Size Compatibility Question/Help + Unexpected story

[WolfGang]

Recently I got into a lizard frenzy.
After receiving some Christmas money (I'm 16 so yes I do get money from family members ) $200 I had no idea what to spend it on as I would consider myself a pretty content kid. And I had an epiphany as I was playing ps4 with my friends one day, I was going to buy a lizard! I had always owned reptiles as a child a bearded dragon and a leopard gecko though I was still quite young so it ended up that my parents would take care of them. Now I'm older, have learned to be responsible. After a couple of excited days researching I decided on a leopard gecko. At the time I envisioned a large mack snow leopard gecko as I had remembered in ++++++++ as a child. So I got my friend to drive me to ++++++++ and unfortunately they had one mack snow leopard gecko probably around 25 grams. In my excitement instead of being smart I immediately bought her. I also bought a 20 gallon tank( a bit large for a 25g gecko but it was on sale, and I had an image remember!) a heating pad, a 75watt purple light, and Eco earth as substrate. Now a week into owning her I realized I got to excited. First I had hoped for something such as a giant or super giant leopard gecko but instead settled for the little Twinkie I have, not that I don't love her. And also completely disregarded the fact that she's nocturnal and the only time I even register her is late in the night when she's eating the mealworms I left out hours ago whilst I lay in bed researching more about lizards. The White Plains reptile expo is coming up in the next two weeks and cant wait to finally get what I'm looking for. But what is it I'm looking for?

I first thought of a Bearded Dragon as It would give me the two things I dearly want a large lizard and something that doesn't mind basking out in the open so I can stare at his greatness while I study for midterms:main_angry:. But I would honestly miss the cute soft look of the leopard gecko. So I began to research super giants and the such. While I don't care for the genetics as I'm not breeding most giants/super giants are quite expensive, and I assume they'll still be in there hide all day just for me to hear them munch about at night. I thought maybe a chameleon because those are pretty cool but considering I'm just only recently getting back into caring for a reptile a chameleon probably isn't the safest bet though they are quite awesome. And now I'm thinking of crested leopard geckos as I love the arboreal look their cage sets up and hopefully ill see them stick to the side of their cage every once in awhile which I think looks awesome. So question time now.

Will I be able to view crested geckos during the day or do they only hop out at night like leopard geckos?

Can I put a 130g female leopard gecko with my 25g female leopard gecko?

Can I put crested geckos and leopard geckos in the same cage if they are both the same size?

I have a 20gallon tank should I get a large bearded dragon and then a 10 gallon tank for my leopard gecko?

What lizard do you recommend for me?

I meant to just post these questions but I got too caught up in this hoping that maybe someone who cares at this stuff will read my story and share their own experiences. And my friends don't care much for animals so they are not nearly as hype for my lizard or the reptile expo coming up .

 

[Kmay571]

Several things:

1. I would get the Leo off the Eco earth and into either tile or paper towel. Eco earth, when it gets damp, raises the humidity quite a bit. That isn't good for Leos. Check out some basic care sheets.

2. I wouldn't go overboard with reptiles so soon. Get your set ups the best they can be before moving on to another one. And always to tons of research!

Now to answer your questions.

Crested geckos are nocturnal, and can be noticing louder that Leos since they will jump from one side to the other with quite a bit of force.

I would definitely not introduce an adult female to a juvenile. Even introducing two the same size can be risky. And always quarantine a new addition for several weeks to a few months before introducing anyways.

Cresties are tropical species while Leos are desert species, to put it simply. Being in the wrong humidity can cause respiratory problems and shed problems. Besides, it is generally a bad idea to have multiple species in the same enclosure. Every species has different needs.

A baby beardie would do okay in a 20g for a VERY short period of time. And an adult requires AT LEAST a 40g breeder tank.

I would really advise you to take a step back and not get another reptile until you work out the kinks in your current tank. However, you are free to make your own decisions. If you absolutely must get a new reptile, I would get a second female Leo of the same size. And then be prepared to keep her separate permanently if things don't work out after quarantine.

I have three Leos in a 40 breeder. One boy and two girls. I am only doing this because I am expecting and prepared for them to breed. They were all within a few grams when I got each of them, and I got them all roughly 6 months apart.
I also have a young bearded dragon who lived in a 40g breeder. And that's only because I had a spare tank lying around. I am currently trying to find him a 75g or even larger tank for when he is an adult.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk