Meet Glaedr

[Scelangner]

Hello friends,
As some of you know we recently lost our two young geckos Lavender and Basil. I wasn't planning on getting another Leo so soon but this guy stole my heart.
His picture was of him in a boring tank with sand, one hide, and a tiny uth. He was bought in October as a gift for their son who quickly grew bored of him.
So I contacted them and today I drove the two hours there we to pick him up. Then two hours back home. He travelled like a champ, peeking at me once on the way home. I had the heated seats on even for him (-3 here in Canada).
When we got home I ditched the sand and adjusted his cafe. I have a 20 g that I am preparing for him. I'm wondering about links for feeding schedules, setting up the perfect tank with ceramic tile as the substrate, exact temps and diet.
I want everything to be perfect for Glaedr.

 

[acpart]

He looks great! Just make sure that every single thing including feeders that you had for the other geckos is far away from him.

Aliza

 

[Scelangner]

I definitely will. I threw out a lot and have sanitized and disinfected the tanks (which I will be repeating). This tank he came with.
I'm so in love with him.

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

Welcome, Glaedr! I hope you live a long, healthy life.

Glaedr looks like he's under 1 year old. Can you measure him?

For 81 (& 87) click: Leopard Gecko Care Sheet (abbreviated) -- December 2018 update (show handout)​

If you already have supplements, let me know which ones so I can amend these schedules. If you don't, VetArk's Nutrobal all-in-one multivitamin + Calci Dust supplements are quite good.

For 124 click: Weekly Feeding & Supplement Schedule 124 for leopard geckos 0-12 months old
For 125 click: Weekly Feeding & Supplement Schedule 125 for leopard geckos 12-18 months old
For 126 click: Weekly Feeding & Supplement Schedule 126 for leopard geckos 18 months old +​

For 77 click: Gecko Multivitamins

 

[Scelangner]

I will attempt to get a length on him today, I just don't want to bother him when he just arrived yesterday.
His supplements are repashy calcium plus and zoo meds repti calcium.
He eats gut loaded crickets, mealworms and hornworms. I'm trying to find somewhere to order dubia roaches in from and pheonix worms.
Any tips on using ceramic tile? Does anyone permanently affix it in the enclosure?

 

[IHaveNoIdea]

He has leftover skin on his toes, make sure to take that off before he loses them.

 

[Geecko123]

a warm welcome to you and Glaedr!:biggrin:

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

I will attempt to get a length on him today, I just don't want to bother him when he just arrived yesterday.
His supplements are repashy calcium plus and zoo meds repti calcium.
He eats gut loaded crickets, mealworms and hornworms. I'm trying to find somewhere to order dubia roaches in from and pheonix worms.
Any tips on using ceramic tile? Does anyone permanently affix it in the enclosure?

Don't permanently attach rough-textured ceramic tiles to the base of Glaedr's enclosure. That would impact any deep cleaning you wish to do in the future. Some keepers use a thin layer of sand underneath the tiles to fill in the grooves and eliminate hot spots. That's the only good use for a small bag of calci-sand (where a leo can't lick it).

Is your Zoo Med Repti Calcium without D3? If so and when necessary, use it alongside Repashy's Calcium Plus.

Does he seem to be walking around OK? No unusual bends at his "knees"? (Just checking for his calcium levels.)

Here's the Repashy's Calcium Plus all-in-one multivitamin schedule long time leo breeder GU's acpart (Aliza) has used for her leopard geckos.

For 144 click: Repashy's Calcium Plus (all-in-one) multivitamin Schedule for Leopard Geckos -- February 2019 update​

Nutrition links for some feeders:

For 33 click: Hornworm Care Guidelines
For 5 click: Black Soldier Fly Larvae (Phoenix/calci/repti worms & NutriGrubs) Care​

For 4 click: Humidity Box Assists for Stuck Shed

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

Are you using some basic dry insect diet to cover the bases 24/7? Then add veggies to up the nutrients.

Gutload Ingredients for Bugs & Worms......Olimpia -- August 2013
"A commercial gutloading food like Bug Burger or Superload (both by Repashy), Cricket Crack, Dinofuel, etc. is going to make your life easier AND provide a nutritious diet to your crickets at the same time. Avoid Fluker's gutloads, as they are super feeble in their formulas."

"If you opt for making your own gutload at home, here is a list of great ingredients to use:
Best: mustard greens, turnip greens, dandelion flowers & leaves, collard greens, escarole lettuce, papaya, watercress, and alfalfa.
Good: sweet potato, carrots, oranges, mango, butternut squash, kale, apples, beet greens, blackberries, bok choy, and green beans.
Dry food: bee pollen, organic non-salted sunflower seeds, spirulina, dried seaweed, flax seed, and organic non-salted almonds.
Avoid as much as possible: potatoes, cabbage, iceberg lettuce, romaine lettuce, spinach, broccoli, tomatoes, corn, grains, beans, oats, bread, cereal, meat, eggs, dog food, cat food, fish food, canned or dead insects, vertebrates."

 

[Scelangner]

I have been using the flukers dry diet so I will be switching that up asap.
I checked out the feeding schedule and I'm slightly confused. Should I be keeping a small dish of our calcium in there with him or not? The zoo med calcium is without d3. And the schedule seems to only state when the repashy should be fed or does it mean it should be fed at the same time? (Repashy and calcium). The repashy is giving him his necessary d3?
I was wondering also if I should have one long piece of tile cut for the 20 G as opposed to two smaller pieces? I don't have much experience with the tile. I will try again tomorrow to get a proper measurement of his body.
When he arrived I weighed him and i believe he was 0.8 oz, 22.5 g does that sound right?
Thank you again to everyone for your time and advice. We so appreciate it over here.

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

I have been using the flukers dry diet so I will be switching that up asap.
I checked out the feeding schedule and I'm slightly confused. Should I be keeping a small dish of our calcium in there with him or not? The zoo med calcium is without d3. And the schedule seems to only state when the repashy should be fed or does it mean it should be fed at the same time? (Repashy and calcium). The repashy is giving him his necessary d3?
I was wondering also if I should have one long piece of tile cut for the 20 G as opposed to two smaller pieces? I don't have much experience with the tile. I will try again tomorrow to get a proper measurement of his body.
When he arrived I weighed him and i believe he was 0.8 oz, 22.5 g does that sound right?
Thank you again to everyone for your time and advice. We so appreciate it over here.

22.5 grams definitely sounds under 12 months old. There is no need to measure him. I just wondered what size he is. When he's about 6 months old, he can be sexed.

Can you buy and finely grind Zoo Med's ADULT beardie food for your crickets? It's perfect! I'm currently using it and Cricket Crack. The crickets clean beardie food off their plates. They don't do as well with Cricket Crack.

​

Repashy's Calcium Plus DOES contain vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol). Used at the frequency Aliza recommends, it should be fine. Aliza bred leos for years!

​

At 22.5 grams and with a healthy gait, only Repashy's Calcium Plus (multivitamins) should be necessary. Aliza only places a lid of plain calcium in her hatchling enclosures until they're 2 months old. Otherwise she dusts with Repashy's Calcium Plus just like Schedule 144 recommends.

Otherwise Hilde says NOT to keep plain calcium in the enclosure: "Excess calcium in the digestive tract can hinder absorption of vitamins A and D."

For 22 click: GU’s Admin Hilde on Calcium, Vitamin A, & D3 Interactions, et cetera: posts 22, 48, 85, ***96: vits + CaCO3***​

Use 1 long section of tile. Make sure it's no thicker than ~3/8 inches. I love NO seams. Sometimes home improvement stores cut tlle for a small fee.

 

[Scelangner]

He has leftover skin on his toes, make sure to take that off before he loses them.

Thanks for pointing that out. He had a nice warm bath today and we were able to help him out.
I've attached photos in case you see anything I've missed.

 

[Scelangner]

So Glaedr weighed in at 26 g and 19cm long.
Thermostat on hot side is set to 93, cool side temps measure about 74 near the ground, air temps are around 80.
He's a great eater of horworms, crickets and mealworms. Searching to buy some silkworms, pheonix worms and roaches.


I'd love to see pictures of your enclosures with ceramic tile.

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

So Glaedr weighed in at 26 g and 19cm long.
Thermostat on hot side is set to 93, cool side temps measure about 74 near the ground, air temps are around 80.
He's a great eater of horworms, crickets and mealworms. Searching to buy some silkworms, pheonix worms and roaches.


I'd love to see pictures of your enclosures with ceramic tile.

Be sure to feed Glaedr 4x per week -- all he'll eat, until his weight catches up some with his length. He's somewhat underweight right now. It's great that his diet is so varied.

What's the temp right on the substrate underneath the warm dry hide where your leo rests as measured by the probe of a digital thermometer or a temp gun? Did you find temp specifics mentioned in link 81?

Here are pictures of my leo Cha's 20 gallon long home. She's about 14.5 yo. She has one 12 x 12 inch ceramic tile on the warm end and a 1/2 sized slate "tile" underneath the middle structure. The rest is paper towel.

​

 

[Scelangner]

I've also been using repashy bug burger
The temp under the warm dry hide read 88.3. And under his moist hide I have it set to 93.
Also, can someone clarify if I use repashy calcium plus and plain calcium at the same time when I dust? And if I'm feeding him 4x a week do I only dust twice?
You guys are amazing.

 

[IHaveNoIdea]

Thanks for pointing that out. He had a nice warm bath today and we were able to help him out.
I've attached photos in case you see anything I've missed.

Looks fine, nice job

About the feeders: Turkestan roaches (red runners) in my case proved to be the best feeders if you want huge geckos. They might help him a lot. Two of my females were fed almost exclusively red runners - one of them is 85g and the other one is 115g. Both of them not fat, but just enormous.
RR are smelly, fast *unts though, so consider it. Great alternative are dubia roaches - nutritionally similiar to RRs, but don't smell and are slow.

 

[Scelangner]

Looks fine, nice job

About the feeders: Turkestan roaches (red runners) in my case proved to be the best feeders if you want huge geckos. They might help him a lot. Two of my females were fed almost exclusively red runners - one of them is 85g and the other one is 115g. Both of them not fat, but just enormous.
RR are smelly, fast *unts though, so consider it. Great alternative are dubia roaches - nutritionally similiar to RRs, but don't smell and are slow.

Roachs are illegal here in Canada so I won’t be feeding those I guess. Haha. Never thought I’d be disappointed about that.

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

I've also been using repashy bug burger
The temp under the warm dry hide read 88.3. And under his moist hide I have it set to 93.
Also, can someone clarify if I use repashy calcium plus and plain calcium at the same time when I dust? And if I'm feeding him 4x a week do I only dust twice?
You guys are amazing.

1. Repashy's Bug Burger is good for your crickets.
2. According to Aliza's schedule 144, ONLY dust with Repashy's 2x the first week, 1x the second week. Then repeat: 2x the 3rd week, 1x the 4th week, and so on.
3. Repashy's Calcium Plus is an all-in-one multivitamin. Use it alone. Don't add more calcium. Aliza uses it like the R's (for Repashy Calcium Plus) on schedule 144 indicate. Aliza does NOT use it 2x per week every week.
4. Can you increase the temp under the warm dry hide some unless 88.3 F is the minimum? Warm dry hide temps are somewhat more important than warm moist hide temps. The warm moist hide can be a little less.

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):

• Warm end ground temperature: 88-92 F (31.1-33.3 C) underneath a leo's warm dry hide
• Cool end ground temperature: 70ish-75 F (21.1-23.9 C) Usually the cool end ground temperature matches the room temperature where the enclosure sits.
• 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

Leave the heat mat/UTH on 24/7. If you wish, during the night turn off overhead lighting/heating (~12 hours on and ~12 hours off) unless ambient room temperatures drop lower than 67ish*F (19.4*C).

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

Do you have access to this thread via a computer or only via a cell phone? Can you re-read post 11 and Hilde's link?


\/ \/ \/
Here's a copy & paste of link 144:

Oftentimes experienced keepers and breeders tweak supplements more than the manufacturer suggests based upon the health of their leopard geckos.

Powdered supplements stick to crickets and to dubia better than they do to mealworms or to superworms.

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

-----> February 2019 -- "I've been using an 'every other' feeding schedule with Repashy's Calcium Plus since 2009. Adults get fed Mondays and Thursdays. They get Repashy on Thursdays.

"I fed juveniles and hatchlings 3 times a week. (They would be getting mealworms so there would always be some in their bowls.) For juveniles I'd dust with Repashy's Calcium Plus at every other feeding. For hatchlings 0-2 months old & any slow-growing leopard geckos under ~6 grams, I would also dust every other feeding in addition to keeping plain calcium in the cage 24/7."

Aliza

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

Feeding & Supplementing ADULT leopard geckos ~ Feed 2x per week.

• Mondays ~ feed (no dusting)
• Thursdays ~ feed & dust prey with Repashy's Calcium Plus (all in one) multivitamins

Feeding & Supplementing JUVENILE leopard geckos ~ Feed 3x per week.

• Feed Tuesdays, Thursdays, & Saturdays
• Dust prey with Repashy's Calcium Plus at every other feeding
• [See dusting chart below]

Feeding & Supplementing HATCHLING leopard geckos - 0-2 months old & any slow-growing leopard geckos under ~6 grams ~ Feed 3x per week.

• Feed Tuesdays, Thursdays, & Saturdays
• Dust prey with Repashy's Calcium Plus at every other feeding
• ALSO: Keep a bottle cap of plain calcium in the cage 24/7.
• [See dusting chart below]

\/ \/ \/


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

Week 1 Repashy dusting (for JUVENILES & HATCHLINGS):
M-------T-------W------Th-------F-------Sat-------Sun
............R...........................................R...................


Week 2 Repashy dusting (for JUVENILES & HATCHLINGS):
M-------T-------W------Th-------F-------Sat-------Sun
..................................R..........................................​

-----> For hatchlings 0-2 months old & any slow-growing leopard geckos under ~6 grams: Aliza also places a bottle cap of pure precipitated calcium carbonate (without vitamin D3) in the cage 24/7.

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

When feeding your new leo Glaedr 4x per week to catch up on his size, here's a change:

Week 1 ~ Dust with Repashy's Calcium Plus 2x this week

• Dust with Repashy's Calcium Plus
• Skip a feeding
• Dust with Repashy's Calcium Plus
• Skip a feeding

Week 2 ~ Dust with Repashy's Calcium Plus 1x this week + dust with Zoo Med's Repti Calcium without D3 1x time

• Dust with Repashy's Calcium Plus
• Skip a feeding
• Dust with Zoo Med's Repti Calcium without D3
• Skip a feeding

Week 3 and so on:

• Alternate weeks 1 & 2

Many thanks for asking. Does that make sense?