Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My daughter (age 12) has just gotten her first leopard gecko and she's head over heels in love. (I've gotten almost as attached as she is and I thought I was a non-herp-lover) We've done a bunch of reading and research and have bought a variety of STUFF in an effort to make this guy as happy as possible. We've mastered cricket powdering and my daughter has managed to carefully hold him on occasion. We've had him 8 days. We aren't sure how old he is (they told me at the pet store, but I forgot in all the mass of information, I'm going to call back and find out). He's not a baby, but a juvenile, maybe 5 inches.

We have 2 hidey holes, one is a sort of rock like thing from the pet store and the other is a tupperware-like container with a hole. The tupperware one has vermiculite which we try to keep moist, but it's on the cool side.
Is it supposed to be on the warm side?
It is darker and more private than the other one and it is where Slinky spends almost ALL his time. He slinks around the terrarium at night sometimes but if he sees us come in the room, he usually runs into his tupperware. During the day, we don't expect activity, but from what we can tell, he seems to be ALWAYS awake, deep in his hidey hole. Is that normal? The leos at the pet store look fast asleep and relaxed in the daytime but Slinky seems to be always awake with his eyes open. I'm afraid he's stressed!
We feed him daily (5-8 gut loaded micro crickets and a few meal worms) and he comes out to hunt and eat and those are the occasions when he has let her hold him. If he runs from her hand, she backs off. He does NOT really seem to be getting more receptive to the idea, which also makes us worry that he is stressed.

So, in summary my quesitons:
1) Should his super private tupperware be on the warm side? We had it on the warm side for awhile but when it was there, he was perched on the paper towel that was inside it like it was too warm on the substrate. How much vermiculite should be in it?
2) Should he be sleeping with his eyes closed in the daytime?
3) What is the most reliable way to regulate and monitor temperature? I am constantly checking the thermometer and worrying that it isn't right. I have the underneath heat thingie to keep him warm, but there's no way to regulate that. I got a dome lamp which I thought we might use INSTEAD of the underneath heater, but I can't figure out how best to rig it up and still have the top on his terrarium. Plus it seems like it gets the place TOO hot. Any suggestions?
4) Is there anything my daughter can do to make him more comfortable being held? She is already very gentle and tail aware.

Thanks for any and all advice you can offer me.

geckoGirlsMom

First off, let me congradulate you and your daughter for researching before hand and taking such good care of your new pet!
The moist hide should be on the warm side of the tank to ensure proper humidity levels.
Geckos don't really fall into deep sleeps, it is more like occasional dozing sessions. Alot of times they just rest under their hides but are awake. Don't worry, he sounds fine.
To control the temps for the gecko, attach the under tank heater to a rheostat or thermostat. This will help you regulate the temps better. I use the zoo med rheostats (bought at petco) and they work great for me. They are about 20 bucks.
As for handling, juvenile geckos are more skittish than fully grown adults (not to mention he moved recently) so his behavior is normal. Instead of holding him, allow him to get used to human hands by hand feeding him the crickets or mealworms. Once fully grown he will settle down enough to be held for short periods of time.

good luck!!!

Cleo

Congrats On the new gecko It sounds like you will make a great home for him.
Everything Cleo said is on the money but before you buy a rheostat you need an accurate thermometer to be able to set it.
What kind of thermometer are you using???
If youre using one of those strip ones or the little dial ones, Id highly suggest getting a digital thermometer(that comes with a probe) from home depot or maybe wallmart or target, they cost around 10 dollars. These will acurately tell you what the temps are.
The temperature in the cage should be around 78 for the cool zone and 88 on the hot side.
If your under tank heater is making it too hot on the warm side, then you can buy a rheostat to control it, or just add a layer between the tank and the heat pad, donot switch to a lamp though.

Feel free to ask questions any time

Good Luck
Jack

Jack,
Thanks! Sounds like we definitely need the rheostat... not sure how I missed that. And I'll also get the digital probe thermometer you suggest. The one we have is attached to the wall and I worry because it can't possibly be reflecting the actual temp where Slinky is hanging out.
Thanks again.
geckoGirlsMom

Cleo,
Thanks! Will be purchasing the rheostat today. I'll feel much better if I feel like I have control over the temperature.
I think I'll also be getting some slate as per one of your other posts. And will move his plastic hidey at least partway on the warm side.
Sounds like moss or paper towels might be better than the vermiculite which is messy, so maybe we'll go that route.
He's probably wondering why we rearrange his habitat every other day or so!
Thanks again.

Hey, you are such a cool mom to encourage your daughter to explore new things like herps.

1) If you're worried about placing the humid hide on the warm side, position the hide so part of it is over the heat and the other part is off the heat--basically right where the gradient starts to change from warm to cooler. Put enough vermiculite in there to cover the whole bottom of the hide and to hold enough moisture until the next time you mist it.

2) The fact that Slinky keeps his eyes open just shows that he's alert. That's actually healthy for a new gecko. I'm just speculating on this, but it seems like the geckos at Petco are lulled to sleep by the buzzing sound that comes from the lighting/heating. It's similar to the sound of a fridge running. Almost all of their animals are asleep, but it's only in Petco. Other petstores that don't have this buzzing have more alert animals.

3) Under tank heaters are great, but if you use one, you have to get a thermostat or rheostat. This allows you to control how hot the UTH gets; otherwise, it WILL heat to the max. And some of them get dangerously hot.

4) I usually try not to pick up my geckos, but let them climb onto my hand. Make sure she gently cups her other hand over him when she lifts him out of the tank, because he might not be afraid to jump off even from up high. It's good that she lets him come out first before picking him up. Just give him some time and he'll get more used to her.
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Lovin' would be easy if your colors were like my dreams...

Thanks for the help and suggestions. (This place is great.) She hand fed him some meal worms last night and got some little lizard smooches in the process. I will be making a few more purchases today to get this heat thing under control, and swap his plastic and rock hidey holes.
I'm feeling much better!
geckoGirlsMom

Sorry, must have missed your post but it looks like everyone else covered everything so later
Mac