just wanted to say hi to everyone first, and thanks in advance for any advice given to me.
ok, so i have been keeping fish for about 10 years. and i am pretty sure in the fall i will be getting a studio apt to go to school, and i wanted to get some sort of living animal in the apartment. i am kinda tired of fish, and the weight of a of a 30 gal aquarium (water and everything) isnt exactly appealing in small quarters. so i started looking at reptiles. first it was chameleons, but after careful research (some done in the chameleon forum here) i decided that it was not an option, it would cost more than an aquarium, take up more space, and there is just simply no way for a chameleon to survive long if i have to leave it alone for a day every week (to go home, laundry, etc). next it was the bearded dragon, which seems still too much of a risk for that sort of monetary and emotional investment. so i retreated to the leopard geckos, which i think would do ok if left alone for a day (possibly two) every week, *I think*.
So today I went down to the petsmart to look at equipment and possibly the actual lizards, and of course, the only thing they have is a jumbo full size leo in a 5 gal space in their “reptile wall”, for 89 bucks! I never liked to buy full grown animals; I think part of the joy is in raising young to maturity. And there is no way that animal could’ve been in good health in that sort of a setup, hardy or not. So then I looked online for a place to buy baby leo geckos, but every site I went to only had insanely priced mutations. I mean I just want a companion, not a trophy of my wealth, I simply cant shell out even $45 (cheapest) for an animal that I have never had experience with before. Then I finally found LLL selling baby leos for $15, but the shipping is a whooping $30, which still = $45. so I guess the internet is out too. so my question is does anyone here know a reliable reptile/pet store in the south bay/LA area in southern California? I will try calling around and checking out the local stores this weekend. But I appreciate it if anyone living in LA can give me any tips on where to or not to go.
And the newbie questions I have are concerning the ways to warm the leos, I been reading a lot care sheets, and I noticed a conflict in the way the care sheets detail the “basking spot”. Some say uses a basking lamp, other say under tank heating pads. I guess I am confused on whether the leo is a nocturnal creature or not, if it is, I can see the point about the under thank heating being much better for the animal and natural, then a basking lamp at 12am. Please let me know what the natural choice is from experience. The other question is about the UVB lights, I read some care sheets that says ditch’um for supplements, which would make sense I guess if the leo is truly nocturnal. But again, I have been keeping fish long enough to know that experience is worth far more than simple instructions, so please let me know if it is better to have or not to have a UVB fixture.
Sorry I took up all this space for my questions, but I think most people here sympathize with me as pet owners at the joy and anticipation of getting into a new kind of animal. Thanks again for all the help given.
-george
