New leopard gecko owner needs help

[aetena]

Hi guys,
I'm new to this forum, and a new owner of a leopard gecko. I stay in Singapore, it's illegal to keep leopard geckos here but i managed to buy one from a breeder because i'm just too fascinated by them.

I need help in identifying the species of mine, got told that it's an albino but after looking on the internet i'm quite sure mine isn't an albino, so i need to know what morph mine is. It looks like a high yellow to me.

And since it's illegal to keep exotic pets here, i have difficultly getting the right equipment, the heating pad in particular. So i used an exo terra light instead, and im wondering if it's an okay substitute for the heating pad.

I used toilet paper as its substrate when i got it three days ago but today i switched it to desert sand. It started licking it a little and i hope it's not eating it up because i did read up the issue of impaction.

Supplement-wise, i managed to get a calcium powder for reptiles after looking through 6-7 pet shops, but it's one with vitamin D3. I know i'm supposed to get one without D3 but my choices are limited...

So anyway here's my lovely leopard gecko, "draque".

Do help me identify the species and feel free to give me some pointers! thank you.

 

[theCREECH]

I'm no expert by any means. but to me it looks normal, mabye high yellow. Someone with more expetise should confirm

 

[vear]

For the calcium you could get cuttlebone and scrape it with a knife. That's if you can find cuttlebone - they usually have it in the bird section.

 

[fuzzylogix]

looks like a very nice high yellow normal. sucks about the laws there. can you order under tank heating pads and have them delivered? as far as supplements, i use repashy super cal plus icb. has the calcium and vitamins already pre mixed. again see if you can order and have delivered. good luck in finding the right setup accessories, but honestly you should have considered the setup before buying the gecko. if you purchased from a local breeder, see if he has any extra accessories as well. and please get rid of the sand. use tile, butchers paper, or paper towels

 

[fl_orchidslave]

Your best bet for getting supplies is ordering online from sites that carry about everything, like lllreptile.com and a few others that are big enough to ship worldwide. Since exotics are illegal in your country, you will be in a pickle when it comes to medical care and drug supply for treatment. Vets have to adhere to the laws and will not likely put their license on the line to assist. Be sure all your husbandry requirements are met to the highest standards to avoid any potential issues with your gecko's health. Skimping in any aspect could be a death sentence. Not trying to be harsh here, but with limited resources you have to be extremely careful if you want to keep your pet happy and healthy.

 

[aetena]

Thank you for the advice guys Just threw away the sand and changed it to kitchen paper towels. About getting the heat pad online i'm pretty sure it'd cost a bomb if i have to ship it from overseas, kinda low budget now having spent more than 300SGD(around 230 USD) on it so far so i guess i need to get it some other time.
Oh yes, i'm not sure if i should worry but my leo seems to have some sort of accuracy problem when getting its food, even when a mealworm is about an inch away from its mouth it could miss snapping it. I read that adult leos should have no problem catching it's prey but mine seems to only have a strike rate accuracy of around 20%.

 

[Dog Shrink]

Your leo might have the enigma gene in there. Some Enigmas are notorious for having troubles zeroing in on food.

 

[Jordan]

the species is leopard gecko, the morph is high yellow. definitely not albino.

 

[IslaReina]

Very cute gecko, I love his chubby legs have you sexed it yet or did the breeder tell you what sex it is?

 

[LZRDGRL]

This is a pretty Normal, and Normals can't have the Enigma gene; only Enigmas get the Enigma problem, so don't worry!

Maybe yours doesn't see that well. I have some like this, too. That's pretty common. In order to raise its "strike success rate," you could tear out the jumper legs of the crickets you feed it--I know, gross!!--this way it will catch them sooner. They always find mealworms because they're slower, especially if they're fed in bulk in a dish.

I wonder why you paid about USD 230 for all of it--did somebody cheat on you or is it this expensive in your country? In the US, a Normal costs about USD 30-40, a heat lamp between 4-8 bucks, a tank between 10-20 bucks (especially if it's a used fish tank), and for food dishes you can use jar lids, and hides can be made out of deli cups you used for food, or out of styrofoam coated by grout :main_yes:

It's not THAT expensive to ship a heat mat from the US to Singapore. Since it's very flat, your shipper can use an Express Mail® International Flat Rate Envelope, USPS-Produced Envelope. I looked up the price for a 5-pound heavy envelope (just guessed what it could weigh) with the dimensions 15" x 9-1/2", which takes 3 - 5 business days to arrive: it costs $29.95.

While an overhead heat lamp works just as well, if you prefer a UTH (which uses less electricity; light bulbs are 60-75 watt, heat pads 8-16 watt; and you can still sleep in the room without a red or violet light on all the time), I would recommend to get a Zoo Med or Zilla heat pad from Amazon.com where you can find the lowest prices. Ask the shipper before buying if he/she is willing to ship to Singapore.

Little hint: heat lamps tend to burn out "often" (well, every few months or so); a UTH lasts a year or longer; after that, the glue dissolves and it gets loose at the edges and a new one is needed. At least, this has been my personal experience. Leos need belly heat to digest food, but overhead lamps also warm the floor which causes belly heat, so both solutions work. Just with overhead lamps, you also need to buy the mesh to cover your cage, and a light dome, which is USD 14-26, and spare light bulbs...

If you don't find anyone and really want a UTH, you can PM me with the size of heat pad you need (small or medium); I have no problem getting a UTH for you online and shipping it in a private letter. :main_yes:

Good luck! Seems you're doing an excellent job of providing your "secret gecko" with everything it needs

Chrissy

 

[aetena]

Thanks, i'm pretty sure it's a normal/high yellow now. It is a male.

@LZRDGRL
Hi there. Wow, i'm impressed with how you're trying to help, thanks so much!

I spent $170 on the gecko, yes it's very expensive here so i can only get this morph, wanted to get one from online (cheaper and more variety) but i think most online sellers don't ship them to Singapore.
My 17" x 10.5" x 11" tank was bought for about $35 at an aquarium.
The desert sand costs me $35, but i disposed it already.
My heating lamp, from exo terra, was bought at a price of $50 including the incandescent bulb.
All of these add up to about $290 already, excluding the supplement, hide and food dishes.
I've spent quite a bomb on it :X

Hmm, i guess i'll stick to the lamp for awhile, and will definitely get a UTH when the lamp spoils since the heating lamp seems to provide some acceptable heat for it.

 

[Nighthawk]

Hi Aetena,

If you're staying in Sinagpore,IMO, i don't think you need a heat pad.....the weather there is pretty fine for a healthy gecko, unless you are refering to a sick gecko which need special attention and need heat for recovery. I would prefer to use small wattage red bulb for night viewing instead of heating bulb.

 

[UnicornSpirit]

If they are illegal in his area then of course finding a breeder would (hopefully) be a rarity and the breeders that are around could easily charge an arm and a leg for any morph.

 

[aetena]

@nighthawk,
yeah the temperature during the day is fine, 28-32 degrees celcius but at night i usually switch on the air-conditioner and the temperature will drop to around 24 degrees celcius.
@UnicornSpirit
you're right

Anyway guys, i'm not sure why but lately my leopard gecko has been trying to get out of its tank, half the time it'd be clawing about at the sides of the tank and it even jumped a few times last night from the highest spot in the tank. Any idea why is this happening? i want it to live comfortably inside...

 

[Dog Shrink]

What have your temperatures been like lately? Do you mist the tank regularly like every couple days? Are you still using a heat lamp? If so, What type? Red blue or white? Do you still have the sand in his tank? Could it be bothering him? Making him itchy maybe? Not sure but just throwing ideas out there. Also how many hides do you have for him in the tank?

 

[Nighthawk]

I've no idea why your gecko is so hyper active, most of the time i need to open the hide and search for my gecko, IMO, could it be your tank has too much exposure or maybe you would like to cover the side of your tank to let him feel calm and secure. As they are nocturnal animal, i think its natural for them to be active during night time

 

[roger]

@nighthawk,
yeah the temperature during the day is fine, 28-32 degrees celcius but at night i usually switch on the air-conditioner and the temperature will drop to around 24 degrees celcius.
@UnicornSpirit
you're right

Anyway guys, i'm not sure why but lately my leopard gecko has been trying to get out of its tank, half the time it'd be clawing about at the sides of the tank and it even jumped a few times last night from the highest spot in the tank. Any idea why is this happening? i want it to live comfortably inside...

the clawing trying to get out of the tank is common in leos.everone of my leos do it.

 

[Sunshine]

Hi aetena, I am also staying in Singapore and I'm looking to buy a leo. Can you pm where you got yours? I can't send pm as I am a new member...

 

[LGeckoGirl]

breeder?

how did you get one?i am also livig in singapore and i am also very interested in them.could you please reply me?thank you.

 

[LGeckoGirl]

may you post a picture of how your tank looks like?thank you