just got some leopard geckos, need some help...

[tgecko]

hey everyone, i am sure you have gotten a whole ton of these types of threads (and you are probably sick of answering all the questions they contain), but i want to make sure i am taking good care of my leopard geckos. today in the mail, i received one super snow and one high color. the super snow is a hatchling while the high color is a juvenile, but nevertheless i placed them in the same terrarium to see how they acted around each other. they both get along, so far no violence; in fact, when they sleep they cuddle up and the little one places his head on top of the older one's.

i gave in to temptation and tried to hold the both of them, but they were pretty skittish. i was able to handle the high color and he slept in my hand, but the baby was very nervous around me. therefor, i am now letting them hang out in their tank for a few days before i attempt to handle them again. about how long should i leave them be?

around an hour ago i tried to feed them mealworms with no luck. they recognized the mealworms but backed up from them instead of eating. the same applied for the crickets. is it normal for them to not eat, or are all geckos different? the crickets are still in the tank. should i take them out if they aren't eating them (as i have heard they can attack the geckos)?

the main thing i am worried about is them not eating. they didn't eat for two days during the plane flight here, and they still refuse. these are my first geckos and i bought them a little too soon without preparing myself, so i want to make sure i am doing the right stuff. they have all the important things like lights, water, and a hide to sleep in, so i think I'm alright there. i am considering getting them some tile for their tank over reptile carpet. would you recommend this?

if you have any other small tips or links let me know.

 

[crazylizardlady]

Welcome to GF and congrats on your first leos. Leopard geckos generally do best when housed seperately. If one is larger it will most certainly bully the small one, bullying can happen even if you dont see it, the laying in piles isnt really cuddling its a show of dominance. I personally would separate them especially if it is possible they are both male, males will fight.
Try to give them a few days before handling to adjust, mainly wait until they are both eating well before trying to handle them. I know its really hard to wait but they need time to adjust to their new surroundings.
What is your set up like? What are you using for heating? Leos dont need lights they can actually stress them out and irritate their eyes, an under tank heater with a digital probe thermostat is your best bet. They need the belly heat to digest their food between 88-92F, ambient temp doesnt matter so much but it should read that 88-92 on the floor where they will be laying. Tile is a great substrate its easy to clean, virtually impossible for them to eat and become impacted and it looks great.
Also are you using supplements to dust your feeders? As far as them not eating yet give them some time usually its recommended to wait 3-4 days after arrival to offer
food.
Good luck with them, theres tons of info on these forums so you have def come to the right place

 

[JessJohnson87]

I know one of the big box stores is having a $1 per gallon sale on aquariums until the 23rd of this month. You can pick up tanks for a really great price, I bought my 20L there for $20 when it retails for $40.

 

[ballpythoncrazy]

Leopard geckos generally do best when housed seperately. If one is larger it will most certainly bully the small one, bullying can happen even if you dont see it, the laying in piles isnt really cuddling its a show of dominance. I personally would separate them especially if it is possible they are both male, males will fight.

Another reason I like to mention to keep your geckos separate (besides all the great points listed above) is SICKNESS. Let's say you start finding very strange, sick looking poops on your geckos tank you won't have any idea which gecko is sick! And if that gecko IS sick, there is a very good chance that it will infect the other gecko as well since they are living together. And if that sickness happens to be deadly, you'll lose both your geckos! And you'll have DOUBLE the vet bills, since you'll have to get BOTH geckos treated. If they were housed separately and one got sick, you would know much sooner and the chances of both geckos getting infected would be much less.

I'd also like to that, if both your geckos turn out male, they won't just fight, they will fight TO THE DEATH. Only one gecko will survive.

Just something to think about!


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