Reptile & Amphibian Forums

my friend just 'aquired' a Leucistic Leopard gecko
the guy who had it first didnt really take care of it well, didnt feed it much and gave it away because he went to boot camp.

It is 3.5 inches total length, lives in a 15 gallon tank, has a heating pad in the take with it. Neither of us know anything about Geckos..i only know bearded dragons. We need advice on setup and care requirements. Is there a good site with care sheets?..
we want to give this little guy the best care...
Any info/help is greatly appreciated
Thanks for the time

Brad

At the top uf kingsnake theres a good care sheet

first off..you should of never took it if neither of you know anything about it..
but heres the basics. where the heating pad is..place a tuppaware container(zip lock, glade etc..) and place a damp(not soaking wet) papertowels,sphagnam moss or peat moss in it, cut an enterace hole in it and place the containder on top of the heating pad..(this makes it humid) papertowels,slate tilesrepti-carpet are safer to use as a substrate than sand,,just make sure the repti-carpet isnt fraying. add 1 or 2 more hides. a shallow dish of water and a shallow dish for mealies and another for calcium(rep-cal vitd3 with or without d3 of with d3 works ok for me) just make sure its phosphorous free, they eat crickets mealworms waxworms..make sure all food items are dusted in calcium powder. only feed waxworms once a week as they contain a massive amount of fat. thats basically the simple set up for a leo you should also get a lamp with a night light (red or blue bulbs 40-60 watt) this helps the heat circulate and helps them digest their food..if i left anything out someone here will correct me..hope this helps

needs hides on the cool and warm ends.

and its probably good he took it, cause if he didn't, who knows what woulda happened to the little guy... at least he's trying unlike his previous owner.

Good luck w/ him!

"first off..you should of never took it if neither of you know anything about it.."

I disagree. He didn't take it as if he was buying it. This was a sudden thing, taking in an abused gecko. Thats how alot of rescues happen. They're not planned, but, you just end up with the animal.

Anyways, I'd check out his underbelly for burns, since you said the UTH was IN the tank with him. They can get pretty hot if not monitored...
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0.0.1 Bearded Dragon (Zeo)
0.2.0 Leopard Geckos (Vienna, Chomps)
1.0.0 Golden Retriever (11 Years)

Well the setup seems alright, please add more detail. Hideboxes should be present, and the type of substrate is important as well. It sounds like the leo is not healthy, i would keep it on paper towels, newspaper, etc, no sand or other loose substrate. Good temps are required for proper health, and feeding habits. Feed the lil guy crickets & mealworms dusted with vitamins and calcium. Feed till he stops eating. Watch the fecal matter, and if any problems arise, ask for advice here or better yet take it to a qualified reptile vet.. Please take time to research more about these wonderful pets.
Caresheet:
http://www.kingsnake.com/rockymountain/RMHPages/RMHeopard.htm

what should the temps be on the warm side?

The heating pad isnt actually in the tank is it?

Correct, the pad is placed under the glass

the temp on the warm side should run from mid 80s to low 90s. cool side room temp (72-78).

yes , she said its IN the tank....its not the normal UTH...its a 'people' heating pad...she also said it doesnt gett too hot.
i havent seen her set up..she is near Boston, Im im Missouri
I just going on what she told....

Thanks for the time
Brad

Problem is leopards need belly heat, so a side or top heater doesn't adequetly meet their needs.

Housing: Min 10 gallons for every one leo. One dry hide on each side (warm/cool).

Substrate: Slate, reptile carpet, paper towels

Heating: Heat pad rheostat (one side of the cage should have a surface temp of 90F, an air temp of about the same)

Feeding: Good staples are mealworms, crickets, or supers. Since its a baby it would probably take to crickets better, or atleast thats what I found. Make sure you dust his/her food witth calcium supplement (every feeding) and vitimins (once a week). If hes a bit on the skinny side you can give him some waxworms but not too many or thats all he'll wanna eat. Silkworms can also be fed and are a good source of calcium.

Humid hide: Can be as simple as a plastic container with damp paper towels in it. Other substrates for humid hides are potting soil or bed a beast.

They're quite friendly as adults, but dont be suprised if hes a bit skitish as a baby. Good for you for taking him in, and good luck too.

np
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0.0.1 Bearded Dragon (Zeo)
0.2.0 Leopard Geckos (Vienna, Chomps)
1.0.0 Golden Retriever (11 Years)