Want to review my lizard list?

[procyonloser]

I'm a to-be new owner trying to get all the questions and issues out of the way long before actually getting my first leopard gecko.

So for all those veterans, please let me know if you have anything else in ways of advice or ideas, or if I've gone over the top.
(I have very little interest in breeding or morphs, like don't get me wrong the generics are fascinating but I just want a pet, so anything applying to breeding isn't a concern)

So, prepare yourself, for this is my list I've been making

Leopard Gecko Things To Get Before Leopard Gecko

Enclosure:
* at least 10-20 gallon wide for adults.
*front open, less scary, less cats to sit on top and be douches
*small water dish
*calcium dish!
*Reptile safe cleaner

Substrate:
*natural Stone tile, non porous (slate, quartz, ceramic is also possible)
(Buffer between glass and stone likely needed, must test heat transfer up to warm hide)
*Cocofiber, limited amount, primarily in/near cool and moist hide

Hides:
*stone hide, more natural, easy to diy
*resin or plastic based hide, preferably for cold and moist hide to avoid bacterial build up
*possible succulents or artificial plants for added pizzazz and shade
*coconut husk hide, easy to make
(Fleece hides? Adorable but are they safe? Information needed.)

Electricalish:
*Under tank heat mat, cover 1/3-1/2 the bottom of tank, preferably against glass. test to make sure heat gets up to W.hide.
*thermometer with sensor for warm hide
*humidity sensor
*(outlet timer, UTH on during day, not at night? Is a heat drop needed?)
*(lamp with UVB, limited exposure, debatable need, but likely helpful? Advice needed)
*scale
*infrared gun for temp

Supplements:
*Calcium carbonate dust (without d3?)
*reptile vitamins (not decided on brand yet, advice welcome)
*feeder insects supplements as needed

Feeder Insects, (variety is healthy):
*small-medium crickets
*dubia nymphs
*Phoenix worms?
*Superworms? Possible health risks at large size due to mandibles, more information needed, possibly just feed small/micro versions.
*mealworms (not a ton)
*wax worm (only as treats)
*horn worm (treats, grows fast, probably not for babies)
*Butter worms, ironically named, high in calcium, less easy to find.
*oats and fresh fruit for applicable insects
(Amount of food needed will likely vary depending on the gecko itself, so play it by ear?)

That's the end of the list so, please, if you have any added information or ideas please let me know!
This reads kind of like I'm a robot, I know, but this is how I make notes.

 

[PoppyDear]

I am glad you are reviewing this before you have a gecko! I will certaintly go over this to the best of my abilities. I wish I had done this with my first gecko!

My answers and comments will be in blue.

Leopard Gecko Things To Get Before Leopard Gecko

Enclosure:
* at least 10-20 gallon wide for adults.
I reccommd a 20 gallon LONG for adults, better for temperature gradients and movement.
*front open, less scary, less cats to sit on top and be douches
I'm afraid cats will sit on top regardless. But that will create a dangerous situation. I have heard of some pet stores selling 20 longs that front open but that is rare. A front opening is nice but top opening works just as well if you are cautious. The only front-opening enclosure that is an appropriate size is a very pricy Exo-Terra.
•https://m.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/exo-terra-large-low-terrarium-36x18x12
*small water dish
*calcium dish!
You shouldn't need this (Depending on the suppliments you use), it can cause overdoses if a gecko licks up too much on his/her own, which can be just as bad as under-doses.
*Reptile safe cleaner
I wouldn't go out to buy a fancy cleaner, it is your choice but houehold products such as diluted bleach, vinegar and amonia work well if you know how to use them.

Substrate:
*natural Stone tile, non porous (slate, quartz, ceramic is also possible)
(Buffer between glass and stone likely needed, must test heat transfer up to warm hide)
Make sure the tile is around 3/8" thick for heat transfer. For the buffer, washed playsand (1/4" thick) is best, under the tiles.
*Cocofiber, limited amount, primarily in/near cool and moist hide

Hides:
*stone hide, more natural, easy to diy
*resin or plastic based hide, preferably for cold and moist hide to avoid bacterial build up
*possible succulents or artificial plants for added pizzazz and shade
If you use succulents make sure there are no fertilizers or pesticides used and the soil is organic, I would keep it in its own pot.
*coconut husk hide, easy to make
(Fleece hides? Adorable but are they safe? Information needed.)
Fleece hides are fine on the cool side. They are washable and cute. Make sure toe nails/teeth don't get caught, to help prevent this try it out once first and do not feed anywhere near it.

Electricalish:
*Under tank heat mat, cover 1/3-1/2 the bottom of tank, preferably against glass. test to make sure heat gets up to W.hide.
*thermometer with sensor for warm hide
*humidity sensor
I just check the humidity for the day, this isn't absolutely necessary but it is good to have. They can tolerate a range of low to highs (No high humidity for an extended period of time).
*(outlet timer, UTH on during day, not at night? Is a heat drop needed?)
Not needed, the UTH should be on 24/7.
*(lamp with UVB, limited exposure, debatable need, but likely helpful? Advice needed)
It is helpful, you will need to make sure your suppliments to not have D3 and you have plenty of cover to get away from it. But it is very beneficial that they are able to control how much they want/need.
*scale
If you have a kitchen scale you can use that.
*infrared gun for temp
This is a bit unecessary if you have a thermometer but good to have. The only thing I did not see was a thermostat to control the UTH temps. I reccomend:
•https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000...340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=jumpstart+thermostat

Your suppliment schedule WILL change if you use UVB. You will either use UVB and no supplimented D3 or supplimented D3 and no UVB. One or the other.
Supplements:
*Calcium carbonate dust (without d3?)
This again depends on the age of your gecko and the suppliments you decide to use, but yes PURE precipitated calcium carbonate, the NOW brand in health stores works. No D3 or anything else is pure calcium.
*reptile vitamins (not decided on brand yet, advice welcome)
I am going to give you two regimes (Pick ONE), both work and are phenomenal, the Zoo Med one varies on age as seen in these links:
•12 Months Old & Under:http://www.geckosunlimited.com/comm...mo-video-4-jan-2013-update-13.html#post459052
•18 Months & Older: http://www.geckosunlimited.com/comm...mo-video-4-jan-2013-update-14.html#post464174

Or you may rather use this Repashy Schedule:
•http://www.geckosunlimited.com/comm...mo-video-4-jan-2013-update-15.html#post475511
*feeder insects supplements as needed

Pay special attention to gutloading, your varied diet plan is great!
Feeder Insects, (variety is healthy):
*small-medium crickets
•Click: http://www.geckosunlimited.com/comm...mo-video-4-jan-2013-update-12.html#post448826
*dubia nymphs
•Click: http://www.geckosunlimited.com/comm...ition/53949-feeder-roaches-care-breeding.html
*Phoenix worms?
•Click: http://www.geckosunlimited.com/comm...-4-jan-2013-update-post329010.html#post329010
*Superworms? Possible health risks at large size due to mandibles, more information needed, possibly just feed small/micro versions.
•See below, they must be fed carefully and size appropriately.
*mealworms (not a ton)
•Click: http://www.geckosunlimited.com/comm...mo-video-4-jan-2013-update-11.html#post434916
*wax worm (only as treats)
•A good part of a varied diet, I would use them only 1-4 times a month.
*horn worm (treats, grows fast, probably not for babies)
•Click: http://www.geckosunlimited.com/comm...es-/68585-hornworm-guidelines.html#post391397
*Butter worms, ironically named, high in calcium, less easy to find.
•Click: http://www.geckosunlimited.com/comm...mo-video-4-jan-2013-update-10.html#post432804
*oats and fresh fruit for applicable insects
(Amount of food needed will likely vary depending on the gecko itself, so play it by ear?)
6 months and under, feed every day, play it by ear, as many as they will eat in 15 minutes. 6-12 months feed every other day, 12-18 months are usually fed every 3 days. 18 months and over feed every 3-4 days.

Hope I helped!

 

[procyonloser]

Extremely helpful, thank you very much!

 

[arlo17]

PoppyDear has done a great job with answers so I'll just add in a couple things rather than go through everything. Warning: this won't be in order with the questions..

With front opening tanks, there's usually very thin mesh on the top and it pops out VERY easily with a little too much pressure. I only have two front opening tanks, and I like them a lot, I just don't allow any of the cats except mine into my room. And as PoppyDear mentioned, they are very pricey. That's one of the only things I don't like. My local petsmart had my 40 gallon on sale for $183 which was cheap compared to the original price so I still grabbed it as soon as I could.

I have three geckos currently in top opening glass enclosures and that's two twenty gallons and one ten gallon. Ten gallons are good for babies who need a smaller space to find food etc. but it's very hard to fit everything in for an adult if you're anything like me and get a bit bulkier things, and extra things. It's also pretty cramped just for the gecko alone, in my opinion. My adults are all between eight and ten inches and I wouldn't put any of them in a ten gallon, personally. Too small.

Succulents are great, I have a load of really nice artificial ones for my hermit crabs and a couple small ones for my tarantula, and a few live ones for myself. If you have the correct lighting for them, they're really easy to care for. I got my artificial ones at hobby lobby, it's a little expensive if you want a lot of them, but a couple of them shouldn't cost too much. Although in my opinion they're worth the price. They're pretty and look real.

I got my scale at Walmart, it's a mainstays kitchen scale, stainless steel, I'm seeing its $19 right now although I swear I got mine for $12-$14. scales aren't necessary but they're really good if you want to keep up with your gecko's weight gain etc. Some people weigh monthly, I weigh weekly. It really helps with my picky eaters/newer geckos.

Hopefully I wasn't confusing and gave at least a little bit of helpful information. Good luck! I'd love to see pictures when you get your gecko.

 

[procyonloser]

I'll just add that, I thought of a front opening tank ( I know they cost a bit) but I have a space in a shelving rack where there would still be airflow on top but not enough space for my cats too climb on top of or hopefully not in front of. My house isn't huge so keeping cats out entirely is unlikely, but I will go to all necessary steps to make sure they aren't going to be a bother or scare the geckos (again, hopefully). If I have to rig something up special then I will.

And I should have mentioned I always intended to keep an adult in at least a 20gal, but wasn't certain which age group I would be getting initially. I had seen people say that young ones had the possiblity of not being able to find their warm hides if the tank was too large.
(Currently I know of a place that has... Reasonably priced exoterra low tanks in Medium and Large, 24x12x18 and 36x12x18. I'm thinking of the medium low, and maybe upgrading later, but the large low does seem quite nice. (I think it was around 145$ for the large and I'm kind of tempted.)

But all the other notes are very helpful, so thanks to both of you. When I do eventually get my gecko I'll probably go stupid with the amount of pictures I'll take.

 

[arlo17]

I have thousands of pictures of my animals. Even the ones I've only had for a few months. It's hard to resist

 

[PoppyDear]

I have plenty of pictures of mine too!

As for the tank, I haven't heard many keepers have issues with the heat and their youngsters especially since the UTH should cover 1/2 to a 1/3 of the tank and many older sources which have issues with that have much too small a heat source. A baby should do fine in a 20 long.

I will add that if you woul like to save a bit of money you can set up a little divider for the tank rather than have to purchase another tank and UTH.

The medium low Exo Terra is too small for an adult (You can use it for a baby), the only suitable one is the Large Low, which is very nice and spacious, you can easily divide it for a juvenile/hatchling as well. Keep in mind that if you do choose this tank you will need to use heat cables instead of an UTH because no UTH will cover a third to half the tank. I can provide more information on this if you'd like!

 

[procyonloser]

Wait, I'm confused. The twenty gallon long tanks I've seen are 30x12x12, and the exoterra medium low is 24x12x18. The medium low tank should be MORE floor space for an adult, not less than the 20g long. It's 24 length, 18 width. In square inches, the exoterra medium would be more wouldn't it? Unless you're talking about a different dimension for the 20 long?

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

I am glad you are reviewing this before you have a gecko! I will certaintly go over this to the best of my abilities. I wish I had done this with my first gecko!

My answers and comments will be in blue.



Hope I helped!

WOW! What a informative post, Poppy! :biggrin:

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

Wait, I'm confused. The twenty gallon long tanks I've seen are 30x12x12, and the exoterra medium low is 24x12x18. The medium low tank should be MORE floor space for an adult, not less than the 20g long. It's 24 length, 18 width. In square inches, the exoterra medium would be more wouldn't it? Unless you're talking about a different dimension for the 20 long?

Yes, you're correct. The ET medium low does have more square inches than a 20 LONG. However, it's easiest to establish a thermal gradient with a long tank instead (like the 36 x 18 x 12 inch Exo Terra).

Heat from an UTH falls off dramatically once off the pad. That's why I definitely recommend covering 1/2 the floor. Your leo won't be sorry. He'll have more room to play and stay warm.

The first 6 feet of heat cables aren't heated. Be sure to check with the manufacturer. GU's kholtme (Kyle) has a how-to post on GU.


These photos show an 11 x 17 inch UTH and then heat cables on a 40 gallon breeder enclosure (36 x 18 x 17 inches).


The red cables show a better way to attach heat cables. This should produce a more gradual gradient from warm to cool.

Click: How to configure heat cables?......kholtme -- Aug 2015 with link


Here's a helpful Feeder Insect Nutrition Chart. It represents combined efforts between Mark Finke, PhD and DubiaRoaches.com.

 

[PoppyDear]

Whoops! Sometimes I do get things a bit mixed up. The Exo Terra Low is not suitable for the reasons Elizabeth mentioned, not mine.

Regardless, thank you Elizabeth!

The two best options would then be the 20 gallon LONG or the Low Large Exo Terra.