Preparing for a gecko?

[Penelepe]

Hi all, I'm new to this forum and have a few questions. I'm considering to get a Leopard gecko, but I want to make sure that everything is perfect before I get one.

1. Is it better to get a baby or an adult?
2. If I get a baby, how many times a day should I give them feeders?
3. Do they eat anything other than insects?
4. Do they require UVB?
5. Can I leave the UTH on the whole day? Or only when he/she wakes up?
6. Can I feed the gecko Phoenix worms?
7. Should I take him/her outside sometimes?
8. Should I put in a water dish, or can I bath him?
9. Better, Pet shop or breeder?
10. Best Tank size for babies? If I get a baby, is it okay to put him in his adult enclosure?
11. Any thing else I should know?

Thank you all so much! (Sorry if this is in the wrong section)

PS. If anyone from South Africa knows a good breeder in the MP or Gauteng area, can you PM me their website/number?

 

[Dreamsong]

I've gotten geckos as both babies and adults (and one as a teen, technically), and at least from my experiences, it comes down to personal preference.

1. Do you want to watch a little baby gecko change multiple times as it grows, or an adult whose pattern is already set? They tame down in about the same amount of time...Though my first baby was tame from day one, he'd be an exception for a pet-store gecko.

2. Depending on how many feeders they'll take, I'd say 1-2 times. If they only eat one or two for the first feeding (morning/day maybe), I'd try giving them a few more at night. Alternatively, if you feed mealworms, you can simply leave them in a small dish in the tank, so long as they can't crawl out. Your gecko will eat as many as he/she feels comfortable with. Hiryu, my first boy, would usually eat 5-7 mealies a day as a baby, I'd leave ~10 at a time in his dish. When he started cleaning his dish and doing the little glass dance when he could see my mealie containers...I'd give him more. Most he ate in one night as an adult was 21, iirc. (Last weigh-in had that boy at 102 grams, ~5.5 years old, and he didn't look chunky either)

3. Well...Some people feed their big males and breeding females Pinkie mice (newborns), but a Leo's main diet is insects.

4. Leos are nocturnal, so technically they don't really need UVB.

5. I usually leave the UTH plugged in/turned on all day. If you turn it on and off repeatedly, the temps may fluctuate. If you're worried about it shorting out or dying, I'd suggest just checking it once a week. (hand on the glass over the UTH, see if it's still warm/working)

6. While I haven't tried them yet, Phoenix Worms are an amazingly healthy feeder insect, right up top with Dubia Roaches, which would be my recommendation as far as feeders go. If you can't get either, mealworms work just fine, and are the universal staple for most Leo owners. Crickets are a close second, but they are noisy, stinky, and love to escape/can bite your gecko if left in the cage overnight and uneaten.

7. Once they're used to being handled, I don't see any issues with taking them outside on a nice day...I wouldn't let them crawl on the ground though. -Maybe- in a plastic kiddie pool with smooth sides, some clean/sterilized rocks and branches in the center of the pool to hide under/climb on.

8. You can bath Leos, but generally you shouldn't need to unless there us stuck shed. A shallow water dish should be left in the cage, cleaned out and refilled each day (especially if your gecko decides it's a toilet instead of a drinking spot, like Sanzo did e_e)

9. It's debateable. If you want a companion animal, either is a good choice. Some petshops sell geckos of questionable breeding, so you'll want to pay closer attention if you buy from one. Most breeders sell healthy geckos, and most wait until they're a good 15-20 grams before selling. Most pet shops, in my area at least, sell babies that look to be under a month old (most range from ~2 weeks to 4 months) in a nice, clean cage. Examples, shop A (whom I would buy from if I didn't want to breed in the future) currently has three small hatchlings that may have only gone through one shed, while shop B...Has 8 2-3 month old geckos in the same size cage as shop A, with poo everywhere and crickets running all over the place. All of my leos were from shops, and they never had any health issues, but a lot of times petshop geckos may have parasites or issues from inbreeding sub-standard parent geckos. (Seen a few with tumors, deformed spines, etc. All usually from shop B...Our local shop A *smart* is usually really good with their reptiles, they only house X number together in nice sized enclosures and monitor their feeding..Shop B *co*, does not...) Buying from a breeder is a great idea if you want great quality geckos, which if you plan on breeding, you'll want. Breeders offer more variety in morphs, you know what you'll be buying, but they can be a bit pricey. Example - The morphs I want, depending on the breeder, run anywhere from $85 each to ~$350 each. It'll be a good year or so after I get my females before I'll try breeding, likely ~18 months-2 years after I get my male, as I'd prefer to start with the most expensive one first.

10. If you get a baby, I'd suggest a 'bare bones' set-up. 10 gallon tank, with paper towel as substrate. Toilet paper tube can be used as hides, so can small plastic containers. I'd go one tube (cool side), one cup with no lid, turned upside-down and with a hole in the side (warm side), and one plastic container with the lid left on, a hole cut in either the side or top (moist hide, keep damp paper towel inside and moisten/clean as needed). If a baby is still very young, it might become overwhelmed/stressed in a larger tank, and may not be able to find things as easily. At about...~4-5 months (or once it's around 4+ inches long, some grow faster) you could move it into its adult tank, I'd suggest a 20gallon long for that. Decorate it however you want, just keep the hides in the same general places. Screen lids for both tanks, especially if you have other pets.

11. That covers just about everything...Oh right. Dusting feeders with calcium/vitamin powders is a must. A small bowl of non-D3 calcium can be left in the cage, while the d3 calcium should be used with the vitamin powder on feeders. Feeders can and should be fed (gutloaded) about a day before being fed to your gecko. The only other things I can think of are to let your gecko relax for a few days before trying to handle them, be patient when you start hand-taming them, and if you think there is anything wrong with your gecko, contact a vet asap!

...Why am I so passionate in the mornings? I -HATE- mornings, and yet I end up posting things like this. xD Anyway, good luck when you get your new gecko!

 

[Penelepe]

Thanks so much for the reply! In my town, there are no breeders so it would be hard to get a great quality baby here, so petshop it is (Which sucks btw) when I'm going to get my baby what should I look for in a healthy baby? And should I try to watch which ones is more skittish and more calm ect? I luckily have a lot of Phoenix worms for my greedy dragons, so that is a plus.
How much should the temps be? I see a lot of conflicting info. And humidity in the tank?
Should the water be on the warm of cool side of the tank?
What are the dimensions of a 10 gallon tank? I got a tank here, and I think it's big enough but not sure.

While I should be studying, I'll probably be busy washing and prettying up the tank :main_lipsrsealed:
Also I read that if they feel threatened they can lose their tail, if this happens, will it grow back?
I think that just about covers my concerns...

Thank you very much!

 

[Sprogog]

Always make sure the baby has a fat tail. Their tails are where they store leftover body fat so make sure it isnt too thin. If their tails are shed they do eventually go back but it wont be as pretty, possibly bulbous towards the end. Also as they store their fat on their tails to lose this would mean special care would be required to make sure they are eating properly.
Also ensure they have bright alert eyes and their knees and joints are all looking ok and that their feet are pointing outwards. If their knees are bowed and their feet are pointing in it is a sign of metabolic bone disease.

 

[Poppy243]

I purchased a sub-adult female gecko about a month ago, my first. She was from a reptile shop out of state, not the local pet stores but not necessarily a gecko breeder. Good quality animals, of all reptile types. The ones at the local *smart* were extremely small and I wanted to start with one that was a little larger, so I knew I was getting a female, because I was planning on getting more females in the future for the possibility of breeding. I never looked at the local *co* but when I went in there to get a tank, they seemed to have some actual morphs, and were a bit larger. I got my Poppy at a great price ($80 with shipping) and she has great genetics. It was also fun to bid on her and exciting when I won the auction. If you are even thinking that you might want to do more than just own a gecko, check out Ben Siegel Reptiles on the Book of Face. Great animals for great prices, and sometimes you can win money toward auctions or BINs ("buy it now"). I highly recommend them.
Since you mentioned the tail, I'll tell you that mine is rather jumpy sometimes. She has moments of trying to run off, even after being calm and quiet for a while in my hands. She has not dropped her tail so far. As long as you are careful in picking your's up, you SHOULD be okay, for the most part. It seems like most of their nervousness seems to happen when they are being handled or picked up. I've heard a lot of advice telling new owners to be careful on how you pick your gecko up. Lay your hand flat in the cage and slide it underneath the belly. The first few times your gecko will back away, but if you keep doing it that way, eventually it won't be as frightened by your hand picking it up. If you scoop it up from above, like a claw, it will seem like a bird predator snatching it up and that can frighten it. Also, I have heard a rumor that if a really young gecko drops its tail, it will grow back only slightly less pretty than the original. It won't be as ugly. But I have no experience with that.

I have a ten-gallon front-opening tank from *co* that is roughly 12"Dx18"Lx12"H, if I remember correctly. I really like it for a gecko tank, with the front-opening doors, but that's my personal preference. You can also look up dimensions of tank sizes online. The more floor space you have for the gecko, the better! Oh, and my UTH is always plugged in. Every so often I put my finger down on the substrate to make sure it's still warm.

Good luck with your new gecko! I haven't had mine very long but I'm already in love with gecko ownership, and can't wait til I can get more and possibly start breeding them!

 

[Penelepe]

Thank you all for the replies, I want everything to be perfect and I want to be sure I know all the necesarry things before getting him/her, I found a breeder that expect the eggs to hatch next week, I doubt he is one of those great breeders but from his pics of the previous clutch, they seem healthy, good health and pretty colors. I live in South Africa and most of the breeders put males with females on 1 September, and I don't have that kind of patience to wait for them to hatch lol. The petshops in my town have no idea what they are doing so I'm a bit cautious to buy from them.

How long should breeders wait before letting babies to their new homes? The guy sells his babies a week after hatching is only willing to hold a baby for a few days. Is it safe to buy one that young?
Also, on which side should the moist hide be? Cold or warm side?
Thank you again for the help!

 

[Phoenix1115]

Humid hide side is all preference. Some of my geckos only like it on the warm side, some only like it on the cold side, some like it where ever it is.

My concern with buying at a week old is that they aren't really "established eaters" yet. Plus there may be issues that aren't apparent yet at that young. I also hope this breeder does pick up only because at one week old they'd be WAY too small and young to ship safely

 

[Penelepe]

Yes he only does pickups, so because there are no babies in my area I have to go to the city to buy. I'll probably be going to pet stores to see if they have babies that are a bit older, but we'll see. What do you mean by established eaters?

 

[Phoenix1115]

Basically like, you know that they eat well, everyday, don't refuse food, etc.

 

[Penelepe]

Sorry for the late reply, thank you so much. I decided to wait until November when the reputable breeder's gecko eggs start to hatch, mostly because I have to buy UVB's for my dragons but also the good quality babies will hatch then. Now I have more time to perfect enclosure. When I get a baby leo should I put him in my 10 gallon until he feels more comfortable and not so stressed and then put him in a bigger tank if I can get one next month?