Keneduh

[Mezmurize]

I'm from Canada and hello to all any any Canadians (foremost, it seems patriotism is low lol). Joined because I'm heavily considering getting a Leopard Gecko within the next few weeks and I'd like to read up on them thoroughly and know how to troubleshoot problems when they occur.

+How do I pick an active friendly gecko? I'm looking around and I'm told a very fat tail means its healthy, so what about it's mental state? I'd like to be able to interact with it and not be scared of me where it would bark. Is it even possible to "pick" one or is it more or less the training one would receive from its owner to learn to love?

+Their tails are super-sensitive, so should I cradle it while I hold the leo? Can it hang?

+I was told I could use eco-earth. I'd like to go this route because a lot seem to have a negative opinion on sand and impaction. Can this still happen with ecoearth? My other option I've been looking at is ceramic tile but I'd like to go for something a bit more earthy and padded personally.

Other than that, the chatroom and the members have really taken care of quite a lot for me so far but I'm sure I'll still have a few things that pop into mind.

 

[breanna-banana13]

'ello.

im not from Canada, but I'm pretty durn close (Niagara Falls, NY).

+you kinda gotta just pick and train...i picked my first [Eliza] b.c she was pretty and she turned out to be very social and nice. my second [Eval] i picked b.c i thought his regrown tail was cute...he is a monster. lol. its all up to you to handle them frequently and keep them stress free.

+ it can hang. some people think that they will drop their tails if you breathe on it or touch it (which they can, but only if your touch is like yanking on it all the time)but they really dont want to give up their tails...they need it and probably lilke it (i would...). as long as you arent using it as a handle and stuff like that it should be fine. they dont go popping their tails off at the drop of a hat.

+ for a baby (idk what you are planning to get) id say eco earth is a no go, same as sand they can ingest it (while hunting or just by tasting) and become impacted, impaction is usually a slow progression so you might not see issues right away. Id say for adults it shouldnt be a problem but i still wouldnt risk it. i have slate tile in both my tanks and love it, its super easy to clean (spot clean with baby wipes) and deep clean about 1x/ month w. vinegar. only PITA was cutting it but my little bro did it for me.

+ any more questions feel free to ask...

+ oh yea and welcome to the forums

 

[Mezmurize]

Thank you for the answers! I'm looking into getting a leo just coming out of juvenille state.

I was wondering about the eco earth as an alternative to sand because it's more bio-degradable in comparison to sand so I'd of thought that would of really cut down on impaction in comparison to sand which may crystalize and harden into larger rocks (diamonds anybody?). I was looking at slate as an option but because I have an 18" high aquarium I'm using (29g, 12x30x18) I'd like for some elevation to be on the earth and having some type of sand/ eco earth will allow me to naturally control temperature through hills (and I can get really inventive in creating silly stuff, haha). I actually saw a cracked-rock habitat someone had here which looked fairly nice so if I were to do tile it would have to be layered for effect to make it look like a cave or something.



With cleaning/ replacing ceramics, isn't it hard to retrive from the bottom of the tank?

 

[rawson5084]

Welcome to GF

 

[BalloonzForU]

Welcome to GeckoForums.net!!

 

[mainelygeckos]

welcometo GF!