Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I recently purchased a gecko and I have a few questions that I can't seem to find answers for online. Attached is a photo of the baby in her new home. My questions:

- How good is the vision of the leo? I have heard that this species with its lidded eyes has the best vision among reptiles. Can she see across the room?

- How stressful is it for the gecko to be removed from the terrarium daily and put in a container that is lower in temperature so that it may feed on crickets?

- Can a human-intended calcium supplement be used as a source of this mineral? I was considering crushed Tums or some other supplement.

- At the moment I have a crushed walnut substrate for my six-month old (??) gecko. There are many opinions about this and I will probably remove the walnut just to be safe. If my gecko is just under 6 inches long and feeds outside of her terrarium, should I be very concerned about impaction?

- I was told that my gecko is six months old. I don't know how accurate this is. By the pics, can anyone give a better approximation? I'm also curious about her genetic background.

- A friend also has a gecko along with many hundreds of crickets that he ordered online. They are quickly growing to such a size that they will soon be too large to feed to his gecko. He is considering gutloading them and freezing them before that happens. He will then defrost them as needed and hold them up to his gecko. The gecko does eat still crickets that are held in front of it, so this should work. Are there any reasons that he should not do this?

- As I said earlier, my gecko feeds in a separate container. It is a medium sized tupperware container that I put about six crickets at a time into. When she attacks these, she often also hits the sides of the contained with the front of her snout. Should this repeated action be a concern? Will injury eventually result or am I being overprotective? If it is something that needs to be resolved, how?

- I have read that some geckos are given soft, chopped fruits to supplement their diets. What kind of fruits are preferred? Is banana a no-no?

- Lastly, her name is probably Bailey, but I am open to suggestions. Got any?

Thanks! I look forward to suggestions.

Jon

>> - How good is the vision of the leo? I have heard that this species with its lidded eyes has the best vision among reptiles. Can she see across the room?
>>
Yes. And the night vision (being nocturnal) is outstanding...

>> - How stressful is it for the gecko to be removed from the terrarium daily and put in a container that is lower in temperature so that it may feed on crickets?
>>
Depends on the leos... I have some who hate being moved and who refuse to eat when I'm around, and others that are practically jumping out of the cages for the crickets... I would say leave it in the same enclosure if you can.

>> - Can a human-intended calcium supplement be used as a source of this mineral? I was considering crushed Tums or some other supplement.
>>
I assume so... but why not be sure you're getting all that you need and spend the $10 on herptivite and a reptile calcium suppliment

>> - At the moment I have a crushed walnut substrate for my six-month old (??) gecko. There are many opinions about this and I will probably remove the walnut just to be safe. If my gecko is just under 6 inches long and feeds outside of her terrarium, should I be very concerned about impaction?
>>
Yup. Always be. They do lick the ground for a variety of reason, and it's likely they are ingesting a small amount each time.

>> - I was told that my gecko is six months old. I don't know how accurate this is. By the pics, can anyone give a better approximation? I'm also curious about her genetic background.
>>
The pics didn't copy over into the reply box so I didn't look to hard, someone can help here, or keep looking around at leos until you can figure out ages

>> - A friend also has a gecko along with many hundreds of crickets that he ordered online. They are quickly growing to such a size that they will soon be too large to feed to his gecko. He is considering gutloading them and freezing them before that happens. He will then defrost them as needed and hold them up to his gecko. The gecko does eat still crickets that are held in front of it, so this should work. Are there any reasons that he should not do this?
>>
Sounds messy. Nutritionally, there are some vitamins that will break down when frozen, or when simply left for extended periods of time.

>> - As I said earlier, my gecko feeds in a separate container. It is a medium sized tupperware container that I put about six crickets at a time into. When she attacks these, she often also hits the sides of the contained with the front of her snout. Should this repeated action be a concern? Will injury eventually result or am I being overprotective? If it is something that needs to be resolved, how?
>>
Should be alright as long as she's not really hitting it full blast. My leos often overshoot and hit the groud/side of cage/ect.

>> - I have read that some geckos are given soft, chopped fruits to supplement their diets. What kind of fruits are preferred? Is banana a no-no?
>>
For leos: none. a pure insect diet is good for leos.

>> - Lastly, her name is probably Bailey, but I am open to suggestions. Got any?
Bailey sounds good actually. but if you need more:
http://groups.msn.com/LeopardGeckoWorld/leopardgeckonames.msnw
http://www.geckofreak.com/geckonames.htm
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Brian Skibinski
Brian@MilwaukeeReptiles.com
www.MilwaukeeReptiles.com
Leopard Gecko Care Sheet