My first Gecko/Reptile EVER!

[River]

Hi guys!

[I'm also new to this forum ^_^]

So, I've mostly had furry animals and when mentioned to my dad I wanted to get a gecko he wasn't too sure. I have always loved reptiles, and have always wanted one. But my dad has never let me. They kind of freak him out. Anyway, I FINALLY convinced him that I could take care of a gecko. I have done research, I've talked to reptile owners/pet store people.

So, my story is basically, since I don't have to pay rent anymore (yay!) at least for the rest of the year, I decided I'm going to get myself a new friend. I have a cat at the house already, but I know better than to let her go unattended with my new pet. SO, I was trying to decide. I wanted a reptile, so I did some research of good ones for beginners. Milk snakes, Anoles, and Leopard Geckos were my main choices. Milk snakes are cool and snakes in general are awesome, but my dad would have a fit because they can grow up to six to 7 feet long. Anoles are pretty, but because of their size they aren't great for handling. So, I settled on a leopard gecko.

Before I go on to my questions for you guys, I want to share my experience with the pet stores I 'interviewed' while gathering information.
So, I called a few stores and asked them the 'usual' questions. "Are they taken care of in the store, are they bred/raised in captivity, how much are they, and basically any more information they could share with someone for their first gecko."

The one at (let's call it MallStore#1) answered my questions like this: Yes, they are looked after daily, and well cared for. They have specialists at the store that specialize in certain animals (small animals, cats and dogs, reptiles, fish etc). They do not support taking animals from the wild and they are always handled with care. $59.99. They are handfed so they are quite tame and used to human contact. Sweet, this store was a major plus on my list.

StoreA: Yes. Yes. $69.99. They're only babies. Okay, so this one wasn't as helpful.

MallStore#2: (first, I'm going to point out that every time I've been in this store I want to take every single animal home with me. They all look so sick and not-cared for. It actually brings a tear to my eye. I seriously want to have this place shut down. It's aweful.) I asked the first question: He hung up on me. Yeah, this store wasn't getting my vote.

So yeah, I'm going with MallStore#1. ^_^

Alrighty, here are my questions. Please forgive me.. they might sound stupid, but keep in mind it is my first reptile. And you probably know that you can't always get all the information you need from research.

Question number one: Something that has been bugging me for a while. It's about the crickets. (get it? Bugging? Ha.. _ ) Anyway, how do you catch them? Like, I know you buy them at the pet store in a container of some sort, but how do you get them from their 'house' to the 'shake'n'bake' container, then into the actual aquarium? They're alive, right? So won't they jump around and be hard to grab and such?

Question number two: Heating. Do I absolutely NEED a Under the Tank Heater? It's getting close to the summer and the weather is nice. Is natural sunlight from a window good? Like, if the tank isn't 'heated' that's okay, right?

Question 3: I'm getting most of the stuff (hidey places, crickets, cricket feed and vitamins) the day I get my gecko. That's okay too, right? I've read that you should have the tank ready for your gecko as soon as you bring it home, heated over night and so on. Am I going to do anything wrong in doing in the other way?

Question 4: I got my tank second hand. It means a lot to the previous owner and he does not want it thrown out. However, it has a crack in it. It's not a serious crack, it's not sharp or anything and the tank isn't randomly going to shatter. But, to be safe, is it okay to put something against it? Like that nifty poster background you get for fishtanks? Just so if my gecko decides to lean on the glass it won't catch a toe or anything. I just want to be safe. I'll definately be getting a new tank when I can, though. This is only temporary.

So, yeah. That's all I can think of for now.

Input and personal experiences appreciated.

Thanks!
-River

 

[jusmebabee]

Be careful when getting info from a place that want's your business.
They will say what ever it is you want to hear to make that dollar.
When they say they hand feed what are they hand feeding? Reptiles and don't get handfed. Most animals offered at pet stores deal in alot of wild caught (cheaper). Most pet stores (malls) don't have specialists. They have a person that cleans the cages and things of that nature.
Try asking a question that you know the answer to and see what advice they give you..
Most animals at pet stores aren't handled daily. That is a untruth. Generally reptiles aren't aggresive unless they feel threatened. I would be cautious when dealing with pet store number one. I seriously doubt any are going to say yes we deal in mostly wild caught, or we don't handle them very often. Imagine a pet store saying our staff is not very familiar with reptiles. How much business will they get?
Wish you the best just and not tryng to rain on your parade I just don't want your good thoughts about owning a reptile to be shattered by someone trying to make a buck.
Joel

 

[Mooing Tricycle]

You should check and see if there are any reptile shows nearby, you can get a leo for MUCH cheaper!

 

[River]

Thanks! I guess I never really though of it that way.

As for the reptile shows, I don't think there are any nearby. I haven't heard or seen anything.
Pluus... my transportation is kind of limited to walking or a bus. ;;

I'm getting my Gecko with the help of my big sister, though. Which took a little bit on convincing.

I'm thinking, if the gecko isn't as 'looked after' as they say, it's coming to a good caring home anyway. :]

 

[River]

So I went to the pet store today to check out the geckos and the prices of stuff I'll need.

And I think I'm in love.

This one gecko was in this tank, and I was looking at it and suddenly it looked AT me! I felt a connection and I was like "I want this one" But I didn't have any money with me to put it on hold. Well, I had $4 but they wanted at least $30. But then, it came walking up towards me and stuff! So I put my fingers on the glass and it came over to check them out. It was so awesome. Since it was just a baby, I figured it would be shy. The other gecko in the tank beside it was crazy. It had so much energy. It was cute, though, because it was stalking the crickets in the other tank.

 

[Ed Clark]

Best of luck to you Fiona, Leopard Geckos are cool pets.

 

[River]

Thanks!

I bought it today, I'm picking it up Monday. ^____^

 

[River]

Aw, man. We just set up the tank for it, and realized, theres nowhere to clamp the light D:

 

[GottaLuvHerps]

if its a metal screen top, you can sit the lamp on top as long as the lightbulb isnt directly on the screen.
id suggest checking out my caresheet (stickied at the top of the forum) and a bunch of others to make sure everythings good. congrats on the new baby!

 

[Ed Clark]

Aw, man. We just set up the tank for it, and realized, theres nowhere to clamp the light D:

Leos do not need light, if you are using it to raise the temps just use a heat mat instead.

Look at the exo terra desert heat mat, they are inexpensive and work well.

 

[Mooing Tricycle]

remember to use a thermostat with all heating pads.

 

[Ed Clark]

Alicia, your right that temps need to be controled!!

Its important to not let heating devices overheat.

An inexpensive solution is to use a dimmer to control temps, and works well on a tank, cage or rack. just be sure to check the temps regularly.

 

[River]

Leos do not need light, if you are using it to raise the temps just use a heat mat instead.

Look at the exo terra desert heat mat, they are inexpensive and work well.

It is a heat lamp. Infrared bulb and all that jazz.

I maganged to clamp it to the mirror on my dresser. ^_^



Right now I'm just using paper towel as substrate, since it's just a baby still. They had fine sand in the tank at the store, but I'm just being careful.

How long do you think I should wait until I give it a different substrate? Any suggestions? I read that I should absolutely not use sand. But.. if it's really fine grains, is it okay?

Also, the store wasn't sure of it's gender. How would I tell?

 

[Ed Clark]

It is a heat lamp. Infrared bulb and all that jazz.

I maganged to clamp it to the mirror on my dresser. ^_^



Right now I'm just using paper towel as substrate, since it's just a baby still. They had fine sand in the tank at the store, but I'm just being careful.

How long do you think I should wait until I give it a different substrate? Any suggestions? I read that I should absolutely not use sand. But.. if it's really fine grains, is it okay?

Sand of any kind is a no no with small leos, they can live there whole lives on paper towels.

You can switch to calci sand or something like that when your leo is much larger....say above 30 grams or so.

 

[River]

Sand of any kind is a no no with small leos, they can live there whole lives on paper towels.

You can switch to calci sand or something like that when your leo is much larger....say above 30 grams or so.

Oh, okay. Thanks.

When I brought her/him home, and I took the lid off the plastic container I brought it in, it climbed right onto my hand

But then it kinda freaked out when I started to lower it into the tank.

But it's all good now.

I'll definately post a picture when I get a good one

 

[River]

It's not eating...

I only got it Monday, and I heard that it might not eat for the first week.


For the lamp:
I keep it on 12 hours during the day then turn it off 12 hours during the night. Is that right? Or is it supposed to be the other way around.

*Cry* I feel terrible. I don't want the poor thing to get sick.

 

[Ed Clark]

Dont panic.

They can go a long time without eating.

Dont handle it at all till it starts eating good.

12/12 light cycle is good.

Make sure you have a hide in there and mist inside it dailey.

Daytime temps should be around 82-88 degrees farenheight.

Keep a jar lid with vitamin mineral powder and calcium in with it at all times.

Just chill and let the little one get used to his new home and all should be ok.

 

[River]

Dont panic.

They can go a long time without eating.

Dont handle it at all till it starts eating good.

12/12 light cycle is good.

Make sure you have a hide in there and mist inside it dailey.

Daytime temps should be around 82-88 degrees farenheight.

Keep a jar lid with vitamin mineral powder and calcium in with it at all times.

Just chill and let the little one get used to his new home and all should be ok.

I'll try. It's so cute though, lol. I haven't taken it out of the tank. It'll let me pet it every once in a while, which is all I've done.
It's got two small crickets in there with it right now.
Just misted it.

The pet store was out of the powder. It's not coming in until next week.

But the water conditioner I use has added calcium in it, so it should be okay til next week, right?

 

[River]

Oh!

Pictures!

Bad quality 'cause my camera sucks. But you get the idea. =]

I named it Jax.

 

[River]

Here's another.