just brought him home about 2 hours ago

[usarmy0101]

hi everyone im new to gecko forums and im also a new owner this is my first gecko so if you have any advise please tell me!! here is some pictures

^^^ the cage he will be in ^^^

him trying to get the cricket (i feed him crickets and mealworms but he wasnt to intrested in the meal worms he just steped on them lol)

this the blueness around his eyes normal all the leopard geckos had it so i hope i got a healthy one


any advise let me know :main_thumbsup:

 

[LeapinLizards]

Congratulations

He looks healthy to me, although that little tail could use some fattening up, but I'm sure you've got that covered in the months to come As far as the blue above his eyes, yes that is normal. What I was told was that it is the rest of the eye ball and surrounding tissues showing through the semi-translucent skin on the top of their heads.

He looks to be about to shed, so if you don't have one already you'll need to provide a moist hide. If you don't have one, you'll just need to simply moist the paper towel underneath one of the already existing hides. This will help him to get ALL his skin off, and not leave any on his toes that can lead to the losing of little digits.

The only thing I would caution you against is leaving all sorts of food in there at all times. For one, if food is ALWAYS available, they lose that prey drive. Another reason is that crickets can really annoy a gecko. What I do is throw about 6-8 crickets in there at evening time (when they hunt), let them go to town hunting for awhile, then remove any excess crickets after about a half hour. They do not NEED food every single night, especially as adults, but since your's is a juvenile, feeding as much as he wants is just fine.

Good luck! He's a beauty

 

[Eureka]

What a little beauty! Congratulations. If you aren't using a UTH I would recommend getting one. Leo's absorb heat via their bellies.

 

[Leopardgeckosunlimited]

Your set up looks good. Is he eating from the dish yet? What are your temps and what are you using to take the heat temp? I have used both heat bulbs & UTH and as long as the temp is right then they both work great. It just depends on the temp and tank set up and yours is good for the heat your using. I do want to let you know that the temp taking dials (that you have in your tank) that stick to the side of the glass & the stripes (that are used in fish tanks) don't really work for taking the correct heat/basking temps. They will give you the air temp in the tank, but the actual heat temp is higher. I have them on all my tanks too. I suggest using a temp gun (they're not all expensive) or a digital thermometer w/ a probe to get the correct heat temp. A 50 watt should give him a basking spot of about 90, but I'd get a digital probe thermometer too be safe. Is your gecko coming out basking on top of the log or just staying in it? Do you see him using the humid hide? Your dish is a bit high for your lil gecko. So til he starts eating from it you can try tong feeding the worms while he's in his hide or try dropping the worms in the entrance of the hide and letting the worms crawl in for the gecko to eat. Over time geckos typically start hearing & watching you drop the worms into the dish and come out and eat. But until he learns where they're at those methods I descibed have always work for me. I use 16oz plastic cups cut down to just the right size for the gecko to easily eat from & w/o the worms getting out. Or in my enclousures w/ more room I use water catchers for potted plants they're lower & big enough for him eat while in the dish making it easier to see the worms. I do think the UTH are a bit easier though they don't burn out and need replacing or change temps like the bulbs will w/ room temps change, if your room temps don't change then no worry, but mine have from summer to winter. For example in the Summer I've needed a 50 watt, in the Winter I used a 75 watt to keep his heat at 90 for him. If you which to a UTH I'd move the worm dish over in front of the warm hide's entrance, where they love to eat. The UTH also needs to be adjusted to the correct temp b/c they get too hot, you'd need a dimmer switch (less expensive and work just as well esp for 1 tank & when I know where 90 is I just mark it on the switch) or a thermostat. Not handling new gecko's help them to adjust better and begin eating faster. Another tip that would help is to cover the back and 2 sides w/ background. You know about Gutlaoding right?? Very important! As long as your gecko gets fresh H20, Gutloaded mealies or feeders, correct heat w/ cool side being room temp & able to move around the tank to get the temp desired from about 75-90 then he'll be healthy. Your gecko looks alert, healthy, cute gecko. Keep us updated on how he's doing. It's normal at 1st for them to ignore the food they need to adjust to their new enviroment. If you see your gecko in the water dish then that's a bad sign could be sick or just too hot. Keep the humid hide moisten b/c w/ the bulb it will dry out quicker. If you see any problems w/ shedding you can lightly mist the tank but not directly over the gecko. What will help you the most is learning about your gecko and what their needs are. Books, Breeder's care sheets, care sites are great. Observing the gecko helps too.
If you have any questions or concerns plz feel free to pm or email me.
Jessica

 

[Leopardgeckosunlimited]

I want to edit my reply above - I messed up in when I mentioned my tank sizes and the watt bulbs I used. I'm able to keep my reptile room about 75 all year around now so I don't have to change them like I used too. I used heat bulbs on all my tanks when the room temp changed then the 20gal. high had a 50watt or up to 75 watt bulb in very cold Winter. My 10gal has never had over a 50 watt on it. I was just working w/ my gecko's & I checked the bulb on my 10gal. and it was actually only a 25 watt. The digital thermomter was reading 82 on the floor and 90 on his log.

Jessica

 

[fallen_angel]

Your setup looks good, I like the legos (we use legos in some of our tanks as well)

Just spend some time around here and you will learn everything you need to know, and more! This is a great community of awesome people, welcome to GeckoForums

Your little one is very cute!