My beautiful leopard geckos

[Superleo98]

Hello, I have been going on this site for a whole and finally decided to make an account to show everyone my Leo's I have 4 leopard geckos, in 2 pairs. Maiyer and Emma, Buki and Ava. Maiyer was my first leopard gecko that I got from 2 years ago at Repticon. When I bought him they said he was a girl, and a fat tail gecko. Well they were horribly wrong. I named the gecko Maiya, and was very happy. Soon I decided to get her(at the time) a male, not know that Maiya was actually a boy. I got Buki at repticon, and introduced the 2 geckos..and didn't go very well. They latched on to eachother in a fight and I split them up. Putting them in 2 seperate tanks. I confirmed Maiya male, and that's how Maiya become Maiyer. A year later my cousins, brother, and dad secretly went to repticon without me(ugh) and brought home not one, but two female leopard geckos! A hypo and a normal one. Ava(hypo) would be with Buki since he also is a hypo, and Emma would go with Maiyer. I first introduced Maiyer to Emma and at first Maiyer rapidly shook his tail(which is normal when introducing a male to a female) and also nipped her tail, though she have the no signal. He soon after left her alone and now they cuddle a lot which is very cute Buki nipped Ava in their introduction but he too left her alone after she said no. I got the females Saturday btw. Now both pairs are so well! I plan on putting a nesting box in very soon.

Set up
I keep Maiyer and Emma in a 30 gallon, Buki and Ava are in a 20 gallon. I use sand(NOT calcium) I am totally against that. I've had no issues with the sand. They each have a hideout and a water dish. They both have heat lamps and the temp stays at 80-90 during the day with a cooling spot. My room is usually at 78 degrees for them at night or when my family and I are away and can't turn the lights on. I am very proud of my set ups and will post pics soon.

Feeding
Now please do not give me hate for this is what my Leo's prefer. I feed Maiyer and Buki 2 super worms dusted in calcium every other day. I know some people are against feeding their Leo's super worms but that is what I feed them. Oh and I tong feed them so it lessens the risk of impaction. My females haven't eaten yet but that is normal because when I first got Maiyer and Buki they didn't eat within the first week. I offer the females 1 superworm dusted with calcium every day until they get the point. Although I was feeding Buki last night and Ava was watching so maybe she will learn that that is how to get food...?

The hatchlings and incubation
Once the females lay their eggs in the nesting box, I will put the eggs in a medium sized plastic container with aspen bedding. I have two containers, one for Maiyer and Emma, one for Buki and Ava. I will keep them in room temperature and yes I do want females. Once they hatch I will put the hatchlings in a medium sized plastic tub, with paper towels, some hides, and a water dish. There will be 2 tubs. One for 0-7 weeks, and one for 2 months and up. I already have some family and friends who want babies, as well as some local pet stores. I've also been told craigslist is totally an option haha.

So there you have it! I really love and care for my geckos, always making sure they are looked after even on vacation. I am super excited for the future hatchlings, and your feedback. Also, if you know how, how can I post pictures of my Leo's? Thanks!

 

[Yuk]

They sound nice I usually just put two [ IMG ] [ / IMG ] tags (without spaces) in between the URL of the picture hosted on photobucket. You can upload directly to the site, but I believe there is a size limit and they show up as little thumbnails that you have to open. If you upload it directly here, once you choose your file, you actually have to click the text near the file chooser -- it took me forever to find. There is no button.

I'm excited to see pictures!

 

[Superleo98]

I tried lol

 

[Yuk]

Very cute. I like how they look like they are smiling Mine still have that young "annoyed" looking faces lol I rarely get a smile lol

 

[JIMI]

Just happened upon your other thread! So you are planning on breeding them. As I was reading this I got a bit confused because of all the names.:lol: The sand can cause issues in the future so, as a preventive measure (prevent hundreds in vet bills), just use ceramic tiles instead. It'll look just as nice. I don't want to derail the thread or anything by turning it into a thread about your care, but I just wanted to see if you would consider it! They certainly are beautiful!

Oh and welcome!

 

[Superleo98]

Thank you and I have certainly thought about tiles. I just have to find the time to do it. My family and I own many animals, (44 indivually), including fish, reptiles, amphibians, dogs, and even birds. So as you can see busy schedule but I plan to look at tiles either next week or sometime within next month

 

[JIMI]

44!:shock: We only have 2 other dogs; I just recently asked if I can get a tarantula and she said "you're out of control!":lol: Do you mind sharing what other reptiles and amphibians you have?

 

[Yuk]

Wow that's cool! My husband would flip at 44 lol

 

[Superleo98]

Sure! My brother has a leaf tail gecko, tokay gecko, 2 snakes(dumeril and Milksnake), whites tree frog, and a pair of day geckos. I have pics of the frog, and a baby day gecko that our pair had. Also, instead of starting a new thread, what do you guys think of my set up? I am getting tile soon so the sand is temporary, but I added some rocks I got in the rivers of N.C, also put nesting boxes in. I am heading to Petsmart right now to get some Eco earth to put in them as well as a new heat bulb

 

[Yuk]

Looks good, but you will want a warm dry hide with your warm moist hide and leave the cool dry hide on the other side. If you dont have enough room, covering the glass with paper might help a little, like if you have paper on the back, side, and a half of the front, so you can look from above and through the front on the cool side. Just some extra privacy when they want to be dry and warm.

 

[JIMI]

Very jealous here! I recently developed a mini obsession with whites tree frogs. So I'm very jealous, but there is no way that this poor college student would be able to afford the care of multiple reptiles at the moment!

So you should have 3 hides: one warm dry hide(placed directly over the UTH), a warm moist hide(also placed directly over the UTH), and a cool hide on the opposite end. They need to have 24/7 belly heat in order to digest properly so it is important to get some form of belly heat during the night as well, if they don't have it already. It should constantly be around 88-90 degrees. You can use a UTH for the aquarium and for the wooden enclosure you can experiment with CHEs, but only if it doesn't raise the ambients above 85 degrees. Are those temperatures you provided measurements of the substrate or of the air? What thermometers are you using? What supplements are you using?

Edit: Just noticed Yuk's post so some of it is repetitive. It's annoying typing from a little screen so I hope this all makes sense!

 

[Superleo98]

I dust their superworms with calcium D3 2-3 times a week, and the glass terrarium has a uth, the wooden one doesn't for it could catch fire to the wood. I use a heat thermometer from repticon

 

[JIMI]

Do you use any multivitamins? Is that a digital thermometer with a probe or does it only measure the air?

 

[Superleo98]

No I do not use multivitamins. I asked my vet about it once and he said he has many patients who don't use it and they are happy and healthy geckos. I have a thermometer that sticks to the side of the tank and tells you the temperature. I just got back from Petsmart to get a 20 gallon long for my Leo's since recently figuring out(don't know how I got it confused) that Buki and Ava were in a 10 gallon. Does wet Eco earth in a Rubbermaid deli container work as also a humidity box? Here's the new set up. The UDT is on the far left.

 

[Superleo98]

Had to share this, it's so cute. Glad that my pairs of geckos are getting along well

 

[JIMI]

You need to have a digital thermometer with a probe, or preferably a temp gun, that can measure the temperature of the substrate.

Recommended 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

Hmm that's strange, providing multivitamins is very important especially when breeding your leos. Please look through this thread (post #15 especially):http://www.geckosunlimited.com/community/leopard-geckos-breeding-incubation/74532-eyes-dont-seem-formed.html

Nutrition is a very important aspect of their health, just as it is vital to our health. Their bodies need the necessary vitamins and nutrients in order to function properly. This is also what my vet explained to me and what a lot of experienced keepers and breeders on this forum also argue.

I think so, but I'm not too sure if they need a moist container separate from the egg laying box.

 

[Superleo98]

Alright, I will certainly consider it. Also, I don't think the tile is going to work out because my Home Depot and lowes doesn't cut it but I guess that's ok, I'll keep using sand. I was going to get carpet but I've heard of their toes and mouths getting stuck on it. I didn't want paper towel because I mean, really, I don't have a problem with it it's just that you don't see leopard geckos living on paper towels in the wild. I love more natural substrates. I will however use paper towel for the babies.

 

[Yuk]

There is also supposedly a high quality vinyl tile that doesnt give off fumes when heated and can be cut at home. You could look into that too The issue I have with sand is that as the geckos are walking, their feet are covered with it and they can kick it up into dust easily. It's not as natural compared to hard loose substrates. If I am going to use a loose substrate, I would try to replicate what they walk on in the wild. I've also heard that pure sand can cause some dehydration issues, but I honestly don't know from experience. Just things to look into. There are people who keep adults on sand successfully and people who have had problems, usually due to poor husbandry.

 

[JIMI]

Also check out these 2 links: http://www.cdwr.org/Downloads/vit-def.pdf
Nutrition in Reptiles: Nutrition: Exotic and Zoo Animals: Merck Veterinary Manual

Supplementing should be combined with proper gut loading and feeding your insects a proper diet. Variety is key to proper nutrition. Here is a good supplement: http://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-Reptivite-without-8oz/dp/B00167S5GM. I only supplement with this a few times a month and I rely most on giving my crickets a very healthy diet packed with essential nutrients. I'm not sure why your leos will only eat superworms, that's quite strange. It could be husbandry related. Here's a thread about someone who is having the same issue, but instead with mealworms: http://www.geckosunlimited.com/community/leopard-geckos-food-feeding-issues/74908-tommy-will-only-eat-mealworms.html.

This is a good care sheet: http://www.geckosunlimited.com/community/gecko-care-sheets/55211-leopard-gecko-caresheet-eublepharis-macularius-demo-video-4-jan-2013-update.html

I can't believe that! You can probably fit a few tiles in their and fill in the rest of the space with paper towels. It may not be as aesthetically pleasing, but as long as you have the sand in there, they will always be at risk for impaction and other illnesses: http://www.geckosunlimited.com/community/leopard-geckos-general-info-intros-pics/67832-my-leo-peach-her-fight-sand-impaction.html

Sorry about bombarding you with all of this information.

 

[Superleo98]

It's alright, I expected it lol. I have read about poor peach very sad. Fyi, I do use fine sand, and prefer it. Also how do I cut tile? I also have promised myself that if impaction occurs in any way I will immediately switch to paper towel, then tile. I even have hundreds of dollars set aside just in case. My vet does his procedures very cheap especially for reptiles. I don't mean to sound like one of these people who sound like "they wait for the disaster to happen before taking action" but I mean for it to sound like, a natural disaster. Like we are prepared for bad storms, such as tornados, and hurricanes through kits. I am prepared to take action if something does happen. (I hope that made some sense lol)