Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I just got two baby (about two inches not including tail) leos as a present. Knowning just alittle about them I got online a did some research. First of all I don't know if they are two males,two females or both. Are they still too young to know yet? they are the same size.
I was feeding them for the first time and they both went for the same mealworm, they were both eating it from opposite ends. Until one of them ripped it out of the others mouth. That one bit the eyelid of the other and won't let go unitl I jumped in. I don't know if they were just really hungry or is this a normal thing? I just don't want one going after the others tail.
One more thing, I'm keeping them in a critter cage with a heat pad on bottom will they be ok with that. I figure I would wait til they get bigger for the tank.
Thanks
chris

Hi,

You can sex your leopard geckos and be positive about their sex around 6 months of age. The males will have bulges shaped into the letter V between their hind legs and females won't have that.

With feeding, make sure there are enough mealworms for the two leos to eat... if they grab the same one - just watch them like you did and stop them if they start snapping at each other. I assume it was just an accident that they grabbed the same one - they must have been hungry

The critter cage might be too small... I've seen the extra large ones they have, and you might want to move them into their permanent home already (15 - 20 gal if u plan to keep them in the same tank). also, if you already applied the heat mat, it might be difficult to remove and you may have to purchase another one.

If you have any more questions, please be sure to ask! There are a lot of people here willing to help Take care & good luck with your new leos.

[aimEe]

PS: pls don't use a heat rock (it will burn your leos) and don't use sand as a substrate (they may become impacted and can die).
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0.1.0 Albino Leopard Gecko (Marlene)
0.0.2 Fire Bellied Toads (Norman & Forman)
1.0.0 Fighting Fish (Blue Balls)
1.0.0 Black Lab / Pit Bull (Mikey)
aimee.i8.com

Thanks for all the info,
Is just the heat pad enough for the little ones. I'm using paper towel as a substrate. I'm won't keep them in the critter cage for long, I have a 20g tank waiting for them.
Once again thanks for the info.
Chris

You're welcome

If paper towel is the substrate, make sure it doesn't get TOO hot through the plastic. I heard from some people that it's hot enough that it feels like their hands might burn through the glass so have a couple folds for each towel on that side. And that's good, your gonna use the 20g tank - it gives them good room until they become old hags together Take care chris see you around don't forget to post some pix of your babies soon!

[aimEe]
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0.1.0 Albino Leopard Gecko (Marlene)
0.0.2 Fire Bellied Toads (Norman & Forman)
1.0.0 Fighting Fish (Blue Balls)
1.0.0 Black Lab / Pit Bull (Mikey)
aimee.i8.com

I have two babies that just hatched out of the egg measuring 2" not including the tail. They're one week old and already getting bigger. So... yours are probably VERY young. When you look up caresheets, try to find the information that pertains to the care of hatchlings.

Baby leos require more humidity than adults, so you should get a little plastic container with a hole cut out of the side. I use the 100 count containers that the mealworms come in. You can also use yogurt cups or small butter containers. I use damp peat moss to put on the bottom of the container and then just pat it down so it's not loose. An alternative is moist paper towels. Just put them inside the containers and then put the lid on. Then set it on the warm side, but only put about half on the heat pad and half off.

I would recommend separating yours, because of the way they're fighting over food. You can buy the large critter keeper they sell at Petco that comes with a divider. It's good that you're waiting for them to get bigger before putting them into the 20 gallon.

You probably don't want to handle them too much. My hatchlings are used to having me look at them, but they scream and panic when my hand comes in. Make sure they've got a shallow dish of water. Nothing too deep so that they might drown. My hatchlings are pretty self-sufficient, so they already know how to eat mealworms from a bowl. Count out 10 for each baby and just leave it in the bowl for them to eat from throughout the day.

Gut-load your mealworms before feeding them to your leo and dust with calcium powder that contains D3.

Wow, what an awesome gift! I wish people would give me two baby leos as a present. Good luck!
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chickabowwow

3.2.2 leopard geckos (Rosie, Locke, Lisa, Caesar, Tommy)
and 1 more egg a' cookin'