African fat tailed gecko questions

[Animallover562]

Hello!
I am a new owner of 1 male African fat tailed gecko, right now he is in a 10 gallon aquarium with paper towel substrate, 2 hides (1 warm and 1 cold/humid), some wood for climbing, a water dish, and a dish with supplemental calium without D3. I have a few questions on their care that I’d like to clarify with some more experienced owners:
•Can 1 AFT live happily in a 10 gallon aquarium for its whole life?
•How often/how much do you recommend feeding? I’ve seen anywhere from 3 adult crickets twice a week to 10 crickets every other day.
•Do AFTs benefit from the 3 supplements that leopard geckos get (calcium with D3, calcium without D3, and multivitamins) or should I add something/take something away?
•Is eco earth safe to use as a substrate?
•Any tips on hand taming? The AFT I chose is a known nipper by the employees lol
Any answers/other tips for a new owner are appreciated! I’m still doing extra research and I’m so excited to care for my new little guy

 

[Devynthecatwithsocks]

1. Yes they can live perfectly happy on their own. They are not considered solitary but also wouldnt reccomend paring it.
2. I feed my 2 aft's 10 crickets eat once a week. It is better to d a few a day however I cant make it out to the pet store every day nor can i keep them alive for a week.
3. The only supplementing I do is calcium which the pet store does if requested (not sure if its with or without D3). I know some gut load their crickets...theres alot of info online you can find on that.
4. Yes eco earth is safe to use....but you might need to replace it often if you dont have a cleanup crew. Typically substrate like that is used for bio active terrariums with a clean up crew. Currently I use repticarpet but I will be switching to bio-active.
5. My geckos were pretty tame when we got them. Misty was very social however her brother was a little more cautius and and has hissed at me before when going to handle. He'd also jump out of our hands. The best thing I can advise is make clicking sound before handling them to make them aware that you are going to pick them up. Next you can hand feed him. Feeding an animal strengthens the trust and creating a bond. Work on being able to handle him and continue to do so, so that he's more comfortable

 

[acpart]

Since I find that African Fat Tail geckos don't seem to move around as much as leopard geckos, I'd say that a 10 gallon is adequate, where a leopard gecko may do better in a 20 gallon. Your AFT absolutely needs D3 as well as calcium and everyone should check to make sure that their supplements include both. I feed all my (many) adult geckos twice a week and that works well for me. I use eco earth for my AFT's since I'm going to be misting them every morning. It hasn't been a problem. If you don't have isopods to help break down the poop, it's easy enough to scoop it out periodically. Since my enclosures are bioactive, I never clean them.

Aliza