Reptile & Amphibian Forums

finally got my first leo, i was just wondering what everyone thought of him

[img]http://www25.brinkster.com/mrabbit/gebco.jpg[img]

Very cute little guy! He's an aberrant phase in case you didn't know. Looks like you got him from a pet store right?
Good luck with him!
Adam
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His colors are dark and that tail is on the thin side. Keep him plenty warm (UTH) with lots of food and hides and hopefully he will be much happier with you. Try not to handle him too much the first week while he settles in. Did you get him at Petco or Petsmart, or somewhere else? He is an aberrant-normal.Watch for runny or loose stools. Good luck and enjoy your new friend!

what does it mean to be aberrant-normal?, and i got him at today's pet, i've been wanting to get one for a long time, but i only had $20, and i dnon't have a job currently, so yea, they were $34 at petsmart, and i finlaly saw them on sale at today's pet for only $20, so tahts were i got him

Aberrant-normal means he has normal coloration, but a slightly abnormal pattern that deviates from the classic banded

How do his stools look?

well, i have two geckos, ones just a house gecko, and the leo, can't tell the stools apart, haven't had them for very long....

You need seperate enclosures.

Don't put those two together, they need COMPLETELY different environments... on top of them having very different temperaments and everything.

The house gecko (do you know what kind you bought, btw?) is probably wild-caught anyway, and would transfer parasites to your leo... not a good idea.
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Got hips like Cinderella / Must be having a good shame / Talking sweet about nothing / Cookie I think you're Tame

well, i've had them together since 8/30 so, about 10 days, and they both seem to be doing pretty good...

umm, i'd like to seperate them but i dont have too much extra room in my room, and i could nvr fit another 10 gal in here, umm, do you think that the house gecko(btw, i don't know what type) would be ok in a 5 gallon tank?, and what do you mean the environments are different i'm going to include pictures of my tank and the house gecko....

I know they seem to be doing well now, because their instinct is to survive. But, please realize that one or two weeks is not a long time.

Anyway, a house gecko can't happily be in a 5-gallon, no. Depending on the size and how well you make another 10-gallon out, I'm sure you might have a happy gecko, but it still depends on the species. You should always research animals before buying them, and make sure you can provide them with everything they need. If you can't separate them because you have no space, I really suggest taking one back before you lose both lives.

Anyway, the environments are very, very different! They come from very different places, inhabit different areas of their habitats, and need completely different types of set-ups. House geckos come from moist tropical and moist temperate places (depending on the species). They are arboreal and can be harmed by the heat mats/UTH which you need for a leopard gecko. In fact, they don't really need much heat at all as long as the temps in your house are over 75*F (provide a small-wattage lamp pointed at the top of their cage). Their climates are mostly warm places, but their habits are to hide in cool, moist places. They are known to be active on very humid nights and you'd probably want humidity above 70%. Leos need much lower humidity than that! They don't fare well in eachother's habitats. Leos come from dryer places and much more barren ones. House geckos need plants, many hides, climbing space, etc. Also, most arboreal geckos do not accept water from water bowls (although I read that house geckos do, I doubt that most of them do) and need daily misting. They're not that active so another 10-gallon would *probably* do, but I don't think people realize how small a 10-gallon is for many animals. A 5-gallon is unconscionable for an adult, but I think it will be fine TEMPORARILY if the animal is small, maybe under 4" including the tail.

In all honesty, these creatures are probably going to freak eachother out. For a leopard gecko to be seeing something scurry above it, it would be unnatural and probably stressful. On top of getting new parasites from the house gecko, which it already probably has gotten.

All house geckos are very easily stressed and very shy, unless they're sick. Everything freaks them out. To have a large lizard moving around under them all night is terrible.

Even if your tank met all the requirements for both of these, it would still be a bad idea. And I'm sure it doesn't because you'd need a HUGE tank, 150-gallon plus to accomplish something that could favor both animals, and you'd also have to know the specifics of each animal and how to carry out a tank devoted to their needs. And it would still be ridiculous.

So, pick one and take the other back... or just get another 10-gallon and find somewhere to put it. But buying another tank means you'll have to get the equipment that the species needs, so understand that it will require money.
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Got hips like Cinderella / Must be having a good shame / Talking sweet about nothing / Cookie I think you're Tame