be causing Blondie's shedding issues, and their daily inactivity...

The sand PERIOD is a "no-no". I know the argument is that it looks better than paper towel, and may be alright if the gecko is old enough, but I can show you some HORRIBLE pictures of a biopsy of a leopard gecko that ingested too much sand, and it killed it. Sand can also very much dry out a leopard geckos toes...it would be like us walking in dust all day long. I would suggest getting some ceramic tiles, or even paper towels now for the time being (unless they don't bother you, then use them indefinitely).

Also...UVA and UVB lighting is not necessary for leos. Years ago, when I first started keeping leopard geckos, I had a UVB lighting setup. I never saw my gecko, and when I did, she would never open her eyes properly. She lost all color, would not eat, etc. Turns out the UVB was slowly killing her. They are nocturnal geckos, therefore their skin is not made to handle the amounts of UV rays that a lot of the lights these days put out. If you are worried about the ambient air temps in your enclosure, I suggest you get a ceramic heat bulb, not a light source. Leos will stay in the dark as much as possible. In my tubs, I have no light, only the UTH along the back side. My leos are up and around throughout the day.

Another problem would be the 80*F hot side...you need that to be from 88*-92*F. 80*F is much too cool. It could be that the sand is insulating the UTH too much, or that the UTH is not putting out enough heat. I now see you mentioned the temps were ambient...that does not matter, it is the SURFACE temps that do

You mentioned having moist hides...have you tried getting a larger tupperware piece, leaving the lid on, and cutting a hole in the side, or top, lining it with paper towel, and moistening that? I have a few picky geckos that do not care for the moss, and like the wet paper towel much better. I've yet to have anyone with a shedding problem. Be sure that the moist hide is at least partially above the UTH (they need that warm humidity).

Sorry this is long, but I hope any/all of those suggestions help!

 

[geckogramma]

I had discussed the sand vs ceramic tile issue with a local breeder and he suggested staying with the sand as he does. i am still inclined to switch to ceramic tile. I want to get their vivarium as close to nature as possible so will likely be switching. When I do, should the uht be directly under the tile or can I leave it under the glass? Also glazed or unglazed tile? and would it be alright to leave a corner open for Rosie to do her digging...she enjoys it so much LOL

 

[DecoGeckos]

Well I will not post the pictures (as they are GRAPHIC) but this is a link to the biopsy of a 3 year old leopard gecko that died of sand impaction:
Leopard Gecko Sand Impaction

I'm not saying it happens every day, but obviously there is a chance, and IMO, I'd rather not take it!

At Home Depot they regularly sell 12x12 ceramic tiles on clearance for $1 each, or less. I would go with the unglazed tile. The UTH can stay stuck to the underside of the tank...just check surface temps, and move, or line underneath the tile with paper towels if necessary to make the surface temps go down.

Are you positive both are female? Rosie MAY be digging in preparation of laying eggs. Some females will lay infertile eggs as well. I personally would not leave a corner open, but that's just me...you're welcome to do whatever you want as they are YOUR geckos

 

[phearamedusa]

I had discussed the sand vs ceramic tile issue with a local breeder and he suggested staying with the sand as he does. i am still inclined to switch to ceramic tile. I want to get their vivarium as close to nature as possible so will likely be switching. When I do, should the uht be directly under the tile or can I leave it under the glass? Also glazed or unglazed tile? and would it be alright to leave a corner open for Rosie to do her digging...she enjoys it so much LOL

You can have tile and dirt/play sand in a small area. I've got both myself.;-) The reason everyone is against calci-sand is because it contains calcium and it encourages the gecko to eat it if there's not enough calcium in their diet. It is "supposed" to be digestible, but its not. I use cactus soil in mine with a couple cactus/succulent plants. As long as gecko can't come into direct contact with heater do whichever you prefer. keep a close eye on surface temp of tile if you do put uht in enclosure under tile. I have a mix of glazed and unglazed tile. Glazed are super easy to clean, while unglazed can get stained and be a little harder to clean.
This is what mine sort of looks like...

maybe slightly less soil strewn over the tile (one of mine really likes to dig every once in a while), log has been moved, but it gives you an idea.

 

[geckogramma]

Thanks Heather and Phearamedusa for the responses. If the temp rises above -22C tomorrow I will head for home depot for tile. The thermometer shows the temp on the warm side to be 84F so will be adjusting the rheostat (just got it).

Phearamedusa did you make the caves? They are awesome as is the rest of the enclosure. Once I get batteries for camera I will get some pics of my setup and of the girls (I am not sure what kind they are but think Blondie is a blizzard but can't be sure as she does have beauty marks)

Again...thanks for the help!

 

[phearamedusa]

yes I did make them. Its not as hard as you'd think just time consuming craving away to get desired look, and then grouting. look forward to seeing your set-up.
What part of Canada are you in?

 

[geckogramma]

Phearamedusa are the "rocks" made from styrofoam then carved out and painted? What I was thinking of doing is using stryofoam sheets and bonding them (not sure what with and what would be safe) to make different levels and outcrops. I know that leopard geckos needs ground area not height so wonder if by giving them different levels would also encourage some more activity?

I am in Red Deer Alberta.

 

[phearamedusa]

I used mono foam, great stuff, or whatever the expanding stuff is called. Laid a rough outline of shape I wanted, let it dry a bit and then built up in "steps" would be the easiest way to describe it. I made a base and two sides using styrofoam, instead of spraying right into the tank. I wanted the cliffs to be removable. Sometimes that is a blessing and a curse, easy to clean, but bugs escape under them. Defined the shapes edges, cut out hides/caves, then covered the whole thing with grout. There are some really good ideas in the construction section. I'm in southern Ontario, we've only had a cm or two of snow, and it has been raining all day today.