Reptile & Amphibian Forums

The other thread was starting to get a bit drawn out and confusing in the thread (don't like the way this board is set up)

Calcium, please explain how I use it and what I need to buy.

Food, what to keep and what is clean and cheap, and what breeds well?

So I don't need to be concerned with them escaping a realitvely shallow tank?

On a good note I found a breeder who lives within a few miles from me who sells some cheap ones

The other thread was starting to get a bit drawn out and confusing in the thread (don't like the way this board is set up)

Calcium, please explain how I use it and what I need to buy.

Sprinkle/shake with food itemd along with a little herp vitamin powder, make sure to buy PHOSPHORUS-FREE calcium supplement, otherwise your gex may get MBD.

Food, what to keep and what is clean and cheap, and what breeds well?

Mealworms.

So I don't need to be concerned with them escaping a realitvely shallow tank?

Mealworms.

On a good note I found a breeder who lives within a few miles from me who sells some cheap ones

Great!

[ Reply To This Message ] [
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Sarah Stettler aka Starling
Sarah@stargecko.com
StarGecko.Com COMING SOON! Star Quality Leopard Geckos
Specializing in Hypotangerine Tremper Albinos

I was asking about the geckos ability to climb not the feeders lol. The problem is one of my shelters/basking areas is only a couples inches shy of the top of the tank, so I am just worrying about them jumping out.

What makes good, cheap shelters that I can hand make? Buttertubs or something?

Gutloading, I read some recipes and @_@ some of that stuff sounds hard to come by and expensive... Is there any commercially available stuff I can order or they sell in stores that works well?

what temperatures should I keep the tank at?

Geckos can't climb glass but they can climb and are escape artists, if there is just a few inches you will not only need a screen top you will need to clip it shut. On my low 5 gallon reptile tank (equivalent to a ten gallon in floor space, I need to clip the top shut because my gecko learned how to climb up and open it- and escaped once, closing the sliding screen lid after herself as she went out. Sometimes she's hangs upside down on the screen to a few seconds when she does her acrobatics. I have a pic somewhere of her in the act of starting her little routine, it is pretty funny.

Margarine tubs make fine hides.

Warm side should be 88-90°F.
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Sarah Stettler aka Starling
Sarah@stargecko.com
StarGecko.Com COMING SOON! Star Quality Leopard Geckos
Specializing in Hypotangerine Tremper Albinos

So I should get shorter enclosures if I can't get replacement screens?

Is there anything I can hand make that could be used as a basking area that won't go up too high?

How tall is your enclosure? You could probably just get a piece of plexiglass and place it over the tank, that should be heavy enough that your gecko won't be able to move it.
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Sarah Stettler aka Starling
Sarah@stargecko.com
StarGecko.Com COMING SOON! Star Quality Leopard Geckos
Specializing in Hypotangerine Tremper Albinos

Ill just rip the sliding thing off and buy a regular screen then, would like some ventilation for them.

I think I know almost everything I need now, except cheap gutloading... and...

Humidity chambers... Can I just use moist paper towels? Also, how big should it be?

Also will they be okay in an acrylic aquarium? (saw a cheap one on ebay I can pick up)

Hey, I saw your mention about gutloading.
For my crix i went to a website that a friend sent me (i cant remember) and there was a list of ingredients.. now obviously I couldnt get all the stuff, but what i did was go to Bulk Barn (in Canada.. i dont know what an equvialent is in the states), where they sell loads of ingredients and stuff for baking and got what I could. So my gutload consists of oats, powdered milk, flax, red bran, wheat germ, unsugared coconut, alfalfa powder, baby rice cereal, and other various things.. To make a container of it (container is about 1 foot long , 1/2 foor wide) it came to about 3 dollars.. well wihtout the baby rice cereal.
Wait, i just found the link, go here:
http://www.leoloverslizardlounge.com/gutload.htm
and just use the stuff you can find! its not expensive if you go to a bulk barn type place

Yea Ive seen that one before, I am just looking for a simpler complete one, not that I probably couldn't afford it, I just don't want to spend 7 hours in the store looking for all of it.

I haven't used it myself yet, but I just heard from two respected breeders about Sandfire T-Rex Leopard Gecko ICB, which you dust the feeders with and it is supposed to be so complete you can just use a basic gutload, like oatmeal and carrots for moisture. The thread is still on this page, scan down and look for it, "Sandfire T-Rex Leopard Gecko ICB" is mentioned in several of the post titles. This particular formula is supposed to be really good and the breeders say they have been very pleased with the results

http://www.petsupply-reviews.com/petco/T-Rex-Sandfire-869457.html

http://www.nextag.com/T_Rex_Reptiles___Amphibians~2702005z2zT-Rexz0zB3kwzmainz5-htm
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Sarah Stettler aka Starling
Sarah@stargecko.com
StarGecko.Com COMING SOON! Star Quality Leopard Geckos
Specializing in Hypotangerine Tremper Albinos

Just wondering, will mealworms eat most loading formulas, or are they for crickets only?

Both can use it.. Fritz uses it for mealworms, i use it for crix