New Leo Owner... Could Use some help (Pic Heavy)

[ashiurna]

Picked up this little beauty at the petstore Saturday

Had to keep it in this makeshift home while I spent the weekend in NJ due to the recent storm. Made my best efforts to try to keep her warm which was very challenging since it was freezing in the house.


Finally got back home to NY and was able to put her in her new home. A 24x 18x 12 exo terra terrarium with 3 hides. The tree having moist paper towels, hot side on the right. Temps on the hot side range from 85-92 depending on how close to center of the UTH. Cool side gets as low as 72ish(too cold?). I have a combination of porcelin and slate tiles with Sand underneath for heat distribution. Unfortunatly none of the hardware stores I went to did tile cutting on premises so I ended up having to stack them in some areas to cover any openings where the sand could be reached. I currently do not have any lights for the tank. But there is a aquarium right next to the terrarium which slightly illuminates it. Does the lack of light change supplementation needs? Specifically, do I need to supplement D3 given no light in her tank?



Was concerned with her not eating the first two days but when I isolated her in a tupperware container with some gut loaded, calcium dusted small mealies she ate well. Even found 2 poops so seems like feeding is on the right track. Will pick up some small crickets tomorrow to provide some variety but id prefer to keep mealworms as her staple.

One BIG concern is due to some photos I took when she was in the container... The flash illuminated her gut very well and im VERY worried that she is gravid! She seems FAR too small to be pregnant, but was housed with 2 other Leo's at the pet store. She measures in at only 11 cm long, not sure about the weight(based on postal scale I estimate 10-15 grams), she was the biggest of the 3 in the tank for whatever that is worth. Have a look for yourself. Again im assuming she is female, hopefully you reptile veterans can chime in.


Otherwise she seems very healthy, alert, curious. Since shes been in the tank her colors have dulled/look ashy. I believe she is starting to shed but have yet to see her approach the moist hide. Gave her a light misting just to be on the safe side. Havent seen her near the water bowl either but I was at work all day so she might have walked around there at some point.

 

[SC Geckos]

A gecko that tiny is for sure not gravid. I would guess she is only a month old two at the most. The whiteish areas in her belly towards her tail are fat bodies (stored fat).
As far as not seeing her in her moist hide it may be because the enclosure is a little on the large side for her size and she may not know where everything is yet. Baby geckos tend to do better in small enclosures because they feel more secure and it is easy to find everything without having to wander to far. She will figure out where everything is in time but you may want to add a humid hide on both sides of the enclosure. This way she is bound to find one of them if she needs a humidity boost.
As far as lighting, they do not require any lights. Just enough to determine day from night.
The gecko should be provided calcium and vitamin supplements by dusting her food and providing a dish of the powder in the enclosure.
Last I would suggest reading ALOT of care sheets on these animals so you can provide the best care possible for her.

 

[ashiurna]

A gecko that tiny is for sure not gravid. I would guess she is only a month old two at the most. The whiteish areas in her belly towards her tail are fat bodies (stored fat).
As far as not seeing her in her moist hide it may be because the enclosure is a little on the large side for her size and she may not know where everything is yet. Baby geckos tend to do better in small enclosures because they feel more secure and it is easy to find everything without having to wander to far. She will figure out where everything is in time but you may want to add a humid hide on both sides of the enclosure. This way she is bound to find one of them if she needs a humidity boost.
As far as lighting, they do not require any lights. Just enough to determine day from night.
The gecko should be provided calcium and vitamin supplements by dusting her food and providing a dish of the powder in the enclosure.
Last I would suggest reading ALOT of care sheets on these animals so you can provide the best care possible for her.

I certainly hope your right about the fat stores. I keep a small bottle cap full of calcium in the corner that she likes in the hot side. Right now im using the calciums/vitamin supp that came in the leo gecko smapler that I bought. Will switch to repshay (spelling?) calcium supp once im out of that. She seems to spend some time in the cool hide since that is where she is pooping so im confident the temps are close to ideal. Should warm up a bit more as winter fades away. I might add another water dish just to be sure she can find it easily.

Are you certain its a female? Is her morph just normal/high yellow possibly? What would you recommend for cleaning?

 

[SC Geckos]

I am not certain its a female. But I am positive that tiny gecko is not gravid. lol! !Pictures are very hard to see. I was calling the gecko a she because you were. It can be hard to tell the sex of a gecko that small. Last thing, I would add a second humid hide insted of a second water dish. Fill it w/damp paper towels and it will serve as a second place to assist w/sheds and the gecko can lick the condensation when thirsty. Young geckos drink much more condensation from the enclosure then they drink from a bowl