Hello reptile lovers! My name is Crystina and I have recently become extremely fascinated by reptiles in general and have since begun working in a pet store with reptiles and am very seriously considering going to college for this stuff. Anyway, I am interested in getting a leopard gecko (I thought about a bearded dragon, but they get a bit too large for the 55 gallon tank that I have). I would like to learn everything I can before purchasing this animal so I can be sure to provide 100% safe, happy, healthy conditions for my pet. This brings me to my first question. Is there such thing as an enclosure that is "too large" for a reptile. I want to keep a leopard gecko in a 55 gallon tank, and nothing more. Will this freak him out, or will he be alright/comfortable there? BIG question: what substrate do I use. I have learned that sand is a no-no and that paper towels are best, but is this the only substrate that can be used, what about asthetics??? Pretty much, I just need a run-down on EXACTLY how I should set up my tank, I know that I want to use an under-tank heater, and perhaps extra heat lamps for my room does occasionally become cooler than the preferred temperature range for leo's. Any and all help will be GREATLY appreciated. IF you have any advice or tips for the new leo keeper, please feel free to share. Thanks!!
Welcome to the board. As for the tank there is no tank too big. the more space the more your leo will love you for it. as for substrate you could use playground sand IF your leo is an adult and you're feeding outside of the tank, papertowels are awsome cheap and easy clean up, some people use non adhesive shelf liner for their beardies and i'm sure you can use them for leos as well. you will need around 3 hides in the tank:1)moist hide- a hiding spot that can be made with a gladware container with a hole big enough for you leo to get in and out of. fill it with moss and mist it every day.2)a hiding spot on the warm side of the tank 3) a hiding spot on the cool side of the tank. instead of using heat lamps you can use ceramic heat emitters. they generate only heat and no light and since leos are nocturnal this will be fine. a shallow dish filled with water and another one filled with FINE POWDERED CALCIUM. a small bowl filled with mealies is a good idea also. thats basically all i can tell you. i havent used any undertank heaters in my life so i cant really help you there. i hope i helped you somewhat to what you wanted.
The only time I would even suggest an enclosure is too big is if you have a baby... it could be daunting for them to try and capture their food in such a large home. Other than that... the bigger the better. I use reptile carpet (indoor / outdoor bought at Home Depot) or paper towel. No sand of any kind in my house. I've lost two lizards to impaction and one was on 'safe' playsand. Not worth the risk in my opinion. Mostly I use home made 'heat caves' in my enclosures, but the ones that don't have that have heat pads. The 'heat caves' are actually a tile with heat tape underneath, a thin layer of wood around the edges, then a screen all the way accross. Then wood (about 1- 1 1/2" high) on three sides. The leos can sit on top or under them. Always a bowl of water, calcium (capfull), bowl of mealies, hide at the cool end and moist hide. Extra stuff for them to climb on isn't necessaqry, but they do enjoy it. Hope this helps.
I use a piece of starchy felt (thinner but studier than regular felt), a few layers of paper towels for extra absorption, and then sand-color pieces of felt on top for my substrate. Though not really natural, it's better than regular paper towels, and is cheap enough to replace regularly.
a 55 gallon tank is big enough for a bearded dragon and if you do get a bearded dragon they need a utra violet light calcium and vitamin powder they need to be fed crickets and vegies thats all i really know about bearded dragons
I thought that bearded dragons got 2 feet long?? If they get that size, I would not want to put them in an enclosure that does not even match their length depthwise and is only twice it's length, I'm a believer of having TONS of space, I work in a pet store and see what small enclosures do to these animals (unfortunately all I can do is try to keep them as happy and healthy as possible, in their tiny little "cells" as I call them) But anyway, if I were to have a bearded dragon I would surely look for an enclosure at a minimum of six feet. And thanks everyone for your info on leo's! I have been reading a large amount about these wonderful reptiles, and they don't seem to be too demanding. Now, what exactly is a "baby" leo? About how many months old? If I go on ahead with the shelf-liner stuff, does it have to be any particular kind (aside non-stick), will any chemicals in the plastic or anything like that hurt the little leo? Also, does it matter what kind of texture it has? Thanks again! Crystina :wink:
oh! one more question, sorry. How would I go about feeding a lopard gecko outside of his enclosure? Does the seperate tank have to be heated, can it just be an empty 10 gal. aquarium or something like that? (I have a 2 gallon one I can use, I would have to buy a 10 gal. but they don't cost much) is 2.5 gallons for catching food for a fairly young leo acceptable?
You can just use a shoebox sized rubbermaid container. Nothing needs to be in it as you will only have your leo in there for a short period of time and he will learn to associate it with food.
I also work in a reptile petshop and hoping to be a herpetologist.In order to thermoregulate the eublepharis macularius will need a large enclosure. So that the gecko is ok will the 55 g give plenty of hides so that it feels safe. make sure a humidity chamber is given for shedding purposes. just think the bigger and better enclosure you give your leo the better live oits going to live
i have a single leo in a tank about the same size as yours and she is doing great. i put her in there when she was about 4-5 in. i bought the reptile carpet sheets at my local pet store and they work fabulous. i have 3 hides. one is a humid hide. i also provided a really funky shaped rock for her to climb on (note the rock is only 4 in. tall but about a foot long). i use heat lamps during the day and they seem to keep it warm enough at night when they aren't on. i also have a calcium dish and water dish. good luck and i hope it works out.
Hey, I have a question for you guys. Like I said before, I work in a pet store, and I have become sort of the "head" of the reptile department. i'm new to the job and have noticed that whoever was there before me did an AWFUL job of taking care of the lizards and snakes. I'm noticing a problem with two of the fat-tailed geckos we have. (In addition I had to treat 3 emerald swifts and 3 red-tailed boas for mites, and get 3 baby leo's to eat!!) Anyway, one of the fat-tailed geckos is presenting some sort of mucus type of discharge from his nose, and squinting his eyes constantly, furthermore he does not seem to be very interested in food, he is a juvenile fat-tailed, maybe about 4 or 5" in length. What do you think the cause of this might be? And what can I do to help the poor guy out? Another fat-tail I have (in a seperate cage) doesn't seem to care for any food, there are constantly uneaten crickets in his cage, and he is extremely lethargic, he sleeps ALL day without a move. He does not, though, seem to look very skinny (at least not yet). Could this be early signs of anorexia? And should I treat him the same as I did the leo's? (With some appetite jump start and a thorough cleaning of the cage). Thank you so much for your help! - Crystina
i use sand,no probs now,been bout a year or 2. they sell sand made outta vitamins and stuff(all tho is sorta expensive)
I Heart Geckos: for the AFTs one sounds like it might have a slight infection of some sort and as for feeding i would say do the same as you did for the leos. nikedragon 621: the calci-sand is not good. it isnt digestable and to prove it take some of the sand and wet it. it'll clump. the fact that it clumps means it can cause impaction and not to mention your leo shouldnt be eating its substrate to get its vitamins.
