Leo environment/nutrition update. Good?

[Leo]

Hey everyone, just wanted to thank all who helped me improve the cage for Leo and give a quick update on his new home.


The left hide is an upside-down tupperware with a hole cut in the side and a wet paper towel lining the lid on the bottom. The heat pad is positioned under the far right hide, with the thermostat probe hanging out just outside. Stat is always set to 94 F. Substrate is changed weekly, and I just cleaned the whole tank with dish soap. Just swapped the large water dish for a simple bottle cap in the left corner (I hope he finds it, even though I occasionally spray him).

Just picked these up today. I already dust his crickets with the left stuff, and I'm planning on trying the liquid vit, 2 drops twice a week. A little nervous about making him open his mouth. Haven't tried any food sources other than crickets. As you can see I have a fan that blows out the window in the background as it can get really stuffy in my apartment. I hope the vibration doesn't bother him, though it isn't that noticeable.

We just shed and are looking fab! I want to fatten him up a little, but I think he looks healthy for a juvi. So I guess my question is am I treating him alright and does he have a long and healthy life ahead of him? I'd really appreciate any feedback you may have.

Thank you!

 

[indyana]

Looking good! Looks like you have all the basics covered. And, there's still some room left to add decorations if you decide you want more.


A few more suggestions, if you do not mind: The thermostat probe should be lying flat on the floor warm spot (center of heat pad, either taped to paper or put underneath so the gecko can't move it). If it's set to 94 F but hanging outside, the floor will be too hot. For the liquid vitamins, you may want to consider just dripping it onto his feeders rather than trying to feed it to him directly. That would certainly be less stressful.

 

[Leo]

The probe is inside the hide and the stat is set to 93 F, but Leo just isn't going inside it that often. He will for alone time like after I hold him, but for the most part he just chills out in the open. The hide is new, so I figure he's either not used to it, he doesn't like the smell, or it's too small for his liking. Should I be concerned? Should I make a change?

Also, I don't know if this is because his heat pad is too small (it's the one designed for 10-20 gallon tanks), but he doesn't venture into his cool hide or his moist hide as they are away from the heat. Is this bad? Am I doing everything correctly?

Water source is still just a bottle cap, I assume he's able to find it....

 

[indyana]

You could consider putting the humid hide closer to the warm side and adding a simple, dry cool hide on the cool end. Besides that, you could try turning down the thermostat a few degrees. It's possible the inside of the warm hide is just a little too warm for him, so he's going to the outside edge.

Just keep in mind that every time you change/rearrange, you're essentially making it a "new" situation again, so he'll need a couple weeks to adjust and begin showing more normal behavior.