Needing Info about leopard geckos

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logan4321

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Hey i'm thinking about maybe getting a leopard gecko sometime mainly since they are less then the bearded dragon, as they eat less I have heard. Please tell me things I should know, as well as products I will need. If you give me a tank suggestion please give me one that is not too expensive and is 10 gallons. And If you know about the reptihabitat leopard kit please tell me about it and if I get it I know not to use sand, and i'm unsure about the bulbs since I heard they only need under tank heaters I have heard. Thanks in advance.

The reptihabitat kit I was talking about: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Pmx57Jj4PM
 

SukiLove

Juvie Member
You don't necessarily need bulbs for a Leopard gecko, they do better with belly heat so you should use an under the tank heater. I do use a 60 watt ceramic heat emitter in the winter if it gets too cold, and just for my own viewing pleasure I use a moonlight bulb just so I can see what they're doing. They are nocturnal so they don't need light at night. There are some studies about creating a day-cycle using UVB, but many Leo's are kept with belly heat and no lights for years. You also need at least 2 hides, one humid and one dry. The humid one can be filled with vermiculite/perlite mixture or sphagnum moss, I prefer the moss. This is to help them aid in shedding.

I personally would save your money and not buy the kit, you will not end up using a good majority of it. The sand is no good, as you have stated, the thermometer is not the right kind and those are usually off by a significant margin. You would do better to buy either a temp gun or a digital thermometer with a probe. A regular 10 gallon tank with a lid will work just fine and be cheaper than the set since you will have to buy some additional things anyways.

I keep my geckos in tubs on a rack, but I've had my breeding pair in a 20 gallon tank for a few years now. I keep the ambient temperature on the warm side around 80 degrees, it reaches 90 degrees on the floor where the UTH is, and the cool side ambient temperature is 70 degrees. I have a moist/humid hide with sphagnum moss and a dry hide. They mostly spend their time in the dry hide unless they are shedding, then they will hang out in the humid hide. For my humid hide I use a 16 oz deli cup that I've cut a 2 inch diameter hole in the top so they can climb down inside. The dry hide is just a cave you can get at the pet store. I keep a water dish clean and full at all times and a cap full of calcium powder for them as well. I use paper towels as substrate where they tend to defecate (the have a poop corner) and just use slate tile for the rest.

Here is a good site that gives you a complete run down of Leopard gecko care, and they use pretty simple and affordable things. If you don't really want a realistic looking enclosure they have great tips. http://www.vmsherp.com/LCKeepingLeopards.htm
 

logan4321

Member
Original Poster
Would it be mean to put a leopard gecko in a plastic tank with no natural hides? If not is a Faunarium good for keeping up to a full grown leopard gecko in? Here is a link to the Faunarium: http://www.amazon.com/Exo-Terra-Faunarium-Flat-Large/dp/B0002AR48Y The measure is 18x12x6.5
Or would It only be good for like 4 - 6 months then would I need a 10 gallon tank?
Also, Im worried if I use an under tank heater with a plastic faunarium that it would burn and be a fire hazard.

P.S. Could you give me like what age should eat what size crickets?
 

SukiLove

Juvie Member
I don't think it's mean, it's just not natural looking to the eye. I use plastic tubs with holes cut into them for all my hatchlings, and there are plenty of breeders who keep their geckos without natural hides. As long as you have a humid hide and a dry hide, the gecko should do fine. The Faunarium that you linked is actually a good size for one gecko. Most people who keep Leo's in racks recommend no smaller than a 16qt tub per adult Leo, that measurement is 16 3/4" L x 11 7/8" W x 7" H. So the Faunarium is actually the minimum size required.

I haven't seen one of them up close, but if it has 'feet' on it like the critter keepers do it should be alright with a UTH stuck to a ceramic tile and the plastic tub sitting over top. The 'feet' would give it enough breathable space that it shouldn't melt the plastic. I've been keeping the sterilite tubs on top of the UTH without incident for a few months now until my new rack is completed. Glass would be safer to use, but the plastic container would do fine for now. You can usually get a 10 gallon tank at a pet store for around $10 or so, so it may just be worthwhile to go with the glass tank.

For crickets you need to gauge the space between the eyes, babies usually start out eating small crickets. Around 6 months they can usually move up to medium crickets and sometimes to large crickets if they were really good eaters growing up. You can also feed 3/4" to 1" mealworms to young geckos as well. My hatchlings are measuring around 4" now and they can handle 1" mealworms just fine.
 

logan4321

Member
Original Poster
What do mean by does it have feet on it? And what are ceramic tiles? And when I look online I cant find any 10 gallon tanks with a top on it for 10 dollars more like 30 - 50 could you try to help me find a cheaper one for a leopard gecko on amazon/walmart other place that ships?
 

SukiLove

Juvie Member
You can get ceramic tiles usually 12" x 12" from a hardware store for a few dollars. You can sometimes find a 10 gallon tank with a lid for cheap on Craigslist. You can also purchase the lid seperately at the pet store for an additional few dollars. If you purchase a tank from the fish section it will be cheaper than one from the reptile section. What I meant by 'feet' was just that, plastic bins like that usually have small raised corners like those on a dresser.
 

logan4321

Member
Original Poster
I under stand what you meant by feat now and Ill look up more in ceramic tile because I dont know how to use it, and the petsmart closest to me is like and hour and a half a way so ima look on something that can ship or is near me like walmart, or amazon.
 

SukiLove

Juvie Member
The UTH will have an adhesive side, that is what you would use the ceramic tile for. You would adhere the UTH to the ceramic tile to set the faunarium on top of the keep it directly off the plastic to prevent melting.
 

SukiLove

Juvie Member
Sorry I was unclear about that. If you get a glass aquarium you would just sick it to the glass underneath and it would be fine. You just want to make sure that there is about 1/8" of space for airflow to keep the UTH safe. So if you use the plastic bin you should be alright since it has feet. With a glass tank you will need to put the tank preferably on a bakers rack type shelf so it can breathe.
 

logan4321

Member
Original Poster
Thanks, I'm still trying to decide if I should get the tub for about 6 months then get a 10 gallon later, If I do get a faunarium I'm going to go ahead and use one of those humid hides that look like caves and a half log.
 

SukiLove

Juvie Member
The measurements could be a little off from what they are saying. 10 gallons tend to be pretty standard in size so as long as you get a screen that says it fits a 10 gallon it should do fine.
 

logan4321

Member
Original Poster
Hope you don't mind all the questions sorry. How do you put a under tank heater under a tank, especially if it wont have feet. and any under tank heater and thermestat / timer recommendations?
And how would I tell how big crickets to get a leopard gecko before I get it if I get one sometime?
 
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