new leo owner

[leogecko87]

As my title says I'm completely new to owning a Leo. I purchased him and his housing today. I've been doing some reading and been getting a lot of different info that is helpful on this forum. I still have some questions tho. How often should I feed? How often should I run the light for? (Guy at the pet store said run it for 12 hours and they will be fine with room temp. My.house is at 78 non stop and I run my fans in my tool where he is) the guy at the shop said I should feed him tonight but when I put a few crickets in he didn't seem to be interested and went into his enclosure. I think that's it if anyone has any other newbie food to look out for please share and thank you for the help!

 

[leogecko87]

Also handling how do I make him/her comfortable with me?

 

[TranceZ]

1. Congrats
2. You don't need a light source and if you're using that as your heating element the guy told you wrong. You'll need a heat pad for belly heat.
3. I'd let him settle in to his new cage for a few days before trying to feed him. Juvi-adults usually eat every other day or every 3rd day. I usually just leave a small dish of mealworms I usually refill every week.
4. Handling, again let the gecko settle in so it has some time to be comfortable with his new home. Holding it right away might just keep it stressed out and will continue not to eat.

 

[leogecko87]

Thank you for the help. I'll be getting a heating pad today. When buying a heating pad should it cover the base of the tank or just half of it? Also should I get some sort of thermometer to read what temp the tank is at? If so what type of thermometer is Google to give me a good accurate reading?

 

[garner63080]

You want a pad that covers 1/3 of the tank directly below their hide. Also you need a humid hide for shedding and a cool hide (3 total).

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using Tapatalk 2

 

[GeckoCrossing]

Thank you for the help. I'll be getting a heating pad today. When buying a heating pad should it cover the base of the tank or just half of it? Also should I get some sort of thermometer to read what temp the tank is at? If so what type of thermometer is Google to give me a good accurate reading?

Heat pad should cover about 1/3 of the tank on one side. A good thermometer is any with a probe that you can put on the surface to get an accurate reading, or the best is an infrared thermometer which you can just point and click for a very accurate surface temperature. (http://www.tempgun.com/order.html Is where I get mine)

 

[TranceZ]

Here's a vid on how I set up my tubs. This might give you an idea on how to setup your tank. Remember to keep it simple. http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=630522033571

 

[leogecko87]

I'm getting a little worried now. It's been 4 days and he hasn't been eating at all. Well actually I think he's had one mealworm. I have a dish with 5 mealworms on and and none are gone and one cricket in the tank and he's not even remotely interested. I have yet to see any poop in the tank and I've even.checked his hides. I went to buy the heat pad from the place I bought him from and they said i didn't need it seeing as we live in Florida and its but when I pull him out sometimes his belly seems cool. Anyhelp would be great.

Thank you

 

[mango+cola]

You need to get a heat mat, it doesn't matter if you live in Florida or not, the point is you said your house was at a constant 78? Thats no where near hot enough, it needs to be mid 90's, so unless you want to turn your heat in your house up that high id suggest a heat pad. They need the belly heat to be able to digest food properly and they can get very sick without it. Don't listen to pet stores, most of the time they just make things up because they don't know how to properly care for reptiles. 4 days isnt a long time, he is probably very stressed at the moment from the move and new environment, take the food out of the tank and just leave him completely alone for a few days, then try the food again, he needs time to settle in. And, don't leave crickets constantly in the tank, you can do this with mealworms but not crickets. They are loud and annoying to the gecko and that cricket is probably making the situation worse, so just take it out. I don't know if you turned off that light like someone suggested, but light is stressful to geckos too, so don't turn that light on. Also, are you supplementing the food with vitamins and calcium? Also, you shouldn't be handeling him, you aren't supposed to hold them when they are new until a few weeks so they can settle in.

 

[leogecko87]

Thank you for all the help! I have a good up date my Leo is doing well and eating well and lookin healthy! Thanks again for all the help!

 

[vinnie-gecko]

well i recently bought my first leopard gecko and i will tell you my routine

7am lights come on. i then do a spot clean, spray his/hers humid hide, change his/hers water
7pm lights turn off. i drop in around 10-12 small crickets at around 7:30-8pm (sometimes a bit later if i get in from work late) i usually leave the crickets in for about 20 minutes then take out any he/she didnt eat.

you should have a warm and a cool side in the tank. mine is around 74 on the cool side and about 94-100 on the warm side. also make sure you have at least 3 hides.

good luck with your little guy.

 

[geckos9]

well i recently bought my first leopard gecko and i will tell you my routine

7am lights come on. i then do a spot clean, spray his/hers humid hide, change his/hers water
7pm lights turn off. i drop in around 10-12 small crickets at around 7:30-8pm (sometimes a bit later if i get in from work late) i usually leave the crickets in for about 20 minutes then take out any he/she didnt eat.

you should have a warm and a cool side in the tank. mine is around 74 on the cool side and about 94-100 on the warm side. also make sure you have at least 3 hides.

good luck with your little guy.

If you mean your room light, then that is ok. Leopard geckos dont need reptile heat lamps. 100 F is very hot for leopard geckos. the hottest it can be is 94 to 95 degrees F. Any hotter and it is not good for the gecko

 

[vinnie-gecko]

ok first how old is it. if its a baby you will want to feed it everyday.
you should also have a heatmat in the tank/viv. my geckos temps are
cool side 75-78
warm side 95-100

your lights can be on from 10-12 hours a day. i usually have mine on about 12 hours. but since it would be hiding during the day you dont really need a light on it

 

[vinnie-gecko]

actually 100 is fine for it, if it was too hot it would move to the cool hide but it stays in the hide on the warm side. and i use a 5.0 uvb bulb in the tank

 

[LeopardShade]

actually 100 is fine for it, if it was too hot it would move to the cool hide but it stays in the hide on the warm side. and i use a 5.0 uvb bulb in the tank

I would consider 100 degrees to be a bit too hot for the warm side for leopard geckos. Also, with them being nocturnal, there is really no need to provide them with UVB, as they are not basking lizards and bright light can be a major stressor for them. As far as D3 goes, they can get that through their supplements.