confused

hello....my name is jen. i'm a newbee to the forums and leopard geckos so anyone who can help and be patient with me, i'd be happy to listen to all who can offer some help! (i don't hang out on the computer long....i have 3 kids...i never get to sit long )

i'll try to keep this short, so not to bore anyone...i purchased a 2 month old or so gecko from a chain pet store for my son's b-day last week. we also purchased a 20 L tank with starter kit in it.....there's the thing....the lizard "expert" at the store said one thing....the booklet that came in the kit says another! i know retail pet chains tell you things to get you to buy their products....i didn't fall for that...so to the ?

i have the sticker thermometer on the back wall in the middle...the numbers that are lit are 75 and 80. i have a under the tank heater on the right...cool on left....is this too cool? i think this sounds too low from what i've "read". the expert said i didn't need to purchase a basking lamp. do i need more heat? (i keep a towel over the warm side to hold in some of the heat)

one more ? for today..."it" or french fry as my son has named "it" does not seem to be eating the mealworms, we only give her one just to see and it's always there, f.f. does like to eat the crickets..several crickets a day...so do i do away with the mealworms? will they eat veggies?
i still have a lot of ?'s. it seemed simple at first but....i just want to do it right.

thanks to all who can help....

jen

Hi, Welcome to the Gecko World.lol And the Forum. I will try and answer all your questions.

You Should use a digital thermometer with a probe, as you need to measure the substrate temp. That should be between 88 and 93. the cool side can be high 70's to low 80's. The stick on thermometers aren't accurate. Also you will need some way to regulate that under tank heater as they can't regulate their heat output and they get very hot. I use a rheostat which is like a dimmer switch and you adjust the undertank heater manually. Or you can use a thermostat, you set that to a temp you want and then it takes little help on your part except to check it to make sure its working righ tand to adjust to make sure you have the proper temp.

You will only need more heat if it gets too cold then use a reptile infrared light as they can be sensitive to bright lights being nocturnal, they dont' need a basking spot. They also don't need uv lighting as long as you supplement them properly.

You dont' have to feed mealworms, but do offer variety. The crickets are fine and I feed mine as much as they want in about 20 to 30 minutes. Then take out the rest of the crickets, they will annoy your leo and chew on him if they have nothing else to eat. you will also need to gutload your feeders, I get my gutload from www.cricketfood.com. You can also feed silkworms, superworms, lobster roaches waxworms or butterworms. Go easy on the waxworms, they are high in fat.

I just wanted to make sure that you have the correct supplements, you should have a dish of pure calcium in the cage at all times, I use milk jug caps. Also dust the crickets with pure calcium 5 days a week, a multivitamin one day a week and vitamin d3 one day a week. They can over dose on d3 thats why you only use it one day a week. This is if you have a baby/juvenile.

Also what kind of substrate are you using, I want to make sure the petstore didn't tell you to use sand or any other loose substrate. They can cause impaction and kill your leo. Leos lick their surroundings and ingest sand or other loose substrate then is causes a blockage and they can't pass it. Things that are safe to use are, papertowel, slate/tile, non adhesive shelf liner, or reptile carpet.

I hope this helps you some and that you enjoy your new leo.
Kristy

Oh and I forgot to add, they wont eat veggies. They are insectivores and I am not sure they would be abel to properly digest veggies.
Kristy

hi kristy...thanks for the info....well, bad news i guess....i have sand.....i asked the "expert" if i needed more sand because i thought the depth was too low, and having the under the tank heater i was purchasing at the time, if that would make it too hot since it was only 1/2" deep...he says naw it's fine....french fry has been pooin quiet often and we've had "it" for 6 days now...so i take it i need to get rid of the sand?

now i feel bad.....ugh

jen

I've only heard of problems with sand or anything small enough to fit in the mouth of a leo. Just pour out that sand and get him on some paper towels. You really need to get something to control the heat of that under tank heater, those can exceed 120 degrees and burn animals. Do you have a moist hide?

yes...."it" is shedding now....she's not hidding in it as oftened as i thought she would....

the sand is extremely fine...smaller than table salt i'd say.....do i need to buy something to help her pass the sand?

now that i'm going to paper towels what can i get to put over the heater side until i get up there to buy a regulated heater...can i add a bath or dish towel under the paper towels?

the store "expert" said he had geckos and everything i bought was fine.....good lord i am very upset now....why would he tell me all this was fine if it could cost the animal its life? some expert!

I offer both a dry and moist hide on the heated side of the cage and a dry hide on the cool side. I keep the water on the cool side and mealworm dish where ever it fits, just not directly on the heat. If you can get some air space between the cage bottom and the heater you should be alright. Try soda bottle caps or somthing like that.

thanks jon!
is there a really good book out there to read....this booklet that came with the kit is uh.....says nothing like what i'm getting here....
i hate to keep asking questions.....maybe i could just read....although "hands on" is the best advice....

thanks again....i've got some work to do now.

jen

You're welcome. Lots of pet store information is trash as you're learning now. You've come to the right place for good information.

A good book I would recommend reading is the Leopard Gecko Manual. Its very informative. Also definately get rid of the sand no matter how fine it is. I am sorry you fell victim to the petstores "expert advice" I have told petstores what they can do with their "expert" advice in the past. lol Anyway, I use Tile that i got from lowes, It was likk $15 dollars for a box of it. It looks good, its safe and it conducts heat very well. Here is a pic of one of my cages just after I had cleaned it. And ITs easy to clean. Also you will only have to buy more if one breaks. So its also low cost.


Also, If you find that he has stopped eating and pooping he may be impacted. What you can do is give him warm soaks in 90 degree water up to his shoulders for about 20 minutes a day, this will usually help them poop.