New Here! Plus questions on a new leopard gecko!

Kavin2845

Kavin2845

New member
hey guys im new here and finally decided its about time to get myself a leopard gecko, but the 10+years experience with aquariums and tropical fish taught me that research is vital! for any pet. So a couple questions i have,feel free to give :feedback: .

1. I have a 10 gallon tank witch i will be using. i was told its a 10 had t for a while is 24X12X12in i wont be using a screen lid since they cant climb on glass
2. From my research i would need 3 hides (one on the cool side, one on the hot side and one humid hide) is that correct?
3. What should i feed them? i was originally gonna use meal worms but i read an article on here that says that meal worms should only be 10% of there diet, whats the other 90%? plus is it possible to breed what insect it is pretty easily, i will not breed crickets i find them annoying and had a bad experience when a couple escaped, then when i woke up in the morning to brush my teeth i found a cricket leg in my mouth, i was not happy :-x:-x:-x
4. For substrate im gonna use paper towels, i feel it more sanitized and less of a hassle than sand, plus im afraid my soon to be precious gecko will get hurt.
5. I will be using a under the tank heater for heating its will go on one side of the cage.

Alright that my plan so far, please add additions or fix any misconseptions i have or remove anything i don't need.
:feedback::feedback::feedback::feedback::feedback::feedback::feedback:

Thanks!
 
Saskia

Saskia

New member
Hello and welcome to GU, you´ll find lots of excellent info here!!

First of all, congrats on doing your homework and trying to research first, I wish more people did that...

It´s not that I wouldn´t be happy answering each of your questions, but it has already been done so wonderfully in this caresheet:

http://www.geckosunlimited.com/community/gecko-care-sheets/55211-leopard-gecko-caresheet-eublepharis-macularius-demo-video-4-jan-2013-update.html#post302242

That I don´t feel the need to repeat everything, please read it carefully a couple of times, it has very valuable information!!

One detail I can note, though, is the tank size, ideally, geckos need a minimum of 30 inches of lenght in order to achieve the propper temp gradient they need, a 20 gallon long tank (30 x 12) would be perfect for one single adult leo for its entire life, if you plan on getting a hatchling, you can use your 10 gallon for a few months, IF you live in a warm area, where you will get the right temperatures by only using a UTH, if you live in a cooler area, you will need to use a UTH and some sort of heatiing bulb, like a Ceramic Heat Emitter on top of the UTH, and in that case a 10 gallon would deffinitively be too small because the bulb will overheat a large area, anyways, a 10 gallon will need to be upgraded eventually, and you would need to buy a small UTH now, and smaller caves, and a larger UHT and caves for when you upgrade the tank, if you don´t want to spend the extra money you can buy the 20 gallon now, and you´ll get the deffinitive UTH and caves.

If you have ANY extra questions, or something is not clear, please feel free to ask as many times as you want!

And once again, welcome to GU
 
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M

matt0101

New member
If you aren't doing crickets, you need to do dubia roaches. They are both easily the best staple feeder for a leopard gecko.
 
Kavin2845

Kavin2845

New member
Saskia said:
Hello and welcome to GU, you´ll find lots of excellent info here!!

First of all, congrats on doing your homework and trying to research first, I wish more people did that...

It´s not that I wouldn´t be happy answering each of your questions, but it has already been done so wonderfully in this caresheet:

http://www.geckosunlimited.com/community/gecko-care-sheets/55211-leopard-gecko-caresheet-eublepharis-macularius-demo-video-4-jan-2013-update.html#post302242

That I don´t feel the need to repeat everything, please read it carefully a couple of times, it has very valuable information!!

One detail I can note, though, is the tank size, ideally, geckos need a minimum of 30 inches of lenght in order to achieve the propper temp gradient they need, a 20 gallon long tank (30 x 12) would be perfect for one single adult leo for its entire life, if you plan on getting a hatchling, you can use your 10 gallon for a few months, IF you live in a warm area, where you will get the right temperatures by only using a UTH, if you live in a cooler area, you will need to use a UTH and some sort of heatiing bulb, like a Ceramic Heat Emitter on top of the UTH, and in that case a 10 gallon would deffinitively be too small because the bulb will overheat a large area, anyways, a 10 gallon will need to be upgraded eventually, and you would need to buy a small UTH now, and smaller caves, and a larger UHT and caves for when you upgrade the tank, if you don´t want to spend the extra money you can buy the 20 gallon now, and you´ll get the deffinitive UTH and caves.

If you have ANY extra questions, or something is not clear, please feel free to ask as many times as you want!

And once again, welcome to GU
Click to expand...

Alright tanks for the response! ill just start with the 20 long then, would i need to section it off? if i get a hatching?
 
Kavin2845

Kavin2845

New member
Saskia said:
Hello and welcome to GU, you´ll find lots of excellent info here!!

First of all, congrats on doing your homework and trying to research first, I wish more people did that...

It´s not that I wouldn´t be happy answering each of your questions, but it has already been done so wonderfully in this caresheet:

http://www.geckosunlimited.com/community/gecko-care-sheets/55211-leopard-gecko-caresheet-eublepharis-macularius-demo-video-4-jan-2013-update.html#post302242

That I don´t feel the need to repeat everything, please read it carefully a couple of times, it has very valuable information!!

One detail I can note, though, is the tank size, ideally, geckos need a minimum of 30 inches of lenght in order to achieve the propper temp gradient they need, a 20 gallon long tank (30 x 12) would be perfect for one single adult leo for its entire life, if you plan on getting a hatchling, you can use your 10 gallon for a few months, IF you live in a warm area, where you will get the right temperatures by only using a UTH, if you live in a cooler area, you will need to use a UTH and some sort of heatiing bulb, like a Ceramic Heat Emitter on top of the UTH, and in that case a 10 gallon would deffinitively be too small because the bulb will overheat a large area, anyways, a 10 gallon will need to be upgraded eventually, and you would need to buy a small UTH now, and smaller caves, and a larger UHT and caves for when you upgrade the tank, if you don´t want to spend the extra money you can buy the 20 gallon now, and you´ll get the deffinitive UTH and caves.

If you have ANY extra questions, or something is not clear, please feel free to ask as many times as you want!

And once again, welcome to GU
Click to expand...

Hey thanks for the response!

i live in Massachusetts and it gets cold in the winter time, but my living room is warm (70-75 degrees Fahrenheit) do i need heating bulb? or would just the UTH be fine?
 
Saskia

Saskia

New member
No, the do not fly or climb, they are quite easy to keep, do not make any noise or smell, if kept under propper conditions, highly recommended, I wouldn´t use any feeder as a staple diet, because I believe in variety as the best option! If you don´t like crickets, you have many other feeders to choose from: Roaches, Mealworms, Phoenixworms, hornworms, superworms, grasshoppers, locusts, and many more, if it is your only gecko you can try and buy small amounts of different feeders at a time to keep it interesting and healthy for him! If you have several insectivores you might want to breed them.
 
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Kavin2845

Kavin2845

New member
Saskia said:
No, the do not fly or climb, they are quite easy to keep, do not make any noise or smell, if kept under propper conditions, highly recommended, I wouldn´t use any feeder as a staple diet, because I believe in variety as the best option! If you don´t like crickets, you have many other feeders to choose from: Roaches, Mealworms, Phoenixworms, superworms, grasshoppers, locusts, and many more, if it is your only gecko you can try and buy small amounts of different feeders at a time to keep it interesting and healthy for him! If you have several insectivores you might want to breed them.
Click to expand...

i have alot of aquarium fish that i can eat insects so i'm defiantly gonna have to breed, so there is no real staple for leopard geckos? would i have like 3 breeding farms going on lol is there nothing i can rely on?

and i planing to buy my gecko at petco or petsmart or a local petexpress near me i know its bad but i dont think i can order online since im only looking for a normal morph plus shipping is like $50 and think i can get better equipment for just the price of shipping plus ive never ordered animals online.
 
A

acpart

Well-known member
People choose a variety of staples for their leopard geckos. There are some people who do feed mealworms exclusively. I feed crickets and superworms with occasional silkworms in the summer when the mulberry tree in the neighborhood has leaves.


Aliza
 
cricket4u

cricket4u

New member
Kavin2845 said:
hey guys im new here and finally decided its about time to get myself a leopard gecko, but the 10+years experience with aquariums and tropical fish taught me that research is vital! for any pet. So a couple questions i have,feel free to give :feedback: .

1. I have a 10 gallon tank witch i will be using. i was told its a 10 had t for a while is 24X12X12in i wont be using a screen lid since they cant climb on glass
2. From my research i would need 3 hides (one on the cool side, one on the hot side and one humid hide) is that correct?
3. What should i feed them? i was originally gonna use meal worms but i read an article on here that says that meal worms should only be 10% of there diet, whats the other 90%? plus is it possible to breed what insect it is pretty easily, i will not breed crickets i find them annoying and had a bad experience when a couple escaped, then when i woke up in the morning to brush my teeth i found a cricket leg in my mouth, i was not happy :-x:-x:-x
4. For substrate im gonna use paper towels, i feel it more sanitized and less of a hassle than sand, plus im afraid my soon to be precious gecko will get hurt.
5. I will be using a under the tank heater for heating its will go on one side of the cage.

Alright that my plan so far, please add additions or fix any misconseptions i have or remove anything i don't need.
:feedback::feedback::feedback::feedback::feedback::feedback::feedback:

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Hi,

My suggestion to you is, take your time and make sure everything is well set up before you bring the leo home. No one can guess as to how large your leo will grow, therefore I recommend that you buy the longest enclosure possible. A wooden enclosure or any material closed off at the top (side ventilation and open in the front) would be best. It will hold in heat and humidity properly, increasing the chances of a healthier leo and decreasing chances of dehydration, shedding problems and illness in general.

You are accustomed to keeping fishes in aquariums, which this is not. There's a difference in nutrition between crickets and roaches, therefore both should be offered. One does not take the place of another. Grasshoppers and locust are not available in the US making options more limited. Feeding too many worms can lead to obesity and a less than active leo.

Crickets are quite easy to keep and do not need to smell or escape. I have not had an escape for many years. Put your hand in the tank with the cup, bang the crickets off the crate into the cup. Then you tranfer them to the enclosure. Buy medium size which don't chirp. They trigger a great feeding response, making them excellent for exercise and enrichment. You don't want to end up with a slow and lazy leo.:)
 
Kavin2845

Kavin2845

New member
cricket4u said:
Hi,

My suggestion to you is, take your time and make sure everything is well set up before you bring the leo home. No one can guess as to how large your leo will grow, therefore I recommend that you buy the longest enclosure possible. A wooden enclosure or any material closed off at the top (side ventilation and open in the front) would be best. It will hold in heat and humidity properly, increasing the chances of a healthier leo and decreasing chances of dehydration, shedding problems and illness in general.

You are accustomed to keeping fishes in aquariums, which this is not. There's a difference in nutrition between crickets and roaches, therefore both should be offered. One does not take the place of another. Grasshoppers and locust are not available in the US making options more limited. Feeding too many worms can lead to obesity and a less than active leo.

Crickets are quite easy to keep and do not need to smell or escape. I have not had an escape for many years. Put your hand in the tank with the cup, bang the crickets off the crate into the cup. Then you tranfer them to the enclosure. Buy medium size which don't chirp. They trigger a great feeding response, making them excellent for exercise and enrichment. You don't want to end up with a slow and lazy leo.:)
Click to expand...

how many would i need to have a steady supply of geckos and breed and never buy again lol! is gonna be for 1 gecko BTW
 
ChiTea

ChiTea

New member
re: cricket smell - if you gut load your crickets with veggies and greens, they will not smell. However, if you use the gel cubed cricket food from the store, they will smell like you would not believe... I have first hand experience with that one, unfortunately.
 
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