What do you know about Leopard Geckos?

Police Chief Grady: I will have the enchilada platter with two tacos and no guacamoles. Mike?
Local Officer Rando: Yeah, chief. I'll have a CHINCHILLA!
Rabbit: I don't get it. Tacos?
Thorny: They think I'm Mexican.
Rabbit: You're not Mexican?
 
I have 4 of them myself...

I actually use sand as substrate but before I dared doing it, I studied the hunting habilities of my animals and followed wheter or not they'd catch sand while hunting. However, I keep the sand / hard surface ratio at 10% sand, 90% hard surface. Leopard Geckos have a very cool behavior in which they find themselves a toilet and stick with it forever... hence the 10% sand surface...

Feeding them crickets is the best as the contain everything they need but you DO have to alternate. Meal worms and super worms aren't that good because they have hard shells and, like Karen said, LG get impacted quite easy...

You need a small bowl of water and at least two hidaways per geckos. They won't climb very well but the come from arid places so lots of rocky terrain is nice for them. I have lots of fun designing terrain myself.

My 4 grim beasts live in a costum made 128 Gallon long tank... I learned to stop listening to what poeple say about reptiles because those exotic pet are not very well known and most people don't know shit! You've got a very small minority of poeple who are passionate and learn a lot from their pets (Lioness clearly is one) but you've got a vast lot of people who are stubborn jerks who stick by general popular beliefs and will prevent you from having the time of your life... Don't forget that pets are like humans, they all have their own personality and NO pet is alike...

I got to watch them develop awesome natural behavior in my OVERSIZED tank and I learned a whole new level of gecko behavior just by watching them...

They rock!

Hunting_Partners_by_Larf03.jpg


Hey__Where_Are_You_Going____by_Larf03.jpg
 
Alrighty, to make I get all this straight:

20 gl long tank for happiness
Fed crickets interchanged with mealworms
2 shelters and a bowl of water
Paper towels as ground
Bottom heater and top light

I'm sure I've missed something...

Humidity. I'm assuming because they're reptiles, they need humidity. What's the best way to provide a consistant level?

I'll definitely post pictures if/when I get one. I just wanna make sure I'm not getting in over my head and have to give the thing up for adoption. :erk:
 
Dead_Lioness said:
Crickets VS meal worms? BOTH!!!!!!!!!!
There is no: "either or"
The best way to ensure your lizard will be healthy is to gut-load the crickets or mealworms 24/48 hours before. You place the crickets in a plastic container ($6.99 at most pet stores) and you supply a piece of apple, orange etc in addition to fish flakes: that way the cricket will not be "empty bellied" and your lizard will have all the protien and vitamins they need from their food.
ALSO: you must dust your insects with calcium and vitamin D (a powder: $4.99)
Click to expand...

I think I remember that it's best that you give them live food also.

At least I remembered that my sister's geckos wouldn't eat a dead cricket or mealworm unless it was damned hungry.
 
Jace_Mereel said:
Alrighty, to make I get all this straight:

20 gl long tank for happiness
Fed crickets interchanged with mealworms
2 shelters and a bowl of water
Paper towels as ground
Bottom heater and top light

I'm sure I've missed something...

Humidity. I'm assuming because they're reptiles, they need humidity. What's the best way to provide a consistant level?

I'll definitely post pictures if/when I get one. I just wanna make sure I'm not getting in over my head and have to give the thing up for adoption. :erk:
Click to expand...

Leopard Geckos are desertic nocturnal creatures. They don't need humidity other than a nice bowl of fresh water. Sometimes, they will have trouble sheeding skin, in that case, you add a little plastic box with wet towels overnight and it helps them.

As for day light... you just need it for heating purposes. The petstore clerk will try to sell you UVB lights but don't buy into them. Like I said, LGs are nocturnal so they don't need UVBs to assimilate D vitamin like other reptiles. It's pretty optionnal... not to say useless.

I suggest you get a pack of calcium (powder) to ''powder'' up your crickets once a week before feeding them to your gecko (especially if it's young)

NEVER, EVER leave un-eaten crickets inside the habitat... those fuckers are just about the most destructive and aggressive critter there is. They can harm a gecko pretty badly if they gang up on it...

When it gets older, you can give it treats like shrimps, pinky mice, butter worms wich are all great for different reasons but only once in a while.

One of my females LOVES shrimps but the have very low nutritive values.

Also, one thing to consider, when your pet is young, you have to feed hime at least 2-3 times a week , at ITS will... Once it gets older, remember that food might be rare so you can play on that. Meaning that you can set up a routine where you provide crickets for the first 2 weeks of the month, then you switch to crickets / worms (silk worms, butter worms, wax worms) and you end with the treats (meal worms, shrimps, pinkies)... and finaly, you starve them for the final week. This kind of cycle is very natural for them.
 
Actually Fred, even nocturnal creatures need Vitamin D... as long as you powder your crickets with it: its great.
They do however need cycles... day and night: so since they do:
why not give them LIGHT and dark ?


BTW, also: when feeding live crickets: remove all obsticle from the habitat...
those guys are not the best hunters, as you'll learn :lol:
 
Dead_Lioness said:
Actually Fred, even nocturnal creatures need Vitamin D... as long as you powder your crickets with it: its great.
They do however need cycles... day and night: so since they do:
why not give them LIGHT and dark ?


BTW, also: when feeding live crickets: remove all obsticle from the habitat...
those guys are not the best hunters, as you'll learn :lol:
Click to expand...

Mmmm... yeah well I sure didn't mean not to give them a light / dark cycle. I meant that UVB fluorescents tubes aren't a necessity. Just a nice little incandescent light will do!
 
Jace Mereel (What's your name anyways? hehe)

I took pictures for you from my gut loading set up I did yesterday:
Basically, I do it after every feeding cycle... it may seem like a lot of work: but not at all.

Worms with peaches and fish flakes:
(can stay like this for a long time and/ or until becoming beatles, which the geckos would love too btw)

GL1.JPG


Crickets: Can only live on this high protien diet for 2-3 days..
so after 24/48 hours feed them to your lizzie!
I put cricket crystals for water source and fruit and fish flakes

GL2.JPG
 
Dead_Lioness said:
Jace Mereel (What's your name anyways? hehe)

I took pictures for you from my gut loading set up I did yesterday:
Basically, I do it after every feeding cycle... it may seem like a lot of work: but not at all.

Worms with peaches and fish flakes:
(can stay like this for a long time and/ or until becoming beatles, which the geckos would love too btw)

GL1.JPG


Crickets: Can only live on this high protien diet for 2-3 days..
so after 24/48 hours feed them to your lizzie!
I put cricket crystals for water source and fruit and fish flakes

GL2.JPG
Click to expand...

Thanks for the photos! Never thought I'd save images of mealworms. :loco: Oh and they call me Emily/Em. :)
 
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