Some general questions regarding Gecko care

[Stryker927]

Hi Guys,

I have been on here researching info on my new Bearded Dragon and everyone has been so helpful but I have a few questions about Leopard Geckos as well. We have two of them, both about 4-5 mos old I believe. They are currently both in a 30 gallon tank which is a little overkill for their size but we aren't sure yet on whether they are going to stay together or we should separate them. They are both female. So here are some questions we have...

1) Do the Leos do better together or apart? Is one truly better than the other?

2) It seems 20 gallon is best for a single adult gecko considering their size? Would two adults together require a 40?

3) Do Leos require any special lighting? Heat? UVB? Night time? Do they like it bright during the day?

4) Do Leos require baths or time to soak? If so, how often?

5) I have read they aren't big climbers so a shallow tank (i.e. 12") is suitable. I rarely see ours climbing on top of their hides so this appears true. Their tank is quite simple right now but we want to start building it out. But I don't want to invest in rocks or trees that would be over 6-8" if they won't climb or enjoy them.

6) Being that their are from a more tropical climate (from what I have read) do they require a certain humidity level? Our house is around 40-50% at the moment but will drop this winter as the forced air heat dries everything out. So do we need to watch this closely this winter? Would a water feature help? Do they get in the water if its there? Or just need to be misted often? Does a built in fogger or mister help with this?

Thanks for all your help!

P.S. My kids saw the new GI Joe movie and named the Leos Scarlett and Baroness (the latter because she hisses from time to time)! LOL :lol:

 

[zebraflavencs]

Hi Don and Brandi,
Rather than typing until my fingers bleed ( okay so maybe not that much )
I am posting photos of my kids' ( geckos).
You will want to keep males apart from other males, they will fight.
Females and babies you can house together, sex them by 4 months and house appropriately.

This 40 breeder houses currently 3 babies. One is for sure a male, the others still not sexed.

This is Petey, he is an adult male around 4 years old. He is housed in a 10 gal.

This is a 55 gallon that houses, Pastel, Dora and Stripe. Dora is 4 years old, Stripe and Pastel are around 3 years old.

This is Helen. She was injured when younger and is totally blind. She also is housed in a 10 gallon for ease of hunting Dubia Roaches. She is around 3 years old.

So there you are. On top of each viv, there is a red bulb to view the geckos at night time, their most active time, under each is a UTH to maintain good warm temps during cool periods. In each I have at least one wet hide, filled with any substrate that holds moisture. This is for help in shedding, as well as a lay box for the females when they throw off unfertilized eggs. And yes, that does happen .
Every other evening, I toss in correct sized roaches ( don't do crix since I was spending more on the meds for Pin worms, than anything else,) enough to feed the amount of geckos in that particular viv.
I also have a calcium dish ( without D3) that I refresh weekly, and a water bowl that is cleaned and refilled daily.
Other than that, cleaning is easy, since everyone is on tile, and I use a baby wipe to clean up feces daily.
Weekly,( when we play with them all in mass, girls together, then the boys separately) I steam clean the vivs.

That is pretty much it, for geckos. If you handle them daily, as with Dragons, you will find that they are quite affectionate, and will amuse you with their antics. The last baby I have....(Leonine) gazes up at me and winks...you have got to love that
If you need anything else, just holler!
Janie.

 

[Twobeardieguy]

Dam Janie, I hope your fingers are ok for work tomorrow!!! :wink:

 

[Stryker927]

Thanks Janie! Appreciate the great info!

 

[zebraflavencs]

Hush Lance, Don and Brandi, hope I helped out !
Janie

 

[Astrael]

Well, we got 2 females back in May, and they seem to enjoy living together. If one comes out, when she goes back into the tank, she'll check to see the other is in their hut. (They have separate hides, but they'll share the big one now and then) They don't seem to fight, even over food. They seem very comfortable having the other around, as I said, they make sure the other is around. But they've been together since they were hatchlings. I would imagine you'd have to wait and see if they'll be comfortable together. Just make sure you have double hides for them. 2 Warm, 2 cool, but 1 moist should be enough.

And bigger tanks are not bad for them. They do like to run around. And the bigger one we got does love climbing. She'll climb anything she's able to. So, we put a textured background around the tank, and she loves it. And she loves climbing drapes, people, couches, etc as well. The other one likes hiding. We'll make a maze out of a cardboard box, and she adores it. I'd say 30 gal should be fine if you let them get some exercise outside it now and then. They're incredibly curious critters, and surprisingly intelligent. (They're as good as the beardies at training people)

No light needed, but heat is important. Under tank heater is best, but we have a black heat light set up as well, in case it's a little too cold. Around 90 seems to be what ours like.

We leave a water dish in the tank. They drink like cats, and make far more use of it then beardies. I'd highly recommend keeping a water dish for them. They'll run through it now and then too. But, I wouldn't give them a bath like a beardie. Maybe a rinse if they smell or seem to need it.

And, as it was mentioned, a humid hide is needed, but the tank should be dry. Moistening paper towels and putting them in a hide is fine for them. I tried moss, and they hated it. They prefer the paper towels, which is nice cause it's easy to replace.

Another note, they don't like being picked up from above. Best to do that sparingly (you might have to at first) but in time, they'll just come to you and climb out on their own. So, holding them is a bit different from beardies, and they move a lot more. But they'll eventually plop down on a warm spot (wrist, neck) and warm up for a few. In the beginning, just leave your hand in the tank for a while, they'll come out and investigate. And eventually (days, not hours), they'll climb on you. They're also extremely curious. John and I are night owls, we're up late and they'll just watch us all night. They don't hide much till they wanna sleep. Very different from beardies, but just as rewarding.