yesterday i got two leo's. my friend gave them to me because he was sick of feedidng them every day. they werent taken care of that well. later i went to the local pet store and bought them minerals, crickets, a water dish, cricketfood, a water pillow, sand, and a background. I hade 90 dollars from my birthday. By the way im only 11. My4 year old sister wanted to hold one so i gave it to her and she almost dropped it. i am going to clean their tank change the sand and a bunch of other stuff for them. i have an old fishtank to put them in when i clean out their tank. if u have any advise le me know.!
Hi gex. First piece of advice is to get rid of the sand. They can eat the sand and it can cause them to get sick. Use paper towels, old newspapers (make sure they are old so the ink form the paper does not come off), shelf liner....you know the paper like stuff your mom probably puts under the silverware tray and in the cabinets. All of those are better than sand. Do you have something to heat their tank with??? During the day a Leos tank needs to be around 90 degrees on one side (the hot side) and around 80 on the other. So they can regulate their own temperature. At night 70 to 80 for the whole tank should fine. Room temperature in most houses. They also need places to hide. They need hides on both the hot and cold side. They also need a "moist hide". That would be a disposable Tupperware container with a whole cut into it just big enough for them to get in and out of with no problems. It should have about and inch or two of damp organic peat moss in it. Very damp paper towels work too. Just make sure you check them every day and make sure they are still wet. "Moist hides" help them shed their skin. You may want to read this: http://www.goldengategeckos.com/care.html It will help you better understand the needs of Leos. There is also a book called "The Leopard Gecko Manual" that will help you very much. Keep them questions coming. We are more than happy to help.
thanks . the tank has a heater and a few hiding places.the sand i have is ingestible. and the people at the petstore said it was the best kind. i buy all of my stuff from a local petstore. i am buying a mister for them. if i have the moss and stuff wont they mate because they are bro and sis. i am thinking about getting them a new tank. what is so bad about the sand? i feed them 2 a day every other day is that alright?
GEX, man sounds like you got it under control man..... I wouldnt use any misters or alot of water though.... To much humidity can hurt leos. Leopard Geckos come from Pakistan, and areas with no humidity. but they are used to sand and hard dirt. I keep mine on sand too. As far as feeding them everyday.... Na, maybe 3 times a week, if they are young. 2 times a week if they are a bit older, you just have to feed them more at a time. You may want to think about using mealworms for food instead of crickets, if they are skinny. Mealworms are high in fat , as with crickets, dont have much of a nutritional value. So mealies will help them gain wait, just make sure you dust them with calcium. And as far as lights go, make sure you have at LEAST a 75 watt bulb on one side of the tank....Oposite of the water dish.... and with the water dish, you may just need a medium size until they get a little bigger. Other than that..... You should be set.... Good luck bud
thanks for the advise. do u think i should feed mine ( they are adults) 2 a day every 2 days ? And should i keep the heat pad on all the time? i have a small water dish because that is all i can fit and i probably am going to feed them mealworms once a month. I have $120 from my birthday so i am going on a shopping spree for them. thanks for the advise
Gex... Feed them about 12-18 crickets or so, or maybe even 25 mealworms about every two to three days... And it wont hurt to leave your heat pad on all the time, but I would unplug it at least once a week for a day, so it wont overwork itself... That there should do it.... Other than that you have what you need.
are u saying that i should feed them that much a week/ because thats a lot o crickets for a leo isnt it?
Well if you have two, count on them both eating half, and what they dont eat right away they will later..... I buy mine about 25 dozon every 3-4 weeks
