Simple Leopard Gecko Husbandry Questions!

[PoppyDear]

Hello, I am a newbie gecko owner and currently own two leopard geckos! I have sexed them using advice from the internet and photographs online, they appear to be females! Their names are Arcalis and Lizzie! I have made my own form to allow you to assess my setup in order to properly answer my questions. So here is my setup!



Number of Geckos in Cage: 2

Gecko One
Name: Arcalis
Gender: Female
Weight: 55 Grams
Length: 8 Inches
Age: Unknown but estimated at almost a year
Health Issues: A small lip sore adressed in another thread, healing well
Fighting: No

Gecko Two
Name: Lizzie
Gender: Female
Weight: 47 Grams
Length: 7 inches
Age: Unknown but estimated at almost a year
Health Issues: None that I am aware of
Fighting: No

Tank Setup

Tank Size: 20 gallons
Substrate: A sand mat
Thermometers: 2 Stick-Ons, I know they are not accurate, they simply have been left there
Heating: A ReptiTherm UTH, which takes up a third of the tank
Hides: A total of 4 hides, one of which doubles as a water bowl, another that is three levels.
Lid: A sliding lid with adequate ventilation
Tank Temperatures: 70-73 on the cool and 89-91 on the warm.
Other: Calcium bowl in tank

Diet

Gecko One (Arcalis)
Insects fed: Crickets and or mealworms
Amount fed: 6 crickets or 10 mealworms
Days fed: Every other day
Gutloaded: Yes
Calcium Suppliment: Repashy Calcium Plus for Leopard Geckos

Gecko Two (Lizzie)
Insects fed: Crickets and or mealworms
Amount fed: 6 crickets or 10 mealworms
Days fed: Every other day
Gutloaded: Yes
Calcium Suppliment: Repashy Calcium Plus for Leopard Geckos



I hope this is adequate information to answer my questions! So here they are;

Can mealworms actually bite through the stomachs of Leopard Geckos? If so, what should I do?

Comment: I was warned of this when purchasing mealworms at a pet store. I have researched it but there seems to be varrying opinions. I have yet to find a case of it actually happening, please link me it if you know of one. If they indeed can bite through their stomachs, what should I do?

How should I transition my geckos to feeding every other day, what should I expect?

Comment: My two girls eat every other day, I am not sure what weight they should be at. We are going to be counting them as a year old November 3rd (My birthday!) and want to transition them to eat every three days. Is that adequate time apart? Should I expect them to act hungry or lose a few grams during the transition? Also, is 10 mealworms or 6 crickets enough or too much food?

Is it okay to only put in a moist hide when it nears the time they start shedding?

Comment: I was wondering if they needed the hide in there all of the time, since it is only used for shedding.

Do my geckos look healthy?

Comment: I will include pictures of them. Do they look underweight, overweight, or unhealthy in general?

Lizzie


Arcalis


Tank


Thank you,




Mara

 

[acpart]

Here are my answers to your questions:
Can mealworms actually bite through the stomachs of Leopard Geckos? If so, what should I do?
I have had only 1 bad experience with mealworms: I had a leopard gecko with a regenerated tail and the mealworms used to latch on to his tail. I just never left mealworms in the cage and it wasn't a problem. In general, mealworms biting through gecko stomachs seems to be an urban legend. Just watch how they crunch up the mealworms before swallowing them!

How should I transition my geckos to feeding every other day, what should I expect?

I feed my geckos on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, which means every 2-3 days. When the females are breeding, they act hungry more often on occasion and I give them extra food. Now that it's October, there is much less interest in eating, which may happen to yours as well. You can always keep a bowl with some mealworms for snacking. You will have to figure out how many mealworms/crickets by trial and error, based on how much they eat when fed. It varies by the gecko. If you go down to every 3 days and the gecko is pacing back and forth, obviously hungry, then you know you have to feed a bit more frequently. Try something and observe the effect on the gecko, then make changes if necessary.

Is it okay to only put in a moist hide when it nears the time they start shedding?
Some geckos like hanging out int the moist hide. Sometimes a gecko sheds in a night and you may not even know it's going into shed. Ray Roehner, who wrote "The Leopard Gecko Advisor" recommends only putting some moist paper towel in a hide (to serve as a humid hide) when you see the gecko actually shedding. I think either approach (all the time vs. only when shedding) is probably OK unless you notice that your gecko is shedding without your knowledge and having a hard time.



Do my geckos look healthy?

Your geckos look fine to me

Aliza