Enthusiastic Mother...

Apollo is my first non-turtle reptile pet. I get put through a wave of emotions surrounding him every day.
:cry: At one point is my time to totally freak out and think that I am killing him
:book2: Looking up answers to questions that are abstract/don't make sense. For example, I saw a roach still alive in his throat and kept wondering how he could break it down more in order to swallow it.
:sweetheart: The obsessive urge to feed him extra (which I actively have to hold back because I will over-feed him if I'm not careful.)
:smash: Looking up insane tank setups that I doubt will happen in the near future for me!

How were you guys with your firsts in terms of attention? I still haven't picked him up (once I got him and he hid in my elbow, I put him back immediately) but I think he recognizes my face when I go up to his tank as the food giver.

Welcome to the world of Leopard Geckos. Careful now, it can be addictive! I tried to always give my geckos a week or two to get acclimated before handling them. Good Luck with everything.

Thanks for the response. I'm anxious to be able to let him lay on me

Welcome! I also fussed over my first quite a bit. They're so small and seem so delicate at first. Glad you're enjoying yourself!

This is how I feel to a certain extent. My husband has always had reptiles so he's very confident but we just adopted them today and I feel like I'm flipping out. They came with a heat lamp so he bought a red night heat bulb but in my mind I googled and we need under tank heat like NOW! The past owner feeds them at night around 8 but the kids wanted to see if they would eat a cricket (yes it's been gut loaded) so he let them put one in and I felt like I was going to have a heart attack. Then I wonder if the heat lamp is too close to the water will the water get too hot? My husband just shakes his head and retreats quietly lol.

so yeah...I get how you feel.

I completely understand how you feel. Every time I set up a tank I will worry for a week that I didn't do something right or that I screwed up. And I worry about them eating enough or getting water. Sometimes I wonder why people say pets reduce stress levels.