Leopard Gecko Owner – A Beginner Questions?

[Sakuraas]

Hey everyone,

I am new to the gecko world & got my first leopard gecko. He is about 3 months old and overall seems pretty healthy and active but I have got a few newbie questions I want help here.

He is been eating well but only seems interested in crickets. Also I tried offering mealworms but he totally ignored them normal for his age or just picky? Also, I have seen mixed info on how often to dust the insects with calcium—what is the sweet spot??

His tank is 20 gallons with a heat mat and thermostat setup, warm side stays around 90°F. Just want to make sure I am not missing anything major for his setup or diet.

I have check this https://www.geckosunlimited.com/community/threads/RPA-course still need help. If anyone have any advice it would be awesome.

Thanks in advance!

 

[acpart]

Congrats on your gecko. It's not unusual for a gecko to prefer one type of feeder over another, and even to switch favorites. It's probably worthwhile to feed crickets and try mealworms every few months. Make sure you have a humid hide. I supplement every other feeding. Everything else sounds OK to me, though you will likely hear from Elizabeth and she is more detail oriented than I am.

Aliza

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

Welcome aboard, Sakuraas!

Please attach an image of your leo's enclosure.

It's not JUST plain calcium that leopard geckos need dusted upon their bugs and/or worms at regular intervals, it's specific multivitamins & vitamin D3 (IF there is no other D3 source).

Type of supplements depend upon whether you use a UVB linear tube overhead to provide vitamin D3..
However, a 20 inch long enclosure is really barebones now-a-days.
Many keepers now recommend 36 x 18 x 18 inch enclosures even for one leopard gecko.

My leopard gecko lived in a 20 long enclosure, She passed away summer 2024 at 19 years old.

100% Leopard Gecko Care Sheet - Geckos Unlimited

#120---Metabolic Bone Disease PDF: Improvement is Possible!!! . . . . . . Eric Klaphake, DVM -- 2010 1. PDF written in 2010: A Fresh Look at Metabolic Bone Diseases in Reptiles and Amphibians......Eric Klaphake, DVM...

www.geckosunlimited.com

Click the link above for Schedules 124 through Schedule 126. Those 3 schedules show adequate lifelong weekly supplementation using Zoo Med supplements for a leopard gecko withOUT a UVB linear tube. Repashy's Calcium Plus multivitamins is an alternate supplement. The advantage of Repashy's Calcium Plus multivitamins is that this multivitamin contains BOTH pre-vitamin A (retinol) as well as pro-vitamin A (beta carotene).

I prefer Zoo Med supplements. Zoo Med's Reptivite multivitamins is manufactured with OR withOUT vitamin D3. Add sliced carrots several times weekly for beta carotene.

Schedules 154 through Schedule 156 show adequate lifelong weekly supplementation using Zoo Med supplements for a leopard gecko with a UVB linear tube overhead.

It's also important to feed your crickets a 24/7/365 diet like Repashy's Bug Grub.

 

[GeckoFanboy]

He is been eating well but only seems interested in crickets. Also I tried offering mealworms but he totally ignored them normal for his age or just picky? Also, I have seen mixed info on how often to dust the insects with calcium—what is the sweet spot??

Crickets are fine! They hold way more gut-loaded food than meal worms. Eventually, you need to try dubia roaches as well. And no, they won't infest your home (as long as you don't live in tropical climate). They live really long (don't die like crickets), do not smell, and they pack way more food into their bellies. I go back and forth between crickets and dubias. Why? Dubias take longer to digest and crickets don't. My gecko poops more when eating crickets, and less when fed dubias (and even less when fed mealworms, which I don't feed him anymore). Skip the store bug food and try feeding your bugs these. So much healthier!



As far as dusting, I use ZooMed ReptiCalcium w/D3, and Reptivite Vitamin. I dust every single time I feed, but some days it's very light and other days a little heavier. I'd really recommend these two dusting products because I had issues with others causing my gecko problems. If your gecko is 3 months old, he can be fed once a day for now. Eventually, as he starts getting bigger, and heavier, you can space the feeding days apart. But a good rule of thumb for a full-grown, adult gecko is 2-3 feedings a week. My 8 year-old gecko can eat up to 7 crickets in one meal, and if feeding dubias, usually two large 1.25" dubias.

His tank is 20 gallons with a heat mat and thermostat setup, warm side stays around 90°F. Just want to make sure I am not missing anything major for his setup or diet.

20 gallon "long" is a good size for one leo. Not too small, not too big. Other than the UTH, make sure his ambient tank temp isn't too cool or hot. You can adjust this if need be with a ceramic heat lamp sitting on the lid, with a dimmer and timer. I keep mine over on the cool side because some days his cool side gets way too cool (especially during winter). Do you have a light on your tank? Geckos don't like bright light, but recent studies have show a little bit of UV is good for them. I bought one of these, and hooked it to a timer to run from 6am to 6pm. It sits over his warm hide. After 6pm, it's lights out until 6am.

Arcadia Shade Dweller UVB & UVA 12" Fixture

One last word of advice, keep your critter/bug cages clean. Take care of the bugs as much as you take care of your gecko. Healthy bugs make healthy geckos. If the crickets start dying, rotting and stinking, temporarily put the live ones in a baggie, and clean the critter box with hot water ONLY. Never EVER use soap...the tiniest bit will kill crickets. And don't get the crickets wet. Their exoskeleton absorbs water and they die. Basically, a dirty cricket box can get all kinds of nasty stuff in it that you don't want going in your geckos mouth. Dubias aren't as dirty, they're not cannibals like crickets, and won't need as much maintenance, IMHO.