Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Well I just had a beardie leave my 20 gallon long and go to a 75 so I am left with this empty 20 and people suggested leo's to me. First off what is the basic set up I need do I need uva/uvb like with my beardie do they need a basking spot also I am thinking about breeding them at some point would it be ok to start out with 2 females in the 20 and then add a male later once I have learned more about them. oh yea anyone have any good website suggestions for buying them or there care. Thanks in advance for any help.

-No UVA/UVB. Leos are nocturnal.
-They don't need a traditional basking spot. If you put a bright light in one corner, they'll probably go hide in the dark corner.
-Their temps are different than a beardie,so make sure you can get them right before you bring a leo home.
-Reading back through the old post in this forum is a good place to start. There are tonnes of posts that start out as "Hi,I'm new to leos. What should I know."
-Here are a couple big debatable care items:
1)Sand vs. non-granular substrate: some claim no problems with sand, others (myself included) aren't willing to take the risk. Papertowels or newspaper should be used for young ones.
2)Crickets vs. Mealworms: both seem to be fine staples. Variety is key. I prefer mealworms because they're easier and I can feed them from small bowl. I think it's 50:50 on this one in this forum.
3)Supplements: They need calcium dusted prey and also need a D3 and a reptile vitamin. Different people dust with different frequency. For juveniles and babies, get them calcium daily.
4)Heat pad vs. Heat Lamp: UTH's work great in my experience. Some prefer overhead heating through a ceramic heat emitter. Your call.

So now that the debatable stuff is out of the way:
-A hiding place on each end of the tank (warm/cool)
-A humid hiding place in the middle
-A water dish
-A small calcium dish they can lick if they need extra
-stuff to climb on/hide in as you see fit
-Light to set up a day/night schedule. they'll usually pop their heads out of their hidng place after the light goes off because they know it's dinner time (feed in the evening. I feed mine right after I feed myself)
-A tight fitting screen cover if your leo likes to climb

I'm sure others will have something to add. If not, check google and you'll find tonnes of caresheets (although some have suspect advice). Members of this forum have caresheets on their websites that are very good. Look in the signature lines of people such as Powergeckos, and others and you'll probably find web links.

A 20L will hold two females fine.

Good luck,

>>Well I just had a beardie leave my 20 gallon long and go to a 75 so I am left with this empty 20 and people suggested leo's to me. First off what is the basic set up I need do I need uva/uvb like with my beardie do they need a basking spot also I am thinking about breeding them at some point would it be ok to start out with 2 females in the 20 and then add a male later once I have learned more about them. oh yea anyone have any good website suggestions for buying them or there care. Thanks in advance for any help.
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Blaine

0.0.1 HY/Patternless/Normal Leo (Echo)

Check out the following sites for some great info on leos:

http://www.progeckos.com
http://www.drgecko.com

About the debatable care that was on the more recent post, I use an under tank heater for my leos, placed right below their humid hide spot. I also use an overhead day bulb just to keep the temperature up & also so they know when it's day or when it's nite. I have paper towels as a substrate too, though I used to have sand (as seen in the pic below) until I learned that when they ingest even a little by accident, they lose their appetite for a while.

In my opinion, I think leos are very sweet, clumsy and trusting, almost like beardies, but different. My leos know my voice & whenever they hear me, they all poke their heads up & wait until I open the screen & when I stick my hand in there, they all run up to me hand & climb up. I[ve heard people complain that since leos are nocturnal, they hardly see them & that it's boring to watch them sleep during the day. But I am a night person so I always see them out "exploring" anyway & they are so funny to watch.

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Danielle
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1.0 green water dragon, 0.4 leos, 1.0 adopted iguana, 0.1 beardie,
2.0 green anoles, 1.0 blue anole & 2.2 bettas ~My Pets~