Leopard Gecko "rescue"

M

MileHighMark

Guest
This past Saturday, I stopped at the local PetSmart for some filters for our fish tank. I was checking out their reptiles, and noticed they had a pair of juvenile albino leopard geckos in a very small enclosure. One looked noticeably thinner than the other, so I asked if they were male and female. I was told they were two males, so I figured the larger one was the dominant one. Fast forward to Sunday and I decided to "rescue" the smaller leo. I brought him (if he is indeed a "he"), and set up his new habitat as follows:
  • 55g glass tank with screen/mesh top
  • Cage Carpet substrate
  • UTH on timer (until the mail-order thermostat arrives)
  • Multiple hides in various parts of the tank
  • Water and calcium dishes
The temp on the warm side of the tank (taken on the substrate) is approx 90f, with the cool side in the mid-70's. I've got the UTH on a timer, and the tank gets down to 70-71 during the night. I've tried feeding him very small crickets (dusted), and a waxworm, but he showed no interest (he has pooped once, though).

A couple of questions:
  • Should the warm side stay at 90-94f all the time, or is it acceptable for it to drop during the evening?
  • Is his lack-of-appetite due to the stress of "moving in"?
Here are some crummy cell phone pics of the little guy:

IMG_0181.jpg


IMG_0182.jpg


I've kept other lizards (Uromastyx) in the past, but it's been over 10 years since I helped care for my daughter's leopard gecko. Any help is greatly appreciated.
 
acpart

acpart

Geck-cessories
Staff member
Messages
15,485
Location
Somerville, MA
Congratulations on your new acquisition. To answer your questions:

THe warm side temps are good (90-94) but it's best for them to stay constant, especially since the gecko is nocturnal and will be eating and digesting at night. There is no need to put the UTH on a timer as long as you can keep it from getting above 94.

Geckos often need at least a week to get comfortable before eating. If he doesn't start eating within a week or so, or if he gets noticeably thinner, there is always the possibility that he is impacted if he was on sand at the pet store or that he has parasites. In that case, a vet visit would be a good idea.

Aliza
 
M

MileHighMark

Guest
Thanks for the info.

I'll take the UTH off the timer so that he's got a constant warm spot. They had him on cage carpet (in what was maybe a 12"x12" enclosure), so hopefully no sand impaction.
 
rhino43grr

rhino43grr

HERE WE GO STEELERS
Messages
579
Location
PA
petsmart feeds small dusted crickets almost exclusively. the setups aren't as bad as they used to be and all use carpet for leopard geckos instead of sand and they have humid hides now too. the way the displays are built there's no way to put a uth so everything has to get heat from overhead lamps. no calcium dish, but crickets are dusted every day before feeding.

i wish i could tell the difference between the albino strains just by looking at a picture. i need to study somehow.
 
M

MileHighMark

Guest
Yesterday afternoon I was able to feed him a wax worm by holding it in front of his mouth, so that's somewhat of a relief. And in the evening, he was roaming around his tank.

Price? $49.95.
 
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