My First Leo

[simplyjessi]

I've wanted a Gecko for a long time but I just got my first guy (Al) over the weekend at a Reptile Expo. I was originally going looking for stuff for my turtles, but I happened across a table with healthy looking Leo Geckos and he let me hold one for a few minutes. At the time, my husband wasn't really into it, but after walking around and going back to the booth; the man was holding him under the table in case I came back and I finally convinced my hubby to get him.

He is in the 3mo - 5mo range (can't remember what he said, I was just to too excited) and has quite a fat tail!

He didn't do much the first day (to be expected) but last night while we slept, he ate 2 crickets and pooped and pee'd which was something I was told to look for to make sure it looked healthy and he didn't have parasites.

I know he's your 'average' leopard gecko, but to me he's absolutely beautiful! I totally love his 'snake eyes', and I'm not sure if its a Gecko thing or not, but he loves licking my hand when I'm holding him. Maybe its the minerals on my skin that appeases him?

His home that has been waiting for him (had most of the stuff already so it wasn't too bad of a spontaneous purchase). Just need to get a tupperware wet box in there for him (tonight)

 

[Kristi23]

Congrats on your first leo! He's really pretty!

 

[Dog Shrink]

Awwww he's a beauty. Nice pick up. A few words of advice if I may... your tank is really nice except for a couple things like you said... he does need a moist hide, but he also needs a cold side hide. Looking like it's a 10 gallon tank you can add a second level with some creative ingenuity like pvc pipe legs and a ceramic tile floor for the second level (lowes and home depot will usually cut to size).

Also please don't leave crickets in there overnight with him unattended as they can annoy and nibble yuor leo causing him damage and undue stress. It's better to remove them or to consider a switch to meal or super worms that you can leave in a dish for him to pick at when he is hungry, plus they don't stink or make noise like crickets do.

Also how are you supplimenting him. He needs feeders dusted every other feeding with a good multi vite ike repashy calcium plus icb. If you use the repashy you don't need to leave a calcium dish in his tank with him to lap up as he needs. The repti vit needs mixed with their calcium suppliment so the repashy is really the best way to go imo. Lastly I see that you have a thermometer in the tank measuring the ambient air temps but it is belly heat that matters most to leos. A probe thermometer directly over his uth on his hot side (which should be directly under his hide) is generally recommended to make sure you are getting the proper temps for optimum digestion. His hot side temps should range between 90-95*F. Too hot and it could affect his shedding (as the skin gets like "beef jerkey" if itis too hot and you don't mist enough or provide a moist hide), I recently am experiencing this myself with my leo, but have installed a rheostat to keep his uth down in the proper range. Also I see that you have a light on his tank. Leos do not need UV lighting and it can cause them a good deal of stress. They generally get all the light they need just by being in a room that has a window so that they can regulate their day/night cycle or you cqan use a low wattage incandescent bulb if the room he is in is dark. Just put it ona timer to simulate the natural light cycles going on outside. If you need to add a light to make your temps proper it is better to use a blue moonlight bulb imo. For a 10 gallon tank you shouldn't need anything higher than a 50 watt but if you have a good under tank heater you really shouldn't even need that.

Overall tho I think you're off to a great start. I love his hide. That is really sweet looking. I got my leo after I lost my russian tortoise that I had for 10 years (he was likely 16 when he died). I was also looking into another tortoise when I came across this site and simply fell in love with leos and their smile (any time you find a lizard that smiles how could you NOT fallin love right ?) Keep up the good work and update with pix often

 

[simplyjessi]

Thanks for the advice! It is just a 50 watt "Day-Time Photo Bulb" since he's not really 'parallel' to a window. And he has a moon-light bulb for the night time (very dim reddish in color).

I'll pick up a UTH to regulate the heat better for him. I do dust his crickets with calcium, but I was looking into putting a dish in there so he could self regulate on his own, I noticed looking through the forums habitat posts that it seems to be the norm to do it that way.

I didn't know the crickets would bother him, so I'll stop leaving them in there unattended. Do you know of a technique of maybe hand feeding him or a way to get him interested in them? Or maybe when he's less stress and used to our noses pressed up against the glass staring at him (lol) he'll come around and eat when we're around. I'll get some squirmy wormys for him.

 

[Dog Shrink]

He should start eating fine once he passes his settling in period and adjusts to the new envorinment. It could take a little longer if he was tub raise duntil this point to adjust to a "natural" habitat. I know my leo that I got at 7 mos old was tub raised and going into my really natural 20 long was a big shock for him. Honestly I still don't know that he is adjusted he usually just stays in his hot side hide most of the time unless he's going out when I'm asleep. Was your leo being fed crickets from his breeder or is that just what you decided to feed him? If you think he might be having difficulty catching crickets you can always pull their jumper legs off before putting them in the tank but make sure to only put in a couple at a time as pulling off their legs will almost certainly kill them after a while. Also if you do end up missing a cricket or decide to go with a dish of supers or mealies make sure you put a piece of apple or carrot (no seeds in the apple if you use apple) in the dish/tank with them so that they have something to eat aside of your leo (for crickets). If you're using worms in a dish the piece of food should be bigger than what your leo can accidentally eat and it will keep your worms more active thus by attracting your leos attention more.

Usually most bulbs labeled "day light or daytime" are a UV light which will eventually stress him or delay his settling in time so honestly I would get the uth and ditch the bulb as soon as you can just to be safe. A UTH should take up approximately 1/3rd of your under tank floor surface to be properly sized. Leos are crepuscular (meaning most active at sunset and dawn) altho many say they are nocturnal (they aren ot a "true" nocturnal) so the need for UV really is counter productive with leos imo where as with some herps like beardies it is mandatory. Leos don't bask so no uv is needed. He doesn't necessarly have to be parallel to a window to benefit from the light it provides. Just being in a room that is affected by natural light should do fine. Again if you're worried about his day/night schedule a regular 15 watt incandescent bulb (one you'd put in a regular light socket) will do fine while minimalizing the stress factor. I occasionally use a 15 watt in my tank for my own selfish pleaure as I love how my tank looks all nicely lit up plus it can add 2-3 degrees of heat if you're falling short from the uth. Also from what I've seem most true "moonlight bulbs" are blue. Reds are generally just an infrared night time viewing bulb. There is a difference. Maybe while you're looking for a uth you can check out some of the online herp shopping sites like LLL reptile's or reptiledirect.com and check out their heating and lighting sections to see the differences.

Lastly suppliments need to be more than just regular calcium. They do need a multi vit as well. Again I highly recommend teh repashy calcium plus icb. that way you don't need an additional dish of calciumin his tank and he gets all he needs from teh repashy. If you search my profile and go back thru my posts you will find several references to supplimenting debates that will surely be very helpful or you can simply put repashy in the search bar and see what comes up.

 

[simplyjessi]

Awesome, thank you again. The guy I got him off of said they fed him crickets and were starting feeding him super worms. I don't think (although I don't know) if he has an issue with catching them, so I'll definitely watch that, he's just sort of "lethargic" during the day up until I go to bed, I turn the lights out for him around 10p and then I check on him around midnight to 1 am, and sleeps in his cave (literally, I look in on him and his eyes are closed tight - only when I start to do the dishes does he open the peepers). I 2 crickets last night and by the time I wake up they're gone.. I'll pick up some super worms when I get his UTH tonight -- do they do ok in a bowl like I have his water in -- or will they escape? Should i use a porcelain (sp?) 'ingredient' plate-bowl thing that I have in my kitchen (nice and slippery?).

Again thanks so much for the advice!

 

[simplyjessi]

PS: I'll also look into giving him a second level! I built a above tank basking box for my turtles, so this should be a breeze haha

PPS: Sorry if I seem scattered in my replies, I'm checking this out in between emails at work haha

 

[Dog Shrink]

You're very welcome for the advice. I'm still pretty new to leos too just getting my first in october so I have done a TON of reading and research plus made a bunch of great friends on the forum that have been an invalueable resource so I figure pay it forward ya know I see people use simple glass ashtrays that they can get at the dollar store for feeder dishes so they can't climb out or glass votive candle holders also work well but don't allow a lot of space for food, face and worm so it could be difficult. My leo doesn't eat out of a dish so I had feed him. If it is a smooth surface like glass or porcelain they shouldn't be able to get out altho I have heard some posters comment on their mealies or supers getting out of the natural stone looking dishes like what you're using for his water. Just make sure that the dish you use is actually more of a bowl than a saucer or they will escape regardless of surface texture. In the meanwhile you can use a small rectangular tupperware dish to drop his crickets into to make sure they aren't harassing them and to accustom him to eating from a container.

After dawn I wouldn't expect to see too much activity out of him and he will likely hide and sleep, but if you think it's excessive lethargy at times when he should be active and it is past his settling in period then his temps could be to blame. You should be able to pick up a probe thermometer at lowes or home depot or even walmart for under $10.00 to monitor his floor temps. Low hot side temps can be blamed for many issues from lethargy to improper shedding to bad/low appatite so it really is crucial to properly monitor his temps.

No biggie with the scattered replies... I read scatter just fine. Just to give you an idea of a multi level set up hre is a pic of mine just to give you a couple of ideas, plus there's some great pix in the "show off your tank" thread. As you can see I went with a very natural set up for him. The grey thing on top of his hot hide is a litterbox with a lil desert sand which he actually uses. Makes clean up a real breeze. I have since removed his calcium dish as Eros developed a "calcium bubble" under one of his armpits from excessive calcium intake. I was unaware that he didn't need the extra dish of calcium since I was using the repashy until it was too late but the bubble should go down now that I have that dish out of there. I hope he enjoys the multiple levels but the only time I see himuse them is when I feed him and he's had enough he'll go into his middle cold side hide. I have also since added a tupperware moist box with damp paper towels next to his litterbox since we've been having a few shedding issues the last couple times he shed.

 

[gixxer3420]

Nice looking gecko.

 

[simplyjessi]

Thanks gixxer!

I went to the pet supply store during lunch and picked up some moss, a bowl for his calcium, uth, and a can of superworms and a sticky thermometer that I'm going to stick on the bottom of the tank under the carpet until I can find a probe thermometer (couldn't find one there or when I hopped over to ********). Also got a compact light w/ a 15 watt bulb just so I can see in his tank. . Also hit up kroger for a package of Tupperware to make his humid box! Pretty productive work-lunch, that never happens lol

 

[simplyjessi]

Oh and your tank picture just showed up for me (stupid internet) looks beautiful! Inspiring!

 

[Dog Shrink]

Thank you Jessi and yes that was a super productive lunch break. Much moreso than most of mine. All I got done during lunch was snow blowing and vacuum the house It sounds like you're on the right track with your recent purchases. You didn't mention anything about whether or not you picked up a good multi vitimin for him yet. At his age I think that is going to be really important in combination with his calcium suppliment. Please make sure you look into that. If you can't find the repashy at your local pet suppliers I can give you some links to get it on line. T-Rex brand just recently picked up one of the repashy lines called complete leopard gecko multi vit I believe. I can look into that further if you need. It has a picture of a leo on the front of a bottle with a pinkish blackish multi colored label. What size UTH did you end up picking up? dimentions and wattage if you could say please. If it gets too hot (above 95 imo) you might need to either get a thermostat or a rheostat (A light dimmer) to bring the temps down a bit 'cause too high can cause just as many issues as too low (as I am now finding out with Eros' shedding issues). When you mention can of supeworms... they're alive right 'cause he likely won't eat dead and they really don't provide the nutrition he will need.

I see you're in Colombus Oh... You're only a couple few hours away from me... I live outside of Erie pa right on the Ohio border small world I spend a lot of time your way during the spring and summer for our rabbit shows.

 

[simplyjessi]

I got the calcium powder, is there something else I need?

BTW: I hooked up the UTH and removed the UV light and he is out and about all the time now. He killed 4 crickets last night before we went to bed the last one it seemed he really didn't want so we took it out and put it back in the cricket thingy. He also had a few superworms.

I was starting the work on his second floor and he actually climbing up my arm onto the platform to see what I was doing! Looks like I got a curious guy

PS: Wow -- small world! haha. I too also showed/raised rabbits -- when I was younger though -- for 4-h haha :]

 

[Dog Shrink]

You've been a busy lil camper sounds like that light may have been bugging him a bit. GOod work. curious AND hungry fella ya got there Yes there is something else you need to dust his food with. A multi vitimin every other feeding. Usually a "shake and bake" type method to coat crickets or mealies (mealies or supers are a lot easier and) every other feeding. l the dust walking around) every other feeding.

I really like the repashy that I have mentioned a couple times

as you don't have to suppliment another calcuim product. This is complete.

or this one by T-Rex which you can likely find at pet supply outlets

I can give you a link for the repashy if you need to order it as I haven't seen it at any pet supply outlets.

 

[simplyjessi]

I've seen the second one at the local pet stores -- would i still need to supplement calcium?

 

[Dog Shrink]

If you're using a calcium plus no you do not need to suppliment additional calcium as you risk OVER supplimenting calcium and your leo could develop calcium deposits under their arms like mine recently did.

See the bubble just behind his leg in the armpit? that is a calcium deposit/bubble. It should go down on it's own now that I removed his dish of regular calcium from what the more experienced keepers have told me, so I'm hoping it does.

 

[simplyjessi]

Ah, I see! And I also know something to look for health wise!

Thanks for your time :]

 

[Dog Shrink]

You're welcome Jessi... really no need to thank me... it's why we're here right If you go with the T-rex brand leopard dust just make sure to read the ingredients and see that it does have calcium and D3 in it. I'm pretty sure it does but just to be safe.

ha found it for ya:

Calcium caseinate (source of isolated protein), calcium carbonate, honey powder, dicalcium phosphate, bee pollen, defatted wheat germ meal, alfalfa meal, spirulina algae, rosehips powder, haemotococcus algae, marigold extract, kelp meal, rosemary extract, yucca extract, natural mixed tocopherols (as a preservative), vitamin A acetate, d-activated animal sterol (source of vitamin D3), dried aspergillus oryzae fermentation extract, dried aspergillus niger fermentation extract, dried lactobacillus fermentation product, dried bifidobacterium thermophilum fermentation product, dried bifidobacterium longum fermentation product, dried enterococcus faecium fermentation product and dried bacillus subtilis fermentation product.

Guaranteed Analysis
Crude Protein (Min) 25.0%
Crude Fat (Min) 1.5%
Crude Fiber (Max) 3.0%
Moisture (Max) 8.0%
Ash 8.0%

http://www.reptilesupply.com/product.php?products_id=153

Yep should be all you need.