[Jess]

Well, there's a pretty good chance that I'll be getting one soon! My mom said that if I clean out all my extra reptile supplies and tanks, I can probably get one. My dubia colony is doing well and I can get crickets for $0.18/dozen at work, so feeding one is insanely cheap. I just have to move my hermies to a 15 gal so I have room for the leo's tank. I have an epic employee discount on a 29 gal long with sliding glass doors, so that's what my new little friend will be spoiled with LOL. I'm hoping it will fit on my shelf! Otherwise there's always a 20 long version of it too.


I've done my research, but I have a couple questions that I was hoping some leo owners could help me out on:


What is the best source of heat for one? I was going to use the UTH I use with my hermies: Flukers UTH It doesn't stick to the bottom like most UTH, you actually have to tape it on. It doesn't get very hot, but should I still get a dimmer for it?


What it the best substrate? I really liked non-adhesive shelf liner for my beardies.


And how much do you feed them in a week? I have dubia nymphs of various sizes, and I can get crickets, mealworms, and superworms too. I'm going to see if I can get Phoenix wroms.
Oh, and I was planning on adopting an adult!

 

[Dragonrain]

UTH is what I use. I don't have experience with the brand you mentioned though. As long as it can get the temps up hot enough then it should be fine.

I feel safer using thermostats with UTH's. You can get some pretty simple on/off digital thermostats for like $20 - $30 or so that work well with UTH's. You can program the required temps into the thermostat so it turns the UTH on and off to keep the temps right. It's awesome if you keep your tanks in a room where the temps vary, and you don't want to constantly have to play around with a dimmer to get the temps right. Most of them have an emergency shut off as well, so they'll turn your UTH off if your tank is at risk of overheating.

None particle substrate, you want something your gecko can't accidentally eat. Paper towels is the cheapest and probably the easiest to clean. I like to use slate tiles since they look nicer. Shelf liner should be ok, although I've never used it personally. Make sure your gecko doesn't slide around on it. I'm not sure but you may need something that gives them a bit more traction? It shouldn't hurt to try it though and take things from there.

Dubias, crickets, mealworms, superworms are all good. You'll find that different people recommend different feeding schedules. Some people for adults I think feed every other day. I personally keep a dish of mealworms in my tanks all the time & let my guys eat when they want. Then other stuff that's not as easy to contain I feed separately. Verity is good! Watch their weight, because some of them really do enjoy eating & can overeat and gain too much weight.

Make sure to post pics when you get your new addition! They are great little lizards and pretty easy to care for.

 

[Jess]

OK, thanks for all the advice! I'll look into the thermostat for sure.


Shelf liner actually has really good traction, IMO it is the least-slippery of everything I've used. It's kind of rubbery and squishy. Is there any chance a UTH could melt/damage substrate like that? That's the only think I'm worried about, because I haven't had a heat source directly on it before.


And is there a specific number of feeders that they usually eat? I feed Dud his bugs every other day, so that's what I'll probably do for my gecko.

 

[Nibbler]

i do almost the same as dragonrain i leave the worms in there terrium in there plate and i feed them diffrent vareity of worms, and then i feed them there crickets every other day.

 

[MeteoraAngel]

I feed my leos every other day to every 3 days depending on much they pig out. I buy 15 to 30 crickets a week and a container of meal works mad they are always gone by the next week and my guys arent even full grown yet lol
UTH in my experience shouldnt melt your tank liner, ive tryed shelf liner before and it was fine. Though ive monitered the temp of mine and the highest its heated the bottom of the tank was to 85 degrees =o and that was in the summer (yay infrared thermometer) But yeah if ickis is good n hungry and i havent fed her in 2 days she can eat betweem 6 and 8 crickets if i let her. i usualy take her out after 4 now though or ill go broke lol

 

[Jess]

Thanks for all the advice guys! Wow, feeding them sounds so easy. I think I'll try keeping a dish of bugs in there all the time like you guys do then, unless my leo ends up failing at self control LOL. Dubia can't climb, so I can alternate keeping dishes of them and worms in there.


And is there any difference between males and females personality wise? I know that females can be kept together, and my tank will easily be big enough for 2. But I've heard that males will get bigger, and male animals in general seem to be calmer.

 

[Nibbler]

Thanks for all the advice guys! Wow, feeding them sounds so easy. I think I'll try keeping a dish of bugs in there all the time like you guys do then, unless my leo ends up failing at self control LOL. Dubia can't climb, so I can alternate keeping dishes of them and worms in there.


And is there any difference between males and females personality wise? I know that females can be kept together, and my tank will easily be big enough for 2. But I've heard that males will get bigger, and male animals in general seem to be calmer.

they all have diffrent personailitys like beardies do, example julien loves to be held and is curious and friendly, and likes to great me at the terrium door, where cyrus is happy being left alone and will deal with me holding him but doesnt really like it and is shy.

 

[MeteoraAngel]

Personality depends on the gecko and how their socialized =o ickis was terrified of me when i got her, first time i put my hand in the cage she pirked up, screamed and ran away.. it was kind of adorable lol now she loves to be taken out to explore. Albis a bit shy unless its feeding time lol

 

[Dragonrain]

Ah okay...like I said I've never used the shelf liner before so I'm not too familiar with what it's like. If it gives them good traction then that's good.

It shouldn't melt if your monitoring your temps. I use UTH's on acrylic aquariums and have never had any problems at all, so I would think the liners would be fine too.

Personality I think is more of an individual thing and how used to humans they are rather than based on sex. If you think you might want to have more than one in a tank someday than go for females. If you'd be happy with just one than a male is fine.

My adult female is currently 83 grams and my adult male is 94 grams. Physically they look a bit different - the male looks kind of bulkier I guess is a good way to put it? His head/neck are larger than my female's. But length wise they are very close in size.

Leopard geckos in general are pretty calm once they get used to you, no matter what sex they are. My males & females have pretty similar personalities (lizardalities??).

 

[Jess]

Thanks for the comparisons. It seems like personality doesn't vary too much for male and female reptiles in general. I still can't decide whether I want a male or female! I guess it depends on which leo I fall in love with LOL.

 

[MeteoraAngel]

thats usualy the best way to go =)

 

[Jess]

So, my plan to get geckos has been officially approved by my parents LOL. I'm getting one for sure!


I have three more questions that I can think of right now:


Do they need a water dish? Sorry if this sounds like a really stupid question, but I've never used water dishes for my beardies. It raises the humidity too high and they don't know how to drink out of them anyway.


Do females lay infertile eggs on a regular basis? I know that female beardies do every few months, which is why I've stuck to males.


And you you guys leave a dish of calcium in with them so they can lick it up? I've heard mixed opinions on it.


I plan of getting my tank this weekend.

 

[Dragonrain]

Yes they need a water dish. Leopard geckos will drink out of a dish.

Females can lay infertile eggs. Not all of them do, but it's not all that uncommon either. Females normally lay a set of 2 eggs and can lay them as often as every 2 weeks during breeding season. Not all lay that often, though.

I do leave out a dish of calcium.

 

[Jess]

OK, thanks for the info. Is it common for the females to get egg bound, or have any other difficulties laying? I know they would need some extra food and calcium, and a substrate to lay in.
Sorry if I'm getting annoying LOL. I've know of a lot of complications that beardies have with laying eggs, so I'm a little paranoid about that!

 

[Nibbler]

OK, thanks for the info. Is it common for the females to get egg bound, or have any other difficulties laying? I know they would need some extra food and calcium, and a substrate to lay in.
Sorry if I'm getting annoying LOL. I've know of a lot of complications that beardies have with laying eggs, so I'm a little paranoid about that!

You cant be annoying when your asking questions about taking care of a pet it just shows u want to be a fantastic reptile mommy:lollus iv been bugging dragonrain with questions has well hehe

 

[Dragonrain]

Not annoying at all

The females can get egg bound, but I'm not sure if it's as common as it is in other species? I talk to a lot of gecko owners/breeders and it doesn't really seem that common as long as the geckos are cared for properly. The times where I have seen it happen have always been in geckos that weren't healthy to begin with.

 

[Jess]

Ok, that's good! I've heard a number of horror stories about beardies (even well-cared for ones) becoming egg bound and dying so maybe I'm just a little overly paranoid. Then again, beardies lay around 20 eggs a clutch, so maybe it's just a little more risky for them.
I really appreciate all the advice, so I'm glad I haven't driven you nuts yet.


So from the info I've gathered, here is what I'm doing for my setup:

• 
  20 Long aquarium
• Shelf liner substrate
• UTH with dimmer or thermostat (Can you give me some links to a couple good ones? I have no idea what to look for!)
• Digital thermometer/hydrometer
• Humid hide/moss on warm side, and normal hide on cool side
• Unlimited mealworms and ~5 dubia nymphs or crickets every other day
• Plain cal in a dish and dusted on food (How many times a week? Vitamins?) and cal w/D3 once a month.
• 90*F on warm side, 75-80*F on cool side

Anything I'm forgetting?

 

[MeteoraAngel]

Ive never put down calcium personaly =o though thats because i always do what i did with my anoles which is take the crickets and put them in a container with calcium/vita dust and shake them XD if i ever run out of that stuff ill start leaving a bowl of calcium in for them. My leos love their water dish =o i got mine from a friend who had toads so its the long kind ment for the toads to soak in lol, sometimes theyll lay in it if their about to shed. =) oh have you decided what youll do for a humid hide for them? i just cut the end off a soda bottle and put damp paper towel in it and meltd the end of the bottle so they cant get hurt.

 

[MeteoraAngel]

lol i didnt see there was a second page started when i typed that last reply =)
20 long tanks are awesome thats what i have my leos love it

 

[Jess]

I think I'm going to make a DIY rock hide like I did for Dudley, and just seal the inside with aquarium silicone so it is waterproof. Either that or I'll see what they have at the reptile store.
Do Leos like ot climb? I'm trying to decide how to decorate the tank!