`Do I have a correct list of what my leopard gecko will need?

[logan1234]

Okay I read it here are a couple questions

Could you just use a thermometer with a prob the whole time? If so which one should I use?

And I was told I could give 2 crickets per inch of body length, is this good?

And For feeding them vitamins and calcium could I sprinkle reptivite on the crickets on monday, calcium with d3 on wednesday and friday for there whole lives? And I am unclear on what to do on the weekends.

And could it give them bone disease without calcium in a dish?

And after these questions i'm probably going to ask less questions about supplements until I get all my stuff and record on me setting up the cage to make sure im doing it correct.

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

Okay I read it here are a couple questions

Could you just use a thermometer with a prob the whole time? If so which one should I use?

And I was told I could give 2 crickets per inch of body length, is this good?

And For feeding them vitamins and calcium could I sprinkle reptivite on the crickets on monday, calcium with d3 on wednesday and friday for there whole lives? And I am unclear on what to do on the weekends.

And could it give them bone disease without calcium in a dish?

And after these questions i'm probably going to ask less questions about supplements until I get all my stuff and record on me setting up the cage to make sure im doing it correct.

It's great to do your research now, before buying your leo! Are you getting one or more than that? The 20 gallon long is recommended for only one leopard gecko. Leos like living alone.

Did you watch the Leo Setup video right at the beginning of the caresheet? It's short and very helpful. Please do watch it.

Questions are fine. It's just that there is so little time. When the info is already here, it helps us all if one reads it.

I would feed a young gecko all it can eat in about 15 minutes. I use time rather than body length as a guide.

That should be enough calcium.

Until I know what you feed your insects and worms, I really can't answer your supplement questions.

Click: http://www.geckosunlimited.com/comm...feeding-issues-/68574-cricket-guidelines.html

I like Zoo Med's yellow digital thermometer with a probe. It costs about $10. Buy that one. Use it all the time. Tape that probe to the Hydrofarm's probe (to verify settings). Leave both right on the floor underneath the warm dry hide 24/7.

 

[logan1234]

I'm only getting one leopard gecko.
A youtuber named leopard gecko only feeds them fruit I think like oranges or lemons and they dust with calcium 5 times a week and with vitamins 2 times a week. So i'm not sure which way to go.

 

[logan1234]

Sorry if I sound stupid, but i've been hearing things from different people so I don't know what to do and who is right. I've heard give them fruits like lemons or oranges to the crickets then feed crickets to the leopard gecko, and I've also heard to give them calcium 5 times a week and vitamins 2 times a week. I'm not sure who is correct and i'm getting really confused sorry.

 

[ColdFire6778]

Sorry if I sound stupid, but i've been hearing things from different people so I don't know what to do and who is right. I've heard give them fruits like lemons or oranges to the crickets then feed crickets to the leopard gecko, and I've also heard to give them calcium 5 times a week and vitamins 2 times a week. I'm not sure who is correct and i'm getting really confused sorry.

When you feed the crickets fruits, it's called gutloading. After at least 12 hours, you can dust the ceickets with calcium/vitamins and then feed the gutloaded crickets to your leo. You have to wait atleast 12 hours to feed the crickets to your reptile because then the cricket has the nutrients from the fruits it ate still in it's stomach. I know how it can be pretty confusing, each different site I research on has different views of things. :neutral:;-)

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

Sorry if I sound stupid, but i've been hearing things from different people so I don't know what to do and who is right. I've heard give them fruits like lemons or oranges to the crickets then feed crickets to the leopard gecko, and I've also heard to give them calcium 5 times a week and vitamins 2 times a week. I'm not sure who is correct and i'm getting really confused sorry.

It's important to choose a source of leo advice that you feel comfortable about. It's overwhelming to sift through all the conflicting advice that's out there. It is generally not good to mix and match advice. Many leopard gecko keepers have been happy with the care their leos have received on Geckos Unlimited. On a forum like GU, you have the checks and balances of other members. That's something you'll not find on YouTube.

Each brand of multivitamins and each brand of calcium with D3 supplements are different. I realize you are thinking about using Zoo Med's plain (no D3) Reptivite and Zoo Med's Repti Calcium with D3. If you also feed the adult beardie food, my recommendation for supplement dosage is less than if you don't use the beardie food. That's why I ask what you plan to feed the insects and/or worms you will feed your leopard gecko. Does that make sense?

Insects and worms need far more than oranges and lemons. It's kinda like humans. If we just ate lemons and oranges, how healthy would we be? What you are doing is building a healthy and nutritious feeder body, so that you can feed nutritious insects and worms to your leopard gecko. Bugs and worms need a substantial dry diet like Zoo Med's Natural Adult Bearded Dragon Food 24/7. Add a lid of chopped collard greens and/or pesticide-free dandelion flowers/greens to the side. Both those are high calcium, low phosphorus veggies.

There is some confusion about gutloading. First there is the diet you feed the insects 24/7. Then some keepers provide a higher calcium formal "gutload" 24-48 hours prior to feeding off the insect to the gecko. That's because most insects and worms are severely deficient in calcium.

 

[logan1234]

Whenever I get crickets Ill probably feed crickets 24/7 oranges and then feed them some other food if I need to but I don't know what to feed them. To be safe could I put calcium in the leopard gecko tank since I've heard someone else do that on this website. I want to be safe then sorry.

 

[logan1234]

And If your feeding crickets every day wouldn't you have to gutload them 24/7? And i'll probably use flukers cricket food to gut load them and use oranges with that.

 

[logan1234]

I might put calcium without d3 in the tank so they wont over dose on d3 and so they will get calcium if they need it so they wont get bone disease.

 

[amsdadtodd]

As Elizabeth already wrote, there are many right ways to do this. I feed my crickets and roaches 24/7 on adult bearded dragon food and occasionally chop up collard greens or something similar to also give them. I do not gutload because this regimen already gives them a body full of nutrients as well as a gut full of them. It also allows me to feed supplements much less because the nutrients are already part of the bearded dragon food. I have four leo's which I've been keeping this way, and three of them have been thriving on this regimen. One of them has had feeding problems, after much advice and experimentation I have her returning to health and is starting to ease back into this same feeding scheme.
The point I'm trying to get to is that each gecko, and each owner are unique. You will have to learn from your pet what the best way is to care for it. It makes sense to start with a "best practices" approach as has been laid out here, but you will also have to adapt as time goes along.

Good luck,
Todd

 

[Tokaybyt]

Logan,

It is a great thing to be asking questions; never doubt that, as that is how we learn. As pointed out by others, everyone has different ways of doing things. For example, I keep my adult leopard geckos on sand. It's not advised for new or even experienced keepers, but there are a number of us that do so, are confident in our abilities in it, and in my case, have never had an instance of impaction. That last part, never having impaction, is a statement that dates back to 1997 to present.

That last sentence there begins to date me, back to when I used to annoy Ingo (a member here) on another forum about tokays, and used to lurk on the gecko listserv reading boat loads of info posted by a number of people, including Elizabeth Freer above. I was 15 back when I got my first leo in Oct of 1996 and had read numerous books before I even got my leo.

Back in 1996 I had just found out about the internet, didn't have a computer at home, and used my high school lunch break to read various reptile-related websites while on dial-up (websites took FOREVER to load). Prior to that, one had to weigh through all the misinformation out there published in the limited herp keeping books -- something that hasn't changed now and has honestly gotten a tad worse with all the internet "experts" out there.

That right there is what a number of us here are trying to help you with currently. We are here to help you, and other new inexperienced keepers (as we were once there ourselves, hell I'm still there, but with advanced species) weigh through the misinformation and get you onto a simplistic track that will get you properly started.

Though I've not weighed in much within this post (mainly due to many others having provided excellent information and to keep from being that "one more person adding to the confusion") there are a few of us that have replied with years and even decades of experience with keeping leopard geckos - I know of my myself and Elizabeth being ones that fall under decades as I still have my very first leo from Oct 1996 and I have the very first 1 I hatched from July 1997. This forum system also has a number of users lurking that have the same decades of experience, if not even more.

Please take the advice we are directing you towards. We are not here to stray you with any misinformation, but rather to guide you, so you too 19 years from now can be talking about the very first leopard gecko you bought and still have.

 

[logan1234]

The things on amazon are add - on items and I cant buy them if there is an amazon item above 25 with it.
Also I got a tank, lid, and water dish today.

 

[logan1234]

I'm only 12 the main reason I was confused was I didn't really understand some of it but ill try my best.

 

[Tokaybyt]

No worries there! Again, we all start somewhere. AAAAND, again, keep asking questions, but also don't overlook the answers already given to you.

 

[logan1234]

Okay I think I got it, feed them every day when there 0-6 months or 0-12 months, then feed them crickets with calcium with d3 on wednesday and friday and reptivite without d3 on monday. And this should be good for them for life? And I'm probably going to feed the crickets oranges or water crystals for hydration and flukers cricket feed for the gutloading.

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

And If your feeding crickets every day wouldn't you have to gutload them 24/7? And i'll probably use flukers cricket food to gut load them and use oranges with that.

Gutloading really refers to the diet you might feed the crickets 24-48 hours before you feed them to your leo. Gutloading is not the 24/7 dry diet you feed the crickets all the time.

Even though you feed the crickets 24/7 with a good dry diet, (and you ARE filling their guts), that is not what I mean by "gutloading".

See details below.

The things on amazon are add - on items and I cant buy them if there is an amazon item above 25 with it.
Also I got a tank, lid, and water dish today.

SWEET! 30 inch long tank, lid, and water dish!

Ordering your stuff after your research is fantastic. :cheer: Some people just buy their first leo with a 10 gallon "startup" kit. Then the leo's home is not ready when he comes home. Very soon those folks discover that they have wasted money on things their leo does not need.

:yahoo: on buying a large enclosure from the start!!!

If you buy a "normal" leo, not a giant morph, that may be a forever home. Even then, your leo could benefit from an upgrade.

I'm only 12 the main reason I was confused was I didn't really understand some of it but ill try my best.

Thanks very much, Logan! I can't imagine being 12 yo and trying to make sense of all the leo info you see on the internet.

The GU members who have given feedback on this thread really want you to have success with your new leo. We all want you to be "safe, not sorry".

1. Fluker's cricket foods are not very good. (I used to use Fluker's High Calcium Cricket Food for my crickets. )
   
   
2. Buy a well-started leopard gecko at least 6 mo. Buying a leo 1 year old would be better.
   
   You might even get a leopard gecko from a good breeder. That's a better bet than having problems with big box pet store leos. However, many pet store leos turn out fine.
   
   
3. Get this "adult" food for your crickets when you are ready. The crickets need more than oranges 24/7. Then one "lightly" dusts with supplements to improve the cricket bodies even more.
   
   Click: Pet Food : Amazon.com: Zoo Med 20-Ounce Natural Bearded Dragon Food, Adult Formula

We are suggesting "best practices". Once you have experience, you could tweak these recommendations.

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

Okay I think I got it, feed them every day when there 0-6 months or 0-12 months, then feed them crickets with calcium with d3 on wednesday and friday and reptivite without d3 on monday. And this should be good for them for life? And I'm probably going to feed the crickets oranges or water crystals for hydration and flukers cricket feed for the gutloading.

Please buy Zoo Med's Natural Adult Bearded Dragon Food for your crickets instead of Fluker's. You will NOT be sorry about that! Once you buy that cricket food, we will give you different suggestions for Repti Calcium with D3 and Reptivite without D3.

You see, it's best for crickets (and your new leo) to get as much nutrition as possible directly from the food they eat. Then we lightly dust stuff.

Don't dust crickets Monday, Wednesday, and Friday when you use the beardie food. That would be too many vitamins. Just ask after you have begun.

Leos can live to be 20+ years old. Nothing is "good for life". ;-)

Be sure to catch up on all these posts. It might help you to reread this thread, since there is a lot of information right here.

 

[logan1234]

I dont have my leo yet, still buying stuff to let you know.

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

I dont have my leo yet, still buying stuff to let you know.

I know.

 

[logan1234]

I'll post a pic later of what I got so far.