Reptile & Amphibian Forums

HI my sister and I just perchased a leopard gecko each and I was wondering if we could have any help. e have them in the same cage. on is 1 week and a half and the other is 4 weeks. We have them on sand bedding I know i know it is a no-no but we will chang it soon. we have a small water dish and a hide a stick 4 climbing on and a dish on mealworms we also have a few baby crickets running around. Thanks for you help in advance

use paper towels thier cheap and easy cleaning,get a humid hide,can be something like a tupperware bowl with top and hole cut on the side then filled with paper towels or moss,make sure thier are 2 hides on either side of cage,1 warm hide and 1 cooler hide,this is so they dont have to choose between warmth and sercurity. get a small dish for mealworms and keep a few in there for them to eat when they want.

Cool, thanks from the Girls Mom
This may be the first response they got, but it is the last I M replying to
all the information seems really good, and I will make sure it is used
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Elizabeth (ecb)

Make this world a better and more beautiful place that You have been in it
*Edward W Bok*

First off, as you said, get them off the sand and on paper towels ASAP. Make sure they have a couple places to hide. If you are giving them mealworms, make sure they are small enough for them. You should also only feed them as many crickets as they will eat. When you have a bunch of crickets just running around, it can cause them alot of stress. Hope this helps...
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My Geckos!!
2.5.2 Leopard gex
3.2 Uroplatus Sikorae

THis is the kids Mom

First off, as you said, get them off the sand and on paper towels ASAP.

*they did that yesterday*

Make sure they have a couple places to hide.

*we are doing that today*

If you are giving them mealworms, make sure they are small enough for them.

*they ate TINY, and dusted*

You should also only feed them as many crickets as they will eat. When you have a bunch of crickets just running around, it can cause them alot of stress.

*I responded to this in a later post*

Hope this helps

*it did, thank you very much*
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Elizabeth (ecb)

Make this world a better and more beautiful place that You have been in it
*Edward W Bok*

THis is the kids Mom

First off, as you said, get them off the sand and on paper towels ASAP.

*they did that yesterday*

Make sure they have a couple places to hide.

*we are doing that today*

If you are giving them mealworms, make sure they are small enough for them.

*they ate TINY, and dusted*

You should also only feed them as many crickets as they will eat. When you have a bunch of crickets just running around, it can cause them alot of stress.

*I responded to this in a later post*

Hope this helps

*it did, thank you very much*
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Elizabeth (ecb)

Make this world a better and more beautiful place that You have been in it
*Edward W Bok*

Gpood advice in here about humid hide. paper towels, and not letting crix run around . The rule is feed no more than they will eat in 15 minutes and remove uneaten crix from tank- you can leave them in there 30 minutes for hatchlings as they are not always that good at cataching them yet, but you shouldn't let uneaten crix run around for hours- they will nibble on your leo unless there is other food in the tank...ouch!!

I would add you need a milk cap or other lid filled with phosphorus-free calcium in the enclosure at all times. Babies especially can get MBD quickly unless they have access to calcium supplement. They will lick it up.

What are you using for heat? Leos need under-tank heat, and you should also have a thermostat attached to the UTH (or use a human heat pad w/ build it temp control). Your temps should be 90° on the warm side and around 78° on the cool side. Standard reptile UTH's can reach 110° without a thermostat so you really need one, as that is way too hot for leos. You may want to remove the larger leo from the enclosure for the first ten minutes feeding until the smaller one catches up in size a bit, otherwise the little one will lose the competition for food and may be bullied into not eating.

Try not to handle them at all until they have been eating well for a few days. Watch for runny stools- usually an indicatoion of worms, protozioans, or other illness such as bacterial infection.

Good luck with your new pets!
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Sarah Stettler
StarGecko
Starling@stargecko.com

Good advice in here about humid hide. paper towels, and not letting crix run around . The rule is feed no more than they will eat in 15 minutes and remove uneaten crix from tank- you can leave them in there 30 minutes for hatchlings as they are not always that good at cataching them yet, but you shouldn't let uneaten crix run around for hours- they will nibble on your leo unless there is other food in the tank...ouch!!

*glad you said this about getting the crickets out of the tank after a feeding, I actually contradicted this this AM when the kids fed the geckos before going to school, I should have listened to them better (bad mommy) They elected to only put a few in (good compramize I guess, and yes I cannot spell for beans)*

I would add you need a milk cap or other lid filled with phosphorus-free calcium in the enclosure at all times. Babies especially can get MBD quickly unless they have access to calcium supplement. They will lick it up.

*is Repti-Cal a good brand? I haver that for my Mt Dragon

What are you using for heat? Leos need under-tank heat, and you should also have a thermostat attached to the UTH (or use a human heat pad w/ build it temp control). Your temps should be 90° on the warm side and around 78° on the cool side. Standard reptile UTH's can reach 110° without a thermostat so you really need one, as that is way too hot for leos.

*We have a UTH and a temp gun, the kids have been monitoring it*

You may want to remove the larger leo from the enclosure for the first ten minutes feeding

*even if they are young? we were told not to handle for a few weeks*

until the smaller one catches up in size a bit, otherwise the little one will lose the competition for food and may be bullied into not eating.

Try not to handle them at all until they have been eating well for a few days. Watch for runny stools- usually an indicatoion of worms, protozioans, or other illness such as bacterial infection.

*we got one of them from Kevin, and the other from a woman named Billie at another stand at the show in MD last weekend. Do you think we should worry about Parasites from them?

Good luck with your new pets!
*thanks, they are CUTE
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Elizabeth (ecb)

Make this world a better and more beautiful place that You have been in it
*Edward W Bok*

Congrats on your new leos!!
You may want to invest in a good Leopard Gecko guide book. Also you will find great care sheets with basic info on the net. Some information may conflict so read lots and figure out what the consenous is. And if you have any questions post them here. Everybody is great at answering. Have fun!

Hello this is ASKs mom
is there a good link for a caresheet (I admit I have not done a search yet, I was hoping the kids would)
and these little guys are SO cute
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Elizabeth (ecb)

Make this world a better and more beautiful place that You have been in it
*Edward W Bok*

That will answer 99% of your questions. Read that and then see if you have any other questions that need answering.
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Steven
Royal Gold Reptiles
Specializing in LV Patternless Albinos for '03 and '04.
Working towards Bell Patternless Albinos for '05.

hello again, yes, this is her mom
we do have this book and she was reading it last night
I have also told her to read as many old Posts as she can, I M trying tnot to be bossy to the kids about these animals, ASK is VERY good with responsibility, and animal Husbandry
but keep up with the pointers, I did not know they would lick up the Calc, I will get a nother couple feed dishes, and a Ziplock dish for a humid hide
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Elizabeth (ecb)

Make this world a better and more beautiful place that You have been in it
*Edward W Bok*