New Mother here in need of a lot of help!

[Smidget88]

I am makign a dual post to one introduce myself, and 2 ask a ton of questions (probably already answered) so please bear with me as my head is in a jumble.
My name is Maureen im 21 and bought my first Leopard Gecko.

I bought him/her on a whim. I was at ***** and it just looked so adorable! I have no experience with reptiles, and the only knowledge I have is the "Half assed" knowledge provided to me by *****. I don't want my Gecko to die because of me, I have really grown quite fond of him and do not want to be the cause of his demise!! I understand it was irresponsible to buy a pet I knew nothing about. Any rude/unhelpful comments would be best appreciated if you keep it to yourselves, I do care if my gecko lives or dies i wanna be a good mommy. PLEASE HELP ME!

I was told this at *****
-They are perfectly content at temps ranging from 65-85 (degrees F)
-They need mealworms daily, and crickets 3X a week
-They shed
-They can't swim so only shallow bowls in the tank
-They love to climb
-They can become very used to being handled.
-They need a place to hide
-They can live comfortably in a 10 gallon tank

What I purchased, and what is his/her habitat
-A ten Gallon fish tank
-A wire net top
-Reptile tank carpet
-Small mealworms
-A small food bowl
-A shallow water dish
-A busshel of fake leaves to hide in
-A (fake) log, thats made of plastic
-A digital tank thermometer

Info on my Gecko
-His name is Spot (original i know)
-He eats very well, I usually fill his bowl twice a day
-His tail is fairly fat
-Hes extremely pale (most likely about to begin a shed)
-He spends a lot of time sleeping or hiding
-when i handle him he loves to crawl all over the place and doesnt mind handling he is quite calm
-The tank temperature ranges from 76-83 (degrees F)

My Questions (I asked a lot of questions at *****, but their "expert" has been wrong thus far from what Im reading)
-What is a moist hide? How do I make a moist hide? What side of the tank should it go on (warm/cold)? (I know a dry hide is just a place for them to hang out and well, hide)
-Should I get a heat pad for under the tank?
-If I get a heat lamp does it need any special lights bulbs (UVA or UVB) or just plain heat lights?
- How long does the shed last for, and how can I help him get through it better?
- How much food is normal for a baby (Ive been using small meal worms, mini froze dry crickets, and live small crickets)?
-After reading some posts I have purchased Flukes Multi vitamin spray, and Repto Cal (Calcium powder). How do I know his needs are met?
-Is it safe to house any other geckos of a different variety with him?

Thats all I can think of now, THANKS ALL SOO much for bearing with me and my long post and ALL hekp given. My lil buddy (Spot) appreciates it too:main_thumbsup:

 

[acpart]

In general, the tank should be warmer (on the floor, not the air) to about 92 or so, you really don't need a heat lamp, and you should feed a little one as much as s/he'll eat. If you go to the tab that says articles/caresheets at the top of the page, you will find a number of good caresheets that address most of your questions. You'll notice that the information varies from caresheet to caresheet. That's because there is more than one way to take care of these guys. You'll soon see where most people are in agreement and where they differ. When there's a contradiction you don't understand, ask here and we'll try to answer.

Welcome to GF!

Aliza

 

[RocksMama77]

First off congratulations on your new addition and welcome. Aliza said it all but I wanted to add a little. Definitely read every care sheet you can but be willing and ready to mold your husbandry to your little one specifically. I have 6 geckos and each one is different. I have some that are super social and one that would rather bite me than look at me. I have good eaters and not so good eaters. Be prepared to panic for the first little bit about every little thing. Being a new mama to anything is very stressful, so be patient with your self and your little one and remember we are always here for you.

 

[snakegirl]

Welcome to gecko forums! and congratulations on your new leopard gecko


when keeping a leopard gecko you will have a "Warm side (range high 80's)" and a "cool side (mid 70's)" Many people say heat lamps dont work well, and to only use Under tank heater, However i find as long as you achieve The heat range it works just fine. Remember to never keep your gecko on sand and you can use Paper towel,tile, or reptile carpet. Always use a reptile Calcium brand to keep your gecko healthy, You will need to keep a bowl of "Calcium" (green label) in the cage at all times then 2 times a week Dust your feeders in "Calcium with D3" (Pink label) you could also buy a jar of Vitamins save for reptiles (blue label) and use it ever so often here is a photo




-What is a moist hide? How do I make a moist hide? What side of the tank should it go on (warm/cold)? (I know a dry hide is just a place for them to hang out and well, hide)

you could go as fancy as buying a "Reptile cave" i think zoomed makes them there a bit much or do what many people do and use a Food (ziplock or glad) Small plastic food bowl. cut a hole out and add Damp paper towel or even coco soft, then place it on the cool side


-Should I get a heat pad for under the tank?

Many people Only use Under tank heaters, However i found if you require the right heat, Anything works. Make sure you Do not go over the 90's range, Normally You only need one Heating item to Keep it warm in the cage (so dont over do it)

-If I get a heat lamp does it need any special lights bulbs (UVA or UVB) or just plain heat lights?


Nope, as long as you keep up with Normal calcium needs with the D3 and Pure calcium (as shown uptop) your gecko doesn't need any kind of lighting


- How long does the shed last for, and how can I help him get through it better?

you will notice them getting pale or to the point its almost like a thin sheet of grayish skin coming off (few days) They normally can handle taking off the shed by them self and eating it. However a warm Soak in water, Humid hide, or taking it off with tweezers is a good way to help get off that Shed if it becomes stuck.


- How much food is normal for a baby (Ive been using small meal worms, mini froze dry crickets, and live small crickets)?


Never feed Dead,frozen dried, feeders they dont hold the Natural "goodness" like Live feeders do and i heard there not good for leopard geckos. I feed mine Meal worms (always keeping a bowl full of them at all times) And i will drop in Waxworms as a treat time to time, Crickets are never eaten by my leopard geckos so i do not use them....As for how much food. its up to the gecko they can have As much as they want, but if you see your gecko throwing up his food, His eating to much and you should Cut back




just follow the info i left uptop.


-Is it safe to house any other geckos of a different variety with him?

No, you will find Many people Do not keep geckos together only for breeding and then place them back in there own cages, Geckos do not need "friends or buddies" they can become overly stressed and fight.


SOME Risks of keeping geckos together

Male/female = will over breed,Hurt one another, female could run in alot of heath problems if to small for breeding

Male/male = will Fight to the death, Males will fight with other males In no way should you ever keep a male with a male there will be a deadly fight.

Female/female: Some people have done this in the past, i find it to risky and not worth it. females will fight with other females they Do not like and stress each other out way to much.

Good luck with your gecko Let me or anyone else know on here, if you need anymore help. Once again welcome to gecko forums :main_thumbsup:​

 

[ariana]

welcome to geckoforums they have it about covered

 

[Mel&Keith]

It sounds like the pet store did a pretty good job with it's information. I've certainly heard worse! Congratulations on your new addition, I'm sure you're going to have a blast watching him grow.

I just wanted to add a thought on lighting. Leopard geckos are nocturnal so UVB lights can actually cause problems. Their skin isn't really meant to handle excessive sun exposure so stay away from that type of lighting. There aren't any benefits of heat lamps over under tank heaters and most agree that the belly heat aids in digestion. Since you don't currently have a heating element I would suggest going with an UTH.

 

[Cornman21]

Congrats and I think someone might have addded this but, just to mention if you did purchase a UTH dont let it run just by itself. Use either a thermostat or a rheostat(dimmer). A UTH non controlled will reach into the 120 degree zone! I've measured a UTH with out any controll and it reached 121 degrees at the surface. And to add, make sure the thermometer you have has a probe and it is attatched to the bottom of the tank where it gets the hottest. If it is a dial type get a new one. Because having a 92F ambient temp means the glass is probably into the 100s. Just some tips

 

[Smidget88]

THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!!! I'm going to get cracking on all the great suggestions thank you! And an aside Spot went through his shed last night his skin all came off and he ate most of it without problem. He has a few stray pieces on his toes but that should come off when he gets climbing around. I was wondering though is it ok to handle him or will his "new skin" be sensitive?

 

[ariana]

its fine to handle him but it would be a good idea to soak him in *warm* water to help get the shed off