Future owner

[Tedward]

Hi all.

I'm looking at getting a leopard gecko next month. I'm still in the process of ordering all the supplies for the little one. I also found a local mom and pop reptile shop today that has great prices on feeders. Quite stoked. Any other tips or advice would be greatly appreciated.

So far I have
- 20 gallon long with a mesh top
- an Ipower heat mat thermostat (looks just like the jumpstart one)
- Repashy superfoods calcium Plus reptile Supplement
- zoo med reptitherm uth (8x12)
- some decorations
-water bowl & feeder bowl

I haven't bought the 3 hides yet because it's really hard to gage how large they are when I look online. I'm also going to Lowes to look at slate tiles tomorrow.

 

[Seth9999]

I would upgrade to bigger uth like 11×17 by flukers or Ultratherm heat pads. They say 11×17 yes but part that heats is 9Ish by a 17. Your gecko will be happer with biggerone
What type floor you going with? What about light and ceramic heating element for top? . Also please read on home page under general discussion, gecko care sheet, by Elizabeth. That is most detailed care sheet. Everything is covered.

 

[Tedward]

I'm looking at slate tiles tomorrow.

The room gets a fair amount of light from windows so I don't think a dome light will be necessary for a daylight cycle. I thought CHE's were mostly needed if the room gets too cold (65 or under)?
Elizabeth's care sheet is so informative

 

[IHaveNoIdea]

CHE isn't necessary, I would actually advise not to use it. You can use UTH +heat bulb (spot, not flood) for the daylight cycle. There is a myth that leopards don't bask, but trust me, they do.
If you wanna keep it clean and easy, use tiles. When you are more experienced, you can go bioactive.
Don't worry about the hides, you can even make your own. Leopards don't care whether their hide is from Exoterra or a home made one.

 

[GeckoFanboy]

The room gets a fair amount of light from windows so I don't think a dome light will be necessary for a daylight cycle.

Just don't let direct sunlight beam down on your gecko tank. It will mess with the steady temps that you're shooting for. When placing the UTH pad, make sure it only covers about 1/3 of your tank floor, pushed all the way to one side (on the outside of course). Make sure you position it correctly the first time you adhere it down...if not, you risk damaging the heating elements if you peel it back up. I wouldn't go with slate...it's bumpier and harder to clean than most ceramic. I just had Lowes cut me a small piece of tile today to put in the corner of his tank where he poops. Wouldn't you know it, he pooped over the side of it...LOL. Measure your tank floor as accurately as possible and then just subtract a bit from the overall measurement...you want the tiles to be easy to place and remove without cracking the glass. If you have a hole in the bottom of the tank glass, use that for leverage when removing the tiles (so much easier). You can always fill any cracks with rolled up paper towel, as a "faux" grout.

 

[Tedward]

[
Instead of starting a new thread I though I’d just build of this one. I got all my supplies and finally set everything up. Just plugged everything in an hour ago will check temps to see how it’s doing. I’m finally getting a gecko this Thursday
Tile and a big 11x17 heat mat really is the way to go!! Tile looks so good and it was cheap to get cut as well. Temp guns really are amazing and extremely fun to use.... on anything
Any other suggestions would be appreciated as well.

-I plan to follow the Repashy schedule that Aliza made.
-Feeders are scheduled to arrive Tuesday so I’ll get those situated as well.
-I had some questions about feeders. I remember reading somewhere on this forum about grinding up Flukers bearded dragon blend. I wanted to use that and other veggie scraps as well.
-Is the cricket quencher suitable for all feeders? Or, is there something else I should use and pick up?

 

[Tedward]

I’ve been tinkering with the thermostat the last couple days and have it set to 93. The hot side ranges from 88.3ish to 90.6. The middle stays in the 80 to 83 range and the cold side goes from 75 to 78. Is my cool side too warm or is that enough of a drop in temperature?

 

[Tedward]

She just arrived. To no surprise she’s nervous and it took her a while to leave the cup. She’s been slowly moving around the tank. Hung out in the hot hide briefly and is now curled up in the cool hide. All is well for now.

Should I be worried that she hasn’t left the cool side hide since she arrived? It’s 76.3 on the cool and 89.4 on the hot side. I briefly switched the hides to see if that would have any impact, it didn’t. So that most likely spooked her even more. I’ve also added black construction paper to the sides and halfway up the front...

 

[Tedward]

UPDATE:

Went out to dinner last night got home around 8. She was perched up on the hot hide as if she was waiting for food. I grabbed some mealies and would drop them 1 by 1 infront of her. She missed a couple times lol.(I'm guessing she ate out of a cup at the breeders, but of course being new to Leos I immediately googled enigma syndrome..)Ended up eating 6 and then curly up in the hot hide. Tonight, I'm going to try dubias and see if she'll like those as well.

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

UPDATE:

Went out to dinner last night got home around 8. She was perched up on the hot hide as if she was waiting for food. I grabbed some mealies and would drop them 1 by 1 infront of her. She missed a couple times lol.(I'm guessing she ate out of a cup at the breeders, but of course being new to Leos I immediately googled enigma syndrome..)Ended up eating 6 and then curly up in the hot hide. Tonight, I'm going to try dubias and see if she'll like those as well.

Let your leo be your guide. Follow her lead.

When you click either Reply or Reply With Quote look at the row of icons right at the top.

• Click #15 from the left side. It's a ladder icon for inserting videos.
• Upload your videos to YouTube.
• Grab the YouTube link.
• Paste the YouTube link right there.
• Your videos should post!

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

View attachment 45276
View attachment 45277
View attachment 45278[
Instead of starting a new thread I though I’d just build of this one. I got all my supplies and finally set everything up. Just plugged everything in an hour ago will check temps to see how it’s doing. I’m finally getting a gecko this Thursday
Tile and a big 11x17 heat mat really is the way to go!! Tile looks so good and it was cheap to get cut as well. Temp guns really are amazing and extremely fun to use.... on anything
Any other suggestions would be appreciated as well.

-I plan to follow the Repashy schedule that Aliza made.
-Feeders are scheduled to arrive Tuesday so I’ll get those situated as well.
-I had some questions about feeders. I remember reading somewhere on this forum about grinding up Flukers bearded dragon blend. I wanted to use that and other veggie scraps as well.
-Is the cricket quencher suitable for all feeders? Or, is there something else I should use and pick up?

How old is your leo?

Did you see this \/?
"Oftentimes experienced keepers and breeders tweak the supplements more than the manufacturer suggests based upon the health of their leopard geckos.

Here's the Repashy's Calcium Plus (all-in-one) multivitamin schedule that GU's acpart (Aliza Arzt) has used for all her leopard geckos ----> breeders and non-breeders. You'll need 2 different powders.

Repashy's Calcium Plus (all-in-one) multivitamin
(without UVB)​

R = Repashy's Calcium Plus, Cc = pure precipitated calcium carbonate (without vitamin D3)

Week 1:
M-------T-------W------Th-------F-------Sat-------Sun
R.....................Cc...............................R...................


Week 2:
M-------T-------W------Th-------F-------Sat-------Sun
Cc...............................R..........................................

For hatchlings 0-2 months old: Aliza also places a bottle cap of pure precipitated calcium carbonate (without vitamin D3) in the cage 24/7.

Repeat this schedule every 2 weeks throughout your leos' lives."

It's Zoo Med's Natural ADULT Bearded Dragon Food that I finely grind for my crickets and dubia. I put my mealworms on a bedding/substrate of Albers' All Purpose Poultry Feed. Aliza uses Pro Gutload diet by Professional Reptiles for her mealworm bedding.


Instead of any cricket quencher type product, I place 2 layers of paper towels on top of the egg flats my crickets use. Once a day I moisten the paper towels under the faucet and then wring out excess moisture.

• For 112 click: Updated Cricket Guidelines II -- May 2018 update

For 148 click: Gutload Ingredients for Bugs & Worms......Olimpia -- August 2013

 

[Tedward]

Thanks for all the advice. I didn’t end up using the flukers water stuff. I don’t like using products with added dyes.
I’ve been using that same repashy schedule.
She’s a tsf so there’s still a slim possibility it’s not female. I’m guessing 3-4 months old, they told me she’s 25 grams. I’ll shoot the breeders an email to get a hatch date confirmation.
Been eating mealworms every night. Had dubias once.


She was a very dark color last night and it sounded like she was shedding. Lots of crunch/rustling noises coming from the cool hide. I will continue to monitor her tonight and see if her normal color is back.