Reptile & Amphibian Forums

im considering getting some geckos, but there are still some things im not sure about.
can anyone suggest the best starter gecko and what size tank is needed. id also like to know some of the most common problems encountered. if i could get some help id really appreciate it.
thanks

best bet would be a leopard gecko,they are very hardy animals and require only a 10G tank through adulthood.

simple setup.....

10 gallon tank(10.00)
2 hides one being on each end(15.00 for both at most)
1 humid hide in middle(free...use a gladware container with paper towels)
substrate(floor covering) paper towels(1.00 a roll)
undertank heater(15.00)
cage top screen(10.00)
light fixure with house hold bulb(12.00)

so lets say $63 unless you have some stuff already just to start the tank out then add the leo and thier prices vary from place to place.

health problems...well never had any so best of luck to you on your way to being a reptile owner.
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1.3 Leopard Gecko's
1.0 mali uromastyx
0.0.3 tokay's(adults unsexed)

Hey,

First you need to tell us what size tank you plan on getting, and how much time your actually putting in in keeping geckos. Some require more care and attention than others, bigger tanks, etc.

I would suggest a leopard gecko for a beginner. Yet, you can go for golden geckos, flying geckos, marbled geckos, day geckos, bearded dragons (not geckos, but a good beginner), fat tailed geckos, etc. I started out with Phelsuma, and never regreted it since.

Often the most common problems are keeping them in too small of a cage, not feeding often, not quarantining, etc. I would also suggest in trying to only get CB animals. Basically, if you follow the correct care sheets, ask around, and ask questions here, youll do fine.

Also, i noticed you asked on the dart frog forum too. I hope you arnt planning on mixing anything so soon. Thats also one of the most commen problems faced.

Good luck anyhow,
M.N

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i already have experience with chinese water dragons, iguanas, some insects and snakes. i spend several hours a day tending to the 2 dragons, 5 hermit crabs, 2 cats, and 2 african frogs. pets are my hobby, and i have very well cared for animals.
for starters as far as geckos are concerned, i do not plan on mixing them with anything else. right now im trying to decide if frogs or geckos are the best addition right now.
im willing to spend what it takes to accomodate my animals, so can you tell me what would be best? is a 20long tall enough?

thanks

A 20 long is good for small terrestrials, but not arboreals. I would suggest pictus or leopards. 3-4 darts might fit if you want amphibians.

M.N

what about a 20 high?

I would suggest Leopard Geckos (Eublepharis Macularis)
Characteristics:
The leopard gecko is one f the best pets available in the pet trade industry . They take up little space, have simple feeding requirements and comes in a multiple variation of colors and patterns. They are exciting and fiesty as hatchlings but as they become adults they become tame. Most adults can be hand fed and most like to interact with their keepers. They can be handled by children as long as they are supervised by an adult.Leopard Geckos can reach a total length of 8-10 inches.They cannot climb plastic or glass but are experts at climbing cloth.They rarely bite and are very timid.Their tails break off easily.Many of them will only use one area of their tank to excrete.

Diet:
Put mealworms in a shallow bowl with a supplement that has calcium
,phosphorus,vitamin A,D3,etc.If the gecko will not eat the mealworms
then feed it crickets in a seperate,smaller cage.Feed it a waxworm once
a month and for a gravid female,every couple of days.Put a waterbowl in the
cage and change it once a day.For hatchlings and juveniles spray them 2
-3 times a day.

Cage Size:
10 gallon aquarium for one and a 20 gallon for one male and two females.Two males will fight.Always make sure you have a lid on your enclosure.

Cage Furniture:
You can use almost anything for your gecko's cage furniture. You can purchase half logs, driftwood, or plastic cage furniture at pet stores. You can also use cracked clay pots or rocks and wood from outside. Just make sure you disinfect anything you get from outside before putting it into your gecko's cage.Include a humid hidebox. You can use a small rubbermaid or tupperware container with a hole cut out of the lid. Fill it with moist vermiculite or spagnum moss and mist it every couple of days.

Heat:
Use flex watt heat tape.The tempature should be about 90 F on one end of the cage and 80 F on the other side of the cage.The temperature can drop down to 70 degrees at night.A winter cooling period is not needed but is a very good idea if
you wish for productive breeding and healthy females.

Substrate:
You can use:
Papertowels-easy to clean and inexspensive
Calcium Carbonate Sand-causes impaction and moderetaly exspensive

Lighting:
I don't suggest that you need to have any type of UV lighting since leopard geckos are nocturnal. No harm done if you do use one.

Sex:
Sexing your leopard gecko can be a slightly difficult, especially if he or she is young. Male geckos are usually larger and heavier in the neck region. They have a line of small preanal pores on their stomach between their hindlegs which are just in front of the anal opening. They also show two hemorphial bulges at their tail base. Females are usually smaller in size compared to the males. They also lack the preanal pores on their stomach. Leopard geckos are sexually mature around 10 months old.

Morphs:
Normals, Hi Yellows, Tangerines, Striped, Jungle, Albinos, Blizzards, Snows, Patternless/Leucistic and Hypomelanistic. These are not all the morphs available.

Incubation:
Incubate the eggs in a plastic box with damp medium and little air flow.Two good incubation mediums are vermiculite and perlite in a 1-1 ratio with water(measured by weight).The tempature determines the sex of the offspring.The temp. is the following:
83-84:mix of both sexes
-a couple degees:mainly females
a couple degrees:mainly males
When removing the eggs make sure they stay in the exact same position as the position that they were laid in.

Some common problems are:
-not being able to shed(if it occurs let your gecko sit in warm water for a couple minutes)
-Impaction
-if you do not have a winter cooling period it will make the female sick
-Vitamin Defiecency
-D3 Overdose

Leopard geckos are the best thing for starters. They come in all type of shapes and sizes.

Tank and substrate -
I use a 20gal with my one male it lets him roam and climb as he wishes. It also keeps me from being restricted as to the size and type of things I put in for him.
Substrate. It is true what you have heard that sand can cause impactation but that is mainly in younger Geckos. The idea is to simulate their natural enviroment and closely as you can. They live in the desert not a paper towel factory, So I use repta cal. for a flooring lots of people use carpet and paper towels I think it make for a nicer cage to have natural look.

heat and light-
the hotest it should ever get in there is 90F and the coolest is 75-60F.I use a uva-uvb foresent light and a bightlight from EUS (the desert light). once again I know they don't need it but the sun puts it out and so it is in nature there for I use it. I also have an under tank heater that is place under his basking spot. the idea there is that at night the sand will be warm and so will he.. once again in the desert at night it gets cold but the sand stays warm through the night.

water- standing water dish on the cool side of his tank.

Good luck