lainezor
New member
They arent that bad once you get the temps right you leave it, and keep a humid hide and you're good for humidty. Leopard geckos are one of the easiest, if not the easiest, reptile pets to care for.
Daughter Brought Home Gecko Without Researching First!
- Thread starter Jennifer1
- Start date
They arent that bad once you get the temps right you leave it, and keep a humid hide and you're good for humidty. Leopard geckos are one of the easiest, if not the easiest, reptile pets to care for.
It's really not that difficult. It can seem overwhelming at first, at least it did for me, but once you settle into a routine it's mostly a set it and forget it operation that you nudge along every once in a while.
I change my leos water every day, spray down his humid hide, spot clean his poop, feed him every 2-3 days, and clean his tank once a month. Replacing insects food and water takes maybe 2 minutes every couple days. Takes about 10 minutes a day for everything if you average it out. Pretty easy if you ask me. ;-)
He will start warming up to you, hiding less, and you'll probably be able to handle him eventually as well. Juveniles are very skittish, but they usually grow out of it.
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Jennifer1
New member
It wouldn't be so stressful if she had done things the right way and researched it well and had everything set up right and stable temps, figured out how to deal with keeping the bugs to feed first, then got the gecko. I just doubt he will surivive her doing everything backwards and being in the wrong conditions for however long it takes her to get the right stuff and figure it all out. I thought maybe he'd be okay when he ate so well at first, but my experience has always been once an animal stops eating, it's all downhill from there...
I am so mad at her for doing this, and hate seeing a living thing suffer for her irresponsibility!
I am so mad at her for doing this, and hate seeing a living thing suffer for her irresponsibility!
Didn't you say he ate 7 mealworms + 3 crickets or something like that a couple days ago? He's probably full up! That combined with no UTH might be your problem. The same thing happened to me early on. I fed my tiny juvie 10 mealworms and he wouldn't eat anything for a couple days, and that was WITH a UTH.
He'll be fine as long as you get him a UTH soon. Leos are very hardy creatures. If you want, you can get some heat packs and put them under the glass off his tank where his warm hide is. That might help, but I don't think it's necessary quite yet.
Did you order a UTH? Make sure you don't order one that is too big or too small. I made that mistake when I first started.
Jennifer1
New member
Yes, i had her order a UTH, thermostat, & a 60W ceramic heat bulb. It is the Zoo-Med Repti-therm small mat, which is what they say is for a 10-20 gal tank. Now that I look again, the dimensions seem a little small (6 x 8), but the next size up seemed way too big and would cover more than half the tank (the tank is 20"lx10"wx12"h, 10 gal). Hopefully it will get here today.
Yes, he ate 6 or 7 mealworms & 2 crickets Monday night. So I was not surprised when he only ate 3 crickets the next night, but it worries me that he ate nothing at all last night and showed no interest. She said he did poop last night & it looked the same as he previous ones.
Yes, he ate 6 or 7 mealworms & 2 crickets Monday night. So I was not surprised when he only ate 3 crickets the next night, but it worries me that he ate nothing at all last night and showed no interest. She said he did poop last night & it looked the same as he previous ones.
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Jennifer1
New member
Yay, the stuff we ordered came today. Haven't starting setting up the UTH yet, first I wanted to use the thermometer to check the temps as is, just to know what we're starting with & what he's been dealing with.
Inside his hide was only 76, but then on top of it (about 3" above the floor) was 92. The "cool" side is about 76 also. So based on this, I would guess we need the UTH to raise the temp inside the hide, and a lower wattage light bulb (currently have a 50 w white inc spotlight) so the air temps are not so high on either side? IF so, can I just use a regular light bulb? Currently, he has been staying inside his hide all day, then in the evening when we switch to the 50W black inc light (I think it is almost as warm as the white, but not quite), he comes out and sits on top of his hide under the black bulb most of the night.
I'm just curious about the temp inside the warm hide needing to be higher than the air temp....in the wild wouldn't it normally be cooler where they hide out in holes & under rocks during the day? Isn't that part of why they hide there? I'm not trying to argue and I've read in enough places that they need the belly heat to believe it, just trying to make sense of it all.
While I was checking the temps a mealworm left from last night started crawling around & he woke up & came out of the hide briefly to see what it was, but after he checked it out he turned around & went back to his nap without eating it.
Inside his hide was only 76, but then on top of it (about 3" above the floor) was 92. The "cool" side is about 76 also. So based on this, I would guess we need the UTH to raise the temp inside the hide, and a lower wattage light bulb (currently have a 50 w white inc spotlight) so the air temps are not so high on either side? IF so, can I just use a regular light bulb? Currently, he has been staying inside his hide all day, then in the evening when we switch to the 50W black inc light (I think it is almost as warm as the white, but not quite), he comes out and sits on top of his hide under the black bulb most of the night.
I'm just curious about the temp inside the warm hide needing to be higher than the air temp....in the wild wouldn't it normally be cooler where they hide out in holes & under rocks during the day? Isn't that part of why they hide there? I'm not trying to argue and I've read in enough places that they need the belly heat to believe it, just trying to make sense of it all.
While I was checking the temps a mealworm left from last night started crawling around & he woke up & came out of the hide briefly to see what it was, but after he checked it out he turned around & went back to his nap without eating it.
If a leo in the wild could have a warm hide, he'd be in heaven. ;-)
Elizabeth Freer
Well-known member
You might consider exchanging the equipment for better stuff. Petcos and Petsmarts have generous return policies.
Hook the UTH up to your thermostat. Probably will need a second thermostat or rheostat for the overhead heating/lighting. A day/night timer will make things easier.
This is how I keep all my crickets. Don't always use the T-Rex Calcium Plus Food for Crickets that I do have.
Click:
http://www.geckosunlimited.com/comm...-feeding-issues/68574-cricket-guidelines.html
Geckologist.tj recently shared here that he's been happy using Zoo Med's Adult Bearded Dragon Food to feed his roaches. More than likely it would be a good cricket diet too and easier to get than the Albers All Purpose Poultry food I recommend.
16% protein
2.5% fat
vitamin A in the form of retinol acetate
no artificial dyes
alfalfa, dandelion greens, and other good stuff
Hook the UTH up to your thermostat. Probably will need a second thermostat or rheostat for the overhead heating/lighting. A day/night timer will make things easier.
This is how I keep all my crickets. Don't always use the T-Rex Calcium Plus Food for Crickets that I do have.
Click:
http://www.geckosunlimited.com/comm...-feeding-issues/68574-cricket-guidelines.html
Geckologist.tj recently shared here that he's been happy using Zoo Med's Adult Bearded Dragon Food to feed his roaches. More than likely it would be a good cricket diet too and easier to get than the Albers All Purpose Poultry food I recommend.
16% protein
2.5% fat
vitamin A in the form of retinol acetate
no artificial dyes
alfalfa, dandelion greens, and other good stuff
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Jennifer1
New member
No, she just turned 18. By the time I realized the set-up they sold her really wasn't adequate, she already had him in it, so I didn't think they would take it back. After not eating for the last 2 nights, he finally ate the 2 mealworms she had left in there tonight. She did not try to feed him anything else because I figured he would be too stressed after we had to take him out so we could install the UTH that we finally got. Now just trying to get the right temp...thermostat is way off. Set it to 90 degrees and it was up to 93 in like 20 minutes! So keeping a close eye on it for now. He does not seem to like all the probes in there for the thermostat & thermometer.
THanks everyone for all the help...while I never would have chosen to get a reptile, he is cute & I want him to survive. Just wish he was a vegetarian.....
Elizabeth Freer
Well-known member
Here's an excellent hide! The medium size is great for leos up to about 9 inches total length and 70ish grams. I use one those as the warm dry hide for my leo Cha. It is has a smallish opening -- good thing for a leo's security.
Amazon.com: Exo Terra Reptile Cave, Medium: Pet Supplies
Amazon.com: Exo Terra Reptile Cave, Medium: Pet Supplies
lainezor
New member
Lol I know what you mean, I am a vegetarian myself and there is no meat in my house, I feel bad feeding the insects to my reptiles but I know that its the only option.
Jennifer1
New member
Well, for me it's just more I don't like having to mess with the live feeders. It's a pain because we have to go to the next town to get them, and only 1 place has small crickets, and not cost effective to order online for just one little gecko. It's just extra hassle to have to keep the insects & feed them before we feed them to Randall, not to mention worry about escaped crickets loose in the house. If he ate fruits & veggies, it would be a lot more convenient
Jennifer1
New member
I've tried google & craigslist, to no avail. I was surprised to see how many bearded dragons for sale came up when I searched for "insects" and "crickets" on craigslist in my area. I live in a very small town outside of a large town/small city and their were probably half a dozen dragons for sale within an hours drive.
lainezor
New member
According to your profile it says you live in Kentucky so I went off that and looked up some places for you. Shipping Advisory they say they ship to Kentucky, I am Canadian so I havent bought from them before but fluckers is a huge name in the reptile industry. Ghann's is also another one that is in the US and I have heard good things about. Ghann's Cricket Farm :: Ghann's - Live Crickets, Mealworms, Superworms If you need more sites let me know