Help with Weight of my Leo please?

CWilson13

CWilson13

New member
I actually am thinking about getting Pandora one of the ones you linked Elizabeth. For Apollo, his CHE and UTH seem to be doing fine on keeping temps in the proper range. I was looking at the ones in my last post due to the no-heat factor.
 
cricket4u

cricket4u

New member
CWilson13 said:
I actually am thinking about getting Pandora one of the ones you linked Elizabeth. For Apollo, his CHE and UTH seem to be doing fine on keeping temps in the proper range. I was looking at the ones in my last post due to the no-heat factor.
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They have individual preferences. Some will prefer to lay under a heat lamp verses under tank heating. I have one that will avoid the area when the Ceramic heat emitter is on. He has under tank heating, yet prefers to lay under a Hagen Exo Terra moonlight bulb.

Just an important detail that I feel is important to keep in mind. This is why providing more than one option is ideal and can help avoid running into problems.

A recent experience....

A friend calls me and asked if I can help her friend solve a leo eating mystery. 3 year old male housed in an Exo terra 36X18X12, UTH, 5 hides, water dish, etc. The room temperature was approximately 75f most of the time. He claims poor growth(suspected) and less than ideal appetite. After ruling out so many possibilities including a fecal and so on.

Hints provided by owner:

leo only spend about 10 minutes a day over the UTH area. NOT ENOUGH Head sticking out.

occasional partial off colored feces (as if it was sitting in the gut too long)


We tried adjusting ground temperature using a thermostat to no avail. Try changing hides- nothing. Well he may just prefer the heat coming from above. Not the first I have seen. I thought it would be ideal to add a second option for heating. The owner placed an exo terra moonlight 60 watt bulb across from the UTH area. Lo and behold the leo has gained a few grams and appears to look better within a month so far. Just like one of mine, he prefers to warm up under the bulb instead.
 
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CWilson13

CWilson13

New member
Very true [MENTION=35490]cricket4u[/MENTION] Though Apollo seems not to care as he spends equal time in the area when his CHE is either on or off. He doesn't react well to the red "night" bulbs being on, he goes into his hide just like the regular lamp in the room. Same thing with the blue "daylight" from Zoo-Med.
 
JessJohnson87

JessJohnson87

New member
While I was at Petco getting Ziggy's new tank, I picked up a Zilla 100w black light bulb. My UTH took a dump last night so I figured I could use that until I order a new one. Hooked it up to a lamp dimmer and the temps are staying between 90 and 91.6 degrees on the tile directly underneath the light. He hasn't explored his new home yet so we will see what happens later tonight.
 
amsdadtodd

amsdadtodd

New member
There are two big concerns with relying on overhead heat sources. The first is that LG's really rely on surface heat to digest their food. The second is that they can quickly become dehydrated when their heat comes from such a light source. If you are using this as a temporary fix then you will probably be okay, but if it stretches longer term it cause a problem.

Todd
 
Elizabeth Freer

Elizabeth Freer

Well-known member
JessJohnson87 said:
While I was at Petco getting Ziggy's new tank, I picked up a Zilla 100w black light bulb. My UTH took a dump last night so I figured I could use that until I order a new one. Hooked it up to a lamp dimmer and the temps are staying between 90 and 91.6 degrees on the tile directly underneath the light. He hasn't explored his new home yet so we will see what happens later tonight.
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Hi Jess ~

May I offer a suggestion? Since you now have a 30 x 12 x 12 inch vivarium, the best size UTH to buy is an 11 x 17 incher. Ultratherm and Fluker's make this size. Stick it on with aluminum tape. UTHs that come with adhesive should not be reused, because their internal wires can get damaged when you remove them.

With an 11 x 17 as compared to a smaller (less than 1/2 the floor) Ziggy should be more active.

If you were adding overhead heat as a supplemental, check out ceramic heat emitters.

How about started a new thread just for Ziggy?
 
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JessJohnson87

JessJohnson87

New member
I posted the part about the light for Cory. Went a little too keyboard happy. I did start one about getting his new tank, posted a picture in there earlier today.
 
CWilson13

CWilson13

New member
amsdadtodd said:
There are two big concerns with relying on overhead heat sources. The first is that LG's really rely on surface heat to digest their food. The second is that they can quickly become dehydrated when their heat comes from such a light source. If you are using this as a temporary fix then you will probably be okay, but if it stretches longer term it cause a problem.

Todd
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The CHE is more of a supplemental source if the temperature drops too low. So far I have only had a couple times that it was needed. And both times it was back off fairly soon after the thermostat kicked it on.
The 11 x 17 Flukers UTH does a fantastic job of keeping the warm side around 90-91 degrees under the dry hide. I definitely recommend them for any Leo.
 
CWilson13

CWilson13

New member
In Apollo news, I picked up some Dubias to give a test run with. Apollo seemed to really enjoy them. I think the various Worms didn't incite his hunter side enough. He actually missed the first Dubia a few times before catching it. Had I thought about it I would have taken pictures. His reaction to tasting it was funny. Almost like a kid trying pizza or ice cream for the first time.
Also, BIG thanks to [MENTION=52816]kholtme[/MENTION] I now have the beginnings of my own easy to clean Dubia colony. Not only did he post a great D.I.Y. thread but he also sold me a fantastic deal on adults and nymphs.
 
JessJohnson87

JessJohnson87

New member
Ziggy did the same thing but when he caught one, he spit it out but snapped it back up. An acquired taste like with fine wine.....
 
CWilson13

CWilson13

New member
The only feeder he has not liked and actually spit back out was a cricket. Honestly I was grateful for that since crickets tend to be short lived and smell horrid.
 
JessJohnson87

JessJohnson87

New member
Yeah I hated going to the pet store 3 times a week to buy crickets. Glad I found the dubia roaches closer to home so I don't have to order them. You forgot about the chirping.
 
CWilson13

CWilson13

New member
Oh yeah ugh cricket chirps used to drive me crazy when I lived in Michigan. I didn't mind feeding them to the Praying Mantis I had though. He would devour countless crickets at a time.
 
Elizabeth Freer

Elizabeth Freer

Well-known member
CWilson13 said:
The only feeder he has not liked and actually spit back out was a cricket. Honestly I was grateful for that since crickets tend to be short lived and smell horrid.
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I feed my geckos Acheta domesticus crickets. It's easy to keep bulk ordered crickets smaller than 1/2 inches growing for 2 months in uncovered 56 quart Sterilite bins. No packing tape near the top either. They do not climb out! I keep 1/2 inch + crickets alive a month or more. A big part of success is ordering Armstrong's crickets in bulk and growing them yourself. :D

I feed Blaptica dubia much less frequently.

Smells result from decaying cricket carcusses sometimes caused by excessive moisture.
 
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CWilson13

CWilson13

New member
You actually confirmed what I thought was the reason for the smell crickets give off Elizabeth :) thanks! As easy as your set up sounds, far better than drilling dozens of holes in sterilite, I still think I'm going to stick with the Dubias. Not to mention you probably have a great deal more Geckos than I do... For now at least lol
 
kholtme

kholtme

New member
Cwilson I think you are going to be spoiled with that dubia bin. Even though it sucks to make, you will never know the pain of taking all the dubias out into another bin, and dumping the waste. Let alone having a bunch of babies that bury themselves in the waste you have to sort through, which are hard to grab with tweezers, and taking the chance of some dubias falling out while your switching them to a different container. You will never know the pain, and your welcome :)
 
CWilson13

CWilson13

New member
Yeah, as soon as I read the thread about it I knew it would be a great addition to Apollos life. Thanks once again for the idea AND getting me started on Dubias! Apollo really does like them, though he scared me yesterday. He went after one and missed, actually bit his food dish instead and kept biting it. Maybe 5-6 more times before he realized what was happening. He was not thrilled at my overprotective side kicking in. I immediately (gently of course) scooped him up and started checking his mouth for any wounds. Luckily there were none. I am sure his dish isn't dangerous but it freaked me out lol
Also, my order from Dubiaroaches.com arrived at the post office today and I will be able to pick up the 100 dubias, the roach chow, water crystals, and egg crates tomorrow morning. Should be interesting to see how the ones I already have react to new egg crates and new bin-mates. I have to admit, I actually am enjoying watching the little bugs...
 
Zux

Zux

New member
CWilson13 said:
Should be interesting to see how the ones I already have react to new egg crates and new bin-mates. I have to admit, I actually am enjoying watching the little bugs...
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You know what most surprised me (as a new owner/reptile keeper) about the care of a Leopard Gecko?

It was the fact that 80% or more of the day to day upkeep goes into the feeder insect colonies I maintain and not into the gecko directly. Its for her benefit naturally but I always thought before getting a reptile it would be much harder to care for than any mammal and nothing could be further from the truth :)


- Shane
 
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