New Fatty Owner

[RJ87]

So I'm new to the gecko world. I am the happy owner of an African Fat Tailed Gecko and I'm looking for some good newbie tips from people who actually own/have owned one. I keep mine in a 10 gal tank, with a heat pad and lamp (not sure if I need one or the other, so a few opinions would be nice), along with a hide and some artificial plant life, also with a decent sized small pool.

Humidity: What percentage do you guys usually house yours at? How often do you mist?

Food: What do you feed your fatty beyond the regular meal worm and cricket? What do you use to gut feed your crickets? (Brand names you trust please)

Lighting: How long do you keep your heat lamp on? Do you switch between a red light and regular light? Do you use a heat pad along with the light?

Any other helpful tips you wish you would have known when you started taking care of your Fatty?

 

[acpart]

Welcome to GF and congratulations on your new fattie. Here's my take on your questions:


Humidity: What percentage do you guys usually house yours at? How often do you mist?

I don't worry about measuring humidity. I mist nearly daily because I have live plants and some of my fatties have enjoyed licking water droplets

Food: What do you feed your fatty beyond the regular meal worm and cricket? What do you use to gut feed your crickets? (Brand names you trust please)

I feed only crickets because that's about all they'll eat. I use progeckos gutload for the crickets and dust them with Repashy's calcium plus.

Lighting: How long do you keep your heat lamp on? Do you switch between a red light and regular light? Do you use a heat pad along with the light?

I have an under tank heater on one side where they spend most of their time. I'm including a picture of their set-up. The left side of the tank where they hang out has eco earth on top of the UTH and their hides have ceramic bottoms so they can't dig down to the UTH. The other side has clay balls for drainage. The light is on the side with the plants. If I had no plants, I wouldn't use a light because, being nocturnal, they don't need it.



Any other helpful tips you wish you would have known when you started taking care of your Fatty?

THey can be very picky about eating, especially if they go off their feed.

Here's my tank: