New to leos (sorta) and need pre-buying help

[berry]

Ok, so I'll be away most of August, but I want to set up my tank before I go away, and then I' getting a leo in September, or MAYBE late August, depending on reptile convention prices and availability for orange morphs, hopefully firewater or tangerine. So, I want to know what I will need. I already have a 10 gallon tank, as I used it for hermit crabs. And leos are about the only colorful lizard I can keep in my 10 that I can handle. So, yeah, easy choice. So I have a tank, a water dish, a uth, a rock, and a stick. I need to know what else is good, and if any of those are bad. Are repti-hammocks good?

 

[Melonhelmet]

Ok, so I'll be away most of August, but I want to set up my tank before I go away, and then I' getting a leo in September, or MAYBE late August, depending on reptile convention prices and availability for orange morphs, hopefully firewater or tangerine. So, I want to know what I will need. I already have a 10 gallon, as I used it for hermit crabs. And leos are about the only colorful lizard I can keep in my 10 that can handle, plus they only need to be fed weekly as adults if they are fed properly. (I know some of you may disagree, but when my brother's was about 1 we did that, and it's been fine for about 3 or 4 years now) So, yeah, easy choice, as a crestie is another option, as it's food isn't daily bugs if you use crested gecko diet, but they are aboreal. So I have a tank, a water dish, a uth, a rock, and a stick. I need to know what else is good, and if any of those are bad. Are repti-hammocks good?

You would need a dimmer/thermostat to control the UTH, a leo would really get the point of the repti-hammok, its more for aboreal lizards.

But I stronly disagree with keeping a leo in a 10, I recommend 20+ gallons, Mine is in a 24''x18''X18'' exo-terra. Also the feeding once a week thing, they might be able to survive on it, but in the long run it wont be good for them, and you would end up with a mal-nurished leo, because they need there foor dusted with calcium and vits, and without those they will end up with MBD.

Just saying, that if thats what you are using, you should not be buying any gecko for in there, maybe a dwarf or house gecko.

 

[berry]

A leopard gecko can live in a 10 gallon, and you can't hold house geckos, plus they aren't colorful. My brother's lizard is a healthy weight, and has a nice fat tail. I didn't ask for people to comment on my feeding or tank size, I want to know what they need to live in terms of good substrates (natural!), and needed deco/lighting. I forgot to mention, yes I do have a thermometer/hygrometer. What should they be kept at?

 

[redheadedstepchild]

My brother's lizard is a healthy weight, and has a nice fat tail. I didn't ask for people to comment on my feeding or tank size,

If you didn't want someone to coment on your feeding schedule plans perhaps you should not have mentioned it in the first place.

I know what would be great in a 10 gal. You'd really never have to feed it.

A PET ROCK.

 

[berry]

A freaking rock?
That is the dumbest, rudest comment I've ever read, and very offensive!!!!!
Rocks are not pets, and if they were, no sane person would buy a 10 gallon for it.
I thought this would be a good forum with good advice, but the people in the leo section are MUCH ruder than those in the crested section from what I've seen! They gave me advice, not told me everything is wrong.

I came here looking for help on what to buy. THINGS TO ADD to what I have.

My 10 is just fine, and everything I've read says 1 can be kept in a 10.

I want to know: what a good hiding product is, a good substrate that's not paper towel, some good decor things, a good light bulb and lamp brand, and other specific details non-related to tank size or feeding schedual!!!!!!!!

 

[Palor]

Berry, a leopard gecko can live for over 20 years. you should provide the best care for the animal for the duration of it life. A 10g tank is small and leos are active at night and roam around. I think you should consider a 20g Long style tank for your new pet. You should really feed them every other day.

As for a substrate, I like slate tiles, easily acquired from any hardware store. they maintain warmth well and are easy to remove and clean.

A light bulb is pointless, get a nice Under Tank Heater.

I make caves out of carefully stacked slate rocks for many of my leos. You can find ceramic or other types of caves at any pet store. you need at least 2, 1 on the warm side and 1 on the cool side.

A humid can be made from a glad tupperware with a hole in the lid filled with bed-a-beast or moss.

You need 1 shallow water bowl and 1 food bowl shallow enough the leo can get into it and deep enough mealworms and other things can't crawl out.

Please remember that your pet is 100% reliant on you to provide the best for it and make its life long and rich.

 

[berry]

I am aware they live 20 years. But until I move out of this small house and get my own (at least 7 years away) it will live in a 10. Maybe when my brother leaves in about 4 or 5 years, I can use the spare room for my gecko, as his is bigger, and get a 20. But for a definite minimum (provided we don't win a lottery :banana of 4 years, I will be using this 10 gallon. Can you buy a humide hide? I like to keep things natural. Thanks for the uth advice. I have a rainforest one I will try left over from the crabs before I get a new one, but test before buying the lizard. Can leopard geckos have fruit as a treat? Not a staple, just like a bi-weekly to monthly extra? And parlor, thanks for being nice when suggesting a 20 gallon. I think if I get a few climbing branches like those big grapewood things, I'll be OK yes? My main problem for the tank is my room is small, and there is really no room. But I know I can provide good care with the 10.

 

[Allee Toler]

You would need a dimmer/thermostat to control the UTH, a leo would really get the point of the repti-hammok, its more for aboreal lizards.

But I stronly disagree with keeping a leo in a 10, I recommend 20+ gallons, Mine is in a 24''x18''X18'' exo-terra.

I would have to disagree. GiGi's in a 20 long and stays in the same square foot. She also LOVES her hammock. I got a toy ladder and attached it to it for easy access. She spend about 60% of her time on it.

 

[Palor]

You can buy these plastic caves that come apart so you can put damp substrate in them, none of my leos will go near them

So leos may take fruits, a couple of mine like the crested gecko diet mix now and then.

Also many leos like to climb, i find mine in high points in the tank all the time, weird for a terrestrial clawed gecko with no sticking pads.

I have 2 females in a 55g tank. Crazy some say, but they love all the space.

 

[redheadedstepchild]

OK, you want advise?

You have a 10 gal tank.. Someone advised you, Leo's do better in a larger tank. The ONLY time I use a 10 gal tank is for quaranteen and medical treatment. In my experience, a Leopard Gecko will use every inch you can possibly give them.

However since a 10 is what you have, let's work with that. You need a warm hide, a moist hide, shallow water dish, small dish for calcium and last but not least a heat source. Some people use a dish for keeping meal worms from crawling all over the place.

Now once you have all the minimum stuff listed above, you NEED a veterinarian!! Even if you never actually take the pet to the vet, you'll need to have fecal exams done (first thing I do when something live comes into my house is take in a fecal sample).

Being as you have a small space there really isn't much you can do to make it look "natural" (which seems to be a big concern for you, but we will get to that in a moment). They do make some cool hides that look like rock, they also make moist hides as mentioned above. Substrate is a sticky
subject, with some who love sand and loose substrate and others who would never dream of placing a leo on sand or clay. IMO substrate is a personal choice, one needs to do research and determine what works best for them.

If you want advise on your first Leopard gecko make the tank as simple as possible and concentrate on learning proper husbandry!! Yes, that means making your own moist hide out of a cool whip tub and using paper towels. Which will not look natural in the least, but it WILL give you the opertunity to learn to care for your gecko properly. Paper towels are easy to clean, and easy to collect poo off.

Good husbandry is a subject I am very passionate about. Part of keeping your pet (any pet) healthy is diet. I could probably live off of one meal a week, but that doesn't mean I should. Neither should your gecko (or your brothers).

 

[berry]

Ok, does it really make a difference whether I use a cool whip tub (or any other thing similar) or a nice, pre-made, rock sorta thing?

If I used meal worms once a week, would that be fine, as they are fatty?

I will feed a juvenile daily, but it's hard to keep them. I will also feed him/her sow bugs from my backyard and grubs as much as possible.

Is it true that spiders are poison? If not, I can use those all year every few days, our house is full of them! Just they little tan ones though.

Is it ok to use the large wood chips? I've never really read anything on them, but I've seen them around for lizards. I have 1 hide right now, I can get another.

For my hermit crabs the heat was on the side. Should I move it to underneath? And do I need a light?

 

[Clink]

It doesn't matter what you use as a humid hide, just think about how big it has to be for an adult, and you can change the size later if you need to.

You can use the mealworms, just give him as many as he can eat in one sitting, since you are feeding it less than it should be.

The only problem with feeding them things from outside is you don't know where they came from, whether or not they have parasites, or whether or not they have been accidentally fertilized or purposely poisoned by something.

I would not recommend feeding spiders for the same reason as before.

I would recommend against using wood chips, the gecko can ingest them and get impacted easily. I would recommend slate as some have recommended, or using carpet, which are both reusable and easy to clean, and you can save money using them. And if you don't use the correct bedding and he does get impacted, I'm sure you won't be able to provide a vet, so take precautions early.

You should put the heat pad under the tank as long as you have the proper substrate (carpet, slate, sand, not paper towels) you can use a light, but get a thermometer and read the temperature in the hides on the side with the heating pad to make sure the temperature is right.

 

[catfishtodd]

i dont get it if you can feed a juvinille everyday why can't you feed a adult.
And waxworms work for fatting them up. just dont over do it.

 

[berry]

I only feed them crickets daily as babies, because we loose a lot of crickets because they just don't survive, and so we loose a lot of money, plus we have to keep going to pet stores. They just kill each other. These are crickets that die, not lizards, fyi. And my mom's really not into breeding. What can't I use LARGE wood chips? You can't get an impaction from something you can't eat can you?

There is a law against pesticides here, plus my neighbor is never home. The sow bugs and grubs are gladly accepted by Sulu (my brother's lizard). What I'm asking is if that is ok for quantity.

 

[Allee Toler]

If you can't care for it properly then don't get one. They don't survive as babies with your family because YOU DON'T care for them properly!!!!! Stay AWAY from leopard geckos and catch a lizard from outside if you want to feed it parasite infested insects and house it improperly! It's people like you that rescue facilities exist for. God bless any animal that falls into your unproviding grasp.

 

[berry]

I think there is a mis-understanding here :roll:
I meant CRICKETS die in my care. They are hard too keep for us, as they kill each other. NOT geckos.... :roll:

I have fish, and have kept my betta for 4 years. He lives in a 5 gallon tank with a filter and light. My guppies are HAPPILY with him. (Some people say bettas don't mix, well they do!). I also clean that tank every other week. I kept my hermit crabs in the 10 gallon with 4 inches of sand and salt water and fresh water and a hut, a uth, plus climbing stuff. I think I can care for my pets!

Oh, plus my dog. Always happy he is! I walk him EVERY night a 7, no matter what. And he is the family dog.

So, I have decided to use tile, as it's natural looking and not loose.

So uth check, water bowl check, hut 1 check.
To buy: other hut, climbing stuff, tiles, vitamin and d3 powders.

Happy?

 

[Allee Toler]

Feed every other day, vet fecal check at the vets in the first week, buy food not catch it, and buy your geckofrom a local breeder for healthiest babies. As for the crickets, putting in torn cardboard or egg crares keeps them from killing each other.

 

[berry]

Yes, I plan on going to the expo, as I want specific colors anyway.
I do know where my sow bugs come from, as I watch them hatch sometimes.
I will get crickets daily as babies, but my mom doesn't want to breed/keep them, so after a year, it's not allowed. Sow bugs will do just fine twice a week. As I said, the ones my brother has used have not caused problems for 4 years now. I will use worms as they have more fat, and should give a health bonus for that. As well, I will offer fruit as a treat once bi-weekly to monthly. I read they can have it, but may or may not eat it. You guys should really watch how you say things. In the 2 days I've had this post opened, I have been offended or spoken to rudely about 5 times! In the crested gecko section, since may, it was about 2.

 

[Allee Toler]

Instread of friut, as citrus is bad for them, give chicken baby food. They're more likely to eat it and it's high in protein. Don't feed a lot of fat. They can form health problem. LLL Reptile sells big batches of mealworm for a grea price. And it includes shipping. If kept in the fridge door they can last over a month. I feed mealworms daily, and crickets twice a week to geckos under a yea. if you feed them the same thing every day they'll grow bored and stop eating. My oldest eats a pinkie once a month and is on a phoenixworm diet. PW's are lower in fat.

 

[catfishtodd]

I only feed them daily as babies, because we loose a lot because they just don't survive, and so we loose a lot of money, plus we have to keep going to pet stores. And my mom's really not into breeding. What can't I use LARGE wood chips? You can't get an impaction from something you can't eat can you?

There is a law against pesticides here, plus my neighbor is never home. The sow bugs and grubs are gladly accepted by Sulu (my brother's lizard). What I'm asking is if that is ok for quantity.

i am confused if you are killing that meany of them then maybe the pet rock
is a good idea.