Bibron's Gecko Tank Question and More

[iNSOMNiAC]

Good evening!
First-time reptile owner here. [Yikes!]
I recently went to ReptiCon in Tampa and ended up coming up with a female Bibron's Gecko.

Now...I figure many of you are rolling your eyes or facepalming, because I've found out that these lil guys are rather tough to take care of, especially for first-time owners. The man I got her from didn't bother to warn me about that--"oh, they just like to go where they want to go"--or their sensitive skin, and didn't tell me any specifics about her diet, habitat needs, etc.

"Crickets, mealworms, and a critter carrier is all you need." I was told. I KNEW that was off--I had some more experienced reptile owners with me there--but I got her anyways and went to the internet to find some more in-depth info.

What I got was a slew of contradictions! Half the sites said she was diurnal, the other half said she was nocturnal. [I have no idea what lamp to get her because of this!]

Some said to use sand, others substrate, and still others rock/tile.

None of them were consistant in telling me what kind of tank to get her, either. :/

She currently is in a 15 gallon critter carrier with shredded coconut substrate, a good place to hide, a water dish, some crickets and a large branch to climb up.

I noticed when I go her that her nose was a little red, but I thought it was just a marking spot...However I see now that she has a "nose rubbing" issue which I've learned it brought on by inadequate housing and/or stress. She's active and is eating, though.

I really need to know what kind of tank to get her. I was thinking a 22 gallon tall tank--at LEAST--with an opening front, but I've having trouble finding any. I ideally want an Exo-Terra tank for her, I cannot find the 24” x 18” x 24” size anywhere. [I don't even know if that's big enough...]

I have a bad feeling that some of you are going to tell me to try and sell her/give her away to a more experienced owner, but I'm very, very attached to her and I can't quite explain why. I want to give her everything I can, so I'm not going to give up just yet--!

Please and thank you in advance.

 

[iNSOMNiAC]

Ok, well I've settled on getting her a medium-large Exo-Terra tank...

My current question is, though: Do I get the rainforest kit or the desert kit for her?

Again, some websites say she needs sand and rocks, others say substrate and branches. :/

 

[touch 13]

The bibroni is such a mix up with the turneri and the moorish/crock but if it truely is the bibron, it should be in a desert envoirement.

Look at pictures from south africa and try to replicate the landscape.

You cant go wrong there.

 

[T-ReXx]

Ok, Bibron's setup 101:

At least a 20 gal tall tank. The 18X18X24 exo would be perfect.
Substrate: Sandy soil. I like a 1/2 sand, 1/4 cocofiber, 1/4 peat moss mix.
Furnishings: Rocks, and lots of them. Bibron's live in arid rock piles. Make sure you secure them so they won't topple and crush the gecko, silicon works fairly well for this. Also, put the rocks in THEN the substrate, gives it a more sturdy base. Be sure to provide hiding areas, rock crevices, fake caves, and cork bark hollows work well. Add a couple of sections of driftwood for climbing areas if you choose.
Plants: Arid land plants like Snake plants, spineless cactus, etc. Ones that do well with little water. Fake also works quite nicely.
Temps/Humidity: Use a nocturnal heat bulb to provide an 88-94F basking spot, with a simple CF bulb on a timer for daytime lighting for the plants if you have live ones. Mist the tank once a day in the evening lightly, as Bibron's don't drink standing water, and a slight boost of humidity at night is natural.
Feeding: Crickets, roaches, super and meal worms. Dust every other feeding. Since you have a female, I'd advise leaving a small dish of calcium in the cage as well.
Cleaning: remove poop and clean the glass weekly.
Handling: DON'T. If you need to move the gecko, use a small soft bird or fish nect. They have delicate skin and will drop tail pretty easily. They can also give a pretty good bite.

 

[iNSOMNiAC]

Ok, Bibron's setup 101:

At least a 20 gal tall tank. The 18X18X24 exo would be perfect.
Substrate: Sandy soil. I like a 1/2 sand, 1/4 cocofiber, 1/4 peat moss mix.
Furnishings: Rocks, and lots of them. Bibron's live in arid rock piles. Make sure you secure them so they won't topple and crush the gecko, silicon works fairly well for this. Also, put the rocks in THEN the substrate, gives it a more sturdy base. Be sure to provide hiding areas, rock crevices, fake caves, and cork bark hollows work well. Add a couple of sections of driftwood for climbing areas if you choose.
Plants: Arid land plants like Snake plants, spineless cactus, etc. Ones that do well with little water. Fake also works quite nicely.
Temps/Humidity: Use a nocturnal heat bulb to provide an 88-94F basking spot, with a simple CF bulb on a timer for daytime lighting for the plants if you have live ones. Mist the tank once a day in the evening lightly, as Bibron's don't drink standing water, and a slight boost of humidity at night is natural.
Feeding: Crickets, roaches, super and meal worms. Dust every other feeding. Since you have a female, I'd advise leaving a small dish of calcium in the cage as well.
Cleaning: remove poop and clean the glass weekly.
Handling: DON'T. If you need to move the gecko, use a small soft bird or fish nect. They have delicate skin and will drop tail pretty easily. They can also give a pretty good bite.

Oh gooood. Thank you so much for this!
Sorry for the late reply. [College, bluh.]

I'm glad I checked back here before going out to finally get my tank this week! [They've been out at my local store. @o@]

This all sounds great! I'm going to copy, paste, 'n print this for when I go out shopping this week, haha.

Thank you so much, T-ReXx. :>

 

[iNSOMNiAC]

Alright! Everything is set up!

It looks gorgeous and Rose seems pretty dang happy. :>
I'll have to get some pics when I can.

Only problem is my mother is worried about the heatlamp just resting on the top mesh, but we can't seem to figure out how to mount it using the stuff it came with. It's an R-Zilla Dome Lamp...Help? Eeheh.

Thanks again for all the help, mate. :>

 

[touch 13]

As long as the top of your terr/viv is a steel nylon or steel wiring, even a 150W Bulb isnt going to melt it. If its mesh or plastic, your going to possibly have to purchase a lamp clip, which ultimately will hold your light fixture above or to the terr/viv.

 

[touch 13]

Oh gooood. Thank you so much for this!
Sorry for the late reply. [College, bluh.]

I'm glad I checked back here before going out to finally get my tank this week! [They've been out at my local store. @o@]

This all sounds great! I'm going to copy, paste, 'n print this for when I go out shopping this week, haha.

Thank you so much, T-ReXx. :>

Ted, You don't believe Repticon is selling a gecko thats one in a thousand do you? I was convinced i had a bibron untill i posted a picture on this forum, i was told this is a turners thick toed, as it was sold as a bibron gecko.

 

[iNSOMNiAC]

/casually revives dead thread/

I was wondering if she was a Turner's recently, myself, but comparing her to photos of them...I have to say I'm pretty certain she's a Bibron's.

Especially looking at the photo, actually! Her snout tapers down more than that. She also has more prominent 'spikes' on her head, unlike the critter in your photo.

Thanks for the heads-up, though! I needed a really good reference to compare the two, and you definitely helped, Touch.

 

[Tooth]

So I just had the same situation as you I bought a Bibron gecko and the guy selling it to me said he didn't need any lights or to dust his food with calcium and other things as well and I was confused since I knew they needed theses thing I decided to buy him since I thought I could provide a better home than what he had now.

Anyway's after reading this it really helped me to get an understanding of what I should put in the tank and what he needs to be happy. One question though does anyone know of a store in Toronto that sells these items I have no clue and don't know if PJ's provides them. Since the tank I got him that he was living in the store is inadequate for him to live happily

 

[iNSOMNiAC]

Aah! What is with the idiots selling these geckos and knowing next-to-nothing about them? This kind of practice needs to be outlawed already. :C

I'm glad you were clever and checked online, Tooth. If you want an idea of a pretty decent set-up, you can check my other thread as well: http://geckoforums.net/showthread.php?t=81262

Good luck with your new addition. Be sure to post pics when you can! Bibron's are lovely geckos despite how anti-social they are, I think. :>

 

[Tooth]

Yea I saw the thread right after so now I have an idea of what to do and its a really nice set-up you have for you're s , I just felt bad for the guy the way he was living and that is why I picked him up, I will be sure to post pictures when I get his new habitat done. Thanks for the help by the way

What do you feed you're gecko? Since mine wont eat the cricket I gave him yesterday and its been 1 day so I am kind of worried

 

[iNSOMNiAC]

It seems a lot of people don't understand how to care for them, or just plain don't care because they're not "cuddly" geckos like leos are. Pretty sad. Good on ya for rescuing the poor thing.

It took Rose almost a week--maybe 2, I think--to adjust and get situated before she ate anything, so I wouldn't worry unless you start seeing a decline in his health or a drastic negative change in his behavior. I feed her crickets, dusted with reptile calcium. The crickets are fed on Fluker's calcium-fortified cricket food, too, so she gets plenty of the stuff, hehe.

From what I've read, Bibron's can handle most "basic" gecko foods. Crickets, mealworms, superworms--though Rose personally didn't like them--, dubia roaches, etc.

Do you know what he was fed on previously? Some geckos develop a rather picky taste for certain foods, especially if they were raised on just one thing.

 

[Tooth]

When I got home with him and started to clean his tank of cricket remains or I believe that is what it was, They guy I bought it from said he ate Crickets. I just want to make sure he lives a happy life even if he isn't going to be handled by me

 

[iNSOMNiAC]

Crickets it is, then! Just give him a couple of days to adjust to the move. They're nocturnal, so you might not get to see him actually hunt for quite some time. Just keep a count of the crickets you put in each night, and see if any have vanished by morning. :>

 

[Tooth]

I have one more question how do you store the crickets, Since the ones I have are dying >.> The guy never really mentioned how to keep the crickets alive or what to feed them, Thanks for all the help

 

[iNSOMNiAC]

As I said earlier, Fluker's cricket food is your best bet. I personally use the calcium-fortified stuff, but there's a whole lineup of different foods depending on how you want to gutload them.

I keep my crickets in the largest-sized Kritter Keeper. Never use a "Kricket Keeper" they are much, MUCH too small! A big problem with crickets is that when one dies, the gas it gives off as it decomposes pretty much poisons and kills all the other crickets around it. Leave one dead body in overnight and you'll wake-up to half your feeders dead and the other half standing on Death's doormat. Be sure to clean your cricket case each night after you clean your gecko's case and you'll pretty much avoid this issue.

No thanks needed dude! It's a huge pet peeve of mine when people sell animals and give the wrong info to the new owner. Sheesh, we had someone at ReptiCon last year tell us that the 4-ft tree boa my friend bought didn't need anything bigger than the butter dish is was being kept in for the show. Straight-faced. Gah!

Again, good luck with him! Don't be afraid to PM me if you need any more info later on down the road.

 

[Tooth]

Yea I will pm you if I need any help, Again thanks and I will try to upload some photos this week

 

[iNSOMNiAC]

Alrighty!

 

[satyr666]

I find mealworms a lot easier to deal with than crickets my first Turners caught on to using a mealworm dish after a while until after so long she wouldn't eat anything but this is do to parasites, which I'm still in the process of treating. My second juvenile captive bred Turners I bought has caught on to using a mealworm dish really well both geckos seemed to prefer mealies over crickets and they love waxies as a treat. I would recommend getting your gecko tested for parasites as it is very common in wild caught specimens to have them.