Post by LadyViper on Oct 26, 2006 14:24:44 GMT -6
Leopard Gecko Care Info
What you will need to keep one Leopard Gecko happy
10-20 gallon aquarium or similar, longer is better and easier to get a temperature gradient----about $7-10
Screen top that closes securely----about $10-12
Paper toweling for babies, sand for adults and sub adults (at least 6-mo. Old) Watch them on the sand though. If they are scooping up sand when they dive for a cricket put them back on the towels, or newspaper (or you can feed them by hand with tweezers).----$ varies. Avoid "Calcium Sand" products as they are extremely expensive and not digestible like they would have you believe.
Hide box (I've found an old check box to work well here. Cut a hole in the side. Or they sell little caves at the pet store. Anything so they can hide if they want to. Also, the little houses they make for hamsters are good and a little cheaper also.)----$ varies, could be free if you use your imagination.
Heating pad from pet store to go under one end of the cage. (You can use a human neck heating pad but be aware that they may pose a fire hazard as they weren't made to be put under a fish tank.)----about $10-15, NO HOT ROCKS!! I don't care what the pet store people say, do not buy a heating rock! All they do is heat up the belly of the animal, not the air. Can cause thermal burns as well. Alternatively you can use a ceramic heat element (CHE) over to one side. Be carerful though, as they give off a lot more heat than a light bulb of similar wattage.
Shallow water dish that the lizard can get his head into. (Maybe 1/2 inch deep)
Low branch for him to climb on. Doesn't have to go up high as they don't climb much.
With a larger tank you can put in more furniture for them to hang out on, or in. They are very curious lizards, especially at dusk, and it makes their lives more interesting to have things to explore. If you have a smaller tank, say the 10 gallon, don't overcrowd the bottom. They need some flat area to walk around on.
Crickets to eat. Can be obtained from the pet store at like $.10 each or less if you buy a lot. Keep in mind that one Leopard Gecko can eat 10 crickets a day when it is growing. Keep them in a closed container with a screen top or holes poked in the top. Provide the crickets with an orange slice (for moisture and vitamin C) and fish flakes or ground up dry dog food or better yet gutload from www.cricketfood.com. Remember, you are what you eat, so you need to gut-load the crickets before feeding them to the lizard. When they come from the pet store they are empty shells with very few nutrients in them. Let them munch on some food and orange slices before feeding them to your lizard. Also feed mealworms once in a while. They can also be obtained from the pet store. Feed less of these though as they aren't as nutritious.
Rep-Cal, Bone Aid 2:0 or similar calcium supplement. "Shake and Bake" the crickets with some calcium supplement at every feeding until the lizard is about 6-7 months old. Then only dust them every other feeding. Only feed as many crickets as the lizard eats within about 10-20 minutes. Otherwise they hang out in there irritating the now not hungry lizard. They can even damage sleeping lizards.----about $4-8 depending on the source.
Humidity chamber - recently it has been realized how important some humidity is for these guys. Without a place to retreat where the humidity is high they can have shedding issues. See my breeding page regarding the egg laying chamber. The humidity chamber is the same thing.
Keep in mind that these are very general guidelines. There is a really good book out there on Leopard Geckos called The Care and Maintenance of Leopard Geckos by Philippe de Vos Joli. It contains all the info you will need to keep one or more Leopard Geckos. The best part of the book is the price. It is only about $4-10 depending on where you find it! Take my advice and go buy it! It is well worth it.
Feel free to email me with any questions at reptileszz@cox.net
Please print this out and take it to the store with you as a reference.
What you will need to keep one Leopard Gecko happy
10-20 gallon aquarium or similar, longer is better and easier to get a temperature gradient----about $7-10
Screen top that closes securely----about $10-12
Paper toweling for babies, sand for adults and sub adults (at least 6-mo. Old) Watch them on the sand though. If they are scooping up sand when they dive for a cricket put them back on the towels, or newspaper (or you can feed them by hand with tweezers).----$ varies. Avoid "Calcium Sand" products as they are extremely expensive and not digestible like they would have you believe.
Hide box (I've found an old check box to work well here. Cut a hole in the side. Or they sell little caves at the pet store. Anything so they can hide if they want to. Also, the little houses they make for hamsters are good and a little cheaper also.)----$ varies, could be free if you use your imagination.
Heating pad from pet store to go under one end of the cage. (You can use a human neck heating pad but be aware that they may pose a fire hazard as they weren't made to be put under a fish tank.)----about $10-15, NO HOT ROCKS!! I don't care what the pet store people say, do not buy a heating rock! All they do is heat up the belly of the animal, not the air. Can cause thermal burns as well. Alternatively you can use a ceramic heat element (CHE) over to one side. Be carerful though, as they give off a lot more heat than a light bulb of similar wattage.
Shallow water dish that the lizard can get his head into. (Maybe 1/2 inch deep)
Low branch for him to climb on. Doesn't have to go up high as they don't climb much.
With a larger tank you can put in more furniture for them to hang out on, or in. They are very curious lizards, especially at dusk, and it makes their lives more interesting to have things to explore. If you have a smaller tank, say the 10 gallon, don't overcrowd the bottom. They need some flat area to walk around on.
Crickets to eat. Can be obtained from the pet store at like $.10 each or less if you buy a lot. Keep in mind that one Leopard Gecko can eat 10 crickets a day when it is growing. Keep them in a closed container with a screen top or holes poked in the top. Provide the crickets with an orange slice (for moisture and vitamin C) and fish flakes or ground up dry dog food or better yet gutload from www.cricketfood.com. Remember, you are what you eat, so you need to gut-load the crickets before feeding them to the lizard. When they come from the pet store they are empty shells with very few nutrients in them. Let them munch on some food and orange slices before feeding them to your lizard. Also feed mealworms once in a while. They can also be obtained from the pet store. Feed less of these though as they aren't as nutritious.
Rep-Cal, Bone Aid 2:0 or similar calcium supplement. "Shake and Bake" the crickets with some calcium supplement at every feeding until the lizard is about 6-7 months old. Then only dust them every other feeding. Only feed as many crickets as the lizard eats within about 10-20 minutes. Otherwise they hang out in there irritating the now not hungry lizard. They can even damage sleeping lizards.----about $4-8 depending on the source.
Humidity chamber - recently it has been realized how important some humidity is for these guys. Without a place to retreat where the humidity is high they can have shedding issues. See my breeding page regarding the egg laying chamber. The humidity chamber is the same thing.
Keep in mind that these are very general guidelines. There is a really good book out there on Leopard Geckos called The Care and Maintenance of Leopard Geckos by Philippe de Vos Joli. It contains all the info you will need to keep one or more Leopard Geckos. The best part of the book is the price. It is only about $4-10 depending on where you find it! Take my advice and go buy it! It is well worth it.
Feel free to email me with any questions at reptileszz@cox.net
Please print this out and take it to the store with you as a reference.