Hello everyone, this is my first post, nice to be a part of thie forum with you all. I got some questions though...My friend is giving me 2 female leo's that she can't take care of anymore, and I need information. I got a lot of info, but not sure which is true, and which isn't so I'm gonna run my game plan by you guys and you can correct me where I'm wrong. Alright she has them in a 10 gallon with an overhead heat light, which I'm going to scrap for a 32qt bin, and a 20gallon UTH from Zoomed and set it up to a rheostat i have lying around. I'm going to line the bin with paper towel, and add a bigger water dish (her is too small). Add a couple of hides in there, and call it a day....What I really want to know is, being that I'm using a uth and a rheostat, the temp is always kinda gonna be jumping around is it ok if stays around 89-95? I was going to throw a dozen crickets in every other day dusted with D3 powder. Also if someone could just give me some temps I can follow, bask, ambient, and lowest just so i know for sure. I guess thats it, thanks everyone!!
Big time leo Newb here Come help mE!
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Greyscale_Geckos
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Try to keep the temperature on the warm side as close to 90 as you can... 89-92 is a better range to aim for with the rheostat.
Make sure to have a moist hide (aka humid hide) on the warm side to aid with shedding.
Other than that, I would recommend you put a dish of regular calcium (the kind without d3) in the setup as well. A herp multivitamin is also good to dust the feeders with once a week, in addition to the calcium with vitamin d3.
I'm not sure if I missed anything... But anyways, congrats on the new girls! Make sure to post pictures. We all love pictures here.
Edit: Also, to comment on the housing multiple leos together... Since they've been housed together for awhile I'm assuming, I wouldn't separate them unless you notice one thriving more than the other. If they're doing fine together, you don't separate them. Leos in general are not social animals, they don't require companions, and in some cases leos will cause each other to drop their tails. Sometimes one will hog all of the food, and the other will suffer. That's why a lot of people don't like housing them together (myself included).
In the end, that's your personal choice.
Make sure to have a moist hide (aka humid hide) on the warm side to aid with shedding.
Other than that, I would recommend you put a dish of regular calcium (the kind without d3) in the setup as well. A herp multivitamin is also good to dust the feeders with once a week, in addition to the calcium with vitamin d3.
I'm not sure if I missed anything... But anyways, congrats on the new girls! Make sure to post pictures. We all love pictures here.
Edit: Also, to comment on the housing multiple leos together... Since they've been housed together for awhile I'm assuming, I wouldn't separate them unless you notice one thriving more than the other. If they're doing fine together, you don't separate them. Leos in general are not social animals, they don't require companions, and in some cases leos will cause each other to drop their tails. Sometimes one will hog all of the food, and the other will suffer. That's why a lot of people don't like housing them together (myself included).
In the end, that's your personal choice.
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Try to keep the temperature on the warm side as close to 90 as you can... 89-92 is a better range to aim for with the rheostat.
Make sure to have a moist hide (aka humid hide) on the warm side to aid with shedding.
Other than that, I would recommend you put a dish of regular calcium (the kind without d3) in the setup as well. A herp multivitamin is also good to dust the feeders with once a week, in addition to the calcium with vitamin d3.
I'm not sure if I missed anything... But anyways, congrats on the new girls! Make sure to post pictures. We all love pictures here.
Thanks for your time!! I will be deffinately posting pictures as soon as I got them set up!! What do you mean put a dish of calcium in the enclosure? Right now I have this stuff called reptivite from zoo med, and this other calcium d3 supplement. Now how should I feed them, is 12 every couple of days ok? How often do you feed them, and what kind supplement should I be using most of the time?
LeapinLizards
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Leopard geckos will regulate their calcium intake to how much they need. What Hannah meant by a dish of it in their enclosure is that if they are not getting enough calcium from the feeders you have dusted with it, they will get it from the dish of PURE calcium (no D3) in their enclosure.
Reptivite is a vitamin, not a calcium supplement. You will need a calcium WITHOUT D3 to keep in their tub, and dust their food with the calcium WITH D3. The vitamin supplement can be used weekly. There is a product that combines vitamins and calcium called Repashy Calcium Plus that a lot of people have been changing to lately as it takes away the need to have different supplements. In that case, no dish of calcium in the enclosure is needed...or so I have been told. Everyone uses different supplements, and have different ways of using them.
You will know how much to feed them after the first few feedings. I would just throw a dozen in there, like you said, in the evening time, then come back and see how many are left after a half hour or so. Also, do not be discouraged if they do not eat for awhile after bringing them home. Habitat changes in the least can throw them off food for a few days. If all of your husbandry is correct they should be eating soon
Good luck, and I cannot wait to see pics!
Reptivite is a vitamin, not a calcium supplement. You will need a calcium WITHOUT D3 to keep in their tub, and dust their food with the calcium WITH D3. The vitamin supplement can be used weekly. There is a product that combines vitamins and calcium called Repashy Calcium Plus that a lot of people have been changing to lately as it takes away the need to have different supplements. In that case, no dish of calcium in the enclosure is needed...or so I have been told. Everyone uses different supplements, and have different ways of using them.
You will know how much to feed them after the first few feedings. I would just throw a dozen in there, like you said, in the evening time, then come back and see how many are left after a half hour or so. Also, do not be discouraged if they do not eat for awhile after bringing them home. Habitat changes in the least can throw them off food for a few days. If all of your husbandry is correct they should be eating soon
Good luck, and I cannot wait to see pics!
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Greyscale_Geckos
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Haha, let me pull put my trusty links....
I have this in a dish in the enclosure at all times. It's regular calcium powder that does not have vitamin d3 in it. http://lllreptile.com/store/catalog...d-cage-cleaners/-/rep-cal-calcium-without-d3/
I dust the feeders with calcium with vitamin d3 and a multivitamin once a week:
http://lllreptile.com/store/catalog...cleaners/-/repcal-ultra-fine-calcium-with-d3/
http://lllreptile.com/store/catalog...cage-cleaners/-/repcal-herptivite-supplement/
So for supplements, just have plain calcium in a dish in the enclosure at all times, then dust your feeders with calcium with d3 once a week, and the multivitamin once a week. Haha, so it's more like you use them all, except two you just use once a week, the other you just keep available at all times.
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How often you feed them depends on how much they like to eat. I fed my leos mealworms and superworms when I had them, instead of crickets. I just left a dish with mealworms in their tank at all times and just refilled it once they started running out of them. That way they could always eat when they were hungry.
Since you're feeding crickets, I'm sure you could feed them every day or every other day. With crickets the main concern is making sure not too many are left in the enclosure with the leos. Crickets can be quite a bother to leos, and might chew on their toes. However, the main concern with crickets is parasites. Crickets can easily pass along parasites to your gecko if their are too many of them in the enclosure at once.
So if you see extra crickets in the enclosure it would be wise to have a separate container you could put them in so they don't bug your leos.
I feed crickets to my viper gecko, but he eats them so fast that I never really have had trouble with the crickets being in there.
I'm sure someone who feeds crickets to their leos could probably answer better than I could on them.
I have this in a dish in the enclosure at all times. It's regular calcium powder that does not have vitamin d3 in it. http://lllreptile.com/store/catalog...d-cage-cleaners/-/rep-cal-calcium-without-d3/
I dust the feeders with calcium with vitamin d3 and a multivitamin once a week:
http://lllreptile.com/store/catalog...cleaners/-/repcal-ultra-fine-calcium-with-d3/
http://lllreptile.com/store/catalog...cage-cleaners/-/repcal-herptivite-supplement/
So for supplements, just have plain calcium in a dish in the enclosure at all times, then dust your feeders with calcium with d3 once a week, and the multivitamin once a week. Haha, so it's more like you use them all, except two you just use once a week, the other you just keep available at all times.
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How often you feed them depends on how much they like to eat. I fed my leos mealworms and superworms when I had them, instead of crickets. I just left a dish with mealworms in their tank at all times and just refilled it once they started running out of them. That way they could always eat when they were hungry.
Since you're feeding crickets, I'm sure you could feed them every day or every other day. With crickets the main concern is making sure not too many are left in the enclosure with the leos. Crickets can be quite a bother to leos, and might chew on their toes. However, the main concern with crickets is parasites. Crickets can easily pass along parasites to your gecko if their are too many of them in the enclosure at once.
So if you see extra crickets in the enclosure it would be wise to have a separate container you could put them in so they don't bug your leos.
I feed crickets to my viper gecko, but he eats them so fast that I never really have had trouble with the crickets being in there.
I'm sure someone who feeds crickets to their leos could probably answer better than I could on them.k going to the pet store now, im gonna look for that stuff...also is paper towel a good substrate or should I go with that green liner stuff, probably more comfortable....but these guys will just eat calcium out of a dish?? Thats soo weird...also do you think one pad is enough for the both of them? There not all that big the ones from zoomed.
LeapinLizards
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Paper towel is perfect! And very easy to keep clean.
As long as the UTH takes up 1/3 of the enclosure, you are just fine. Be sure to keep enough hides in there, and at least one moist hide (easy to make out of a tupperware container and damp paper towels). My geckos like their moist hide sitting half on the UTH and half off.
As long as the UTH takes up 1/3 of the enclosure, you are just fine. Be sure to keep enough hides in there, and at least one moist hide (easy to make out of a tupperware container and damp paper towels). My geckos like their moist hide sitting half on the UTH and half off.
Greyscale_Geckos
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Paper towel is a great substrate! Almost everyone I know uses paper towel and loves it. Cage carpet is nice too, but I've noticed some leos get their nails caught in it, so I wouldn't use it. Paper towels are just so simple and easy, plus you can't beat the price.
As long as the heating pad covers at least one third of the enclosure it should be fine.
EDIT: Haha, Heather has you covered on this one!
As long as the heating pad covers at least one third of the enclosure it should be fine.
EDIT: Haha, Heather has you covered on this one!
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LeapinLizards
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Lol Hannah, you and I think too much alike!
k cool...now i've been reading on here about these ambient temps being really really important, and I'm not sure I fit the criteria now...my room temp his probaly like 77-80 degrees on average. And right now I have 2 ball pythons in bins with the same set up, 32qt, and uth's set at 90, and the ambient temp never goes above 76-78. I'm hearing you need to keep it in the 80's which I don't think is going to be possible during the winter for me. So my temps would be 90 on the hot end, and like mid to high 70's on the cool end. Is that ok? Sorry for all the little stupid questions...I just dont want to have these questions after I have them, I kinda want to be question free once I own them...
S
Snowy & Petra de Gecko
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Sounds Good
The advice sounds good.
Females can be kept together. Some people may separate them just in case they fight or do not get along.
You can read some other posts and see more information about the care of the Leos. As you do that you can refine what you are doing.
But, this advice is pretty good.:main_thumbsup:
If you can get the Air Temp in the 80s during the winter then Great.
You need to get the Floor Temp in the Warm Area in the 88 to 92 range. (Some even recommend that the Hot Spot be 95).
The Cooler end is what you will end up with. You try to shoot for around 70 or 75 degrees but, that will all depend.
My cool end of the tank is at about 73 degrees on the floor and in the Air. My hot side is to Hot at the moment. So my Leo stays somewhere in the middle of the tank in a Cork Hide.
The advice sounds good.
Females can be kept together. Some people may separate them just in case they fight or do not get along.
You can read some other posts and see more information about the care of the Leos. As you do that you can refine what you are doing.
But, this advice is pretty good.:main_thumbsup:
If you can get the Air Temp in the 80s during the winter then Great.
You need to get the Floor Temp in the Warm Area in the 88 to 92 range. (Some even recommend that the Hot Spot be 95).
The Cooler end is what you will end up with. You try to shoot for around 70 or 75 degrees but, that will all depend.
My cool end of the tank is at about 73 degrees on the floor and in the Air. My hot side is to Hot at the moment. So my Leo stays somewhere in the middle of the tank in a Cork Hide.
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The advice sounds good.
Females can be kept together. Some people may separate them just in case they fight or do not get along.
You can read some other posts and see more information about the care of the Leos. As you do that you can refine what you are doing.
But, this advice is pretty good.:main_thumbsup:
If you can get the Air Temp in the 80s during the winter then Great.
You need to get the Floor Temp in the Warm Area in the 88 to 92 range. (Some even recommend that the Hot Spot be 95).
The Cooler end is what you will end up with. You try to shoot for around 70 or 75 degrees but, that will all depend.
My cool end of the tank is at about 73 degrees on the floor and in the Air. My hot side is to Hot at the moment. So my Leo stays somewhere in the middle of the tank in a Cork Hide.
Alright, sounds good then. Its weird I put up another thermometer to just measure the temps in my actual room, and it says 78, but right below that is where I shelve my ball pythons, and I have one of the 3in1 Acurrite thermometers with the probe, and it says like 75.8-76.6 somethin. So I'm wondering if its off some...But everything looks cool, I just couldn't find any PURE calcium you guys are talking about, there all some kind of vitamin supplement. I'll order that all in one supplement you guys mentioned, that sounds nice and convienent. I also was able to hook the UTH up to my snakes thermostat rather then using that dreadful rheostat...but I made a humid hide for them out of a glade container, and lined the roof of it with paper towel, taped it up with duct tape. is that ok? theres a couple of hides on the hot end, the humid hide, and a cold end hide all together for them. Is it possible to have too high of a humidity with these guys? Cuz it averages around 45-50% in my tubs, assuming thats ok I believe I'm ready to goo! Just gonna order some calcium, and I'm good to go. Thanks everyone pics very very soon!!
Also, lemme get something straight on feeding.
I know I have to work it out on how often and how much cuz it varies from gecko, to gecko but this supplement thing has me a bit confused. They will actually "eat" the calcium powder you leave in the cage? I never have heard of this ever, just weird sounding to me I guess...anyways, having the dish of just calcium in the cage is where its getting most of its calcium? Cuz she said to dust them with the D3 once a week, and to dust them with multivitamin once a week, meaning besides those two days a week, your not supposed to dust them at all, just bare crickets? And just to re-inerate cuz I'm slow, and want to make sure everything is right lol, one dozen is good for 2 days? I was just gonna throw the dozen in there, and wait a day, is that cool?
I know I have to work it out on how often and how much cuz it varies from gecko, to gecko but this supplement thing has me a bit confused. They will actually "eat" the calcium powder you leave in the cage? I never have heard of this ever, just weird sounding to me I guess...anyways, having the dish of just calcium in the cage is where its getting most of its calcium? Cuz she said to dust them with the D3 once a week, and to dust them with multivitamin once a week, meaning besides those two days a week, your not supposed to dust them at all, just bare crickets? And just to re-inerate cuz I'm slow, and want to make sure everything is right lol, one dozen is good for 2 days? I was just gonna throw the dozen in there, and wait a day, is that cool?
LeoMartin
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Paer towel is good, and so is repti carpet and use a UTH
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