In need of advice/help (new owner)

[shawnymontana]

Hi! I had spontaneously dove into buying a leopard gecko at the pet store without doing any research at all and with just buying a starter kit lol. But in these past 3 days i had to go back to the pet store 2-3 times to get the little dude or girl everything it needs from vitamins to calcium to different hides.

I come here looking for help on a few different things which in my opinion are all health related (sorry if im in the wrong thread, im new to all this stuff)

I was wondering if anyone could possibly tell me how old my gecko is roughly and how healthy it looks?

this is him/her beside a double A batterie!

i was also unaware of geckos needing 2 hides AND a moist hide until i had visited this website an hour ago, so before you guys let it fly on me for not having 2 hides for him on the warm side, ill have one for him today!

this is his home that ive been working on for the last 2 days lol (expensive) (temp gage top left aka the warm side)

Now ive been researching a lot about lighting and temperatures for geckos and im so torn on the lighting situation. Right now i turn the blue bulb on during the day (UVB) and the red viewing bulb on during the night. Im not sure if thats correct or not? but as of right now thats the only source of heat i have for the poor little bugger since the guy at the pet store didnt tell me i should get a under the tank heating pad! But when i go out today im gonna make sure i pick one up for him.

Im also confused on the moist hide? should i not have a moist hide in the tank at all times? and if not how often should i have it in there?


im sorry for the ramble and abundance of questions..im just trying to keep it all in one place so i have a solid resource to look at. any help and tips will be much appreciated guys, im trying to make the best for this little dude :main_cool3::main_cool3:

 

[JessJohnson87]

https://geckcessories.wordpress.com/leopard-gecko-care-sheet/ <---great care sheet on them.

I would not use lights because it can bother their eyes and it looks like you have some sort of albino and lights can bother their skin. They need a UTH for belly heat and ceramic heat emitters work best to supplement low air temperatures. I would get a digital thermometer or temperature gun to measure the floor temperatures, the analog ones are not very accurate.

 

[indyana]

Good info ^

Also, looking at your gecko, it does look pretty healthy. Legs aren't bendy, nice round body, and the tail has a bit of a fat reserve. I'm not really sure on age. It was probably hatched this past summer/fall, as it is still a baby.

List for heating:
- Under tank heater (get the size that is made for your tank size, about 1/3 of floor covered)
- Thermostat - VERY important for safety; will control the heat pad so it does not get hot enough to burn or shut off if it malfunctions
- Infrared temp gun - A digital thermometer with a probe is also okay, but a temp gun is really the best for figuring out floor surface temperature

Lighting is optional, and it should really only be used during the day.

 

[Tongue Flicker]

No damage has been to your leo yet so just read everything thru and change what needs to be done, asap. I understand spontaneous pet buying is fun, really i do lol.. oh and congrats by the way!