First time herp owner!

[yeahcastro]

Hello Everyone!

My name is Emily C. from Massachusetts, USA. I just brought home my first ever leopard gecko yesterday. I have never owned a reptile pet before. I did a lot of research and decided to go with the Leo since they have such a great rep for being great beginner reptile pets.

My leo's name is Fargo. We are unable to tell if it is male or female. We are hoping for a girl so that we can later house her with another female companion. We are crossing our fingers.

Fargo is shy and has been hiding all day and night. I believe she is just getting use to her new home. She hasn't eaten which had me worried but I am hoping that will change once she's more comfortable in her home.

She has 3 hides, fun decor, and the correct temp gradient to make her comfortable. I hope this transition isn't too stressful for her and that she is soon exploring and eating her bugs!

Since I am a first time herp owner I would love any advice, tips or suggestions to help me ensure that Fargo is one happy girl....or boy.

 

[Embrace Calamity]

Welcome, and congratulations on your new pet. I'm sure you'll find leos to be a wonderful experience. If you would like suggestions, you could post pics of your setup so someone can give it a look.

~Maggot

 

[yeahcastro]

Fargo's Tank Setup

Welcome, and congratulations on your new pet. I'm sure you'll find leos to be a wonderful experience. If you would like suggestions, you could post pics of your setup so someone can give it a look.

~Maggot

Hi Maggot and thank you for the welcome! Below is Fargo's tank:



I have digital thermometers under her cool and hot hides. The hot hide is the rock looking one on the right. That is also where her UTH is located. I have just a standard thermometer in the middle to measure the heat in the air.

Up front I have her mealworm bowl, calcium bowl and water bowl. I have not seen her use any so I was wondering if I perhaps should move them to the back of the tank where she may feel more safe. She is still very shy. There are a couple of crickets hanging out inside but I am not sure if she has eaten anything. It's only Day 3 since she's been home so I hope its just because she's adjusting. I even tried feeding her with feeding tongs and she shows no interest.

I have a blue day time heat lamp that I keep on from 6am to 6pm. And a red night time lamp for night time. The temps currently are 92.7F under the hot hide and 75F under the cool hide. I also have her humid hide with a wet paper towel and some moss in the back corner of the hot zone.

Fargo has repti carpet but I was wondering if perhaps tiles may be better. If I do replace the carpet with tiles is there anything special I have to do with the tiles before I put them in and what is the best way to clean them. I do not want to harm her.

Advice? Suggestions?

 

[Embrace Calamity]

Only thing I would suggest is getting rid of the colored bulbs, especially the red one at night. I guarantee you'll see an increase in activity if you use a regular day bulb and a ceramic heat emitter (no light) at night. Leos have much better nighttime eyesight than we do, so these colored bulbs disrupt their day/night cycle.

I don't use tile so hopefully someone who does can answer your question regarding that. I don't want to give you any wrong answers.

~Maggot

 

[yeahcastro]

I will try changing her lights and do some more research on tiles! Thanks a bunch!