Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi,

I am making preparations to get my very first pet reptile, a leopard gecko! I am really excited about this and wanted to list here all the stuff I am planning on getting to make sure everything is ok.

My parents gave me a tank they had, it measures 24x12x16 inches. It's tall because it used to be an aquarium, I am planning on getting only one gecko. Is this size good for the gecko (even after it reaches its full potential growth)?

As far as substrate I decided to go with paper towels for now. What are other safe substrates that I can use to make it look better?

I am getting a heat pad, a light, a cave for the hot and cold side. As far as thermometers go, which one should I get? I heard about a temp gun, if I buy this will it be the only thing I need? I am guessing with the temp gun I would have to take the temperature everyday, right?

Anything else you guys recommend?

Thank you

Everything sounds great. Make sure you get a water, calcium, and mealworm bowl if you decide not to feed it mealworms. Exclude that last one. Lol. Everything else sounds pretty nice to me. Papertowels is the way to go IMO.

But for the Thermometer. Just get a digital. There should be on at the petstore for like 14 bucks or so. They work great for my needs. Digi for the hot side and a regular coil thermometer on the cool side.

Good luck with your gecko!

everything you said sounds right. just make sure the temperature you are measuring is substrate temp and not ambient temp. belly heat is more important imo.

as far as a more appealing substrate, i use tile and it looks good and isnt hard to clean. you can get it for cheap at home depot or lowes. just an fyi. im getting sick of paper towel. i use it for my juveniles and they seem to move it all around and fold it up. they poop everywhere except on the towel. it hardly even gives them traction. sry for the rant..
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1.1 Western Painted Turtle (Mougly, Scooter)
1.1 Albino Leopard Gecko (Daphne, Guy)
1.0 High Yellow Leopard Gecko (Sunshine)
1.1 HTCT Leopard Gecko (Rocket, Dot)
0.1 SHTCT Leopard Gecko (Tequila)

"The leopard gecko manual" - very cheap book and really the only one you'll need. Answers almost all the questions we get here and is still the "go to" book for us old timers.

Boy, there is some grammar chaos in those other posts. I would be careful of tile, buy only unglazed as the glaze in tile contain lead. Around here all I can find then is terra cotta and it's not that pretty to me. Realize that this tile can pick up moisture so you'd need to clean it carefully or place some layers of paper towel on the "bathroom". You may also find higher temps are harder to come by with tile, so you might need a higher wattage UTH.

A good thermometer from the pet store is going to be fine. We have used both digital and analog and I'm not sure the digital is really worth the extra money and batteries. (We are talking slow heat changes from the lights and the UTH afterall.) Your choice there.

If you have chosen your prey items then some professional gutload and a complete multivitamin supplement would be in order. Can't remember if you mentioned that in addition to your calcium bowl. Something designed for Leopard Geckos is ideal, TRex makes a good product.

Ask away any questions you have, we feel it is really important that you have all the information you need BEFORE getting the animal.
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0.1 Albino Leo Gecko
0.1 Crested Gecko
1.0 Dear Boyfriend
Departed: Harvey and Spock

Thanks for all the responses guys.

I had another question about vet care for the gecko. I am probably going to buy it from Petco (I have been unable to find any local breeders.) So do I need to take it to the vet right after I buy it? I looked up certified reptile vets around my area and there is a few of them. Also, do leopard geckos require annual vet visits?

Thanks.

If you have to buy from a chain, an initial vet visit would be a good idea to test for parasites. They do not require any additional vet visits unless they are sick, in fact the stress of a vet visit can sometimes do more harm.

Just a note, make sure to check out to see if you have any local mom and pop stores. We found this wonderful girl who owns her own store and they have wonderful herps. We now even drive the hour round trip just for crickets because we want to support her. We didn't find her until we did a lot of searching.
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0.1 Albino Leo Gecko
0.1 Crested Gecko
1.0 Dear Boyfriend
Departed: Harvey and Spock