Nervous Newbie to Leopard Geckos

[PFGeckos]

Hello. This afternoon I took in a pair of leopard geckos. I've been thinking of trying something other than cresteds, and their owner is packing up and leaving and was giving them away. I wanted to get them before this one guy who has been promising to give geckos and small animals a good home when he sees them on Craigslist (where these were) could get them. He's been giving the animals a new home all right--in his snakes' bellies. (I posted something about the situation on Craigslist several weeks back, and got a nasty e-mail from a snake person, after which he stopped advertising for small animals and someone removed my post.)

Anyway, I have the leopard geckos in a room that's always warm in the summer so they're quarantined away from the cresties. They're juvies, about 31 grams, and in a 10 gallon tank. They came with the decorations, a light, a blue light, and an undertank heating pad.

The tank was getting too hot, up to 89 on the cool side and 91-92 on the warm side. Should I unplug the heater under the tank for the summer? The room goes down to about 72 at night and around 78-80 during the day. I don't want them to get too warm while I'm gone to work tomorrow.

I don't know what morphs they are. One is bright yellow/orange with spots mostly on the head and tail. The other is pure white without any spots and a sort of lavender undertone. When I weighed the spotted one (31.1 grams) he took off and I had to catch him, and he/she shook his/her tail so I left it alone because I don't want a dropped tail. I don't want to try for pictures until they're more settled.

I was told they're getting ready to shed, so I put some damp NZ sphagnum moss in the hide on the warm side. I posted about this in the crested gecko forum that I belong to, but there are more leo people here, and I'm a worried newbie. They are so pretty, I don't want anything to happen. Thank you for your time and patience and advice.

 

[JordanAng420]

Hey there, welcome!
First and foremost I want to thank you for rescuing these guys from a potentially tragic situation. How horrible!

I agree that 89 is too warm for the cool side. 91-92 is perfect for the hot side though. I would stick to using the under tank heater only. If you have or can purchase a thermostat to keep the temperature regulated, that would be ideal. Set the lights aside for now, you don't need them for this species. Room lighting/daylight through window (indirect) is sufficient. Your room temps at 72 at night and 78-80 during the day should also be sufficient for "cool side" temps.

Do you plan on keeping them together? I would recommend separating them, so you can keep track of who's eating, pooping, etc. I know they've been together for a long time, but in the long run, it's usually healthier for the animals, and easier for you. Which brings me to another question...any idea of their sex? If not, it's probably best just to leave them be until they settle in. If they end up being male/female, be on the lookout for eggs. Another good reason to separate if there are no intentions of breeding.

Looking foreward to seeing pics when they settle in! And welcome to GeckoForums.

 

[PFGeckos]

Thank you so much for the advice and welcome. No, I don't know their sex, but I do have about a half dozen empty tanks here, plenty of hides, and an extra under tank heating pad that was given to me, so separating them in the near future is not a problem. They both are of good weight with fat in their tails, so I don't think bullying is happening at the minute, but that could change at any time.

The room stays fairly dark, but there is a definite day/night cycle, so as long as leos don't need UVB, things should be OK. Some time this summer I plan to turn another room into a reptile room, then the leos can move into the living room until they no longer need to be quarantined.

The white one is curled up in the damp sphagnum moss. Do leos need a humidity cycle, and what is the optimal humidity for them?

 

[JordanAng420]

No UVB is needed for them. Keeping the sphagnum moss damp at all times is just fine. Honestly, I don't really know the optimal humidity for them. For me, and for most other folks, keeping a humid hide in there at all times works great. Every couple of days or so, just make sure your sphagnum moist is damp. This will help with shedding, and the little pieces that tend to get stuck on fingers, toes, noses, and eyelids.

 

[Dimidiata]

Nice save, welcome to GF.

 

[PFGeckos]

Thank you, I'll keep it moist. I unplugged everything except the heating pad, and they're starting to come out and look around. This was a sort of sudden situation, so I didn't have time to do any research on leos before bringing them home.

And thanks, Dimidiata. It's great to have a place like this to come for advice.

 

[JordanAng420]

You have done a fantastic job. Feel free to ask as many questions as you need to.

 

[PFGeckos]

Thank you! My personal stress-o-meter has gone down from about 10 to about 2.

When they settle in, you'll get to see some pictures.

 

[PFGeckos]

The white one came out, so I turned on the light to take a quick picture. Can you tell me the morph? I don't know the difference between the snow and blizzard morphs.

Thanks!

 

[JordanAng420]

Looks like a Blizzard. It's a recessive morph. From what I can see, it looks pretty healthy. Nice fat tail. Cute pose!

 

[PFGeckos]

Thanks again. When the other one comes out I'll get a picture of it too, but I think the spotted one's had enough of me today after that little weighing and escape episode.

 

[PFGeckos]

Here's a quick picture of the other one. He/she ran into a hide as soon as I took it, and is not looking as colorful as yesterday. I'm guessing he/she was just not in the mood to fire up. Yesterday this gecko was a bright yellow/orange. Any idea what morph it is?

 

[katie_]

I think the second might be a male, due to the pronounced bump near the base of his tail. Post some pictures of their undersides when they get a little more comfortable other one and we'll make sure

If ones male, you will probably want to seperate them no matter the sex of the other gecko.

 

[JordanAng420]

This one I would call a hypo (due to the decreased amount of black spots) with tangerine influence. The tangerine part is just kind of a polygenetic trait that happens when one or both parents has tangerine influence. Leopard geckos don't really fire up like Crested geckos or Leachie geckos. The brightness can vary with stress and temperatures too. When I was out of power for almost a week, nobody had heat, everyone got super cold and really dark. Most likely yours is just stressed out from all the moving around and change of environment. Double check your temps in there today, just to be sure though. Also, they can appear dark when they first start to show signs of shedding.

And I agree with Katie, my eyes immediately went to those bulges at the base of the tail. Could be a boy. They both look pretty darn healthy though. They are very lucky geckos to have found a home with you.

 

[PFGeckos]

Oh dear, if one is a male, I know what that means. I don't need a gecko that's egg bound from being bred too early if the white one is a female, and don't want to breed leos. How long do they store sperm, and how big do they usually get before they start laying eggs?

If the white one is a male, they'll need to be separated anyway.

Confetti sounds like a good name for the spotted one, he looks like he's been sprinkled with it.

 

[PFGeckos]

Here are a few pictures from today.

Good morning!

The orange and purple on this one are much brighter in person.