A few questions from a newbie.

[Master_Shake]

Hi everyone. I picked up my first Leo, Dr. Gonzo, this past sunday and have a few general questions.

What are your recommendations in regard to vitamins and calcium. Any specific brands?
What's the best way to feed it?

How can I get my gecko to lick the calcium from the small dish?

Is it ok to leave a few crickets overnight? Dr. Gonzo only eats one while I watch, but
they're all gone by the time I get home from work the next day.

How can I introduce mealworms into his diet?

What is the recommended temp for the high and low side. Dr. Gonzo stays hidden in his hot hide even though its dark. Is this heat related behavior? I try to keep the hot side at 91 and the low is about 72.

Does the moist hide go in the middle or on the cold? I've heard both.

Dr. Gonzo is probably a baby since he's only 2 an 1/2 inches but it looks like he's walking on his right front side wrist. Is this due to lack of calcium?

Thanks in advance for the answers.
Cheers
I

 

[GeckoMandi]

Congrats on your new leo!!

I use rep-cal products for calcium, there is other products but this is what I use.

Leave a dish in the enclosure of pure calcium w/o D3, he/she will lick it when it feels it needs it.

Rotate dusting feeders with calcium w/d3 and w/o also get a multi-vitamin like herptivite.

I wouldn't leave crickets in there over long periods of time, it can stress the leo and I have seen first hand how they nibble on small and even large leos.

Mealworms just drop them in the tank and see what the leo does, you can also just count out some and leave them in an escape proof bowl and see if it eats from that. (You also want to make sure your feeders are gutloaded).

Moist hide should go on the warm side of the tank, that's where I keep mine.

If it's walking funny, I don't know about that could be first signs of MBD maybe but a vet check up is in order which I recommend for any new leo.

Also sounds like you are doing good on your temps, are you using belly heat?

Hope this helps!

 

[Jayyoung]

I use Herptivit for vit. supplement
calcium with d3
and pure calcium
i use rep-cal brand for the supplements, but i think brand is preference.
when your gecko wants calcium it will go to the dish and get it.

I dust my crickets with calc and D3 once a week and with herptivite once a week on Saturday and SSunday. pure calcium in at all times.

don't leave crickets in over night, they might chew on the gecko.
i have been feeding them one at a time and and many as it will eat in ten minutes.

place a bowl of mealies in the tank. fill it as needed your gecko will eat when he/she wants them.

geckos need a UTH (under tank heater) to provide belly heat to aid digestion. plus being nocturnal light stresses them. but usually ten degree temp difference is good 90 on hot 80 on cool. with hides in both zones.

my moist hide is in the center.

post a pic if possible and some one here (not me I'm a newbie too ) can sex it if old enough and prolly tell you age and morph (they did for me!)

walking on the wrist sounds bad, I think i read another post here about that and it was stated to be lack of calcium, but i could be wrong, use the search feature to find threads on topics.


what are you using for substrate? No sand, sanichips, or anything like that.
newspaper or paper towels for juvies after adult hood it seems to be choice but what i have read says risk of impaction with sand so why chance it ever. I have seen some places provide "grit" for leo's stating it help digestion (kind of like with birds) but I think it was adults only and I don't know what they used. no one here has ever mentioned it so i figured it was not good (the amount of knowledge here is staggering)

look around the housing and health sections. it may help answer questions and bring rise to new questions and things to consider

good luck with your new pet. leo's are great!
-jay

 

[Master_Shake]

I'm using an UTH with a tile substraite and exo-terra desert sand to fill in the cracks on the side.

I done some research but i just wanted to know if there were any prefered brands of vitamins. T

Thanks for the help.