New setup, couple of geckos from nice to anti-social

[kgb_m3]

Hey guys, I picked up a couple of leopard geckos last night and have a small concern.

They were social and active at the store, when I handled them, they were calm and sat on me for a while, etc.. Since coming home to their new setup, all they do is sit under the rock hideaway to the left:

Also one of them hissed at me when I tried to put him/her into new home.
My gf was up at night and said she saw them slowly come out to drink a bit of water. One ate a couple of crickets. Then right back to under the rock...

I currently have 2 crested babies and 1 adult. All three have been social since day one and not shy by any means. Is this kind of behavior normal from a leopard?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated

pics of them:

 

[.leopardgeckos.]

Congratulations on your new leopard geckos. Your habitat is missing some important items.

1) Sand should not be used, at all. Period. It will cause impaction, which is almost always fatal and is very expensive to treat. I recommend switching to paper towels ASAP!

2) I do not see a calcium dish in the enclosure. This is very important for leopard geckos, especially babies. I recommend Rep-Cal Calcium Without D3.

3) The dial thermometer you are using is inaccurate. I recommend one temp. gun or two digital thermometers. You want to measure the floor temperature, not the air temperature.

4) I do not see any heat pad cord, so I am assuming you do not have a heat pad. This is a must for leopard geckos as it is natural and it helps them digest their food. The heat pad will create a warm side and a cool side. The warm side should be 90 to 95 degrees and the cool side should be room temperature.

5) I do not see a humid hide. This is very important as it helps them shed.

6) I do not recommend heat lamps. Bright lights stress leopard geckos out and may cause them to hide most of the time and stop eating.

7) I do not recommend housing multiple leopard geckos together, especially babies.

8) The single hide you have provided is not closed enough. It will cause them stress since they feel exposed. I recommend getting two hides that are more closed. Put one in the middle and one on the cool side. The humid hide goes on the warm side.

I believe that is it. If you have ANY questions on what I have said, feel free to ask.

The behavior they are displaying is completely normal for babies. With time, they will become very docile.

Good luck!

Edit: He is a example of what your enclosure should look like: http://www.onlinegeckos.com/basic-leopard-gecko-tank-setup.html

 

[kgb_m3]

Lol, so you're basically saying to start over..

Thank you for taking the time to write the list of issues, but I am pretty set on keeping things the way they are for the most part. I do not see anything wrong with using sand and heat lamps. They keep them on sand at the pet store and have heat lamps. Also the sand is a good heat conductor and last I checked, they don't use paper towels in the wild

I also do not see anything wrong with having two live together as they did from day one. They get along great and have plenty of food. Once they get older and I find out their sexes, I will separate them if they both end up being males.

I am planning on adding a humid hide and the under tank heat pad along with two digital temp sensors. They seem to be doing much better since yesterday. I see them coming out and basking under the heat lamp and exploring the tank a bit more. Pretty sure with time, they'll be just fine!

 

[LeoGirl1999]

Lol, so you're basically saying to start over..

Thank you for taking the time to write the list of issues, but I am pretty set on keeping things the way they are for the most part. I do not see anything wrong with using sand and heat lamps. They keep them on sand at the pet store and have heat lamps. Also the sand is a good heat conductor and last I checked, they don't use paper towels in the wild

Ok, first let me say that I know I'm not an expert, and I know I haven't even owned a gecko yet, but I did do my research.

How do I word this? Hmm... They need "below-them" heat and not "above-them" heat. Does that sound right? Sorry, I'm not amazing at wording things. So that is one thing wrong with the overhead light.

Sand can cause impaction depending on what kind it is.

Like I said, I'm not an expert. Go ahead and correct me if I'm wrong, anyone. This is just what I learned from my research. And, as mentioned before, I am not good at wording things, so the "below/above" might be a little confusing. But yeah, I just wanted to help. :main_thumbsup:

 

[NinjaDuo]

Lol, so you're basically saying to start over..

Thank you for taking the time to write the list of issues, but I am pretty set on keeping things the way they are for the most part. I do not see anything wrong with using sand and heat lamps. They keep them on sand at the pet store and have heat lamps. Also the sand is a good heat conductor and last I checked, they don't use paper towels in the wild

I also do not see anything wrong with having two live together as they did from day one. They get along great and have plenty of food. Once they get older and I find out their sexes, I will separate them if they both end up being males.

I am planning on adding a humid hide and the under tank heat pad along with two digital temp sensors. They seem to be doing much better since yesterday. I see them coming out and basking under the heat lamp and exploring the tank a bit more. Pretty sure with time, they'll be just fine!

Mmmmm no, sorry but no. They live in cracks of rocks... Not a whole lot of sand. And they need belly heat. You should buy a uth. There's not really any other way to set up a gecko. So you asked for advice.... Use the information given. They don't bask like a beardie..... They prefer the dark

 

[kaws]

LOL, did you do ANY RESEARCH before you got those leos ? It also seems like EVERYTHING you listed is WRONG. Everything .leopardgecko. mentioned is correct. Why ask for "advice" when you don't wanna take any ?

Petstores aren't known for being too smart when it comes to gecko care. Search on these forums and you'll read all the horror stories about neglect. Theres a CHANCE that they can get impacted from the sand. Key word - CHANCE. Do you wanna take that chance so you can have a 'nice setup" ?

Heat lamps are used to heat the ambient/air temp. 99.9% of care sheets DON'T MENTION heat lamps. Leopards need BELLY HEAT to digest food. When your gecko is laying on the sand how is it getting heat from BENEATH ?

They may get along great NOW but what makes you think that one day they might not into a little fight ? And then a tail gets dropped. Once again, it all comes down to CHANCE. But there are ALOT of stories from other owners that have had these things happen to them and personally I don't take the chance.

 

[roger]

LOL, did you do ANY RESEARCH before you got those leos ? It also seems like EVERYTHING you listed is WRONG. Everything .leopardgecko. mentioned is correct. Why ask for "advice" when you don't wanna take any ?

Petstores aren't known for being too smart when it comes to gecko care. Search on these forums and you'll read all the horror stories about neglect. Theres a CHANCE that they can get impacted from the sand. Key word - CHANCE. Do you wanna take that chance so you can have a 'nice setup" ?

Heat lamps are used to heat the ambient/air temp. 99.9% of care sheets DON'T MENTION heat lamps. Leopards need BELLY HEAT to digest food. When your gecko is laying on the sand how is it getting heat from BENEATH ?

They may get along great NOW but what makes you think that one day they might not into a little fight ? And then a tail gets dropped. Once again, it all comes down to CHANCE. But there are ALOT of stories from other owners that have had these things happen to them and personally I don't take the chance.

I ditto all the info that was given

 

[katie_]

Please listen to the advice these people are giving you.
Sand can be very dangerous, and lighting can stress them out - possibly why theyre hiding.
When you start your research, you will read that sometimes geckos need space and time before they will be confident enought to explore their environments.

 

[kgb_m3]

Thanks for advice guys, I agree with most things and I have done a little research, but not as much as I should have. Considering I own cresteds and heard leo's are much less maintenance, I didn't give it too much thought and threw this setup together.

I have an extra under tank heater I will install tonight and a humid hideout.

As far as the lighting goes, can they have anything? What about viewing lights? Would red LEDs work? They work great for my cresteds, how about leos?

 

[roger]

Thanks for advice guys, I agree with most things and I have done a little research, but not as much as I should have. Considering I own cresteds and heard leo's are much less maintenance, I didn't give it too much thought and threw this setup together.

I have an extra under tank heater I will install tonight and a humid hideout.

As far as the lighting goes, can they have anything? What about viewing lights? Would red LEDs work? They work great for my cresteds, how about leos?

All leos need is the ambient daylight that they get through windows etc.Thats why we give them the D3.If bright lights are shining at night it will totally stress them out. If you would like to view your leos at night Ive used the infrared lighting which is harmless to the leos and they cant see any light from the infrared.Keep it far enough away.It throws some heat.

 

[.leopardgeckos.]

Thank you for taking the time to write the list of issues, but I am pretty set on keeping things the way they are for the most part. I do not see anything wrong with using sand and heat lamps. They keep them on sand at the pet store and have heat lamps. Also the sand is a good heat conductor and last I checked, they don't use paper towels in the wild

-Sand causes impaction, which is painful for the gecko, expensive to treat, and almost always fatal. Bright lights (heat lamps) stress them out. Pet Stores usually do not take care of their leopard geckos properly. They don't have paper towels in the wild, yes, I know that. But they have very little sand in the wild... They live on a dirt ground, with very little sand, so putting them on sand is completely unnatural:

http://blogs.reuters.com/photographers-blog/files/2009/05/01c1.jpg

You can't buy that dirt at a local pet store, so that's why we leopard gecko owners use paper towels, reptile carpet, tile, etc. I personally don't recommend reptile carpet because they can lose their toenails on it.

I also do not see anything wrong with having two live together as they did from day one. They get along great and have plenty of food. Once they get older and I find out their sexes, I will separate them if they both end up being males.

-Females will sometimes fight, so you need to be prepared to separate them if they do.

I am planning on adding a humid hide and the under tank heat pad along with two digital temp sensors.

-Good. I really do recommend removing the heat lamp. Bright lights will affect your geckos' health.

Good luck.

 

[katie_]

Thanks for advice guys, I agree with most things and I have done a little research, but not as much as I should have. Considering I own cresteds and heard leo's are much less maintenance, I didn't give it too much thought and threw this setup together.

I have an extra under tank heater I will install tonight and a humid hideout.

As far as the lighting goes, can they have anything? What about viewing lights? Would red LEDs work? They work great for my cresteds, how about leos?

I have both leos and cresties, and I find leos to be much, MUCH higher maintenance.
Also, if one is male you will still want to seperate them to avoid your young female from being gravid early.
I don't want to sound like I'm lecturing you, but these are crucial points.

 

[artes]

You can use a regular light during the day if you want. Do a lower wattage so it doesn't hurt their eyes. I use a 25 watt reptile basking light for watching them whenever they decide to play during the day.

I love your little gecko with the white tail. That gecko will grow up to be lovely.

I have never had a problem housing babies together, so if you want to continue to do so, just monitor them closely. I would get rid of the sand, due to the fact it harbors bacteria like a bacteria loving sponge. You have to change it every couple of weeks to keep it from building up, and removing sand is a freaking pain in the @#!#$@$#@. I would switch to tile or paper towel. The tile still looks nice, and cleans much easier.

Add a UTH and your humid hide, and your tank looks nice. Keep the large rocks, and you can watch the babies climb on them and explore them.

 

[kgb_m3]

You can use a regular light during the day if you want. Do a lower wattage so it doesn't hurt their eyes. I use a 25 watt reptile basking light for watching them whenever they decide to play during the day.

I love your little gecko with the white tail. That gecko will grow up to be lovely.

I have never had a problem housing babies together, so if you want to continue to do so, just monitor them closely. I would get rid of the sand, due to the fact it harbors bacteria like a bacteria loving sponge. You have to change it every couple of weeks to keep it from building up, and removing sand is a freaking pain in the @#!#$@$#@. I would switch to tile or paper towel. The tile still looks nice, and cleans much easier.

Add a UTH and your humid hide, and your tank looks nice. Keep the large rocks, and you can watch the babies climb on them and explore them.

Well it's been a couple of weeks now and they're doing great! They're very social now, explorative, curious, etc... They have so much personallity it's not even funny. I actually like them better than my cresteds.

I am shocked on how much they eat though, my adult cresteds don't eat half as much as my Leo's. It's worth it though since they hunt with precision and speed, unlike the clumsy lousy crested hunters!

Yesterday I picked up another 10 gallon tank and the UTH with a new hide and a few other items. I will be separating them tonight just incase even though they get along just fine.

The one with the white tail is awesome, I named him Sylar! Still can't think of the name for the striped one...

 

[ChristinaJ]

the issue with sand isn't that it harbors bacteria, it's that it causes impaction which is a death sentence to leos...

What is marketed as safe sand is in fact not. It's all a marketing ploy, and actually encourages them to ingest more of the sand than needed because of the added calcium and vitamins, there is not such things as "safe" sand for leos

 

[kgb_m3]

Is the fine coconut substrate ok to use? Im over the sand look anyway and rather not risk it.

 

[ChristinaJ]

no loose substrate can be used for leos period, tile, paper towels, or repti-carpet are the only safe choices as substrate as people have already stated in this thread.

 

[LeoparddGeckoss]

I personally do not recommend reptile carpet, at all. My poor leopard gecko keeps getting his nails stuck on it. I'm going to switch to paper towels soon. Tile and paper towels are the safest.