just getting started...

[cjam]

Ok so I have recently got very interested in leopard geckos. I dont have one yet but I am deffiantly going to get some soon. The guy that owns a local petshop was telling me about the different ways I could house the gecko. He mentioned this terranium http://www.exo-terra.com/en/products/habitat_kit_desert.php or said a 20 gal long would work. He said that he preferred the 20 gal because he had always been worried that with the exo being enclosed that the humidity might get to high for the Leo. He did say that he had never encountered that happening but he wanted to stay on the safe side. I dont want to get anything that could hurt my gecko, but I do like the looks of the exo. I would be getting the medium size one and I want to house a male and a female in it. Would that be ok? and would I need to worry about the humidity problem that he mentioned? thanks for the help

 

[leonut]

That should be fine. There are plenty of people on this board that use thoose. although if you are worried about humidity you can always get the screen ones. http://www.exo-terra.com/en/products/screen_terrarium.php

 

[kyahbean]

I love those terrariums! When i get a new one I'm totally getting one of those. I like how it has doors on the front. The screen top one would probably be better if you are worried about humidity levels.

One thing to keep in mind is that a lot of those "kits" come with a lot of stuff you really don't need. You might save $$ just buying the terrarium and then getting the other things you need separately. I dunno, I just know that when I was setting up my tank, I got so much stuff I didn't need at all and ended up returning most of it to the pet store.

Also, I'd advise against using the sand that comes with that kit. It can cause impaction and make your gecko really sick. Get something else for a substrate. I personally use Repti-Carpet, but other people around here use paper towels, tile, slate, etc.

 

[nats]

Sounds like you want to breed them, since they will be together?
If so, you should really have more experience with this species.

They would need to be the right breeding age, weight, etc.
and you need to learn the general husbandry and behavior first

 

[kyahbean]

Sounds like you want to breed them, since they will be together?
If so, you should really have more experience with this species.

They would need to be the right breeding age, weight, etc.
and you need to learn the general husbandry and behavior first

Woah I didn't even notice the "male and female" part of that sentence LOL. Yes, I second what Nats said. Breeding is a whole other thing, with incubation and whatnot. Make sure you know what you are getting into. I didn't realize it was so complicated until I started reading up on it. I was like "Oh, I'll just get them and they'll be great friends and have babies yay" but that is not the case. Far from it. I agree people should keep geckos for awhile before they try to breed them.

 

[Lady_Kiya]

A lot of people use those terraniums, I hear only good things about them.
The one thing I would be concerned about is housing a male and female together right away. You would need to make sure that both are at least the right size for breeding, if this is what you intend to do is have them breed.
If that is not what you want right away, I would suggest not putting them together.

 

[Lady_Kiya]

Also, before breeding you should make sure you do research about incubating and all of the other things that come along with having baby geckos.
In fact, I would suggest having your leo(s) for a while before you decide on breeding. From what I hear, it can be quite a job.

 

[Mel&Keith]

The Exo terrarium is fine for Leos, it just has a bit more wasted space and is more expensive. The volume of the tank doesn't matter as much as the floor space. If you've already done the research and still decide you want to breed a pair, I would suggest that you house them separately. Housing a male and female together causes unneeded stress and possible injury to both.

 

[Pepper]

Agree with all of the above, but also that set up comes with sand, you may want to stay away from that.

And I think it would be more affordable to get a regular tank, those may be hard to regulate heat really well since they are tall, and not long, and I think a Leo would prefer more room to move about since they don't really climb.

 

[cjam]

Ok thanks. It would be about $130 more to go with the exo than a 20 gal. And yes I do want to breed them. The guy at the local pet shop I was talking about breeds them alot and he puts the babies that are big enough up for sell. He said hed help me with anything I needed. I do plan on waiting before I breed them though. Im not getting them at the same time because there isnt a male around my house that can breed. He has a female adult leo thought that I want. I would keep her for a while before getting a male. Also with a 20 gal tank would I need a top?

 

[vctkiller]

You probably won't need a screen top for your 20 gal tank, but if you have other animals or siblings they might get in and that isn't a good thing.