What are the basic necessities for caring for a Leopard Gecko?

Question

We are getting a Leopard Gecko for my 9 year old.

- We have tank, what else is needed?
- Any other need to know info, please?

Thanks!

Answer 1

Yay, leopard geckos make great pets :) Just make sure your child knows that you can't take out and pet a leopard gecko very often.

Leos are quite easy to care for. You have the tank, you will also need:
- a heat source - you can get an undertank heater (20-30$), or a basking light. I prefer basking lamps because in the wild, leos sit in a rock under the sun and 'soak up' the warmth. They make lamps that clip on to the side of the tank - NEVER put a heat bulb inside the tank, the gecko may burn himself on it.
- a thermometer - digital thermometers with probes are the best way to go, and you can monitor the temperature in the cool area of the tank (77-82F) the warm area (80-85) and the basking area right under/over the light source (87-90F).
- hideboxes - you should have at least two, a dry and moist hide. the dry hide which can be a coconut shell, or a half-log, or whatever, in the cool half of the tank, and a moist hide to go in the warm half of the tank. you can buy caves at the petstore, or you can just cut a hole in the top of a tupperware. fill the humid hide with sphagnum moss or vermiculite and keep it damp - your gecko will go here to shed. if you don't provide this, they have trouble shedding which can lead to toes falling off, blindness, etc.
- a feed fish and a water fish, and a small fish for calcium powder
- calcium and vitamin supplements. you 'shake and bake' (minus the bake) your crickets with this, and it provides the calcium and vitamins that your gecko needs. I suggest Rep-Cal with D3 (I think it has a pink label) for calcium, and some more of vitamin supplement.
- substrate. you have to be careful with substrates - when hunting to tongue-flicking, leos pick up and heat some of their substrate. if they do this too much, or with the wrong substrate, it can result in impaction and death. the worst is sand, so try to avoid that. bed-a-beast, which is ground coconut shell, is usually fine, but your safest bet is to go with paper towel. It's easy, cheap, clean and safe. If you want a more natural look, but that is 100% safe, you can lay down large pieces of slate rock (they can overlap a ltitle but avoid large cracks that the gecko could get under) or many large, flat rocks. Your final option would be to get some peel-and-stick tiles, cut to size. You'll want to use some 100% rubber silicone to seal the seams and edges.
- food. main diet should be crickets, but they can also eat mealworms and silkworms sometimes. Be sure always to dust with calc/vit powder, and to gutload first. In the petstore, crickets aren't fed much quality food, and you want your gecko to have good nutrion - so feed the crickets some potato, carrot, fishfood, whatever, for a couple hours before feeding your gecko.

Well those are the major elements that you need. Much has been written on the subject of leopard geckos, so encourage your child to do his own assisted research.

Answer 2

The Leopard Gecko (Eublepharis macularius)

more:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leopard_Gecko

Answer 3

Why on the earth did you handle animals you don't recognize the thanks to take care of ! i'm unwell of rescuing reptiles from those who did not worry to the thanks to guard them earlier they were given the animal ! because you desirous to take them on - attempt to be prepared to positioned funds into veterinary treatment ! If it isn't any longer the case - then for his or her welfare (no longer yours) supply them to someone who's acquainted with what they're doing !