I really need leopard gecko help! Can any experts out there help me?

Question

I just got a juvenille leopard gecko, and I'm wondering, as far as feeding goes, if it's okay to just put 20 crickets in its cage a week. I'm afraid that it might not be such a goodidea... Also, What's the ideal lighting times for the lights I have? I want to make sure that I am doing this right. I mean, I don't want to kill the poor thing. (I have a Basking Light on one side and a Red Light on the other side.) What's the ideal temp of its tank? And my last question: What is the best way to hold him and to let him now that I'm not a threat? Thanks a lot! ~Nikki
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PS: All help is greatly appreciated!

Answer 1

If it's just one juvi Gecko in the cage, I wouldn't. The crickets might end up killing the lizard. My friend had one for about two years before it escaped, but she fed hers like four at a time. Don't over do it - you don't want to kill him.

Answer 2

Alright, first off, you should feed your gecko about 3-4 crickets every other day or so, and make sure that he is capable of eating those within the first couple hours after putting them in; crickets can end up sitting on your reptile and chewing on it causing sores that could lead to its death. You should always have mealworms available and they should always be the appropriate size for the gecko to eat...mealworms are capable of chewing their way out of their captors stomache if not chewed up properly!! There are other insects you can feed crickets, but I highly reccommend if you do, make sure you get them from a pet store; you never know what it could be contaminated with!

Lighting should be the same as our daytime hours. Roughly 10-12 hrs and longer during the summer. A UVB light is important to have for these little guys too. They need lots of calcium and the UVB rays give some off. Speaking of calcium, dust your crickets!! They have cricket dust specifically for leopard geckos. Temp should be about 85 on the hot side and 75 on the cool; at night it should drop no more than 10º on both ends. It gives the effect of what happens in nature. Misting is important too. Use distilled or filtered water and spray your tank at least once a day..giving your gecko a spritz on the nose is reccommended because some reptiles don't associate their water dish as their water source. LGs are a bit smarter than most, and do go there when needed, but it never hurts to be safe than sorry, no?

As for holding, keep him close to your body...I tend to let mine wander where ever it wishes..if I hold it in my hand, I keep my fingers bent just enough so if he tried to escape he'd have to go over them...juvenile geckos are slippery little suckers, so when handling him in the beginning I suggest sitting on the floor or anywhere where if he did fall, it wouldn't be a hard impact. Be gentle, talk softly to him, and soon enough, you and your little buddy will be best of friends! Don't forget, if he tries to escape, and you reach to grab him, DON'T! grab his tail..it will fall off! It will grow back, but look a bit funky :p Anyways, good luck, hope I helped some ^__^

Answer 3

I have a gecko they are pretty easy to take care of. here are some tips. Origin: House geckos are native to Southeast Asia. However, they have been introduced around the world including East Africa, Australia, and the Southeastern United States. They are commonly found in heavily populated areas.
Size: House gecko species vary little in size. The average adult length is 5 to 6 inches.
Caging: House geckos will thrive in a variety of plastic and glass cages. The cage should be vertically oriented and readily maintain humidity.
Substrate: House geckos are arboreal and typically do not spend time on the cage floor. A substrate that maintains humidity such as peat moss, orchid bark at organic mulch is ideal and provides for live plants.
Temperature: House geckos should be provided with a vertical thermal gradient ranging from 80 degrees at the bottom of the enclosure to 90 degrees at the top of the cage with the use of a heat lamp.
Light: House geckos are nocturnal and do not require any special lighting . However, providing fullspectrum fluorescent lights will benfit the geckos as well as any plants in the cage.
Water: House geckos will not readily drink out of a water bowl. Instead, they should be misted daily with non-chlorinated and they will drink water off of leaves and branches. Misting will also help maintain the humidity levels between 70% and 80%.
Diet: House geckos are insectivorous. They feed on a variety of commercially available feeder insects including mealworms, crickets, and wax worms. Prior to feeding, insects should be dusted with a vitamin and mineral supplement powder for reptiles.
Recommended Supplies : Glass or plastic enclosure, Secure well ventilated lid for enclosure, Substrate as detailed above, Thermometer with probe to monitor, Literature about house geckos husbandry, Vitamin and mineral supplemint, Branches and vines for climbing, Live or artificial plants, Spray battle.
Optional Accessories: Heat lamp, Fluorescent light, Nightlight for night time viewing, Decorative cage background, Misting or Drip System to provide Water.
As far as leaving some crickets in the cage I do it and I have never had a problem with it I would not leave like 20 in there I would be afraid they may harm him I leave about 10 and he is good for a few days . I hope all this information will help you out.

Answer 4

Well if you want to "bulk" feed crickets you have to get a Exo Terra® Termite Hill Reptile Cricket Feeder. You put cricket food inside and can dust them too. Unplug and crickets can go in and out. Healthy crickets means a healthy meal for your gecko. Available online if you do not have a local petstore.

Answer 5

if it is really a baby wait till it gets bigger - then u can handle it , babies tend to grow frightened if u handle them no matter how gentle u are. also try to feed it from your hand so that it associates your hand with good things and doesnt thing it is a huge ugly monster. u will see the difference yourself - is it moving away when u put your hand close? then wait till it does not. hold it by putting hand under belly, never grab it from above - only gecko-eating predators do that

Answer 6

You have so many questions, you might want to join a reptile site where you'll have a lot of experts to help you.