Empty Beardie home. Time for a Leopard Gecko? ;O

boxers · Dec 2, 2008

Soo. I've got two small fixtures with blue lights, and a deep dome fixture with an MVB. A 20L tank. A big rock cave. Reptile carpet. Vitamins and calcium dust. Phoenix Worms for feeders. A reptile hammock. And a climbing stick.

I started wondering if there was an attractive lizard I could get that I would not need to make a giant home for in adulthood- with one beardie in the home, I really don't have room to get another. (Yet :wink

So I started thinking Leopard Gecko.

I've been reading all day and know that the majority of this stuff I don't need to use for the geckos, but I just wanted to run some questions, to be safe.

1. Do they really not need UV rays at all? A colored light is enough for them, I read, as they are typically nocturnal. But this just seems strange, to me, transitioning from the bright desert beardie.
2. Would they prefer to be in a couple or single? I read a lot of places saying "one lizard per ten gallons", I was just wondering if more room is better, as with most pets, or if they would become stressed by too much room and no one to explore it with.
3. To keep the humidity between 20-40% (right?), should I mist the entire enclosure, or only the moist hide? Should I drip water onto the lizard's nose, like with beairdies? [Note: I have tried this at work a couple times, the things launch themselves at my fingertip, either to get the water or because they think I am attacking them, I'm not sure..]
4. The large rock cave that I have is very spacious and open; should I substitute this for a more confined hiding spot, or should I fill it with moss to make it more snug and use as the moist hide? Or would it be fine as the dry hide even?
5. I don't need to use the hammock or stick... right? I'm under the impression they don't climb at all.

And, lastly, for those of you who own Leopard Geckos yourselves:
6. What breeder did you get yours from? and,
7. Please feel free to gush about what wonderful pets they are to continue to persuade me this is a good choice.

[Handle-ability is a huge factor in my pet favoring.]

h0ndap0w3r · Dec 2, 2008

leos are cool, my mom has one and they are pretty self sustaining. You put some of the calcium dust in a small cap and they go and lick it when they need some calcium.

their tails can break off and there shedding is a tad bit funny. they need to be kept moist otherwise they can get their feet binded.

they don't climb all to much and they are nocturnal and from what i know they do not need UVB rays. to me they seem kinda boring, they sleep all day and come out at night when im sleeping.

they remind me of a cat, you feed them, but thats about it. . . im a dog kinda person btw.

tontinos · Dec 3, 2008

well I don't have one BUT im between geckos and a leo is one of them and i've done a lot of reasearch on them so heres what most care sheets say:
1. most people would say that uv lighting is a waste but uv isn't just to provide calcium, its a artifical sun. since leos are nocturnal they need a sun to let them know its daytime right? so I THINK a uv is sorta nessary. but only for a artificial sun. a bet a leo would live fine without one but thats my opnion
2. that whole "ten gallons per lizard" thing is true. I read that they do fine with a little roomate but depending on the personalty some may just be better off alone. but i think the bigger the better. if you want to give a leo lots of space i say a 20 gallon. anything bigger would be a waste of space
3. i think since there from dessert they don't need a whole cage misting. a moist hide mist would be all. and just for the advice, moist hides should be on the HOT side so that it evaporates. and the water on the nose thing won't be nessary unless you don't see your leo drinking from the water bowl
4. i think if its obvisley too open you should get a new hide. and for a moist hide, something more stable. i'm using a butter container with a hole cut on the side if I get a leo.
5. i think it would be better for a branch or hammock

Zoey · Dec 3, 2008

boxers":98462 said:
1. Do they really not need UV rays at all? A colored light is enough for them, I read, as they are typically nocturnal. But this just seems strange, to me, transitioning from the bright desert beardie.
Myself, I have no UV, or colored lights at all. The ambient lighting in my house is enough for him to differentiate between night and day. I provide an heating mat under the tank, and that is sufficient for belly heat in order to digest his food.

2. Would they prefer to be in a couple or single? I read a lot of places saying "one lizard per ten gallons", I was just wondering if more room is better, as with most pets, or if they would become stressed by too much room and no one to explore it with. I have a male leo in a 20 gallon tall glass enclosure, and I've heard that a single male is best. I don't know for certain, but I believe you can successfully house two females.

3. To keep the humidity between 20-40% (right?), should I mist the entire enclosure, or only the moist hide? Should I drip water onto the lizard's nose, like with beairdies? [Note: I have tried this at work a couple times, the things launch themselves at my fingertip, either to get the water or because they think I am attacking them, I'm not sure..]In the tank you need a hide on the cool side of the enclosure, a hide on the warm side, and a moist hide on the warm side. This moist hide is crucial for shedding. I simply use a large plastic margarine container. Turn it upside-down cut out doorway, and place a damp kitchen sponge inside. Re-moisten sponge every couple days or so. Do not mist the enclosure.

4. The large rock cave that I have is very spacious and open; should I substitute this for a more confined hiding spot, or should I fill it with moss to make it more snug and use as the moist hide? Or would it be fine as the dry hide even?
5. I don't need to use the hammock or stick... right? I'm under the impression they don't climb at all. You can use damp moss as a moist hide. My leo doesn't like moss, but I know that it works fine for other people. I have a shelf built into my leo's enclosure with another little cave on top of it. The actually do like to climb. I'm not sure about the hammock... the more hides, the better. They really don't like to be exposed. The feel more secure with lots of places to hide.

And, lastly, for those of you who own Leopard Geckos yourselves:
6. What breeder did you get yours from? and,
I got mine from III Reptiles at an expo

7. Please feel free to gush about what wonderful pets they are to continue to persuade me this is a good choice.
[Handle-ability is a huge factor in my pet favoring.

Leopard geckos are easy to care for and very sweet and tame... be sure to handle them often so the get used to it. Mine will crawl up my arm when I put my hand in his cage.

It's a commitment though... in captivity they can live up to 20 years!

boxers · Dec 4, 2008

Thank you very much.
Zoey, I liked the way you set up the answers. And I love your pets' pictures and names!

I'm kind of bummed that a lot of my stuff is going to waste, but I will still hang onto it, for sure. I know there will be more beardies in the future- I just have no idea when.
I'm surprised how simple it is to care fore these geckos! I will definitely recommend them to more customers at work, so many people go straight for the dragons without realizing how big they get and how much space they will need.

Thank you for the information, now I just need to figure out where to get my gecko from; I'm hesitant to get one from my own store, as they are severely overpriced, and I don't trust their health, from how crammed and insufficiently fed they are.

frog · Dec 7, 2008

leopard geckos are easy to care for, easy to tame, and easy to love! i started out with one and now have 3! they are like chips, you cant have just one! so if your looking for just one leo, be prepared for a sudden urge!

little side note on the climbing though- my leos, especially one in particular, Gomez, likes to climb up my shirt (vertically) and up to my head or on my back, so dont assume they cant climb! getting them off your back can be a difficult task.. :lol:

oh and Zoey- you can house two females, i keep two females in a 30 gallon tank (sort of 30 gallon- i converted a bookshelf that has 4 30 gallon sections; its pretty cool. it has front doors and holds them in place by magnets)

Empty Beardie home. Time for a Leopard Gecko? ;O

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