several random questions!

[elliotuk]

hi, have had my leo for about 9 months and all is good, just have a few more questions.

Up till now i have been using kitchen lino as a substrate. i have read that while it is young it is best to use something like this but did i read right? because surely kitchen lino has chemicals in it? i also read that once the gecko is a year old or so and has grown up a bit its not so likely to suffer from impaction and using Calci sand is acceptable, would you agree with this? or stay away from it?

I have decided that if I am going to have this gecko (which I am 99% sure is a male) for at least 10 years i would like to give him so company so I may add another gecko. obviously it would have to be a female that i add, but i am not sure what i would do with the babies. Do they have babies often? how many babies are produced typically per year? If I just threw out the eggs and didnt incubate them would this upset the geckos or would they not notice? And can the female thats added be any morph to go with a normal male?

Is there a way to get a gecko neutered like you would a cat so I dont have to worry about dealing with the babies?

and lastly, i am in the process of upgrading the vivarium to a nice 36" one for him and possible new lady friend. I was going to use a ceramic heater fitted to a night and day Pulse proportional Thermostat. But I read somewhere that leos should have heat coming up from underneath them and its better to use a heatmat, is this true or is a ceramic heater on its own ok?

thanks for help!

 

[BrightReptiles]

Is there a way to get a gecko neutered like you would a cat so I dont have to worry about dealing with the babies?

Seriously? If this is a real question, please don't buy any more leos.

 

[BrightReptiles]

Up till now i have been using kitchen lino as a substrate. i have read that while it is young it is best to use something like this but did i read right? because surely kitchen lino has chemicals in it? i also read that once the gecko is a year old or so and has grown up a bit its not so likely to suffer from impaction and using Calci sand is acceptable, would you agree with this? or stay away from it?

Stay away from any kind of sand. It may be OK, but it may not.. This is a heated subject with a lot of people, it is best to just avoid it. Paper towels work great, as do tiles, wood flooring, vinyl tile, etc.

I have decided that if I am going to have this gecko (which I am 99% sure is a male) for at least 10 years i would like to give him so company so I may add another gecko. obviously it would have to be a female that i add, but i am not sure what i would do with the babies. Do they have babies often? how many babies are produced typically per year? If I just threw out the eggs and didnt incubate them would this upset the geckos or would they not notice? And can the female thats added be any morph to go with a normal male?

They lay eggs often, usually once every 3-4 weeks. You can freeze the eggs and throw them in the trash. If you're asking how many babies, then the answer for you is 'too many babies'. Your geckos will not know what you did with the eggs, and after a few minutes will forget they existed.

and lastly, i am in the process of upgrading the vivarium to a nice 36" one for him and possible new lady friend. I was going to use a ceramic heater fitted to a night and day Pulse proportional Thermostat. But I read somewhere that leos should have heat coming up from underneath them and its better to use a heatmat, is this true or is a ceramic heater on its own ok?

A UTH (heatmat) is an absolute must. I wouldn't recommend using a ceramic heater at all, unless you live in an area where your house will see extreme colds (below 50*F) and even then it's not always needed. If you live in the greater north it would be a better idea to use two heatmats, and have one set on the thermostat for higher temp, and one for lower temp.

 

[Pinky81]

http://geckoforums.net/showthread.php?t=74840

Read through the care sheets. Like Richard said the sand thing is debated often, you have to make a decision on your own. For me personally papertowel is the most economical and clean way to keep my guys.

Please do yourself a favor and DO NOT get a second gecko for the same cage!!! Your male will want to mate with you female constantly and this puts a large amount of stress on the female. Also if a female is bothered too much she may just rip into your male gecko and do serious damage for which expensive vet care would be required. Also while in the laying process a females body is put under severe strain...not only with her weight but also in the amount of calcium her body needs. If you are not a breeder then in my opinion this is a irresponsible undo risk and situation to put a pet through. Your male gecko will NOT be lonely, or sad, or bored all by himself!!! If you want another gecko for just the sake of getting another gecko then purchase the second set up and house it in that set-up.

Also like Richard said UTH is a MUST!!! Again read through the caresheet thread I included most are written so that even the youngest ppl can easily understand their needs.

 

[elliotuk]

ok thanks for the info, i will forget about having a 2nd gecko then. will just keep the male i have and treat him as best i can

my new vivarium is going to be a solid wood one, as shown below:

so would you put the UTH underneath the entire wood? would the heat penetrate it?
if i put it within the viv itself but underneath the substrate theres a risk of burning surely.

when you say vinyl tiling is that the same stuff as lino that would use on your kitchen floor?

 

[BrightReptiles]

Yes, the same stuff you would use on your kitchen floor. It can be purchased in 12x12 squares and you can cut a few to fit. I would suggest a layer of tile, heatmat, and then a second layer of tile on top if you are using an all wood enclosure.

 

[elliotuk]

ok thanks

 

[JordanAng420]

Regarding the spay/neuter question (I consider most every question pertaining to veterinary medicine serious):

Reptile medicine is on a compleatly different planet than general practice veterinary medicine. There are only a certain (quite small) percentage of veterinarians who truly know reptilian medicine well. That being stated, reptiles are not typically placed under anesthesia for elective procedures. One important reason for this is because they don't have diaphragms, and they need a nurse or machine to breathe for them. It is usually a very stressful situation for the animal and they don't filter anesthesia and medication like we do...there fore, they take MUCH longer to recover (when they recover).

Spaying and or neutering in reptiles is generally reserved for an emergency, life threatening situation that requires it.

That is why your gecko cannot be spayed and or neutered as an elective procedure.

 

[elliotuk]

thanks for the info!

 

[4mb3r]

......