im new

[crank]

heyyy, my name is Charlette, and im only 10 years old, yes i know to b careful on the internet and all that junk, but i love geckos and i couldnt stay away =] i have a leopard gecko, his/her name is Crank. it explains the name. ive had him for bout 2 weeks, and he just went through his first shed. i just got a new camera for christmas so i will b taking more pics of crank and myself, i have a few of me and crank. the pics of crank r red cuz his nite lite is red.reply and tell me if u can c the pics UPDATE sorry, i have the URL's below...

http://s490.photobucket.com/albums/rr270/ccrankk/?action=view&current=100_0601.jpg yes i do have gum in my mouth


http://s490.photobucket.com/albums/rr270/ccrankk/?action=view&current=100_0606.jpg crank =]

 

[crank]

hey i need to ask a question... about my lighting, when i got crank, my gecko, the guy at the pet store said i needed a blue lite for day and a red 1 for nite so thats what i got but he also said that i needed a florecent lite, i was just wondering where i should put the florecent lite if i alredy have the red and blue lites that currently sit on the top of the cage... or if i even need the florecent lite in fact, thnx for all ur help

_________________________________________________________
charlette ♥ what we can learn on the GF♥

 

[Pepper]

First, Crank is very cute

You don't need fluorescent lighting, leo's are nocturnal so no need for all that UVB/UVA stuff.

Don't listen to MOST pet store people, they tried to tell me my leo comes out during the day to bask like a beardie, uh...no.

Do you have an under the tank heater? That is the most important thing, it covers about 1/3 of the tank. Leo's NEED belly heat, it's what makes them digest.

They really don't need any lighting, only to stimulate night and day, 12 hours day, 12 hours night.

During the day you can use a regular white light bulb, I've just been using a 75 watt in a small reptile lamp on the right side where his UTH(under the tank heater) is under the tank, because that's the hot side, the left side of his tank is the cool side, no lighting, nothing.

At night, turn all lighting off, except the under the tank heater.

Hot side on the ground should be in the low 90's. Cool side should feel a little cool to the touch, mid 80's.

Mind if I name my Male Crested Gecko Crank? I've been looking for a name for him for a few weeks and I love that name!

 

[larry26]

Well actually an uth (under tank heater) would be better than the lights.

if you get one it will need to take up 1/3 of the bottom of the tank and you should also buy a thermostat and a digital thermomiter to go with it

 

[crank]

i have a uth for him, and i actualy didnt think of the name crank, my best friend mikaela did, but i agree crank is a very cool name so use it if u would like =] so r u sure i dont need a florecent lite?

 

[Pepper]

Yes positive, they are nocturnal, and actually studies have been done to show that those lights can actually be harmful for their skin.

 

[crank]

thnx for all ur help, um what kind of substrate do u use? i read on the internet that if u have calci-sand it doesnt have any clacium value at all and will get back up if eattin, and even worse if its colored it will turn ur gecko different colors... here this is what i read...

The calci-sand or similar substrate is not a substitute for calcium supplementation. For one thing it is NOT digestible like the manufacturer would have you believe. And if you do not supplement with calcium dusted crickets the gecko WILL eat the sand and could become impacted. For another thing calcium sand is extremely expensive and not worth the money in my opinion. If you want to use sand I recommend the tan colored playsand from the Depot type of stores. Generally it is about $3 for 50 lbs. and does the job just as well. As an aside, the colored calcium sand can turn your geckos funny colors.

 

[Pepper]

Don't use any sand, ever, or any loose substrate.

All of those stupid sands at pet stores, even the ones that say they are digestible, are not, don't believe it, many a good gecko has died from sand.

Cheap paper towels, reptile carpet, or just tile from a home depot store will all work and be safe.

Leopard Gecko's do not live in an environment with sand, which people often say they do.
They live in places with rocky outcrops, where the ground is more clay like, not grainy like sand.

 

[crank]

kk thnx