Getting a Leopard Gecko!

[Gecko977]

I have never had a gecko before and I was looking for a pet that is slightly unusual. I have always wanted a lizard and after much research I think the Leopard Gecko is the right lizard for me! I have a 10 gallon tank and it will have lots of hiding places,fake plants,etc. I am only planning on having 1 gecko and will probably put the gecko in my 20 gallon aquarium once I upgrade to a bigger size for my fish. I will have a heating pad in half or a corner of the tank and I have thermometers. First of all will the stuff I'm planning work? If not, what can I do?If it does work, what else could I add to make a gecko more happy?

 

[jerrymb]

I don't know if you need the fake plants in the tank.

 

[Gecko977]

Okay. I just had a few extra so I didn't know if it would need to go in the tank or not. My only concern is that my only option is to buy from a pet store. It is a chain store but their tanks always look clean and their lizards always peep their heads out of the hiding places. They seem pretty active and healthy. There is one other pet store I know of that is locally owned but they usually specialize in very rare lizards and other creatures so I don't know if they would have one. If they don't I would have to go with the chain store's. So when I go to pick a gecko out what healthy signs should I look for?

 

[Gecko977]

Thanks for the help jerrymb!

 

[artgecko]

You should look for a gecko that is active (not lethargic) when picked up, and inspect for wounds, missing toes, etc.

A 10 gal tanks sounds perfect. Instead of fake plants for it to hide in, get a fake rock hide or make one (or 2) from household items. I use those disposable plastic containers with a hole cut in the top or side for a humid hide. Just put a folded up paper towel inside and keep it moist.
Good luck with your new gecko.

 

[Gecko977]

Okay I never thought of a folded up paper towel for moisture.Good idea! As far as heating should I try to get a mini heater to heat a corner(and put a hiding place in the corner) or heat half of the tank?

 

[PaladinGirl]

Okay. I just had a few extra so I didn't know if it would need to go in the tank or not. My only concern is that my only option is to buy from a pet store. It is a chain store but their tanks always look clean and their lizards always peep their heads out of the hiding places. They seem pretty active and healthy. There is one other pet store I know of that is locally owned but they usually specialize in very rare lizards and other creatures so I don't know if they would have one. If they don't I would have to go with the chain store's. So when I go to pick a gecko out what healthy signs should I look for?

Healthy geckos will be active and alert when awake. Avoid any that look boney or have thin tails. Baby geckos won't have the same tail thickness as healthy adults, that comes as they grow as long as they have good nutrition. Still, their bodies should not be boney. Also, don't listen to advice from the pet store employee (especially the chain pet stores). They often don't know much about the animals in the store.

When I was researching leos before I got mine, I kept reading that they are so easy to take care of. Which is true but also not, lol! You have to make sure they get the right nutrition (including gut-loading worms and crickets) and supplementing (I use Repashy), temperatures (88 to 95 on warm end--measured with a digital thermometer probe on the floor of the tank, not the ones that stick on the side, because you want to know the floor heat, not the air; leos need belly heat, not heat lamps) and proper surroundings (3 hides--one on warm end, one on cool end and one moist). Most people don't recommend using sand as a substrate. Popular substrates are slate, paper towel or newspaper (I use brown paper lawn bags).

I could go on and on, it'd actually be better for you to spend quite a bit of time reading posts here and looking at care sheets online. I'm new to leos also, just got Toon in February, so I'm not expert but I pretend to be sometimes. :main_laugh:

Anyways, you'll see a little variance in how people take care of their geckos, you just have to read as much as you can about it to decide what you think is best. The easy part is that they are fairly clean (most leos poop in the same spot all the time), and their day to day maintenance doesn't take long (fresh water, food, etc). They are also quiet and easy to tame.

Good luck and enjoy!

 

[Gecko977]

Thanks for the advice! The only concern I have is keeping the crickets,mealworms,waxworms,etc. alive because I can't go to the pet store everyday. Should my pet store have food/supplements for the crickets or worms? This is my main concern. How could I keep these insects alive?

 

[Thorgecko707]

Thanks for the advice! The only concern I have is keeping the crickets,mealworms,waxworms,etc. alive because I can't go to the pet store everyday. Should my pet store have food/supplements for the crickets or worms? This is my main concern. How could I keep these insects alive?

Cricket chirp and drive me bananas. Get mealworms. In the fridge they last longer.

 

[Gecko977]

In the fridge? Well okay just as long as the gecko has it's food. I'm still just stressing about buying from a chain store. I've read some cases on here with leopard geckos from stores like Petco. I hope that the local store has them and not at an outrageous price. But I'd rather pay more and have a healthy pet.

 

[Wowoklol]

In the fridge? Well okay just as long as the gecko has it's food. I'm still just stressing about buying from a chain store. I've read some cases on here with leopard geckos from stores like Petco. I hope that the local store has them and not at an outrageous price. But I'd rather pay more and have a healthy pet.

Many breeders will ship a gecko to you. Overnight. And yes, insects in the refrigerator can last a long time. I have almost as much fun maintaining my insect colonies as I do my geckos! haha I have a Dubia roach colony and mealworms now. I'd highly recommend buying your feeders online as well. You can usually get a MUCH better deal. Look into what you are going to feed your feeders as well. Load them up with nutrients for your geckos benefit.

 

[Gecko977]

I'm going to the pet store today to inspect their geckos. The local pet store is not open so I'll have to make another trip for that. I'll give a description of how they look when I get back

 

[GeckoHero69]

I'd recommend look at all the breeders up there. They usually ship in 24 hours instead of going to a pet store.

 

[Gecko977]

I just don't like the idea of pet shipping. Especially since I ordered fish one time and they were all sick and unhealthy. I'd rather just try to pick the very best gecko from my pet store. I just don't have good luck with shipping animals

 

[Gecko977]

I went to the pet store and I was actually happy with what I saw!Their cage was extremely clean and the leos were sleeping in a hut. The lady moved it and they started running around everywhere and one crawled on my hand!They were babies so they were pretty small and their tail wasn't fat but the worker said the tail will begin to get fatter after a while.The entire lizard was only like 2 1/2 inches long! I think I will buy from there and all of their leos were labeled albino.I think that was mostly because they has white lines or stripes in different spots of their body. I was very pleased with their health and they seemed very curious or adventurous. The worker told me what to get and it was basically the same thing as what people here say to get. The only difference is that the worker said to get a nighttime heating lamp instead of a heating pad. She said to only have the light on at night. What do you guys think? She seemed like she knew what she was talking about unlike some other people that strictly follow the little stickers above the animal with the info.

 

[SDCowboy]

I'm going to the pet store today to inspect their geckos. The local pet store is not open so I'll have to make another trip for that. I'll give a description of how they look when I get back

If you go with a pet store leo, go to a smaller one like a Kahoots where they keep ONE leo per tank. At petco you will find 5 near dead ones all laying on top of each other.

 

[Franklinj480]

Having an under tank heating (UTH) pad is a strict basic necessity. In order for their digestive system to function they need to have the belly heat that a heating pad provides.

Some people do have a low wattage red nighttime bulb for nighttime viewing, or to raise the ambient temperatures in the winter time, but still they should only be used in conjunction with the UTH.

 

[SDCowboy]

I went to the pet store and I was actually happy with what I saw!Their cage was extremely clean and the leos were sleeping in a hut. The lady moved it and they started running around everywhere and one crawled on my hand!They were babies so they were pretty small and their tail wasn't fat but the worker said the tail will begin to get fatter after a while.The entire lizard was only like 2 1/2 inches long! I think I will buy from there and all of their leos were labeled albino.I think that was mostly because they has white lines or stripes in different spots of their body. I was very pleased with their health and they seemed very curious or adventurous. The worker told me what to get and it was basically the same thing as what people here say to get. The only difference is that the worker said to get a nighttime heating lamp instead of a heating pad. She said to only have the light on at night. What do you guys think? She seemed like she knew what she was talking about unlike some other people that strictly follow the little stickers above the animal with the info.

If they were all housed in the same tank, do yourself a favor and buy elsewhere. Likely at least one of them was sick and probably all of them are or soon will be.

 

[Franklinj480]

If they were all housed in the same tank, do yourself a favor and buy elsewhere. Likely at least one of them was sick and probably all of them are or soon will be.

what cowboy said, It's possible that the store could have just received a fresh shipment of hatchlings. They may not be showing symptoms yet but can easily already be infected.

 

[Tailless]

Having an under tank heating (UTH) pad is a strict basic necessity. In order for their digestive system to function they need to have the belly heat that a heating pad provides.

Some people do have a low wattage red nighttime bulb for nighttime viewing, or to raise the ambient temperatures in the winter time, but still they should only be used in conjunction with the UTH.

Yep.