Newbie From Newfoundland

[Piatchie]

Hello! My name is Tracie and I am pretty new to the Reptile Hobby. I have had Salamanders in the past, and I had a Green Anole in High school but beyond that no reptile experience. I just picked up a 15 gal setup and I am hoping to get a Leopard Gecko this week. Have a few questions.....I dont have substarte in my tank at the moment and I am thinking I will just use paper towel for now as the Leo will be a juvenille. I will most likely go with Repti Carpet once I can find some locally...will this be ok with a Juvenile? Also wondering about feeding.....Im going to do crickets and meal worms and I am wondering which is better and how often? will I give both each day, or alternate day to day from meal worms to crickets.....I cant attache a picture cause I cant get it to work,So far I have a few fake plants a small piece of wood and a few rocks. I need to get a hidy cave and a water dish which I will get when I pick up my Leo.....will the paper towel be enough between the under tank heater and the Leo? He/she wont get burned? Do I put the cave right over the heater or just in the area?

Sorry for all the questions but I thought it better to get oppinions! Been doing a lot of reading and can't wait to bring this little creature into my life

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

Hello Tracie ~

A hearty welcome to Geckos Unlimited!

I see that you are about to become a leopard gecko owner. Please read this two-part link for some valuable leopard gecko advice: http://www.geckosunlimited.com/comm...ently-asked-questions-caresheet-info-plus.htm

Both paper towels or a slate tile substrate are highly recommended at least till your leo is 1 year old. Reptile carpet harbors bacteria from the poops and, if you don't use a feeding dish, leos can get their teeth and claws caught in the carpet.

The UTH should be 1/3 the length of your tank, and, really, a 20 gallon long tank is recommended. That tank is 30 inches long. It will make achieving the recommended thermal gradient much easier. At least two hides are recommended, one at the warm end and the other at the cool end of the tank.

 

[Lenewen]

I use shop-grade blue paper towels for my juvenile leopard gecko substrate. These are superior to paper towels and definitely last longer. Leopard geckos always poop in the same spot of the tank, so i lay an extra layer of these paper towels down in that area and I change them out once every other day.

I keep a separate cricket tank (10 gallon) where I keep up to 50 crickets and food for them (gutloading) and I have a separate 5 gallon tank a friend gave me for a really low price that I use for feeding. I move my geckos to this tank, dust the crickets using a long plastic tube with a pinch of calcium powder in it per cricket, and put them in there. My geckos eat their fill, I return the uneaten crickets to the 10 gal and put my geckos back in their 40 gallon. This prevents you from having to chase around rogue crickets in the tank full of decor (sneaky hiding places!!) that your gecko is too full to eat. Make sure you feed your juvenile gecko every day, but you can go to every other day after they get older. Feeding time with crickets is SO entertaining. Trust me, you'll look forward to the task of dusting and feeding every day

I dont feed my geckos mealworms very often. They are high in fat, low in nutrients (compared to crickets) and they dont give your gecko the exercise they get from hunting crickets. Mealworms are good for a skinny gecko tho, so you can give them as an occasional treat to keep their tails fat. They use that stored fat when they choose not to eat, so its good to have a nice plump tail.

Now in regards to heating: the best advice I can give you is to invest in a digital thermostat. Mine cost like $30. The thermostat has 1 outlet in it (but mine supports up to 1000watts) so I attached a high-wattage tolerant extension cord to the thermostat and plugged in a red light, a ceramic lamp heater and a UTH. I set all these up on the hot side and using this valuable tool I keep my hot side floor temps at 90 during the day and 78 at night. My geckos are thriving. I can tell because they use the whole enclosure (hot and cool side) to regulate their body temp at will. They never stay in the same spot for more than a half a day. The probe on the thermostat will make sure your tank surfaces dont get too hot and using digital thermometers, you can make sure your cool side is optimum as well (about 80 by day, 70 at night). The thermostat will turn off the heating devices if the tank gets too hot. You should check it daily though. Mine works like a charm!! You can lay 2 layers of paper towels on the hot side if needed, but I find my tank regulates itself at this point with the thermostat.

If any other questions come to mind, don't be afraid to ask! This forum is absolutely awesome. There are a lot of knowledgeable people here that would like nothing more than to help you take care of your new pet.

-Lenewen

 

[Hannibal]

Welcome to GU. You came to the right place to get information on reptiles. I don't have a leo, but there are tons of people on here that do and can give you lots of advise.

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

@ Lenewen ~

Sounds as if you are really happy with your digital thermostat and your high-wattage tolerant extension cord/power strip (?).

Can you tell me the brand and the model number of each?

What I especially like is the fact that you report your leos are using the entire enclosure!