Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Ok so I have read every post of any relevance on this forum trying to get a good handle, I will soon own 4 leos... 2 hatchlings, and 2 juveniles, one juvenile is underweight as well.

So please correct me/help on the following things

Tanks
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3... One 30 for the two small ones for now, who may get eaten by the bigger juveniles.... And 2 10 gallons... Skinny juvenile needs own tank for no food competition

Heating
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Underbelly generic heaters on one side of the tank. Warm side around 90, and one side in mid 70s

Lighting
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Regular reptile lamp, 60 watt bulb for day time, also runs a little hot to compensate for low room temps... Leaving night temps a few degrees cooler when off.

Unfortunately, 10 gallons are not lit at this time (this be a problem)

Still looking for ways to properly view at night.

Will run night/day on times, 12 hours each.

Housing
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For each tank, 3 houses, one on each side, and one humid box

Food
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Generic critter keepers, eggs cartons for housing of crix... Will try mealworms eventually.

Pinks and other worms for treats.

Still looking for cheap gut loads...

Calcium and calcium with D3 and vitamins...
Calcium coated feeders every meal, vitamins once a week, Calcium/D3 once a week. Calcium dish in every tank

Slow food will be presented in a shallow dish... or maybe crix if I break their legs

Substrate
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Paper towels!

Water
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Small dish

everything is correct, the 10 gallons without lighting will be fine. make sure you have the uth pads though. the crix will still get around without their jumping legs, and it will be a bi*ch tryin to break all the legs of 15-?? crix. it also doesnt sound like your leos will be ready to eat a pinky yet, make sure they are large enough so they wont have a problem swallowing the feed. g/l and if you have any problems dont forget to consult the forum, plenty of knowledgeble(sp) herpers here. hope this helps. and if you dont mind me askin what kind of leos are you getting(morphs?)

Don't know specific breeds...

Don't have a picture of the 4th guy either

You're taking on some pretty poor specimens for your first attempt at Leopard geckos. Good luck to you!
The skinny little guy on top is a baby patternless, the other 2 look to be baby tremper Albinos. Hope they work out for you.

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Sam
Gecko Den
Email Me

The more I look the more I worry... Considering the worse one I haven't seen... I look at these and I think I see burns, missing digits, and pretty skinny guys... I am worried and am beginning to think I shouldn't take them now... But if I don't I won't get any for at least a month... Since I really can't afford good ones.

That patternless is in poor shape...the second one isn't much better.

If I were you, I'd take #3 and 4 (If it looks as good as 3) and ask the seller to fatten the other two up a bit first. The tail loss looks really fresh too...it needs to be housed alone, the wounds cleaned and be put on clean substrate.

Unless you want to take the first two and then ask the good people here to help with ideas to make them better...either way, for a first-time, you're asking for a heartache.

Those geckos looks like they need a look over. I hope you have the funds to pay for the vet bills. BTW where did you get those geckos? I hope they fair better in your hands than they did in the previous owner's hands.

-Lemur 6

Yea I showed a couple other people and they said similar things, I have decided not to take them, this will hopefully encourage this breeder to take better care of their stock...

Sadly I wanted a leopard very badly.... I am very dissapointed now and was looking forward to getting one soon... sigh

Those were looking like they would be a problem. Were these a rescue or was someone actually trying to charge you for them? If so, then the "breeder", I use the term loosely, should be ashamed of himself. Trust me he wont be in business long if those are an example of what he is trying to sell.........

Be patient, in the long run waiting until you can afford a nice, healthy gecko will be the best decision!

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Sam
Gecko Den
Email Me

They were charging, 20-30 dollars each... Unfortunately I already paid with my own service of helping with their website... adding greater dissapointment... So I basically paid for it and am getting nothing, but I would rather not get them and have them die

What website is it? I aslo agree that waiting was a better decision. Plus it will be a lot more rewarding when they get there. "Without the bitter, the sweet aint as sweet"

I don't feel that it is fair for me to post their website without them justifying the health of them to me yet... I also don't want to be liable for defamation, people are sue happy these day.

Oh well, hopefully I'll find some website work soon, hard to find work for website designers these days... And its the only job I have time for right now

I've seen those geckos before, I won't post the site or anything though...those are the worst examples of what they had available though...My guess is that they were trying to pawn off their unwanted animals on you... The other leos they had available last time I was on the page looked quite healthy.

you might want to advertise your services on the "other site"...
they have a free classified section
it's at

www
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-robin struck
Geckoheads And Geeks

I doubt anyone would be able to sue you for posting your experiences on that other website. Or, just letting us know who was trying to sell them to you. If they did, I think they would be pretty much ruining any future they may have in this business. I'd be very interested in finding out where they came from as well - email me

Where do you live, maybe someone here knows a quality breeder nearby. I'm confident most could come up with a nice, healthy gecko in most people's price range.

Good luck
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Rob Jenkins
Have you seen the GeckoCam?
Herptopia Reptiles
Email Me

some of the fics looked familiar... i jogged my memory and just a hunch led me here.

dude thats just sickening......
something is definately not right with someone trying to pawn off her troubles on someone else... with the way that patts tail looks i could only imagine what might be running around there... SICKENING
I HOPE YOU READ THIS>>> do everyone else a favor and get out of this hobby,,, i personall know a couple people she has lied to and screwed around. i have no patience for this kind of thing....

trust me guys
i may sound harsh but this is not the first time i have seen poor looking animals on her site... it seems to be some sorta trend
http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=999&gid=3418723&uid=481546

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-robin struck
Geckoheads And Geeks

Grrr!

I live in Houston, so If anyone knows of any other breeders that would be great...

Also for the sake of fairness, 2 of those pictures are of near hatchlings... And the one with the tail nip just got in a fight. And the patternless wasn't even the one I was going to get she said.

I think it'd be best to wait for the right opportunity to get the right gecko. I also think you'd be getting the better deal, since lets say you get a bunch of geckos for real cheap (lets say $15 a piece), but you have to end up paying $200 in vet bills, and even after the vet visits, some may not survive if they're in real bad shape. On the other hand, you can pay $50 per gecko (with shipping and all), and get some very nice healthy specimens, probably nicer morphs as well.

Plus if you feed them well and they grow fast, you can start breeding next year and get many little geckos if thats your interest (breeding is addictive, hatching out lil geckos is even more addictive, but feeding all those little mouths can be nerve racking).

No worries, more opportunities will arise.

-Lemur 6

n/p

Thanks, I have checked them out previously, but I can't even afford the shipping for them right now... Business is slow and I am a full time college student. Not to mention I try to spare the leos the stress of shipping and the provider of those pictures is the only close one I can find...

maybe you could see if they could give you 1 or 2 decent leos instead of four sickly ones...

that you backed out of taking those leos. They look very ill, poorly cared for, and in need of vet care and could die anyway, in fact in the shape they are in looks like the shipping might have killed them before they even got to you.

Before morph, before color, before ANYTHING health is the most important consideration IMO. I know you want some leos now, I would suggest starting with JUST ONE HEALTHY LEO, you can ALWAYS get more later, especially as you are planning on seperate enclosures anyway. Trust me, you will be far happier and better off financially with one healthy leo than with a handful of sick ones in need of vet care that may die anyway. Don't let someone pawn their problems off on you. It's unfortunate that this person offered you this cr*p in return for your services, but it's honestly cheaper for you not to take them, even if they were free. I would be very skeptical of anything this so-called breeder has but you might see if they will give you just one HEALTHY (with a FAT, unbroken tail) leo instead of all those. Otherwise, keep searching.

I want you to find a good healthy pet.
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Sarah Stettler aka Starling
Sarah@stargecko.com
StarGecko.Com COMING SOON! Star Quality Leopard Geckos
Specializing in Hypotangerine Tremper Albinos

That's absolutely disgusting.

I know you're excited about entering into the hobby, but you need to slow down and have some common sense. You don't seem like you want, let alone need, an upwards battle.

How old are you again? Young if I remember. The chances of these animals surviving is slim, do you really want dead animals hanging over you and in your parents mind the next time you want a pet?

I'm glad to read you've reconsidered these. Good luck in your search, when you find healthy leopard geckos its almost impossible to have anything less than pleasure from them.
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I am 19, and I thought I had common sense by not getting these guys -_-

Wasn't attacking you.... those pictures are just insulting. When every hobbyist and their grandchild is successfully working with this species there is no reason whatsoever to be attempting to profit off such pathetic neglectful behavior as must have been shown towards those geckos.
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For responsibly researching before you get your animals AND for deciding not to take these concentration-camp victims.
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Sarah Stettler aka Starling
Sarah@stargecko.com
StarGecko.Com COMING SOON! Star Quality Leopard Geckos
Specializing in Hypotangerine Tremper Albinos

Steve, it is Laura from Starlight Specialties. I looked at her photo album, and was tempted to sign it with my feelings about these little babies... maybe I still will. I honestly don't understand why she would actually post photos of animals in that condition, but maybe there is an explanation. She bought a few of mine last year, and it makes me sick to think that this may be the way they are being cared for.
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Marcia McGuiness
Golden Gate Geckos
www.goldengategeckos.com

You may have ended up spending way more money on that group.
Where are you located? maybe there are breeders nearby.
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Sara

I am in Houston Texas right now

If you see this way down here. I know KelliH (hisss.net) is in fort worth, and I think Ro3bin(geckohead and geeks) and Ross from Leo's anonomas are also in texas.
They all have great animals.
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Sara

np
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Preston Berry
www.coolgeckos.comUnder Construction
prestonberry@austin.rr.com

Well, anyone have any reccomendation on my original list? I was looking for some help on a couple things...