Bad gecko! And ?

[Sara0229]

My son has had his leopard gecko for about a month and she was very friendly at first but now she's started biteing! When you hold her shell lick you a few times and then bite. Why and how do we correct her?

Also I can't seem to find a straight answer on this but what temp should she be at?

 

[Jrl6130]

I dont personally have a leopard gecko but I have done a massive amout of research on them for future refrence when I get one Under belly heat is most important for them. What do you currently use for heating? A good temp for an adult would be around 88-95F babys might like it on the hotter side, But all leos have their own personal prefrence. As for the biting i'm not sure about. Sorry.

 

[Sara0229]

Thanks, as for his temp I've read everything from room temp to light bulb to all sorts of stuff. Right now he's probably only like 75- 80 but he's getting a tank upgrade soon so I'd like to know for sure before moving him.

 

[Jrl6130]

Cool. One thing I would recommend is an under tank heater. I recently bought one from zoo med for $15 and it fits a 10 gallon. It works great and gets the temps pretty good What size enclosure is she in right now?

 

[Sara0229]

She's in an extra large critter keeper for the moment, yes I know, that has a uth on it. She'll be going to a 20 long very soon and I want to be sure we do that tank right the first time.

What do you think about the biteing?

 

[Jrl6130]

Well... as for the biting i have no idea. Maybe she's stressed or hungry? Their is a leopard gecko forum called leopardgeckoforum.com that has members that could most likely answer your question.

 

[Sara0229]

Thanks! I'll try that

 

[Jrl6130]

Np!

 

[Floof]

The tasting then biting sounds like the gecko might think you're food. Try washing your hands before you handle her; it may be that there's something on your hands that just smells good!

As far as the heat, I have often read 90-95F is about right for a leopard gecko's warm spot, with room temp to 80F being fine for the cool end/ambient temperature. If you use under tank heat, make sure to get a thermostat!!! Heat pads are EXTREMELY dangerous if unregulated. Great heating tools if properly regulated, but if left unchecked, they can easily reach temperatures of 130-140F (I have personally measured a ZooMed heat pad at these temperatures), which can burn your gecko. Get a good thermostat. Secure the probe under the paper towels (or whatever you use) directly on top of the heat pad--use strong packing tape, or aquarium silicone, or something like that that won't be easily moved by the gecko. Voila... A SAFE way to heat your gecko (plus it keeps the temps very stable--something you can't say about most heat lamp arrangements!).

Hydrofarm and Zilla thermostats are a couple good, inexpensive thermostats (generally running $30-40).

 

[Sara0229]

Thanks for the uth tips. She's going to a bigger tank soon and I'm making a shopping list. I'll be sure to get a thermostat.

 

[SammyJayne]

My partner and I have a fair few Leo's between us and we've noticed a pattern that might help you out but you'll need to confirm the sex of your gecko.
Temperatures:
Females seem to prefer the hotter end of the scale and appear happiest when their temp is around 90-94. If the temp drops below 87, they can get really grumpy LOL
Makes on the other hand prefer the cooler side of the scale between 85-88. If it gets to 90 or above they will spend all their time in the cool end of their enclosure.
Regardless of sex the cool end of their enclosure needs to be 75.

Temperament:
Males - friendly, easy to handle, only seem to attempt to bite if they're in pain or you're causing them stress (ie trying to syringe medicine)
Females - this is where it gets tricky because not only can they be like males or the complete opposite, they can also be a combination of the two. Two of our girls we've got at the moment can be perfectly fine, sociable and easy to handle one day and then the next day they can be trying to have your finger off!

How old is the Leo? It could be that perhaps they've "hit puberty" and are just being a "miserable teen", usually after this they'll calm down and go back to being how they were before just bigger, a little slower ad sometimes not as spazzy.

I'm not an expert, I don't claim to be one but I thought this might help you out cos some of the people I've encountered in some of the leopard gecko forums can be a tad...pretentious and act as though its all written in stone.

 

[Sara0229]

Thanks for the info! Since I first posted this topic she has gotten better. We added more calcium dust to her diet and put some in the tank for her. This seems to have done it. She (the breeder said she's a she) was born in may so puburety could have done it too. She has gotten HUGE since I first posted this. That's good to know about temps. We're going to rearrange the tank this weekend so her favorite cave is over the uth now that the weather is changing. I've noticed she lays in the warm cave at night. I think she'll be more comfy as we keep it cool in the house in winter. Let me ask you your opinion on diet. The breeder told us they feed only meal worms. Couldn't this be bad long term? Don't you think she needs variety?

 

[Floof]

Variety is infinitely better for any animal than just one single food item its whole life... Especially for insectivores. I realize many leopard gecko keepers use exclusively mealworms, but I have a hard time believing that's as healthy as it's made out to be, much less an ideal diet.

If it were me, I'd avoid mealworms all together and rotate through a few of the much better feeder options. Or, if you can only offer one type of feeder most the time, at least pick something healthier than mealies. (Then again, maybe I just have a bit of a personal vendetta against mealies, LOL.)

Crickets, roaches, phoenix worms, silkworms, butterworms, hornworms. Any of the same feeder insects we use for beardies, as long as they're small enough for your gecko, work fine.