Hi,
I'm new to the forums, and quasi-new to reptiles as pets. I had a couple questions about the Tokay and Leopard geckos my gf and I own. (mostly the Tokay)
First, a very breif breakdown of how we came to be owners of these very neat pets..
Since childhood I have played with lizards, mostly fence/spiny lizards in CA. My gf has never been very much into them. Since we can't get a dog or cat, I took her to the pet store (Petco) and told her to pick something out within reason. We came home with a Leopard Gecko in a ten gallon tank and all the appropriate trappings.
Not to long after that, someone donated an old 55 gallon fishtank to our gecko, named Mozilla. I cleaned out the tank with bleach solution and we bought new lights, cover, UTH and sand, and moved Mozilla to her (his, we found out) new home. She was tenative, but I think he likes it.
So we have an empty 10 gallon tank, and ever since I saw the Tokays at the pet store, I've been interested in getting one. So of course, I bought a Tokay and the necessary substrate and some other neat things for the tank.
That pretty much sums it up.
Disclaimer: I know, buying from the petstore sucks, and I certainly found this out after a few visits, post-purchase. Although the Petco here (Brighton, MA) is cleaner than most pet stores I've been to.
Okay. So pretty much all my questions are about the Tokay.
Housing: I've been reading a LOT on forums and care sheets about various opinions on how to care for and house these pets. My setup for the Tokay (Kabuki) is this.. 10 Gallon tank, orchid bark substrate, small UTH (which I only really turn on when it looks like it's too cool in the tank), a dish for worms that he (she, we found out) barely notices, a small grotto, and a store-bought waterfall (which serves to humidify the tank - quite well).
I have two tops to the 10 gallon. One is the original, aquarium-style bar light over glass and plastic tank top, which fits rather well in the top and creates a relatively good seal for moisture. The other is a split screen top that hinges in the middle. I bought the latter because the former was holding in moisture TOO well. The tank was reaching 90% humidity with a temp range around 84-90. The inside walls of the tank would get totally fogged and dripping wet, and Kabuki wouldn't climb around as usual. So I got the mesh top, and put a regular construction cone light on top, and found the temp staying the same, but the humidity dropping down to 50%, which I know is not good. I haven't quite found an equilibrium where I can keep the humidity at around 70-80, short of just opening the top of the aquarium-style top and letting it air our for a few hours - which, obviously, I can't do when I'm not there to keep an eye on the gecko. I can probably turn the little waterfall off, and that will lower the humidity considerably.
Any suggestions? An alternative that my gf and I have considered, is to move Mozilla back to the 10 gallon, and give Kabuki the 55. Most people seem to think that 10 gallons is too small even for one gecko. I'm sure there are differing opinions, but the fact is, we have two tanks, and one gecko climbs alot. So it's a possibility. Although the 55 has a mesh top, and I have my doubts about keeping a consistent 70 humidity level in such a large tank.
Health: Kabuki has two pea-sized lumps (She's just about full grown) behind her head, on either side of her neck. A picture should be included, but I should say that in the picture, it looks a lot worse than it is. After reading several scattered posts about similar problems in various gecko species, the consensus is to take the gecko (or a fresh stool, rather) to a vet specialist to see what's going on. The topic never seemsto be resolved, and no one replies with the results. I've heard that it is a calcium deficiency, but then that was disputed as well. I didn't notice these lumps until after I got her home from Petco (I know, I know..), and had hoped they might have been a reaction to the handling, or the type of diet she was getting previously. Of course, it doesn't seem to be a hindrance, as she is generally active, fiesty and eats like a horse (5-7 dusted Calcium/D3 crickets daily, and pretty much any amount of mealworms I dangle in front of her). Two quesions on this one - Has anyone ever dealt with this issue, and come to a conclusion? And if it is necessary to see a vet, does anyone have a suggestion for someone in the Boston, MA area? I know many people will suggest going to a vet right away, but for a 13$ pet, if there is a way to eliminate the problem, I'd like to know. If it's absolutely necessary to see a vet, I will. An alternative is taking the Tokay back to Petco and either getting a different one, sans lumps, or not getting a replacement at all. There is a herp show here in October that we are going to, where we might be more inclined to buy from a healthier breeder.
Cohabitation: We've also considered getting either a young Leopard or a common House Gecko to cohabit with one of our current geckos. It seems as though the Tokay would be unfriendly, however, she has been rather docile when I'm in there moving things about or cleaning up feces. She almost never strikes out even when I'm fairly close. Is it most likely that she would eat/attack a small house gecko (We would move them to the 55)? and on the other hand, do adult Leopards ever have problems with young Leos in a large tank?
That's about it for now. I look forward to more activity in the gecko forums here. Sorry for the long-winded message, but those are my concerns right now. Thanks for any response!
Rory
10g: Tokay, 'Kabuki'
55h: Leopard, 'Mozilla'
