Moist hide info

[sam260677]

Hi there,
I am a mum and have just bought a leopard gecko for my 14 year old son. I have done loads of research but am confused about a moist hide. I dont think the pet shop I bought him from was very good, they sold me a bag of sand with him and told me to put that down, I am now having serious doubts about this after reading your forum!And also there was no mention of a moist hide, just to give him a hiding place. After reading your advice, I have cut a little door into a tupperware container and put some moist paper towel in there. I have placed it on the warm side to create moisture, have I done the right thing?He is only six weeks old and I dont want anything to happen to him,he is so lovely. I also have a small tunnel for him to hide in which is dark, and a piece of bark to crawl over,also a small bowl for his water. I have a UTH on one third of the tank underneath and hope this is okay. Does his dry hide need to be totally enclosed?Again the pet shop sold me the tunnel which looks like a small bridge made out of wood but is not enclosed. Any advice would be appreciated,I dont want anything to go wrong with him, his name is Slash by the way and he is gorgeous!Also, my tank is a two foot vivarium, but on phoning the pet shop they have now told me that this is too big for him and he shouldnt be in there incase he cant find his food and starves. Why didnt they tell me this to begin with!!Should I transfer him to a smaller plastic tank until he grows bigger?
Thank you so much
Samantha

 

[Alliemac]

Personally I think that tank size is ok but you should get rid of the sand and use tile, paper towel or newprint on the bottom of the tank. In my tanks I have the following:

2 hides: one on the cool side and one on the warm side
Humid hide: between the warm side and the middle (tupperware with paper towel is fine)
Probe thermometer: Base on the cool side and the probe inside the warm hide
Water dish: changed daily
Calcium dish: they like to nibble calcium and need it


I prefer my hides to be as dark as possible since leos are nocturnal and sleep during the day. I use anything from exoterra hides to over turned margerine containers with a door cut in to hamster houses.

You probably need a rhestat (or a light dimmer) for the UTH since they can get quite hot. Your warm side should be between 90-95. I need to turn my UTH's down about halfway to get that temp.

For feeding I always feed crickets in a seperate tank. They each get 10-15 minutes in the feeder tank daily and I dust my crickets daily. I also offer mealworms in a dish in the tank all day long since they can't move around like crickets do.

 

[Geck-O]

The tank is ok I think. Gecko's love a bigger place to run around. The moist hide is fine too. I think his other hides should be dark and enclosed so that he will feel more secure. BTW, you can put a colony of gecko's into that two foot viv!

 

[Geck-O]

Lol, we posted at the same time.

 

[sam260677]

Hi,
Thank you for that advice, I didnt realise you had to put him into a seperate bit to feed him, I was worried that moving him around alot would make him feel stressed but I suppose this is better than him not being able to find his food and starving. Could you tell me what the cacium is?Does it come in a block or powder?I am sure they would sell this at the pet shop so I will have a look.Thanks again, its great to hear from people who have experience
Samantha

 

[Alliemac]

No problem! You don't have to feed in a separate tank but I find it easier. You don't have to chase the crickets and catch them and it's easier to see how much they eat. My tanks are prettied up with greenery and stuff so catching crickets would be a nightmare every night. lol If you feed in the tank where they live you do have to catch left over crickets once they are done eating because crickets will nibble on your gecko while he's sleeping.

The calcium comes in a powder and I just leave it in a little dish in the tank all the time. I use Rep-Cal Calcium with Vitamin D but there are a few different brands. It should be in the reptile section of your pet store.

 

[Gregg M]

Actually the humid hide should be on the cooler side...
Here is the reason...
You do not to make the humid hide too inviting... The humid hide should only be used for shedding or egg laying... By putting the himid hide on the warm side, the leo will spend a lot of time in it in order to thermoregulate and this is exactly what you DO NOT want...

Too much humidity can cause URIs and skin issues in leopard geckos...

Also, large cages are not always the best choice... Leos do not need tons of room to "run around"... Infact like with most reptiles, the smaller the caging unit is, the more secure the animal feels... It is also harder to properly heat and maintain a good ambient air temperature in a larger cage... Contrary to what some might believe, bigger is not always better...

 

[shawn119]

The gecko can live in that tank.