Picture of my baby Leo gecko

[geckoqueen]

Yea this is my first leo and other people on another gecko forum say I need a humid hide and a calcium dish. The water bowl in the middle has a dish for food and a dish for water. I'm going to the pet store today because I need crickets for my baby leo, so I'll get the calcium and humid hide today and the crickets. I read too much calcium is bad but someone told me to have calcium in a bowl every day for my leo to eat. She, or he also has vitamins. She is cute!

 

[geckoqueen]

Temps.

You see that metal thing in her cage, well that takes the temps. Now if you place the metal thing on the side like shown in the pics it will read between 88-90 in the day time. However if placed on the heating pad will read between 100-104 in the day time, at night 90, but if left on the side of the cage like shown here, then I get a different temp reading on the hot side, from 88-90 in the day and 81 at night. Also the other side of the cage is cooler. At night it will drop to about 81 on the hot side. However my gecko likes it about 88, she hangs out there a lot. I read temps have to be around 75 at night but does the temp have to be perfect, or is this fine the way it is? I just got her and I am new to this but have read a looked things up already. And yes I'm getting a humid hide and some calcium.

 

[Halley]

people on another gecko forum say I need a humid hide and a calcium dish.

That is true; the humid hide helps with the shedding process. This is because when the shed their skin, it dies, and dries up, if it dries up to much, it can actually cut off the gecko toes, or other appendages. The moister helps keep the skin from drying up, so there is a lesser chance of a problem. The calcium, should also (IMO) have other things to it, I would recommend leopard gecko dust (made by T-Rex) or Repti-cal with D3.

The water bowl in the middle has a dish for food and a dish for water.

You might consider moving the bowl over the the cool side, this way you don’t have to fill it up as much.

I'm going to the pet store today because I need crickets for my baby leo

You cage is pretty big for a baby leo. The problem with that, is if you are feeding free roaming prey items (ones that cannot be contained in a bowl) she might have a hard time catching them. I would also recommend an aquarium separator, it looks like you have a 20 long. That way it is easier for her to catch the prey items, thus allowing her to grow as she should. You might also want to consider a UTH, IMO over head lighting is fine, but not in a short space (one that she needs to be provided) as the bulb will heat too much, and will not give you the proper heat gradient.

I read too much calcium is bad but someone told me to have calcium in a bowl every day for my leo to eat. She, or he also has vitamins.

If you leave her a bowl, she will just eat what she needs. I don’t dust my feeders EVER, I just let the gecko get the calcium (s)he needs from the bowl, that way there is a very low risk of anything bad happening, and if I remember correctly there hasn’t been a recorded case of calcium overdoes in a leopard gecko yet. So putting the calcium is a bowl, is MUCH safer than dusting crickets, IMO

She is cute!

I agree, congrats on your first leo, and welcome to GF.net :main_thumbsup:

 

[Halley]

oops we where posting at the same time

You see that metal thing in her cage, well that takes the temps. Now if you place the metal thing on the side like shown in the pics it will read between 88-90 in the day time. However if placed on the heating pad side will read 104. The other side of the cage is cooler. At night it will drop to about 81 on the hot side. However my gecko likes it about 88, she hangs out there a lot. I read temps have to be around 75 at night but does the temp have to be perfect, or is this fine the way it is? I just got her and I am new to this but have read a looked things up already.

For my geckos, the hot side is at 90 degrees, and the cool side is at 75. This allows for a full heat gradient. I keep it like this 24/7. The temps can be turned off at night, but I would recommend keeping them constant. Either way is fine though, buy (s)he will grow faster with a constant supply of heat.

 

[geckoqueen]

A few more questions.

I do have Leopard Gecko Dust ICB insect cricket balancer. Is this all I need to place in her dish everyday? I will move the water bowl, thanks for the tip. I'm still learning things. I want my gecko to have the best ya know. :main_thumbsup:
As far as the feeding I hear what your saying but I can tell you as soon as I place the crickets in her cage, she wakes up fast. LOL, she will chase all 4 crickets, until she eats them all. I don't want to feed her too much, so I give here about 4 or 5 crickets per feeding? Or do I feed her more? The lady at the pet store said 2 crickets a day is enough for a baby gecko. I read I should give her what she can eat in 15 minutes. If I did that as much as she likes to eat she might eat more than she should. I will see about getting a bowl to place the crickets in but the problem with that is the crickets could jump out of the bowl. It would not matter with my gecko, she would eat them all anyway. :main_laugh: She will search the cage, until she knows she ate all the crickets before she sleeps. I have watched her a lot the past few days. Do you know how long a crickets life span is for? I ask because I'm going to buy crickets today and I don't know if I should buy a lot of crickets, or not. I think a few weeks right?, although I could be wrong. I do have heating pad under the cage on one side but I also use the heating lamps in the day time, so should I not use the lamps?

 

[geckoqueen]

Thanks

oops we where posting at the same time



For my geckos, the hot side is at 90 degrees, and the cool side is at 75. This allows for a full heat gradient. I keep it like this 24/7. The temps can be turned off at night, but I would recommend keeping them constant. Either way is fine though, buy (s)he will grow faster with a constant supply of heat.

Thanks I didn't know I could keep the same temps day and night. I do have a heating pad but I also use heating lamps in the day time and turn the lamps off at night for cooler temps. I did not know I could keep the same temps all day and even in the night.
I will do that then.

 

[Halley]

I do have Leopard Gecko Dust ICB insect cricket balancer. Is this all I need to place in her dish everyday?

Should work

As far as the feeding I hear what your saying but I can tell you as soon as I place the crickets in her cage, she wakes up fast. LOL, she will chase all 4 crickets, until she eats them all. I don't want to feed her too much, so I give here about 4 or 5 crickets per feeding?

If she can catch them, I don’t see the problem. I’m glad she is that fast.

Or do I feed her more?

I feed whatever mine can eat in 15 minutes. Some (I have 79 leos right now) eat 3 crickets in a week, others pound down 2-3 dozen a day, and none of them seem fat or underweight, just different metabolisms.

I will see about getting a bowl to place the crickets in but the problem with that is the crickets could jump out of the bowl.

Yeah crickets won’t stay no sense in trying really (but I have before, lol) mainly just grubs can be kept in a bowl. Like mealworms, waxworms, phoinexworms, etc.

Do you know how long a crickets life span is for?

I think but don’t quote me on this, that crickets live for about 10 weeks, if kept at 90, I don’t how long at room temp, and 10 weeks, is from birth to death. Couldn’t tell you for certain though.

I do have heating pad under the cage on one side but I also use the heating lamps in the day time, so should I not use the lamps?

If the lamps make it to hot stop using them. If they don’t why not give above, and belly heat?

 

[Rich Of The U.K]

The tank size is totally fine for the gecko, you really need to give a slight drop to stimulate the gecko's sense of night and day a 5-10F drop should do this just fine...


Regards, Rich...

 

[Halley]

you really need to give a slight drop to stimulate the gecko's sense of night and day a 5-10F drop should do this just fine...

Like I said before, dropping the temp is fine, but the lights do the same thing. Fluorescent ones that don’t give off heat are best. One or the other, or both practices will not harm the leo, and your gecko will be fine. I have one pet that doesn’t have lights, and the heating doesn’t change. He hides all day, and comes out at night. So I can’t image it making a huge impact either way.

I do wish I could get my geckos to me diurnal though.

 

[Rich Of The U.K]

I dont use lights, i just have a very small 7w light to help keep the enclosure bright, i just adjust the thermostat connected to the UTH to increase or lower the temp...

Rich...

 

[AFireInside]

very cute gecko. But I agree with everyone else. The cage is looking a bit plain so you should add a humid hide and a few other hides.

 

[JayLeo57]

that looks exactly like the one my friend bought yesterday

 

[geckoqueen]

Gecko dust

Ok you see geekos water dish and it's also a food dish. On the side that is the smallest I filled to the top with gecko dust, how long does that stay in the bowl before I remove? I change water everyday but how often do I change the gecko dust powder and do I fill to the top of the bowl because I just did? I didn't add water I just poured in the dust.
Thanks everyone for all your help.

 

[geckoqueen]

Geckos

very cute gecko. But I agree with everyone else. The cage is looking a bit plain so you should add a humid hide and a few other hides.

KK will do today when I go to the pet store to buy more crickets. However I am going to change to meal worms.

 

[brad.a.c]

Nice little Leo! I would listen to the advice these people give you. I have never seen so many people so knowledgeable about Leos on one forum before, it's great!

 

[geckoqueen]

Gecko

Yes I am going to buy a humid hide today and I also stuck in a toilet paper roll as I hide out and my gecko went inside when I had my hand in the cage.

 

[geckoqueen]

What kind of morph is my gecko?

Does anyone know from looking at the picture what kind of morph is my Gecko? I know is a Leopard Gecko, but what kind? Thanks.

 

[Halley]

Where can I get Phoenix worms from?

I think she might end up being a tang

Ok you see geekos water dish and it's also a food dish. On the side that is the smallest I filled to the top with gecko dust, how long does that stay in the bowl before I remove? I change water everyday but how often do I change the gecko dust powder and do I fill to the top of the bowl because I just did? I didn't add water I just poured in the dust.
Thanks everyone for all your help.

I just put as much as you can, without it overflowing (dust not the water). Then replace it when the bottle tells you it is no longer good. And refill as needed.

 

[efx*]

Cool gecko

 

[geckoqueen]

LOL

I just a showed a picture to my Grandma and she said that is an iguana. IT is? :main_laugh: Um, she eats like one.