Reptile & Amphibian Forums

sorry guys for having to ask these questions. i would have used the search but it's a pain. and i get to many hits. i have a 20 gallon long tank,that i want to get setup for a couple of leos. i want to use stone slabs for part of the setup and give it a natural look. i have read on the net and books about keeping leos and know the basics. my questions are:

1: what wattage bulb should i get for my tank day and night?[i don't like under tank mats]

2:what brand of calcium is best or the healthiest?[price doesn't matter i want my leos heathly]

any other tips or suggestions welcome
thank you
sorry for long post

Actually, the use of bulbs - light/heat - is sincerely discouraged. Leopard Geckos are nocturnal creatures, meaning that they're not awake when the sun's out. Putting a bulb in there for the heat can cause a lot more stress than a UTH. If you're wanting to be able to see your leos at night, then use a nighttime bulb (I can't remember the exact word right now). I think Ultraviolet? It's not so much for heat, but for your viewing pleasures and a low stress level for the leo. A UTH is very much recommended - it provides heat, and it doesn't cause the leo unneeded stress from all the light. Not only that, but it takes up MUCH less space than a lamp.

As for calcium, there are several different ones to use. I use Repti-Cal. I can't think of the names of the others - I'm still waking up at 7 AM....!

~~Dusty Windom
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So Many Alleles, So Little Time...!
@
~~The Gecko Barn~~

hi there just wanted to add that the UTH is very important to aid in their digestion. Unfortunately its not a matter of whether you like them or not, the uth is really a must while the lamp is optional, leos won't bask in light

I disagree... I have a lamp next to my leos cage and whenever i turn it on he scuttles over to that side of the cage and just sits their in the light.... i guess it depends on leo.
-Kinik
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My only leo is named Maverick. I got him from sombody who didnt want him... he has lost almost every single toe because they didn't take care of him.

Kid you are how old, you have how much experience?

they need an UTH, mine stopped working once and my leo immediately pushed large amounts of fat into her tail and hibernated.

I'm glad your leo is doing well but don't reply if you dont' know what you're talking about. Dusty already mentioned the importance, they are nocturnal

for your leo to be doing that, it would make me think that your gecko must be freezing! If it really likes the light as much as you say it does, you might wanna get a thermometer into there and check the temp!?! just a suggestion.
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Thanks, Briggzer

The ground temp on the hot side is always around 90-93 degrees f. Is that cold for a leo?
-Kinik
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My only leo is named Maverick. I got him from sombody who didnt want him... he has lost almost every single toe because they didn't take care of him.

i know that leos are nocturnal .a day light bulb in the the day time is not going to bother them. i also know to use a nighttime bulb for viewing them at night. i'm not some kid who has absolutly no idea what i'm doing. like i said before ive looked into leos and am not blindly impulse buying them. i apritiate your answers but they didn't help.

your first question about the bulbs, leos are nocturnal, light stresses them out, thats pretty much why the dont come out much in the day, if you're going to use a bulb use a blue bulb made my exo-terra, or zoo-med, this way it does not hurt the leos eyes and doesnt cause as much stress, either blue or red work fne, use a 40watt buld to keep it in the 80's
, due to leos being nucturnal and not diurnal, they WILL NOT bask under a bright light so putting one is is just a waste of your money

Unertank heaters(UTH's) are MUCH better for them. they have to rely on belly heat to digest food, putting on under the tank on one side where the humid hide is is where the leo will say during the day, or after it has eaten, they will sometimes go tothe cooler area to thermoregulate their bodies they do not need any source of light, the light good for them are nightime bulbs I.E blue or red colored bulbs, UTH's are your best bet here

Calcium powder
the best to use is Rep-Cal w/vitamin d3 or without, supplemented with Herptivite every 1-2 months for vitamins, to cant find this in stores so you'll have to buy online, LLLreptile.com has them and AAAreptile.com has them, if you dont want to buy online, use t-rex's leopard gecko dust, LM tropical magic or repti-cal although these are not the best they still have calcium and the leos can benifit from them

Take this information and use it, dont be ignorant

I was referign to kinik who has been begging for help and is a very young beginner and is giving false information. Sorry i should of defined who i was talking to.

Read Dans post if you don't believe me look at the his webpage, he has many leos and lots of exp. They dont' need the day bulb they need belly heat.

What do you concider "very" young? You have no clue how old I am.
-Kinik
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My only leo is named Maverick. I got him from sombody who didnt want him... he has lost almost every single toe because they didn't take care of him.

"begging"? where have you been? i have been asking for a little bit of advice no where near "begging" and i have an UTH and my leo does enjoy going over under the light. It may just be mine but thats not rly my problem he is looking perfectly healthy now.
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My only leo is named Maverick. I got him from sombody who didnt want him... he has lost almost every single toe because they didn't take care of him.

you are young you said your mom refuses to pay for vet bills, indicating you have no income yourself, you have a gecko that was dumped on you that was neglected you and the prior owner had little experience with leos.
Because of this little experience and one battle won please don't give out advice thats incorrect. you've got to understand people take things very literally on this forum and some will take if if they've read that one person uses a light and their leo basks without mentioning that you also use an uth then they will not use an uth

You are correct that i currently have no income myself because i had to quit my job because i joined the wrestling team and i didnt have time for it. My leo was not "dumped" on me i wanted to take him in. I am actually 13 and very young i would concider like 6-9. I'll stop giving my input if that would make you happy. I was just stating that my leo does enjoy the light... he is out more in the daytime than night and does like being as close to the lamp as he can when its turned on. I do use the UTH as his main source of heat. I use the lamp so that i can see in my room. Im sorry for the long post.
-Kink
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My only leo is named Maverick. I got him from sombody who didnt want him... he has lost almost every single toe because they didn't take care of him.

Im afraid anyone who is younger than me is very young and i am 22, which is still young and inexperienced. you can give advice but remember at all times that your advice will influence some other persons decisions or actions, be careful of what you say and note how much experience you actually have.
Personally i stay away from all breeding questions because i have never bred a single thing likewise i've seen you asking questions about your new leo just this week and you've already started posting replies to peoples questions.

YOu are both being silly. Stop for a minute. YOu are BOTH young and both a bit nieve about herps. ACTUALLY, the herp hobby is still VERY new, and people are still learning from their experiences. SO...maybe you should both try learning from eachother. FIRST OF ALL, it is my belief that all animals deserve a semi-natural day/night light cycle. It is good for them physically as well as mentally. If leos were meant to live in an all dark world, they would. BUT the sun does in fact shine where they are from. So, i think that Kinik does have a point with the bulb. BUT, on the other hand, a UTH is in fact needed. Belly heat is essential for reptiles to digest their food. AND since leos are nocturnal, they should have lots of shadowy hides to get away from the light. BULBS SHOULD NOT BE THEIR ONLY HEAT SOURCE. I keep a LOW WATTAGE bulb over my leo tank, as well as a UTH for belly heat. The leos have a choice as to weather to bask or just to get warm under cover.
My other point is that these animals are not toys! They are delicate animals that require SPECIALTY CARE. I dont care how 'hearty' or 'low maintenence' your local Petsmart employee tells you they are. They need specialized care. People should be doing LOTS OF RESEARCH and not just relying on the petstore employee or a forum or just one book for info. LOTS OF SOURCES should be telling you how to take care of them. research is VERY important....to find the latest info, or just basic stuff. PLEASE DONT buy the animal on impulse and then ask questions later. That is not fair to the animal, whther it is a cat, a sea monkey or a nile monitor.

AND one last point. No matter what the animal, you should ALWAYS be prepared to spend money at the vet. If you are 13 and jobless and your mom doesnt want to spend money on vet bills, YOU SHOULD NOT HAVE THE ANIMAL!!!!!!!!

sorry, i felt i needed to vent. I had a long day at work and i am soooo sick of people neglecting to research or care for their animals.
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"i wasn't born with enough middle fingers"

1.0 ball python- Azazel
1.0 columbian boa- Brooklyn
1.0 red blood python-Hiss
1.0 peach phase thayeri-Sancho
0.1 creamsicle corn- Pandora
0.1 partial stripe ghost corn- Raven
1.1 hognose- Pricilla and Odd
0.1 russian tortoise- Manja
0.1.1 leos- Boji and Kodama
0.1 beardie- Indie
1.0 BTS- Griffon
0.1 Iggy- Sunny
0.0.2 Red american toadlets with 0.0.7 legs total (er, i have one w/3....)
0.0.1 gray tree frog toadlet
0.0.6 land snails
0.0.2 millipedes of unknown species from TN
0.0.1 spotted slug
5.3 bettas
0.1 pacific parrolet- Mishka
1.1 cats- Cairo and Oberon
2.3 ratties Rizzo, Bounce, Bree, Blitzkreig, and Zelda

very good ponts made there

but, you mention the herp hobby being new...since when? people have kept herps since the 1960'S

And, with the light, in the wild they stay in dark rock crevices untill nightfall, and come out to roam and look for food, just like how they stay in a dark place and sleep during the day, and come out at night

Kinik..if your leo has chosen to place itself under a heat lamp than you're doing somthing wrong, and i agree with Snarks on this one, if you have had your leos for a month or how ever long you've had it..then you do not now much about it, so polease, dont give out advice unless you know what you're talking about,

i also agree with Riot again, if you dont have the money to bring this animal to the very when it is sick...wait..it isnt it already sick?...without proper treatment from a vet he has a good chance of dieing, you dont know what he has, only a vet can deterine that

thank you for your reply. it was helpful.snarks i knew you didn't mean me. i just ment that i'm 26 and not a total newb to herps.are uth's permanant on tanks or can the be removed? i will serioslyconsider a uth. thanks again

UTHs have a sticky side so that they will stick to the underside of your tank, or where ever else you decide to stick them.

If you are VERY careful, it's possible to remove the UTH and use it again. I do it all the time, and it'll still work fine - you just can't go ripping it off..!

And, I have to put my 2 cents in... 13 IS young. You're younger than the legal working age limit, so you can't really have a job, unless you're babysitting or mowing the lawns, which doesn't always pay as much as you might need for a vet visit or reptile food or reptile care supplies, etc. Also, at 13, you're at an in-between stage of your life - it's called Middle School (yeah, I try to avoid teaching at middle schools because I remember what I was like in middle school...!!). You might be mature for your age, but you're still much more immature than someone who's, say, 23 or 50. And if you're more mature than the average 23 year old, then all I can say is that that is very sad.

As well, at only 13 years of age, it's rather difficult to have as much experience in the reptile business as the average breeder. Check out Ron Tremper, or Marcia at Golden Gate Geckos, or Robin & Russ at R2Reptiles, or Kelli Hammock of HISSS, etc. etc. etc. They've been in the business for YEARS. The latter 4 I learned a great deal from. I've only been in the reptile business for a little over a year - I still consider myself very new in the business, but I draw my information for replies from these trustworthy sources.

Does anyone here remember when any of the above breeders visited this forum? I don't remember Tremper, but I remember when the other 4 were extremely active on these boards. Times have changed.

So, kinik, when people tell you you're young, it's for many reasons. 13 is young. And, yes, you can normally tell from a message about how old a person is - especially if you read how different people write a lot. Don't get insulted by people saying you're young and/or immature - Really, it's NOT something that you can help. You're 13, after all.

~~Dusty
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So Many Alleles, So Little Time...!
@
~~The Gecko Barn~~

lol arent you reasearch your animals before you get them? I dont even have a leo yet because i decided not to rush into getting one so i could propperly set up the tank and be sure that i have all of the proper information about my leo before i get it. I listen to the things that the people say on this board and take it all in as advice for the leo that i am about to get. I have spent two months reaserching geckos now and i would appreciate it if you could research what you are about to say...before you say it. sorry about the long post...but I just dont want any myths or untrue facts spread around that people like me would believe and use the fact with the gecko and make it sick.
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I dont have any leopard geckos yet...
In a couple of weeks right now I am properly setting
Up the tank and getting "stuff for the little leo"
I do have 3 ferrets and 4 dogs.

oops sorry about that that was meant twords kinik...Sorry rhachodactylus!
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I dont have any leopard geckos yet...
In a couple of weeks right now I am properly setting
Up the tank and getting "stuff for the little leo"
I do have 3 ferrets and 4 dogs.

First of all before i accepted the leo i had already researched them because i have wanted one for years. I was a paperboy for about 2 years and it payed about $200 a month. I understand that i am alot younger than most people on this bord but i dont think i am very young. I know that i may have accidently given a little wrong advice and im sorry for that and i would appreciate if we just stoped talking about this... i know sombody is gonna come back at this talking about me being you and immature or something but thats to be accepted. Sorry for the long post.
-Kinik
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My only leo is named Maverick. I got him from sombody who didnt want him... he has lost almost every single toe because they didn't take care of him.

I was lurking on this forum 5 years ago (prior to the forum registration) when Marcia, Trace, KelliH, Arlen, et al posted frequently. Marcia, Kelli, and Robin still post regularly; just not on our beloved, orwellian KS. Unfortunately, I'm unable to direct you to the "rival" forum as the censors would surely mod the URL.

lol yes, hence the reason that I did not explain further - for explaining further would bring about the censors (and not the nice smelling, wafting censers)...

~~Dusty Windom
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So Many Alleles, So Little Time...!
@
~~The Gecko Barn~~