First leo and setup

[NatalieS]

Hi everyone, this is my first post here but I've been lurking for a while and learned a lot from you all.

I've been preparing for my first leo for a while now, and I purchased her from the Tampa Repti-Con this weekend. (It seems like there were quite a few forum members there!)

I bought a 37g reverse stripe female. She seems a little thin but looks as if she probably just went through a growth spurt and now her weight needs to catch up.

She's got a 36x18x18 Exo-Terra terrarium to herself. I have vinyl tile in there, 3 hides, a few plants, an UTH, grapevine wood, and food and water dishes. She's being fed giant mealworms and the occasional butterworm (and I'll probably start incorporating crickets too).

I've seen quite a few people here offer calcium supplement ad libitum in a food dish. Should I do this, or is dusting her food enough?

Anyways, here are some pictures. The first few are from her temporary setup.

 

[fsbulldog24]

Very nice set up, and cute gecko! welcome

 

[LZRDGRL]

Your Reverse Stripe female and your set-up look great! :main_thumbsup: I always have a calcium dish in my cages.

Chrissy

 

[NatalieS]

Thank you! Okay I will add a calcium dish today, thanks.

I'm very impressed with her appetite so far. Hopefully she'll gain a little weight. And she *loves* her Exo-Terra reptile den! I have it on the cool side of the tank but I might put another on the warm side as well. I've heard recommendations for both.

 

[Mickykayla]

Wow, thats one lucky gecko! Though trust me, it wont be just one for long, I thought I'd just buy the one... haha

 

[NatalieS]

Wow, thats one lucky gecko! Though trust me, it wont be just one for long, I thought I'd just buy the one... haha

Haha yeah, I keep telling myself I don't need more than one gecko and if I get another, there's no guarantee they'll get along. Plus I'd need more hides which would make the setup more crowded. So for now, I'll stick with one.

 

[LeopardShade]

Looks like you did your research. I always love to see a person with their first gecko do things right the first time. Your leopard gecko will be very happy and healthy in that enclosure....it's a great setup!

 

[LeoMerlin]

Beautiful girl and tank! It's so funny to see which ones the leopard gecko will chose as its favorite hide! For the longest time Merlin just liked his 3-in-1 cave shelter for his humid hide. But he varies between that and the three layered rock cave from time to time. Artemis, my newest gecko, seems to love the mini tree stump thing I got, and uses that usually at night, but during the day likes the log thing (cleaned it before switching) that Merlin used to have in his tank. Merlin didn't really seem to use it, and Artemis needed the extra hide. So now they have enough hides and everything

 

[fl_orchidslave]

Nice setup The thermometer you have will not give an accurate reading. Digital probes work well, around $10 at most pet shops, and the cord can be hidden behind your background to attach to the tile.

 

[geckoluver4evr]

I love her! And goodness, she's spoiled, what a huge tank! I estimate it to be around 50 gallons, am I about right? That's amazing. Fantastic job! I thought the same thing. I saw my lil baby at petco, and amazingly enough, my dad let me save him. But he lives right now in a 10 gallon tank, the specs are in my signature. I thought my setup was decent for something a young teen can afford. Your gecko is very lucky. Trust me, soon you'll be dying for more! I am already. I really want to rescue a lil baby from petsmart or get a mack snow from somewhere... sigh.

 

[NatalieS]

Thanks everyone. I will be sure to get a different thermometer, so I thank you for that advice.

I've named this girl Cricket. Annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnd I'm now in the market for a super giant male. Today I bought a used 24x18x18 Exo-Terra terrarium that Cricket is going to go into, and the owners had several giant and super giant leos. *I fell in love.* Their male was somewhere around 120 grams. So I'm in the market for one, and he'll go in this 50g tank. The female should be fine in the smaller one, I think. Her setup will be very similar to the current one, with the tile and 3d background and multiple hides. She's doing great!

 

[NatalieS]

I have a few updated pictures of Cricket. The first is from her favorite thing, the reptile den. She spends all of the daytime in it and I always catch her snoozing in the oddest positions.

 

[geckoluver4evr]

Aaaaah, she is so gorgeoussssss! I love her. You can never have just one! I wish I could have more than 1, but oh well. I'm very thankful for the gecko I dooo have. Can't wait to see pics of your male. ;D