Supplementation and Handling Questions

[Bloody Holly]

Hi everyone!

I'm going to pick up my first FT in exactly a week. I'm planning on buying a juvie or sub-adult. I have the tank all set up and running and I've been doing a lot of reading for the past couple of weeks. I just have a few questions that I can't seem to find answers for.

First, what kind of supplementation schedule should I be using? Every other feeding?

Also, I know that when you have a new snake, most people recommend that the snake shouldn't be handled for at least a week in order to let the animal get used to it's new surroundings. Can the same be said for geckos or can I just start handling my FT when I take it home?

 

[Imperial Geckos]

Well, not handling reptiles until they begin feeding is usually what i recommend. Sometimes it can take longer than 1 week for a reptile to adjust to its new surroundings and begin feeding regularly. I say once your new Fat Tail begins to eat on a regular bases then it is safe to begin handling.

For my adults that eat crickets, I dust the crickets with Zoo Med Repti Calcium with D3 every time i feed, which is usually 3 times a week. All my Fatties that eat worms have a dish of worms and those are dusted with a Vionate/Osteo-Form Mixture. The mixture is composed of :

1- Part Osteo-Form SA (Calcium Powder)

4-Parts Vionate (Vitamin Powder)

Hope this helps! :main_thumbsup:

 

[Bloody Holly]

Thanks so much!

 

[Bloody Holly]

Okay, now I have another question. Can an enclosure be too humid? My temps are fine but the hygrometer says that it's at 81%.

 

[tlbowling]

They can be too humid, and high humidity can cause an upper respiratory infection. As long as you provide a humid hide for him at all times, he can decide if he'd like to be in his humid area or not. Lightly misting the enclosure once or twice a week should keep humidity where you need it. I think 81% is too high? I struggled to find an answer for the proper humidity level too, but the sites that actually had percentages seemed to say between 50-60%.

 

[Bloody Holly]

Okay, thanks. The humidity dropped down to 61% this morning. I think the high humidity is due to fresh Eco Earth and it just hasn't completely dried out yet.

 

[tlbowling]

I was just doing my own research on this actually, and did find one site that actually had a percentage and said humidity could be from 50-70%.

I cant believe no one has this info. on their care sheets? Everyone just states that they should have higher humidity levels, but doesnt exactly give a percentage range?

I have had my AFT's for about a month or two...so Im no expert by any means, so I hope someone else with more experience chimes in.