New leapard gecko

[Jackmoss1802]

Hello, I'm just looking for some advice off someone who might know a little more than me. Basically I have bought a female leapard gecko she is 4/5 months old I've been told by the shop owner. I just have some questions,
1) she was kept on sand at the shop and the women said it's fine to use however I have read about impaction and the opinions are 50/50 for this reason I have eco earth being delivered today so is eco earth a good substrate to use?
2) my wooden vivarium has the heat mat inside I used the information from the reptile shop owner she said that's fine just tape the sides down so my gecko can't get under it so I have done that and she seems to be fine on the heated side under her hide, is this okay to do?
3) I bought her last night about 6 o'clock so she is very very new to me and her new enclosure and I know this may sound stupid but she does seem scared when I have handled her once(I know you should let them settle in but I needed to move her tank around) and she tried to almost run off my hands and at on each point she did onto the floor she is fine now though in her cage I was just wondering is this normal? I'm guessing it is as she's young and not familiar with me... As well as this she got fed every morning in the shop but the women told me to feed her at night when she comes out so I'm going to feed her tonight for the first time but this morning as I was worried I offered her a cricket and she just ignored it and last night I put s few meal worms in her dish and they're still there too... has anyone experienced this with a new leapard gecko? I think I'm just being paranoid.
4) how often do you change the calcium in the little dish?
Please can someone help with these questions, thank you.

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

2) my wooden vivarium has the heat mat inside I used the information from the reptile shop owner she said that's fine just tape the sides down so my gecko can't get under it so I have done that and she seems to be fine on the heated side under her hide, is this okay to do?

Welcome aboard!

Since you live in the UK, I highly recommend Nutrobal all-in-one multivitamins and Pro-Rep's Calci Dust. Let me know whether you can get those. Then I'll recommend a schedule for a 4-5 mo leopard gecko.

Please remove any sand. Consider using JIMI's vivarium for her leo Theseus in the following link as an example. Eco Earth's coco fiber substrate is OK for the warm, humid hide. It quickly becomes dusty when dry. Coco fiber can increase humidity too much when damp. Your leo also needs a warm dry hide and a cool dry hide.

When using a wooden vivarium place the heat mat inside. Elevate the heat mat above the floor!!! Please click these links for examples.

• For 117 (& 60a) click: Placement of UTHs & Heat Cables Inside Melamine & Wooden Leo Enclosures
• For 60a click: Heating Melamine & Wooden Enclosures: Hilde, mecoat, acpart, JIMI & 60b (post 117) -- continues with JIMI’s leopard gecko Theseus’ enclosure

Temperatures - A temperature gradient from warm to cool maintains your leo's health. Here's a temperature guide for all leopard geckos as measured with the probe of a digital thermometer or a temp gun (and controlled by a thermostat set at 91*F/32.8*C):

• 88-92 F (31.1-33.3 C) ground temperature right underneath a leo's warm dry hide
• no greater than 82ish F (27.8ish C) air temperature - 4 inches above ground on the warm end
• no greater than 75 F (23.9 C) air temperature - 4 inches above ground on the cool end

Let her settle in at least a couple weeks prior to handling her. It's common for leos NOT to eat in new surroundings.

 

[Jackmoss1802]

Leapard Gecko

Hello, i was just wondering if someone could answer some questions i have...
1) is sand an okay substrate to use? ive read all about impaction and there is varied views of what to use.
2) my leapard gecko seems to be leaving mealworms when i give her them in her dish i know she prefers crickets but i also know they need a varied diet so is there any recommendations on what to do?
3) Are cricket pens worth it? i will be buying more crickets now i have a gecko and i was wondering if the cricket pens are worthwhile in the small boxes from the pet shops a few seem to die.
4) My main question was how do you make a ideal moist hide for your gecko? ive read that a tupperware dish and damp moss will work however im just wondering if anyone has any better suggestions or even names of products they have bought to make a humid hide.

 

[Seth9999]

Welcome to geckos unlimited. Tile is best for substrate. I use tile back splash and carpet. Tile holds heat the best.
Sand is no no. One more thing cause problems.

 

[Hilde]

Jackmoss1802, I merged your threads into one, since they're all related.

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

4-30-2018: Last week I switched to placing half egg flats on end (vertically), back-to-back, front-to-front, and so on. That method gives crickets more individual space. In the past I kept the egg flats horizontally on the bottom of my 56 quart bins.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

#112---Cricket Guidelines II -- 25 April 2018 update
Dry Diet: For the dry cricket diet use a good food (~16% protein, less than 5% fat, moderate fiber) that also contains vitamin D3, vitamin A acetate (retinol) or vitamin A palmitate, and vitamin B12!

Grind these pellets in a Krups coffee/spice grinder or place the pellets in a plastic bag and pound them with a hammer:

• ***(Finely ground) Zoo Med's Natural ADULT Bearded Dragon Food or
• (Finely ground) Albers' All Purpose Poultry Feed or
• (Finely ground) Purina Layena Sunfresh Crumbles

I only recommend Albers' or Purina Layena Sunfresh Crumbles' brands of poultry feed. If you cannot find those in the USA, don't buy poultry feed. Some poultry laying feeds contain diatomaceous earth. Diatomaceous earth is a natural antiparasitic for bird flocks. If ingested by insects, diatomaceous earth is fatal.

NEVER toss uneaten insects or worms back in with the colony OR feed them to other geckos! This prevents bacteria, parasites, or diseases like cryptosporidosis from spreading. Always freeze (or otherwise destroy) all uneaten insects or worms from any gecko's enclosure.

By following these tips it's easy to keep your crickets alive and thriving 1-2 months past purchase:

• Crickets live about 9 weeks.
• Keep them at normal room temps (68-74*F, 20-23.3*C).
• I keep my crickets in open bins. Good ventilation is critical for long lives!
• Unbox your crickets as soon as they reach room temperature.
• Take a 56 quart Sterilite plastic bin or an extra large Kritter Keeper. [My 56 qt bins measure: 22 inches long x 16 inches deep x 11.75 inches tall (at the top of the bin).]
• Empty crickets into the container.
• Place finely ground Zoo Med's Natural ADULT Bearded Dragon Food, Albers' All Purpose Poultry Feed, or Purina Layena Sunfresh Crumbles in shallow ridged lids (like Jif peanut butter lids). Experiment keeping additional dry food on the bottom of the container as well.
• Place 3 layers of egg cartons/flats over crickets so they can hide. The more space crickets have, the less they will die from overheating (heat encapsulation effect).
• Place 2 (or 3) layers of paper towels on top of the egg cartons.
• Once daily thoroughly moisten the paper towels under the faucet and squeeze out excess water.
• Replace the wet paper towels on top of the egg cartons.
• A ridged lid of wet Eco Earth's coco fiber also keeps crickets hydrated.
• Then place chopped, high calcium, low phosphorus, leafy greens (collard, mustard, turnip) or pesticide-free dandelion flowers/greens in a small dish next to the cricket food.
• Keep the dry food dry to avoid mold.
• Every so often use a small whisk broom to remove cricket feces and dead crickets.
• In addition Armstrong's Crickets suggests lightly roughing up the lower sides of these bins with sandpaper to give crickets more space to hang out.
• Cricket water dispensers and spare parts can be purchased from Armstrong's.

High calcium/low phosphorus leafy greens like collard, mustard, and turnip greens, and pesticide-free dandelion flowers/greens in a dish off to the side are excellent additions to dry insect and worm diets. Besides the actual vitamins, they add moisture.

For additional help click this USDA link: Foods List. Just enter almost any food in that link and then scroll to see calcium, phosphorus, et cetera.