Leopard Gecko Newbie

1

1Gecko

New member
Hi Everyone,
I just recently purchased a Leopard Gecko from a pet store. Unfortunately in Saskatchewan breeders are few and far between, or they just don't advertise well enough. I think she maybe pregnant. I have posted a couple of pictures on my profile (hopefully you can find them). She looks skinny to me, but I can see two pink ovals on her belly. Please help!
 
Yoshi'smom

Yoshi'smom

New member
Hello and welcome to GeckosUnlimited! You'll find lots of helpful info on here! Elizabeth usually drops in on newbie's threads. She'll give you a link to her leopard gecko care instructions.
A few questions: Did the pet store you got the leo from give you any hint on how old your gecko is? Was it housed with other leos? If so, there is a chance that yours is gravid. It's hard to tell from the pictures and I'm by no means knowledgeable when it comes to gecko breeding. So hopefully someone with more knowledge on that topic will stop by and help you out with that.
As far as her looking skinny I would say she's not too bad. You can always fatten her up though. She does look relatively young so I would feed her daily as much as she'll eat in a 20 min time period. Also, make sure prey items are smaller than the space between her eyes and are dusted at least 3 times a week. Just offer a variety of foods and leave her be for at least two weeks. Moving to a new place is very stressful to geckos and she may not eat right away.
Otherwise just make sure she has at least 2-3 hides and the temperatures are ok. The cool side should be room temperature. The warm side should be 85-90F and the hot spot on the ground should be 93-95F. If you don't already have one, pick up and under tank heater to get that warm floor spot. Leo's need the belly heat to digest their food and if they can't digest their food they also probably won't eat.
Hope everything goes well and keep us updated.
 
1

1Gecko

New member
Thank you Yoshi'smom. The pet store didn't know how old she was, they thought maybe 2 or 3 months, but upon doing more research I think she is older than that. At the time we bought her there was a Tangerine Leopard Gecko and 2 Blizzard Geckos. I am not sure if they had others in there before or not. We have had her since Aug 18. She is eating fine. We give her 4 to 5 crickets a day, should she be fed all at one time? We have been feeding her half in the morning and half at night. Should I try meal worms? Would that help fatten her up? We have a dish of calcium in her house. I do have an under the tank heater and the temps seem to be fine. So we should just leave her alone, aside from feeding, for a couple weeks? No touching or holding her?
The pictures aren't very good of her belly, I can't get her to hold still long enough. But I hope someone can help.
 
Yoshi'smom

Yoshi'smom

New member
If you've had her since the 18th and she's eating for you, I'd say that it would be fine to handle her. It sounds like she's settling in nicely.
My tips for handling:
1. Put your hand in the tank and let her come to you.
2. When she's on your hand slowly lift her out of the tank.
3. Make no sudden movements or loud noises.
4. Let her walk from one hand to the next for about 10-15 minuets. You can increase the time you have her out as she becomes more comfortable with being held.
I would feed her once daily at dusk or when it's dark out. That's when they would typically start hunting in nature. They are nocturnal so that's when you should see the most activity.
I'd say just based on your picture she looks to be about 4 months old, give or take a bit. She looks to be an okay size to me.
I would offer her mealworms maybe once a week. They're not as good for her as those crickets are. It's good that she's eating them. I know my boy used to go for crickets but he won't anymore so I'm struggling to get some variety into his diet.
Otherwise, it sounds like everything is going just fine for you and your little girl. Again, hopefully someone with some Leo breeding knowledge can chime in here and help you out.
 
1

1Gecko

New member
Thank you Elizabeth.
I am using Fluker's Calcium with Vitamin D3 Phosphorus Free. Did you happen to look at the pictures I posted? Does she look gravid?
 
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