Alykat
New Member
- Messages
- 4
- Location
- Massachusetts
Hi! I'm very new to leopard gecko ownership. I've never owned any sort of reptile before, but I heard these guys are easy to keep. I've done as much research as I could prior to purchasing my leopard gecko. When I arrived at the store, I asked a store associate about the housing of their leopard geckos. I asked a question about how the crickets were just left in with them because I heard that was potentially harmful, and she then informed me that if I wanted a leopard gecko, they just had two new arrivals earlier that day. They weren't on the sales floor because they were too young and small to be housed with the older ones. She brought the pair out and I selected the one that seemed more docile. The other vocalized when being handled and that freaked me out a bit. I figured that the baby would be a better choice since it hadn't yet been subject to poor pet store conditions. I could be wrong, but I'm just trying to lay out my thought process for you guys. Anyhow, here's the questionnaire thing!
About your leo:
- Sex: Unknown.
- Age & Weight: Unknown. He's a baby, though. About four inches long from nose to tail tip?
- How long have you owned your leo: Five days
- Where was he/she obtained (ex. Pet store, breeder, wild caught, friend): Pet store. I know, I know. But I couldn't have one shipped to me.
A) Health/History
- How often do you handle your leo: Only let him walk across my palm once. I want to give him time to adjust.
- Is your leo acting any different today? If so how does he/she normally act which differs from now: Same as always I think. One minor change is that we purchased a hollow bonsai tree thing for his hot hide when we got him. There's a single branch on that tree and after his first night, he found a way to climb up to the branch from the inside and he liked to sleep there for the first three nights. Kind of like a loft for himself. I thought it was cute. The past two nights have been spent not in his branch but just in his hide. He also sleeps outside on the hot side of his tank. I figured this behavior just meant he's not too scared of us anymore?
- Has he/she had any problems in the past, if so please describe: Nothing that I know of
B) Fecals
- Describe (look any different than normal): His first few bowel movements were small and hard to notice. The one this morning is about 1.5cm in length. Half is white, half is black. It looks normal compared to the "healthy stool" article I read. Hah.
- When was the last time he/she went: This morning or sometime last night. I woke up to it.
C) Problem
- Please briefly describe the problem and how long it has been going on: This literally just happened this morning. He was laying on his stomach and relaxing and my roommate came in and removed the lid to his tank. She brought over his crickets and calcium powder and he turned away from her and proceeded to make a strange motion with his mouth. He opened and closed it five or so times somewhat rapidly like a silent bark?
Housing:
A) Enclosure
- Size: Ten gallons
- Type (ex. glass tank): Glass tank
- Type of substrate: Slate tile
- Hides, how many, what kind: Three hides, one on the cool side, the fake bonsai on the hot side, and a wooden log thing for a moist hide in between. I use damp paper towels in there.
B) Heating
- Heat source: Under tank heater
- Cage temps (hot side, cool side): 70 on cool, 85-95 on hot.
- Method of regulating heat source: I don't really have one. I just monitor it.
- What are you using to measure your temps: digital thermometer with probe
- Do you have any lights (describe): no lights. We have a moonlight bulb we intend to use at night once we have the proper lamp for it.
C) Cage mates
- How many (males, females): None
- Describe health, or previous problems: Nothing
Describe Diet:
A) Typical diet
- What you're feeding (how often, how much): Around five small crickets a day
- How are you feeding (hand fed, left in dish, ect): Hand fed? I drop them into his enclosure when he comes out. I figured he might see me as less of a threat if he watches me dump food in there.
B) Supplements (describe how often): No supplements on the first two days, but all crickets have been dusted in Rep-Cal phosphorus-free calcium with D3 for the past three days.
- What vitamin/minerals are you using (list brands): Rep-Cal
- What are you gut loading food with: Fluker's Orange cube. I was considering fresh fruit as well? But I dunno.
So that's about it! I'm very new at this but I'd like to do it right. Thank you in advance for any advice you can give!
About your leo:
- Sex: Unknown.
- Age & Weight: Unknown. He's a baby, though. About four inches long from nose to tail tip?
- How long have you owned your leo: Five days
- Where was he/she obtained (ex. Pet store, breeder, wild caught, friend): Pet store. I know, I know. But I couldn't have one shipped to me.
A) Health/History
- How often do you handle your leo: Only let him walk across my palm once. I want to give him time to adjust.
- Is your leo acting any different today? If so how does he/she normally act which differs from now: Same as always I think. One minor change is that we purchased a hollow bonsai tree thing for his hot hide when we got him. There's a single branch on that tree and after his first night, he found a way to climb up to the branch from the inside and he liked to sleep there for the first three nights. Kind of like a loft for himself. I thought it was cute. The past two nights have been spent not in his branch but just in his hide. He also sleeps outside on the hot side of his tank. I figured this behavior just meant he's not too scared of us anymore?
- Has he/she had any problems in the past, if so please describe: Nothing that I know of
B) Fecals
- Describe (look any different than normal): His first few bowel movements were small and hard to notice. The one this morning is about 1.5cm in length. Half is white, half is black. It looks normal compared to the "healthy stool" article I read. Hah.
- When was the last time he/she went: This morning or sometime last night. I woke up to it.
C) Problem
- Please briefly describe the problem and how long it has been going on: This literally just happened this morning. He was laying on his stomach and relaxing and my roommate came in and removed the lid to his tank. She brought over his crickets and calcium powder and he turned away from her and proceeded to make a strange motion with his mouth. He opened and closed it five or so times somewhat rapidly like a silent bark?
Housing:
A) Enclosure
- Size: Ten gallons
- Type (ex. glass tank): Glass tank
- Type of substrate: Slate tile
- Hides, how many, what kind: Three hides, one on the cool side, the fake bonsai on the hot side, and a wooden log thing for a moist hide in between. I use damp paper towels in there.
B) Heating
- Heat source: Under tank heater
- Cage temps (hot side, cool side): 70 on cool, 85-95 on hot.
- Method of regulating heat source: I don't really have one. I just monitor it.
- What are you using to measure your temps: digital thermometer with probe
- Do you have any lights (describe): no lights. We have a moonlight bulb we intend to use at night once we have the proper lamp for it.
C) Cage mates
- How many (males, females): None
- Describe health, or previous problems: Nothing
Describe Diet:
A) Typical diet
- What you're feeding (how often, how much): Around five small crickets a day
- How are you feeding (hand fed, left in dish, ect): Hand fed? I drop them into his enclosure when he comes out. I figured he might see me as less of a threat if he watches me dump food in there.
B) Supplements (describe how often): No supplements on the first two days, but all crickets have been dusted in Rep-Cal phosphorus-free calcium with D3 for the past three days.
- What vitamin/minerals are you using (list brands): Rep-Cal
- What are you gut loading food with: Fluker's Orange cube. I was considering fresh fruit as well? But I dunno.
So that's about it! I'm very new at this but I'd like to do it right. Thank you in advance for any advice you can give!
