Am I Doing It Right? (New Leopard Gecko)

[Sprogog]

I am a brand new gecko owner. This is all very new to me but it matters hugely as my parents have trusted me to allow me to save up for months and purchase my own gecko. This is the first pet that has been solely mine after wanting a reptile pet since a very young age.
I brought my little Artemis (art gecko... aheh) three days ago and I absolutely love him. He just over 2 1/2 months old and on early inspection appears to be male. He is a little lethargic and spends most of the day in his hides but changes position most at night and is eating sporadically but I had researched to expect this for a little while as he settled in? He is a little skittish when enitially being picked up but is perfectly happy to be held and even gently stroked once he is out of his viv. Unfortunately I handled him quite soon after he first arrived and he seemed very nervous at first but then quickly settled down laying his whole body against my hand and relaxing. Afterwards I realised this may have caused him uneeded stress and have since left him alone to acclimatise a little. He hides most of the day in his cool hide and his warm in the night.



He is in a 18x18x12" exo terra viv which I have been working to establish correct temperatures for him (i think those dimensions mean the tank is around 16.8 gallons?). His cool side is around 75f and his warm side is 89-94f at ground level. He has two hiding areas 1 warm 1 cool and I am working on attaining a humid hide. I have only today begun dusting his food unfortunately after mistakingly buying the wrong thing before. He is on repti carpet which I have heard hold some risks so I am watching out for those.
I have been feeding him crickets which I find quite difficult to handle and which I worry may stress him out as I try to remove any uneaten ones which normally results in me moving his decor/hides. I am planning to however buy some meal worms to put in a dish and feed alongside the crickets as he is quite clumsy. His tail is a little thin which worries me slightly but I have seen worse pictures. I have seen him eat around 4 crickets in the past two days but doesn't seem to actively seek food other than when they are placed infront of him and catch his attetion.
I have come here in the hope that someone can look over everything I am doing and see if it is ok? All I really want is for Art to become happy, active and healthy. He is such a sweetie.
Thanks!

 

[OnlineGeckos]

I think you're doing fine, seems you've done your homework so you should be alright. The gecko will need time to settle into his new home. The acclimation period can be a few days, but sometimes it can be weeks before they feel comfortable enough to roam around and lay in the open. The good thing is he is eating. So just keep at it and do what you've been doing, and give the gecko more time to settle in before handling him. He looks to be a young gecko so being scared and skittish is not unusual for a gecko of his age/size. He'll eventually grow out of it and become more tolerant to you handling him or moving things around.

 

[Sprogog]

Yay thank you! It means a lot that I am heading in the right direction.

 

[Phoenix1115]

Looking good! I pic of your enclosure would be helpful to assess but it all sounds good! He's very pretty, by the way

 

[Sprogog]

An update on my darling! Hes grown up big and strong, gaining 14grams in the last month from 15g to 28g. Heres a little growth picture.

There's some orange emerging across the tail, does this hint at a possible slight carrot tail developing?

 

[Josh P.]

He is looking beautiful. The orange in the tail is not extensive enough to be a carrot tail, but he is a lovely gecko.

 

[trinity]

What a pretty well fed Gecko!