New to Leos

[TickoLucky]

Hello I am new to leopard geckos.

I will be receiving my first leo in a few days as a gift from my brother in law and have read so much conflicting information my head is spinning. So thought I would ask here to see if I need anything else or anything replaced...

This is what I have

-20 gallon long (many people have told me this is too big for 1 leo)
-Hot hide
-Cool Hide
-Humid Hide (again many have told me this is useless)
-UTH (I have been told not UTH, yes UTH, lights only, lights and UTH! confused!)
-Reptile Carpet (can this really rip the leos toes off? If so I will change it immediately)
-2 probe thermometers
-Screen Top
-Mealworm colony (told that these can't be used as staple diet)
-Dubia Roach colony
-Reptivite
-Calcium without D3 or phosphorus (been told by "experts" that I should use D3 daily or my leo would not live long)
-Water bowl
-Mealworm dish
-Calcium dish

I think that is everything I could be missing something but not sure

 

[bjleemkuil]

Alrighty then!

Hello,
I myself am pretty new to Leos, but I know pretty much from the forums and through experience what works out well for these little guys.

-I have 2 that are in 2 different 20 gallon longs, and they both love the space. Though the space isn't required for one little guy, they do like the space.
-All three hides are required. The hot and cool to make them feel safe and the humid to assist with shedding. Humid hide is ABSOLUTELY required.
-UTH is a necessary item as it supposedly helps them with their digestion. I really have no way of proving this for myself, but I do know that I'd rather be safe than sorry. The light isn't necessary more of a novelty, but if the UTH isn't really a nicer one it may not reach the temps (90F-95F ish) it may need a light to help it out.
-As far as repti-carpet my leos don't ever have a problem walking on it. You can use other things as fancy as tile or as plain as paper towels. They aren't too picky. However, sand can cause impaction I've heard. Best steer clear of this.
-2 probe thermometers are nice, but really you only need one to move back and forth. But if you didn't care to do this, two isn't a problem.
-The screen top is nice to keep the light on. Also is nice to keep the leo in. Although they don't have sticky pads, they can climb anything that may lead to the top.
-I've never been told that Mealworms can't be a staple, but things like waxworms can't. Mealworms are actually really good for them. Dubias I've heard are good for them as well, I personally don't care to deal with the roaches lol. Giving them a variety doesn't hurt either.
-Reptivite: To be honest, I have NO idea what this is. Probably isn't a necessity.
-Calcium dish in the tank without and dusting with D3
-Clearly a water dish is necessary.
-If you don't plan on feeding the Leo with tongs, etc. then a dish is helpful. =) Dont little beetles showin' up in your tank.

I hope this helps! All you really need now is a Leo! There are some great ones in the classified section if you haven't picked already. There is also nothing wrong with petstore leos as well. =) Happy picking. They're great pets! Also are addicting lol.

 

[mascutt]

I have one leo. She is housed on paper towel substrate because of the impaction issues with sand. Eventually I plan to put down some tile, but waiting to see if I want a bigger tank and possibly a second leo. I use both under tank heater and light bulb. During the night I turn the uth off and change the bulb to a red bulb for heat. I feed her a variety of mealworms and crickets, though she seems to go back and forth. Sometimes she won't touch the mealworms for a week, then all of a sudden she loves them. I dust them, plus keep calcium dish in tank along with mealworm dish and water.

Hope this helps
David

 

[Shera]

It sounds like you have most everything you need. I prefer paper towel to the carpet, as I have heard they can get snagged on it, but I don't know how often this really happens. Many use it without problems.

About the vitamins though, you will need to offer D3. I don't believe the reptivite has D3 in it. You do need to have a dish of calcium without D3 in the bowl, but you will also need to buy the calcium with D3 to mix with the reptivite for dusting. I prefer to use Repashy calcium plus (also sold as Trex gecko dust), which is a complete multivitamin/calcium/D3, because it's safe to use at every feed. It just takes the guess work out of how often to use what. I also keep plain calcium in a bowl for them (although I've never seen them lick it).

If you have good temps on both the warm and cool side then you won't need an overhead light. A UTH providing temperatures of around 90-95F on the floor of the warm side is all you really need. If you would like to use a light I suggest a red light (which you can leave on all the time if you like), but use a low wattage so it doesn't warm up the enclosure too much.

Roaches are definitely better than mealworms, but mealies are nice because they can be put in a dish and can't escape. Variety it good for them too, but I'd use the roaches as staple, just make sure you don't feed ones that are too big.

The humid hide is needed but some only put it in when their leo is shedding. Some leos prefer to always use the humid hide, so if that's the case with yours, then it's best to leave it in. I always leave mine in. I keep my humid hide in the middle

Do you have your tank set up yet? You may need a thermostat or rheostat if your UTH is too hot, but I haven't needed one for mine, because the temps are bang-on. If it's just a bit too warm you can always add a layer or 2 of paper towel under your carpet (although using just paper towel makes for such an easy clean-up, I highly recommend it.)

 

[Shera]

I have one leo. She is housed on paper towel substrate because of the impaction issues with sand. Eventually I plan to put down some tile, but waiting to see if I want a bigger tank and possibly a second leo. I use both under tank heater and light bulb. During the night I turn the uth off and change the bulb to a red bulb for heat. I feed her a variety of mealworms and crickets, though she seems to go back and forth. Sometimes she won't touch the mealworms for a week, then all of a sudden she loves them. I dust them, plus keep calcium dish in tank along with mealworm dish and water.

Hope this helps
David

Why do you turn off the UTH at night? I have never heard of this...I would think you would want to turn off the bulb at night if you are going to turn anything off.

 

[TickoLucky]

Thanks

I knew I forgot something I do have Calcium with D3 in it as well. The reptivite I have doesn't have D3 that I know of I will have to check. The tank is setup the hot side has been staying at 92F and the cool side is 83F.

 

[Shera]

Thanks

I knew I forgot something I do have Calcium with D3 in it as well. The reptivite I have doesn't have D3 that I know of I will have to check. The tank is setup the hot side has been staying at 92F and the cool side is 83F.

Great, that sounds perfect. Sounds like you are off to a great start

 

[herpdaily]

Just my 2 cents but some breeders have kept multiple generations of leopard geckos successfully solely on meal worms as a staple diet.