newbie

[tyger_eyes]

i got two leopard geckos from a pet store this past monday. i have no experience with reptiles at all so i was looking for some advice. i did research housing before i got them and have them housed in a 20 long with a zoo med uth for a 10-20 gallon tank. i also have an overhead light with a red 100W bulb that i leave on during the day and at night if it is going to be cold (40s last night). there is one large hide on top of the uth that they both spend most of their time in sleeping. i have a large moist hide in the middle and another hide in the middle. there is another large hide on the cold side. so four total but they can both fit in all of them right now. there is a water dish and a dish with calcium powder. i have been putting 4-6 crickets in nightly and 1 or 2 have been disappearing. they also have been eating mealworms. all they seem to do is sleep and i realize they may not be acclimated but i just want to make sure this is normal. for the past two nights they haven't eaten anything and i want to make sure they are healthy looking.
it also looks like one of them dropped its tail before i got it, did not notice until i got it home and i wasn't going to return it because of that. any info on how long they take to grow back is appreciated as well as any general comments on my setup or health of the geckos.

 

[mascutt]

Sounds like you're doing everything right to me. The pet stores tell you not to bother your geckos for a couple of days so they have time to get acclimated. But even after the couple days is over, you still might want to have minimal handling for a couple weeks. Like handle them more inside their tank... let them walk on your hand, then walk off before lifting them out - and only a few minutes at a time. The couple days is true, and they may not eat for a few days after moving to a new place, but (for me) there was a huge difference after a couple of weeks. My leos just knew they were not in any danger at that point.

When I first got mine she went 5 or 6 days without eating anything. And I was so worried. But as long as they are leaving waste in their tank at least every other day, then they should be fine. They don't actually have to eat every day! If they're not eating or wasting, then they may be overly stressed.

Good luck and enjoy your reptiles. They are lots of fun once you really establish your relationship with them