Over Feeding New Leo? And Heating QU.

[Petrie]

Hello everyone, hope your all having a splendid day!

Yesterday I got myself a juvenile leopard gecko and brought him home ( named him Petrie ). He ate 1 mealworm without me looking and I thought that was pretty good!

Well this morning I went and refilled his water bowl, redid his calcium dish ( i had it in a bad dish ) and then decided to feed him.

Well, I was surprised that he instantly ate, then kept eating, and I fed him 5 mealworms!

I thought this was great but do you think 5 mealworms is too much? I probably am not gonna feed him again for over 24 hours, but I just wanna learn if 5 is too man for a new pet Leo.
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Also while I have this forum up, do you think I NEED an under tank heater? I used my heat lamp and it heated up my log hide and Petrie seemed to lay on it, warming his stomach. I bought a Grreat Choice: Small Heat Mat and questioned if i should replace it with a Zoo-Med repto therm or whatever heat mat.

Im going to PetSmart tonight to get 2 electric thermometers and humidity thingy because I forgot to pick those up, but I already had a stick on thermometer on the enclosure but its not too accurate.

Addition details: Cage-15 gal, Leo ABOUT 4"

Thank you so much whoever responds ! ~Petrie(s Owner... lol)

 

[DrenneRvc]

Hello friend.

When feeding him, give him as much as he can eat within a 10-15 minute period, he'll stop eating when he is full.

You absolutely NEED a heat mat. They need a well heated spot to help digest their food once they eat, and i dont reckon your heat lamp will heat your log hide hot enough for the little guy.

Make sure you get those thermos but also if you can get a thermaSTAT to control the heat mat temperature.

-Steve

 

[Petrie]

Hello friend.

When feeding him, give him as much as he can eat within a 10-15 minute period, he'll stop eating when he is full.

You absolutely NEED a heat mat. They need a well heated spot to help digest their food once they eat, and i dont reckon your heat lamp will heat your log hide hot enough for the little guy.

Make sure you get those thermos but also if you can get a thermaSTAT to control the heat mat temperature.

-Steve

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Thanks for the reply Steve! Do you think the heat pad I have will work? ( Grreat Choice small heat mat ) Or should I get a zoo med one when I go to PetSmart today? And should I leave it on 24/7?

~Petrie

 

[DrenneRvc]

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Thanks for the reply Steve! Do you think the heat pad I have will work? ( Grreat Choice small heat mat ) Or should I get a zoo med one when I go to PetSmart today? And should I leave it on 24/7?

~Petrie

Well, I'm not exactly sure, but a small heat pad for a 15 gal doesnt' sounds too wrong.
Either way, have it there for now until another more experienced member can tell you what you need.

I do recommend at some point in your leos life, getting him a bigger tank tho, which would need a bigger heat pad!

 

[Petrie]

Well, I'm not exactly sure, but a small heat pad for a 15 gal doesnt' sounds too wrong.
Either way, have it there for now until another more experienced member can tell you what you need.

I do recommend at some point in your leos life, getting him a bigger tank tho, which would need a bigger heat pad!

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Ok thanks again!

And are you sure Im gonna need a bigger tank and heat pad someday?
My tank is 15 gallon ( 24in x 12 in, then 12in high)
And my heat pads labeled small but its 6in x 11in.

My fault though, I didn't say the dimensions of everything..

And lol my Leos sleeping right now with his arms like flailed back he looks so funny XD

~Petrie

 

[DrenneRvc]

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Ok thanks again!

And are you sure Im gonna need a bigger tank and heat pad someday?
My tank is 15 gallon ( 24in x 12 in, then 12in high)
And my heat pads labeled small but its 6in x 11in.

My fault though, I didn't say the dimensions of everything..

And lol my Leos sleeping right now with his arms like flailed back he looks so funny XD

~Petrie

would love to see a picture !

A lot of people on GU would argue you need a 36x length minimum for your leo ;d

 

[Petrie]

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Heres the tank with the un-installed heat pad. I may put it on tonight once I get my thermometer to make sure its not too hot.

 

[DrenneRvc]

View attachment 23787
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Heres the tank with the un-installed heat pad. I may put it on tonight once I get my thermometer to make sure its not too hot.

I'd go ahead and put it on anyways. He will be able to regulate the temperature. If it is too hot, he'll go on the cold side. The heat mat is super important to have!!

 

[Petrie]

I'd go ahead and put it on anyways. He will be able to regulate the temperature. If it is too hot, he'll go on the cold side. The heat mat is super important to have!!

Good thinking
Im gonna put it in now. Is it ok that the substrate is paper towel though? Im getting reptile carpet soon the store was out of stock though.

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

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Thanks for the reply Steve! Do you think the heat pad I have will work? ( Grreat Choice small heat mat ) Or should I get a zoo med one when I go to PetSmart today? And should I leave it on 24/7?

~Petrie

Your under tank heat mat should be 1/3 the length of the tank and as close to the width as possible. This will help you establish the proper cool end and warm end.

Please also get a digital thermometer with a probe. The stick-on strip you picture is not very accurate :-(. You want your leo comfortable in his warm hide and in his humid hide. Otherwise he won't be able to digest his food.

Ceramic, slate, or porcelain tiles make a great substrate: cheap, good heat conductors, permanent. Leos can get their teeth and claws stuck in reptile carpet. The carpet harbors bacteria.

Are you meeting these temperatures?

Temperatures for all leos regardless of size:
88-93 F (31-34 C) ground temp at warm end inside the warm dry hide
no greater than 85 F (29.5 C) air temp - 4 inches above ground on the warm end
no greater than 75 F (24.5 C) air temp - 4 inches above ground on the cool end

Leave the UTH on 24/7. Can turn off overhead heating at night, only if you also are using under tank heat.

Leos need 3 hides.

Please check out the Leo Caresheet linked below in my signature for very thorough advice.

Petco has a $1 per gallon sale going on through July 27th. That could help you upgrade his tank.

 

[Muffins94]

To get a better temperature gradient, and to make your Leo comfortable, you will need to eventually upgrade the tank, yes. And at that time get a bigger heating pad which will fit to the bigger tank. As for now, use that heating pad, but not the way you have shown in your pic, turn it so it runs long-ways so its covering 1/3 the tank. Attach a thermostat to it to control the temperature of the heating pad. Set it for 90 I would say. Also, when getting new thermometers, get digital ones with probes on the end. Then put the probe in the warm hide which should be placed over where you stuck the heating pad. Check out Elizabeth's care sheet too while you are at it. As for feeding, young geckos, under a year, should be fed EVERY DAY. Feed them as much as they will take within a 5-10 period. Once they reach adult size you can feed them 2-3 times a week.

 

[Petrie]

I now have a UTH installed, by zoo-med and two thermometers and one humidity gage. I think I'm set!

~Petrie

 

[DrenneRvc]

Good to hear buddy

 

[Muffins94]

Not set until you have a thermostat.

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

Hydrofarm MTPRTC is a popular thermostat that can be bought through Amazon.com for $31. A thermostat keeps the temperatures relatively stable and lessens the chance of fires from heat mats potentially overheating.

Just got one of those myself. However, keep the receipt. Some people have reported temperature fluctuations greater than +/- 3 degrees F.

BTW, what type of calcium have you in the small dish? plain calcium or calcium with vitamin D3?

 

[Petrie]

I use Calcium with D3.

Sadly, I won't be able to get a thermostat.. But I frequently check to see if its not over heating or too low, off too high I unplug it ( room temp in high 70s ) because the heat that it generated will stay in there for a while.

 

[cricket4u]

I use Calcium with D3.

Sadly, I won't be able to get a thermostat.. But I frequently check to see if its not over heating or too low, off too high I unplug it ( room temp in high 70s ) because the heat that it generated will stay in there for a while.

Hi,

A thermostat is really not an option, it's a necessity. It's impossible to sit there all day monitoring and unplugging a UTH. Without it you will risk burns and digestion problems in your leo. Believe me, you will run into problems eventually.

Are you providing a multivitamin supplement as well?

 

[Petrie]

I currently do not have a multivitamin source, but next time I buy food ( currently have mealworms ) Im going to get crickets and a multivitamin ( prefer any? )

And thermostats are expensive, do you think I can get away with a dimmer switch? It was the exact same function, just no numbers on it, and under $10..

Anyway thanks you all are really helping.

~Petrie

 

[cricket4u]

I currently do not have a multivitamin source, but next time I buy food ( currently have mealworms ) Im going to get crickets and a multivitamin ( prefer any? )

And thermostats are expensive, do you think I can get away with a dimmer switch? It was the exact same function, just no numbers on it, and under $10..

Anyway thanks you all are really helping.

~Petrie

A rheostat is useless for a UTH. It will not adjust to room temperature fluctuation and will not turn off the UTH once it reaches the desired temp like a thermostat will.

If you already have Calcium with d3, you Reptivite without D3.

Take a look at Elizabeth's caresheet. There are links to several models there.

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

I use Calcium with D3.

Sadly, I won't be able to get a thermostat.. But I frequently check to see if its not over heating or too low, off too high I unplug it ( room temp in high 70s ) because the heat that it generated will stay in there for a while.

Please remove the calcium with D3 from the dish you keep in your leo's tank 24/7! Toxicity could occur! It is very unsafe for any gecko to have 24/7 access to D3 or to any vitamin. Those powders are meant to be lightly dusted onto prey no more than 2x per week. Just depends......