Need Advice- 1st Time Gecko Owner

[Ashley_archer]

I'm getting a leopard gecko in mid December and I would like to do as much research as I can before getting him. I've read through tons of articles and websites but I would like some first hand advice by those with personal experience.

I'm getting a lone male. He is currently living in a plastic tote. I'm trying to decide between a 29 gallon tank or a terrarium. I really like the idea of the tank because of the space. With the terrariums, the bigger ones are really pricey. Is a 29 gallon okay if I decide to go that route?

Also is it okay to keep a gecko by itself or do they do better in pairs?

From everything I've read, this is my plan (correct me if I'm misinformed)....

Cage Setup- I will be using fine grain play sand as a substrate. I will have a reptile heating pad on the bottom of the tank. I will also have a heat lamp if I need both to keep my temps up. I will be keeping the daytime temps between 85-90 and night time temps around 75. I will mist a couple times a day with a spray bottle to maintain humidity. The tank will have a small wet hide with jungle bedding in the bottom. I will probably go with the cork drift wood for an additional hiding spots.

Food- This is where I'm kind of stuck in the middle. I can't decide whether to feed meal worms or crickets. Then whichever route I go I need to know how to provide vitamins and D3. I'm buying Rep Cal Calcium with D3 (pink label) and Rep Cal Herptivite Multivitamins (blue label). Do I feed these 2 powders to the crickets and meal worms then feed them to my gecko? I read that some people also leave a bowl with the powder inside. I've read so many things about their diet that I'm totally confused. So I definitely need some advice in this area.

Oh and lastly, he has a redish brown nose. I've read that it usually happens when they rub it against the side of the cage due to stress (wrong temps, food, etc.) or from an injury. Can this be corrected after I get him?

THANKS!!!

 

[cassicat4]

As for the brown nose, my female had that when she was younger. In her case, it was due to her being a clumsy shedder! She would always rub her face up against her rough decor to get the shed off, which resulted in a lot of nose-rubbing/injuries. One of the herp vets I'd seen just suggested putting tear gel on it daily to help it heal, and that she'll outgrow it in time, which she did. I would say if you're concerned about it, just try and use decor that's not so rough, and ensure the shed box is kept moist to allow for easier shedding.

 

[lisa127]

What tangerine posted sounds pretty much on. Belly heat is important. Most people supply it with UTH pads. I supply mine with slate tiles with a low wattage heat bulb above them to heat them up. I suggest you invest in an infrared temperature gun to measure temps. They are invaluable and IMO the only way to get accurate floor temp readings. As for supplementing, I keep calcium without D3 in the tank at all times, and coat the insects with Reptivite with D3 one to two times a week. I myself choose to feed mostly mealworms.

 

[Lindz0518]

Since this is your first leo, I would not house him on sand. I also agree with not having bright lights because they will stress the leo out or if they are albino they are very sensitive to it. As for dusting, I just Repashy Calcium Plus, it is an all in one supplement, just dust every time you feed and you don't need to leave a dish of calcium in the tank when you use it.

 

[Ashley_archer]

Thanks for all of the advice! I will be using clay tiles instead of sand. I will be feeding a mix of meal/super worms & cricket/roaches. I'm going to set the tank up with the reptile heating pad and try not to use a lamp at all. I'm going to keep one side of the tank between 85-90 and keep the other side around 75.

 

[razorgecko1982]

if you would have went with sand, a calcium based sand is always prefered over silicone play ground based sand. This is because should the gecko consume some of it they can process it better than silicone based sand which has a higher chance of causing impactions.

 

[jemjdragon]

Calcium sand is the number 1 cause of impaction in geckos because then they purposely eat it instead of accidentally. It is not very digestible no matter what the package says.
I would not use sand if this is your first leopard gecko and I am glad to hear you will be using tile. I use slate tile in my tanks and I am very happy with it.
Like stated above pure calcium without D3 should be provided in a bowl.
I feed my leopard meal worms as a main feeder because they are easy to breed and care for. But when I can get them, I also give him silk worms and dubia roaches. Remember to gut-load your feeders. I used to feed mainly crickets but their cages can get smelly, they make noise, and they died really easily (at least they did for me). I do feed crickets if I have no other available feeders or to give variety every once in a while. I also give him wax worms as treats every now and then.

 

[Ozy]

Calci-sand is like the WORST thing you can use. This is my set up and diet, my leo is VERY healthy and strong. First thing.. DO NOT MIST THE CAGE! The only thing you need to mist is the humid hide. If you keep the humidity too high, your leo will have respiratory problems, you'll get mold and mildew and all kinds of gross stuff. I use Eco-earth in my humid hide. I have a 20 gallon long tank. Substrate is slate tile (slate is best because it conducts and retains heat better than other tiles) Underneath the tile I have hermit crab sand to get rid of air pockets and distribute heat evenly. I use a 30-40 gallon size ZooMed Repti-therm UTH that is hooked up to a HydroFarms thermostat set at 93 degrees. With the way my substrate is, I get a perfect temp gradient just from my UTH. You don't need to drop the temps at night. 85-90 is too cold for the hot side. It should be 90-95. Put the humid hide and a dry hide on the hot side. Put another hide on the cool side. I use Fluker's Castle Crib for the cool side. It is a hide/water dish combo that looks REALLY nice. As far as diet, Dubia Roaches are the best staple. They are quiet, lazy, don't smell and are REALLY easy to take care of. Plus they are nutritionally superior and easier to digest and don't carry parasites like crickets can. I feed her a couple of mealworms a day as a treat. I gut load insects with Fluker's High Calcium Cricket Diet, the gel water and organic roach chow from westcoastroaches.com.. Dust every single insect with Repashy Calcium Plus and they do not need any other supplements. If you have other questions feel free to message me. OH YEA, Leopard Geckos are solitary animals, by nature and prefer to be housed alone.