Preparing for my Leopard Gecko

[Clover47]

Hello everyone my name is Kevin. I have been very interested in housing Leopard Geckos for quite some time now and have finally decided to jump in on the hobby. I have experiencing with housing some animals (Saltwaterfish and Poison Dart Frogs), so I'm excited to add two leopard geckos. I have been doing lots of research and preparation for this new adventure and I want to do everything right the first time. I wanted to just introduce myself and run by you guys the environment in which I hope to house two leopards:

-15g Glass Aquarium w/ Screen Top
o Sides spray painted black and the back of the tank spray painted in sort of a granite looking spray paint.
- Thermometer
- Fake Plants, Vines, ect.
- Flourescent Light Fixture
- Reptile Carpet
- Under Tank Heater
- Food and Water Dish
- 2 Dry Hides
o One is a half log, the other is a decor log w/ some room for hiding
- 1 Moist Hide
o Don't know if anyone has done this, but i took a Cocohut and a shalllow feeding dish and sealed them together so that it stays humid, then layered inside of it with moist paper towels. I can remove the cocohut to replace paper towels, ect. if I need to.

Temaperatures
Daytime: Cold Side 76-78F Warm Side 90-95F
Nighttime: Cold Side 73-75F Warm Side 90-95F

I have a few questions that I hope you all can help me with:
1. Is this set-up good enough to house two leopard geckos?
2. Sometimes the hottest spot in my tank can get up to 95 degrees F, Is this too high? If so, how do I fix this? (Room temperature is not that hot)
3. I know I need a calcium dish, I was wondering if it's just a simple feeding dish filled with calcium that is left in the tank at all times, am I correct?
4. Is there anything else you guys think I need, or is anything wrong with my setup?

Thanks for checkin' this post out. I hope to get some replys back. I would also like to post some pics of the set-up because I think it looks pretty cool, but I need a new battery for my digital camera.

 

[tyler19]

flourescent light isnt needed. And yes the calcium dish is just calcium in the dish in the tank for them

 

[downthebeatenpath]

Yeah, no need for the flourescent lightings, as for the calcium dish it's just a dish with calcium in it, I just use a cap from the old calcium jar. Also, are they babies or adults? What are the measurements of the tank as well? Because a 20 gal long is usually recommended for 2 adults. You also need to make sure you don't have 2 males or they will kill each other, and if you have a male and female, be ready for eggs and a place to keep the babies because they will breed. Temps at night should be lower, and 95 is probably too high, though they can go to the cool side, the easiest way to remedy that is to buy a thermostat. Other then that everything else should be fine.

 

[bubblez825]

You also need to make sure you don't have 2 males or they will kill each other

He said it . If you can post pix of their undersides at the base of the tail we can sex them for you, if you are unsure of the sexes .

 

[Rich Of The U.K]

If you are short for space or if you are a breeder you could get away with less room, but for them to be fully happy, a 20 gallon for 1 Gecko plus 10 gallon more for each one extra you have housed... though you could get away with a 20 gallon for 2 but no less unless your really stuck for space... But perhaps then you shouldnt get them unless your going to breed them as you should provide the best for them...but 20 gallon is a minimum for 2...

Regards...Rich...

 

[LadyGecko]

Hello everyone my name is Kevin. I have been very interested in housing Leopard Geckos for quite some time now and have finally decided to jump in on the hobby. I have experiencing with housing some animals (Saltwaterfish and Poison Dart Frogs), so I'm excited to add two leopard geckos. I have been doing lots of research and preparation for this new adventure and I want to do everything right the first time. I wanted to just introduce myself and run by you guys the environment in which I hope to house two leopards:

-15g Glass Aquarium w/ Screen Top
o Sides spray painted black and the back of the tank spray painted in sort of a granite looking spray paint.
- Thermometer
- Fake Plants, Vines, ect.
- Flourescent Light Fixture
- Reptile Carpet
- Under Tank Heater
- Food and Water Dish
- 2 Dry Hides
o One is a half log, the other is a decor log w/ some room for hiding
- 1 Moist Hide
o Don't know if anyone has done this, but i took a Cocohut and a shalllow feeding dish and sealed them together so that it stays humid, then layered inside of it with moist paper towels. I can remove the cocohut to replace paper towels, ect. if I need to.

Temperatures
Daytime: Cold Side 76-78F Warm Side 90-95F
Nighttime: Cold Side 73-75F Warm Side 90-95F

I have a few questions that I hope you all can help me with:
1. Is this set-up good enough to house two leopard geckos?
2. Sometimes the hottest spot in my tank can get up to 95 degrees F, Is this too high? If so, how do I fix this? (Room temperature is not that hot)
3. I know I need a calcium dish, I was wondering if it's just a simple feeding dish filled with calcium that is left in the tank at all times, am I correct?
4. Is there anything else you guys think I need, or is anything wrong with my setup?

Thanks for checkin' this post out. I hope to get some replys back. I would also like to post some pics of the set-up because I think it looks pretty cool, but I need a new battery for my digital camera.

Hi Clover47 and Welcome to GeckoForums!

Since you are just starting out with keeping Leopard geckos-I respectfully suggest that you only purchase one Leo to start with

There are two main reason for this

If these are babies-they really do better being housed alone-no competition for food and the best hot spots to lay on

Also-while two females can live together there can be dominance issues that develop that would force you to set up another tank

Buying unsexed babies(as was already said) can result in one male and one female which would have to be separated anyway to prevent premature breeding

Leos are not particularly social animals and one will do just fine in your 15 gal tank for a while depending upon how fast that it grows and to what length

A adult Giant or a large "normal" Leo will need much more floor space than a 15 gal. tank will give him/her

Actually in a 15 gal tank-with the three hides and the plants and vines and water and calcium dishes-I don't imagine that there will be much open floor space left for your Leo to walk around in
While Leos will climb-especially when they are babies-they normally hang out on the ground rather than higher up in their enclosures

95 on the hot spot is a tad to warm
It should be more in the range of 88 to 92 max

You can lower the 95 degree temp over the uth by plugging it into a thermostat that will keep the uth at a lower temp
As we eventually get back to the cold weather(no I am not trying to rush the seasons-LOL) you can turn the thermostat up

Your overall plans are good but I believe that starting out with just one leopard gecko will allow you to enjoy his/her growth and changing and to familiarize yourself with their needs and behavior if you decide that you might want to breed them in the future

As for spray painting the back and sides-it is not really necessary and i wonder how long that you would have to wait until the paint does not gibe off an odor after it has dried
I would not advise painting the tank
Instead-buy or make a background that you can wrap around all three sides of the outside of the tank-if that is what you desire

I hope that this has helped

Sandy

 

[efx*]

Welcome to Geckoforums!!

 

[Rich Of The U.K]

Forgot to say hi in my message, so hi.... id use a background if i were you they look very nice especially the jungle ones and there is no risk...

 

[Clover47]

Thanks for the input guys! Here are some of my comments:

I know that flourescent light is not needed, but the room they will be housed in is pretty dark, and it's for viewing purposes only, it won't harm them or irritate them, right?

I spray painted the sides and back of the tank (on the outside of course) again for personal preference. I have done this with some of my saltwater tanks and thought it would look cool. As for the spray paint, it usually takes 48-72 hours to fully cure. I spray painted it about a week and a half ago, so I'm pretty sure that it's fully cured.

Thanks for the input on the calcium dish, I knew what it was, but was having a hard time buying that they will go to the dish and simply chomp on some calcium haha. I'll be sure to add that to the tank.

I'm not planning on an adult at the moment. I am thinking of getting a baby leo. I agree with just getting one right now, I have experience with caring for animals, but I should just be on the safe side. I hope you all agree that a baby leo will do fine in a 15g. (24x12x12...I could be wrong) I thought I read on here that two could be housed in a 15, but I must have misread something. When the leo gets older I had already planned on upgrading anyway, just gotta save some more money!

I have a few questions:
1. What type of thermostats do you guys use? How much do they go for?
2. How old will the leo be before I have to upgrade to a 20L?

Thanks for the replys and welcomes everyone! I'm trying to get this the best I can before I get my leo so that I have no problems at all.

 

[downthebeatenpath]

Often what leos do is lick things if they need calcium, hence why it is bad to keep them on sand especially calci-sand because they just keep eating it for calcium. If you dust the food the prob won't use it, I have never seen mine use hers, and it never seems like any goes away but I keep it in just in case. Personally I don't use a thermostat because my room with my tanks is in the basement so it is colder down there then the rest of the house so the temps are fine without one, so I can't reccommend one for you. I think a year, year and a half it takes for them to reach maturity, don't quote me on that though, so I would say around then get the 20. Oh, the flourescent should be fine as long as you don't keep it on for more than 10 hrs a day, or if you have a very enclosed dark hide. Spray paint is fine since it is on the outside. Good luck with your new animal

 

[LadyGecko]

Thanks for the input guys! Here are some of my comments:

I know that fluorescent light is not needed, but the room they will be housed in is pretty dark, and it's for viewing purposes only, it won't harm them or irritate them, right?

I spray painted the sides and back of the tank (on the outside of course) again for personal preference. I have done this with some of my saltwater tanks and thought it would look cool. As for the spray paint, it usually takes 48-72 hours to fully cure. I spray painted it about a week and a half ago, so I'm pretty sure that it's fully cured.

Thanks for the input on the calcium dish, I knew what it was, but was having a hard time buying that they will go to the dish and simply chomp on some calcium haha. I'll be sure to add that to the tank.

I'm not planning on an adult at the moment. I am thinking of getting a baby Leo. I agree with just getting one right now, I have experience with caring for animals, but I should just be on the safe side. I hope you all agree that a baby Leo will do fine in a 15g. (24x12x12...I could be wrong) I thought I read on here that two could be housed in a 15, but I must have misread something. When the Leo gets older I had already planned on upgrading anyway, just gotta save some more money!

I have a few questions:
1. What type of thermostats do you guys use? How much do they go for?
2. How old will the Leo be before I have to upgrade to a 20L?

Thanks for the replies and welcomes everyone! I'm trying to get this the best I can before I get my Leo so that I have no problems at all.

With a UTh -you can use either a dimmer type thermostat or any reptile one that is basically an "on/off" thermostat

I have bought them brand new on ebay for under $20 -I am not sure how much that they are in the stores

The only comment that I would like to make about a florescent light being on all day is that I believe it would be better to leave a table lamp/bedside lamp on in the room rather than one right on the top of the tank

You will see you Leo out and about during the day much more with no light on the tank the tank

This is especially true if you get any type of albino as they are very light sensitive with the red eye pigment

It's hard to say how long it will be before you need to go out and buy a 20 long
Depending upon the genetics and how fast your Leo grows

I am going to say that by 9 months of age

hope this helps
Sandy