New to leos. lots of questions

[BuddytheLeo]

ok well i went to petsmart, just got back, and got him a UVB light and a timer

I also got some Waxworms, Mealworms, and Pinkys. I know waxworms and pinky mice are high in fat,

How often should i give him a waxworm/pinky?

Are Mealworms good for an everyday diet, heard the shell was hard to digest?

I got the calcium powder too and made a dish to it in, but he dont seem to want to lick from it.

Besides dusting the bugs with it what should i do?

 

[JopherBMTH]

ok well i went to petsmart, just got back, and got him a UVB light and a timer

I also got some Waxworms, Mealworms, and Pinkys. I know waxworms and pinky mice are high in fat,

How often should i give him a waxworm/pinky?

Depends on size, and if he is big enough to handle it. I feed mine twice a month pinkies. Waxworms once or twice a week.

Are Mealworms good for an everyday diet, heard the shell was hard to digest?

Mealworms are almost an everyday thing for mine as well as crickets.

I got the calcium powder too and made a dish to it in, but he dont seem to want to lick from it.

They will lick from it whem they know they need calcium, dust some mealies, wax or even the pinkies a little in it. Answers next question as well =p

Besides dusting the bugs with it what should i do?

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[BuddytheLeo]

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All right man thanks
i tryed dusting the mealworms in it but it looked like it just shook off of them?
i gave him a pinky too and dusted it in the calcium too lol he grabed that up right when i put it in the tank
so he had a pinky and like 6 or 7 mealworms. is that to much?

 

[Golden Gate Geckos]

Your problem was that your bought a gecko form a large chain petstore, and not a reliable breeder. Leopard Geckos DO NOT need any UV lighting. They were trying to make money off you.

I would recommend utilizing this FANTASTIC forum to find all the answers you need!

Leopard Geckos do NOT need any lighting.
- Pinkies are NOT a staple diet for Leopard Geckos.
- Mealworms are a fine diet for Leopard Geckos.
- Leopard Geckos are nocturnal, wich means they will eat and lick calcium when you are asleep.
- Give your new gecko several days to adjust to it's new environment.

Yada, yada, yada....

 

[BuddytheLeo]

Your problem was that your bought a gecko form a large chain petstore, and not a reliable breeder. Leopard Geckos DO NOT need any UV lighting. They were trying to make money off you.

I would recommend utilizing this FANTASTIC forum to find all the answers you need!

Leopard Geckos do NOT need any lighting.
- Pinkies are NOT a staple diet for Leopard Geckos.
- Mealworms are a fine diet for Leopard Geckos.
- Leopard Geckos are nocturnal, wich means they will eat and lick calcium when you are asleep.
- Give your new gecko several days to adjust to it's new environment.

Yada, yada, yada....

I didint buy the gecko from there i was just geting supplys from there.
I got him from a friend of mine who couldint take care of him.
and they didint tell me to buy a uvb my vet said that it would be a good idea to get it.
Thanks.

 

[Ccrashca069]

Regardless where you bought your leopard , you still do not need the UVB light. If you want to use a light, use one of those Red Infared lights. They are great for any extra heat you need and viewing your leos at night.
I am lucky and have 2 vets that work in the same hospital that are great with Reptiles. Make sure any Vet you see knows alot about reptiles and from you said, your vet does not know much about leopard geckos.

 

[BuddytheLeo]

Regardless where you bought your leopard , you still do not need the UVB light. If you want to use a light, use one of those Red Infared lights. They are great for any extra heat you need and viewing your leos at night.
I am lucky and have 2 vets that work in the same hospital that are great with Reptiles. Make sure any Vet you see knows alot about reptiles and from you said, your vet does not know much about leopard geckos.

Allright well thanks for the info, but i was just wondering about the feed not the light.
I know and trust this vet.
thanks again.

 

[Mel&Keith]

Return the UVB light set up and get your money back. People have even burned their geckos with lights. A Herp vet should never suggest a UVB light for a Leopard gecko, their bodies are not meant to handle direct sunlight like that. You might consider looking into a different vet. All you really need for heat is an under tank heater and a thermostat to control it. As long as there is enough (a tiny amount) of light in the room during the day, even from a window with the blinds closed, that's enough to keep them on a proper day and night cycle.

 

[Ccrashca069]

I feed primarly mealworms to my leos. They get them dusted every 3 days. I some times give them crickes like maybe 1-2 times a month more if they stop eating and I want them to eat.

 

[fallen_angel]

Allright well thanks for the info, but i was just wondering about the feed not the light.
I know and trust this vet.
thanks again.

I'm sure you do trust your vet, but PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do not use that UVB light!! UVB lights are for reptiles that need to absorb sunlight (mostly to help them produce calcium), but leopard geckos are nocturnal and NO GOOD can come from using that light :behead: They get their calcium from the dusted insects and the calcium dish (as you already know)

 

[BuddytheLeo]

Okie dokie Mel, and Fallen i have the UVB unpluged so it wont come on in the morning. Then iam going to call my vet and ask him again, mabye i missunderstood him or somthing. But it was to my understanding that there is a benifite of useing uvb on even nocternal animals and I have never heard of any living thing that does not turn uvb into benifition d12.

 

[BuddytheLeo]

I feed primarly mealworms to my leos. They get them dusted every 3 days. I some times give them crickes like maybe 1-2 times a month more if they stop eating and I want them to eat.

Thanks CCrash, so i shouldn't dust his food every feeding? Just every other feeding?

 

[Leonardo]

most people use mealies for a staple diet. some people mix in a few crickets. waxworms and pinkies are high in fat and probably shouldn't be used very often.
as for the amount he eats, he'll eat what he wants and leave the rest.
if the calcium isnt sticking try taking a plastic baggy, pour some calcium in the bottom, dump the mealies in it and gently shake it, this gives them an even coating that should stick long enough for the gecko to snatch them up.
if that still doesnt work you might try lightly misting the mealworms in water, then rolling them in the calcium dust. i havent tried it because the calcium usually sticks for me, but it couldnt hurt.

 

[BuddytheLeo]

most people use mealies for a staple diet. some people mix in a few crickets. waxworms and pinkies are high in fat and probably shouldn't be used very often.
as for the amount he eats, he'll eat what he wants and leave the rest.
if the calcium isnt sticking try taking a plastic baggy, pour some calcium in the bottom, dump the mealies in it and gently shake it, this gives them an even coating that should stick long enough for the gecko to snatch them up.
if that still doesnt work you might try lightly misting the mealworms in water, then rolling them in the calcium dust. i havent tried it because the calcium usually sticks for me, but it couldnt hurt.

Allright I'll try that lol kinda like makin shake and bake eh
But for the amount he wont just take them out of a dish i have to put them in one at a time. How could i get him to notice them in the dish?

 

[Leonardo]

lol.i had the same problem with my little girl. it shouldnt take too long. took me and my girl 2 days to get her eating out of there on her own.
put the dish in there, at first right in front of him. try placing one outside of the dish first to get his attention. then let him see you drop one, then two, then three or more into the dish. the movements will eventually catch his attention and he'll start eating out of it in no time.
eventually youll get to the point where all you have to do is put the dish in and he'll come to it automatically.

 

[BuddytheLeo]

Good lol the worms dont look like they could get away that fast but they do. My leo takes like 4 or 5 trys to catch it lol.
What kind of dish should a use to put them in, somthing that they cant get out of?

 

[Leonardo]

use something like a gatorade bottle cap or something with slick sides. you could even use a shallow ceramic dish. mealies cant climb slick sides, same as leos.
i just recently made a new dish out of the bottom of a plastic cup. make it deep enough so the mealies cant push themselves up out of (which was the problem i had with my last dish) but shallow enough so your gecko can reach inside it.
make sure it doesnt have sharp edges because leo's skin is very sensitive and it could get cut.

 

[Leonardo]

i went to the local pet store and bought a small ceramic dish for about $1.50 from the hamster isle for water. im sure that could work just as well for mealies too.

 

[fallen_angel]

Okie dokie Mel, and Fallen i have the UVB unpluged so it wont come on in the morning. Then iam going to call my vet and ask him again, mabye i missunderstood him or somthing. But it was to my understanding that there is a benifite of useing uvb on even nocternal animals and I have never heard of any living thing that does not turn uvb into benifition d12.

It's just that leos do not require UVB to produce D12, so at the very least, it's just an extra expense that you really do not need. But please share anything you find out from your vet tomorrow! I don't want to come across as rude or mean, just tryin to help..