Reptile & Amphibian Forums

There is a reptile show coming up in my area this sunday. If i see a leo that i like and if i know how to care for it properly then knowing myself ill prob buy it...All i have now is a 10 and 20 gallon tank...What else do i need? Thanks

np
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Chris

1.2.0 Bearded Dragons
1.2.0 Green Basilisks
1.1.0 Crested Geckos
1.2.0 Veiled Chameleons
1.1.0 Corn Snakes
1.0.0 Tokay Geckos
0.0.1 California Kingsnakes
2.5.1 Leopard Geckos

Click here
http://www.kingsnake.com/rockymountain/RMHPages/RMHeopard.htm

It's a pretty basic thing, but it really helps to have your temps figured out before you bring it home. If you start working on it tonight it will give you a few days. It took me a couple of days to get mine right.

An UTH is a good way to heat. Buy one that's 1/4-1/3 the size of the tank. An overhead light is a good way to regulate the day/night schedule and also can warm the air temp a few degrees during the day.

Paper towels are a must for a young leo. Once it's grown up, you can get into the debate over sand vs. papertowels vs. slate/tile vs. repticarpet. My vote is for PT's for now and slate when I can find some that I like.

A water dish is important. It took me a month before I caught mine drinking out of it, but when she did, she drank like crazy.
She also protested one night when it evaporated during the day. She curled up in it and took a nap. Proving once again that leos know their rights. Imagine if they ever got together and unionized....

Dust the prey items with calcium (w/ D3) and a reptile vitamin. How often you dust is another one of those debatable things. I just put a 1:3 (calcium powder:vitamin powder) mix in the bottom of my feeding dish and by the time she eats the mealies, they're good and coated.

One hiding place on each side (warm and cool) and a humid hide near the middle. It's a good idea to have the humid hide half on and half off the UTH. A plastic tub works well. Line it with paper towels and keep it damp to help her shed. You can experiment with other liners too. I think some use moss, vermiculite, etc.

Feed in the evening after the lights have gone off. They're nocturnal, so most won't come out during the day even if you're wiggling mealies in front of them.

Don't expect her to eat for a couple days when she first comes home. It's common. You can try to feed, but don't be too worried if the appetite isn't there at first.

Give her a week before you start handling her to let her get settled in. That's another reason it's important to have the temps/cage setup ahead of time.

Good luck, and make sure you post some pics. And of course if you have any questions, feel free to ask. There are a lot of knowledgable people on this forum.

>>There is a reptile show coming up in my area this sunday. If i see a leo that i like and if i know how to care for it properly then knowing myself ill prob buy it...All i have now is a 10 and 20 gallon tank...What else do i need? Thanks
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Blaine

0.0.1 High Yellow Juvenile Leo (Echo)

Thanks alot guys