Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello All!

I'll be bringing my first Leopard Gecko home on Monday and I had a couple of last minute questions that I'm hoping to find answers to!

Firstly, are there any standard "new gecko" things that I need to do that I might not know about? Is there anything everybody ought to do when they first purchase one, other than having an environment set up for it?

My next question is about crickets. I've read everywhere that it is a bad idea to buy geckos from major pet chains like Petco, but can crickets (and/or mealworms) be purchased from there without the worry of parasites or germs?

Also, how long will a cricket live for if it is kept in a cricket keeper with a food and water source? How many crickets do you suggest I buy at a time to keep for a single gecko? Will they die relatively quickly or can I make them last?

Thank you to anybody who can provide answers or insights!

Hi,

Here's a few "new gecko" pointers:

Make sure your habitat is ready before bringing your gecko home.

Have food items ready.

If your leopard was kept in a breeder's rack all it's life, then it is a good idea to put cardboard on the sides of the tank, removing 1 panel a week. This gives him time to adjust if you are housing him in a tank.

As far as crickets from Petco go, I've used them for years, on and off. They've worked perfectly fine for me! Same with mealworms. Hope this info helps!

Yeah, crickets from Petco should be fine. As far as I know any feeder from a petstore or "bait" shop online should be parasite-free. My first petshop experience was bad, because I made an uninformed purchase. If you are picking the gecko out, make sure that the tail isn't skinny and that the animal seems lively. If it is a baby, fiestiness is a plus. I have two beauties and they actually came from Petco. They were chunky and tried to bite the clerk when he was "catching" them for me, so I knew that they were doing okay. They are eating healthy and putting on tons of weight, so you can't always assume that Petco animals (or any petshop for that matter) are going to be parasite-ridden or sickly. Similarly, you can't always assume that "online" geckos are going to be parasite-free, so if you get another gecko, keep it quarrantined for a month or two.

A lot of people will advise you not to worry if the gecko doesn't eat right away. I was expecting this from mine, but they all started chowing down within hours of being introduced to their new home, so it really depends on the gecko. Just watch her carefully and make sure that her tail doesn't start shrinking.

It would be a good idea to call a bunch of local vets to find one that has experience with reptiles. It is good to have a vet in advance in case of an emergency. Depending on where you live, it may be difficult to find one and you don't want to scramble at the last second to find one. I'm fortunate enough to live near Washington State University's Veterinary Hospital. If there is a local University that has a Vet Program, they may be a good resource.

My last bit of advice is to just post questions on this forum - there always seems to be somebody knowledgeable who is willing to offer advice!!
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-Kristin

0.1.2 Leopard Geckos
(Monet, Kumquat, and Tamale)

Probably 90% of the questions asked in this forum could have been answered if the owner only had read a care book about their pet. I recommend the leopard gecko manual, but anything along those lines would help. In there you will find detailed information on how to set up a good house to how to care for prey insects and identify disease.

As far as prey items from a chain store I've had experiences to make me steer clear even when I was related to the reptile/fish manager. Just think about if you have infected geckos in the store and the associate is cleaning/handling them when you come up and ask them to bag some crickets. Do they sanitize thier hands in between? Just makes me feel better, even if it is a long weekly drive for me to get to a reptile store for even $5 of crickets.

Good luck.
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0.1 Albino Leo Gecko
0.1 Crested Gecko
1.0 Dear Boyfriend
Departed: Harvey and Spock

In my opinion the best book out there on Leos is "The Herpetoculture of Leopard Geckos" by Philippe de Vosjoli and Ron Tremper. It costs about $40.00 but is more than worth it
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www.StoplightCityLeopardGeckos.com