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Housing...

herperjames Oct 20, 2003 11:42 AM

I am going to be getting a leopard gecko (or two) in the near future, and I need housing advice. I have a 20 gallon tank with UTH on 1/3 of the cage. Could this house two gecko's? My plan for the set-up is this:

Paper towel substrate (it works for my snakes, but will it be good for leopard geckos?);
Shallow water dish in the middle of the cage with calcium powder dish beside it;
A flat rock on the warm end, with a heat lamp above it;
A tupperware container big enough for an adult leo with moist sphagnum moss inside, on the cool half;
A basic hide (a small cardboard box with opening) on the warm end, next to the rock;
Some sort of log or branch running the length of the terrarium
Another basic hide on the cool end.

Will this be okay for two geckos? I want to get a male and female and just house them together, because then I'd have the possibility of babies.
Do I need to by an expensive heat bulb, or will a normal one for lights around the house at an appropriate wattage work for a basking site?
My plan is to have a big aquarium with healthy gut-loaded crickets, and every morning before class I could scoop out about 3 crickets for each gecko, and dust them and then feed them individually too make sure each gecko get's it's fair share (if I have two in the cage); would this be an appropriate feeding schedule? Then at night I would change there water dish and check for poop in the cage.
A week before I get the gecko('s) I am going to set-up the cage and make sure I can have a good, constant temperature in the enclosure.
Am I on the right track? Please tell me if I am doing anything wrong with my plans or preparation. Thanks,
James
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"The magical mystery tour is dying to take you away"Email & Messenger

Replies (2)

kurt18 Oct 20, 2003 01:26 PM

Everything sound just about right except one thing. Leopard geckos are primarily nocturnal so it is better to feed them at night after you turn the lights out. Also, im not sure that three crickets will be enough for young leos. I usually feed mine about 5-7 per day as young ones and 4-5 everyother day as adults not including the mealworms. Anytype of light should be fine, you dont have to buy the expensive ones. Ive never heard of using a rock, but as long as it doesnt get too hot it should be fine.

xelda Oct 20, 2003 01:31 PM

You should place the moist hide on the warm side. Make sure your female is at a safe weight for breeding before you put them together, and keep a close eye on them so you know they're getting along ok.

I keep my male and female together in a 20L, but they were given to me as a pair, so they're used to each other.

3 crickets each everyday isn't going to be enough to keep your leos satisfied. I recommend buying some mealworms to leave in a dish so they can snack freely when you're not at home. This also works as a great way to fatten up their tails.

I also don't use any bulbs at all. My leos will lay on top of the rock den that sits right over the UTH, night or day.
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chickabowwow

3.2 leopard geckos (Rosie, Locke, Lisa, Caesar, Tommy)
and 3 eggs a' cookin'

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