New gecko

[Brian Jay]

Hey guys, so i just got a new leopard gecko on Tuesday, and it's now Thursday. He looks to be about 3 1/2 inches long, about the length of half of my hand. I have a zoomed UTH, that i turn on at about 7 am and leave on till 7 pm. Overnight the temperature in the tank gets down to about 70, and during the day it goes up very slowly, from 70 to 95/100 at its peak right before i turn it off, so its in between 80 and 90 for most of the day. I'm feeding him meal worms, gut-loaded on a whole bunch of fruits and vegetables, and yesterday I dusted some of them with Tetra Reptocal. Now, ive only seen him a few times, as he spends most of his time in his humid hide,(which is made of the little container he came home in and some sphagnum moss that im misting everyday), and over the past two days hes eaten three mealworms. Am I doing okay? Is it normal for him not to leave his humid hide when i first get him, are temps okay? The UTH doesnt allow me to control temperatures, but in about a month he will be moving from his 10g right now to a wooden vivarium that will be thermostat controlled or whatever its called with the heat tape. What should I be doing differently? I posted a picture of him on the intros thread, but ill post it again here so everyone can see it xD I dont think many people go onto the intros thread. He seems too little to me, I got him from ++++++++ which I know is stupid, but now I have a ++++++++ gecko and need to make sure he lives a long healthy life lol.

 

[MikesReptiles95]

I would buy a heat mat thermostat right now so you don't have to keep turning on/off the heat mat. But it's only been a couple days and you new gecko is just now getting used to the environment so I wouldn't worry too much about you gecko only eating a few mealworms. But keep an eye on him and if he doesn't eat much for a week or two, it could mean that he prefers crickets, or you could be doing something wrong with the setup. Do you have two hides AND a humid hide?

 

[MikesReptiles95]

I hate using smartphones to type. Your*

 

[SC Geckos]

Congrats on your new gecko. He is very small but that is because he looks pretty young. He also is a bit thin but Im sure he will fatten right up if fed and supplemented properly.
In addition to the calcium you are dusting with I suggest also using a vitamin supplement as well to insure the little guy gets everything he needs in his diet. Also leave a small dish of these supplements in the enclosure at all times. You can drop the mealworms in this dish too.
As far as your temps, the surface temp on the warm side of the tank should stay between 88 - 92 degrees at all times. All UTH's require the use of a thermostat to regulate there temps. Without the correct temps the gecko may not have much of an appetite.
I would not be concerned with him hiding alot. That is normal for a leopard gecko especially a very young one.

 

[Brian Jay]

After the first two days he didn't eat any more mealworms, and by a week after that he had stopped pooping, so i switched him to crickets and he eats them like a champ! I normally feed him 5-7 small crickets every night, but tonight i accidentally dumped like 12 in there and he ate em all. He's getting so much bigger now it feels like! Even just two weeks later, I can feel him when he walks in my hand now, and i think hes adapting pretty well ^^ I got a lamp dimmer for $11 at home depot, and that solves the heating problem. He's still a bit skittish when i want to pick him up, but once he's on my hand he chills and crawls all over lol. He even falls asleep in my palm xD Thanks for the replies guys ^^

 

[hollyswamp]

Congrats on the new leopard gecko. Take good care of him

If i was you i would invest in a UTH, in my opinion it's the best heating method for geckos out there