my boyfriend just got a leopard gecko, and the temperature is not 90. it is just about 88 F and 31 C and im thinking the heat is escaping from the top since he doesnt have a glass cover. Also, from what i saw, he only sits in this one corner of a little house that we bought and only occasionally moving. i woke up in the middle of the night and saw him climbing up the terrarium. Does this mean hes scared, or is he just still adapting to his new surroundings? Id also like to know if he should get a glass cover since im the one who pays for everything lol
2007-01-01 02:53:45 · 10 answers · asked by rachxjean 2 in Pets ➔ Reptiles
we have a heater underneath, but my boyfriend thinks its not heating up enough i do though, and he has a cover its just not a glass cover
2007-01-01 03:03:26 · update #1
he also gets mealies with calcium and def has a lot of water
2007-01-01 03:05:00 · update #2
You may need a cover if you feel there is even the slightest chance your leo could escape. If it is an all glass tank you might make him feel more secure by covering three sides of the tank (you can use the paper you get for aquariums), leaving just the front exposed.
I would say that your temperatures are spot on. Do you have a temperature gradient? Your pad should cover the bottom 1/3 of your vivarium so that he has a hot and a cold end.
You said you bought him a little house - does he have just the one? If so, you should really get at least two 'houses' (one in the hot end and one in the cold) and a humid hide for when he is shedding (this can be a small butter tub with a hole cut in and damp kitchen towel inside - place it between the hot and cold end). This makes a little gecko sauna lol to help him shed easier. To save money for extra hides you can use a half toilet roll (or kitchen roll if he is bigger). Just cut them lengthways and they'll love them. Nice and dark and perfect for hiding.
For feeding, the mealworms sounds good. You may want to vary it a little with offering locusts and crickets too - that way you're less likely to have a fussy gecko (say your shop is out of mealies one day). Also gives him a bit of variety - you wouldn't want the same thing every day. Leos love waxworms too but offer these occassionally as they are like gecko chocolate - very fattening. They keep in the fridge for months though. Just let them warm up and reanimate before feeding. When feeding just make sure that what you're offering is no bigger than the width between his eyes (except waxies as they are soft and squishy lol). Feed him as much crickets or locusts he can eat in ten minutes.
An excellent caresheet can be found at:
http://www.thegeckospot.com/careindex.html
I hope that helps - leos are lovely animals. I have three myself and love them to bits. :)
2007-01-02 09:58:38 · answer #1 · answered by Shona 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
10 gallons is adequate but you may want to update to 20 gallon long eventually. It's more a personal choice though, a lot of people do use juts 10 gallons. Mealworms should only be treats, crickets should be the main diet. The calcium "stuff" is needed to dust the crickets to make them nutritionally complete. You don't really need any climbing objects that go high up since leopard geckos are terrestrial. I have a little platform for mine to climb on if he wants, it's only like an inch high, but he never climbs on it. You will also want to get moss or vermiculite to put in the humid hide to aid in the shedding process. The sex really does not matter much with leopard geckos. Also, you will need an under tank heating mat. DO NOT USE HOT ROCKS. Those things are useless and dangerous. For substrate, you can use reptile carpet or paper towel. Never use sand. Good luck :)
2016-05-23 02:53:02 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Geckos are nocturnal so they will be very active at night. 2 degrees is not enough for your gecko to notice. In the desert, remember the temperatures drop drastically. If it gets too col\d, get a dome light with a night heat bulb (They look like a black light but they're not). It gives of heat at night and does not light up the room so you can sleep. As long as he/she is active, has a water dish that is full and changed frequently, warm, and eats (dust your crickets with vitamin dust), you should have a nice pet for a long time.
Just give your gecko a little time to get used to its' surroundings. Sounds like to me he's acting like a new Gecko and you have nothing to worry about. And for the cover, I used to have a screen cover w/ locks. A glass cover willl be ok, just rememebr to let air in once in a while. Thats why I went with a screen cover and set the lights on top for weight too. Remember UV Light and a basking light = Gecko Heaven!
2007-01-01 03:03:20 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Hi I have lots of different reptiles first your heat is fine may even be slightly warm I keep mine at 80 on the warm side and 75 to 72 on the cool side Mine actually spends more time on the cool side than the hot
second they are nocturnal they come out at night to play because they are night creatures bright lights during the day can hurt their eyes. They dont need special uv lighting as they are nocturnal and hide from the sun anyway.
a glass cover would be to hot and humid you only need have a mesh screen
they eat the skin they shed so dont worry if you dont see any shedding
make sure to feed them crickets and other treats too dusted with cricket dust
2007-01-01 12:07:37 · answer #4 · answered by cameron b 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
hi there
Daytime Temperature: basking spot of 90 F with a gradient to low 80s F on the cool..
Night Temperature: can drop as low as mid 70s F (never use a heat rock )only use heat lamps or under the tank heater
with the thing about it just sitting there in one corner it might be because of the new surroundings .. if u just bought it ... it takes up to 5 days to get use of the new surroundings all depends on the reptile...
check out info website for more info..under lizard section...
2007-01-01 03:05:34 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
The gecko might need a glass cover or put in a warmer spot of the house.
2007-01-01 02:58:25 · answer #6 · answered by Family Guy rules 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Geckos are usually nocturnal do you have a heat pad for underneath the aquaium?
2007-01-01 02:59:33 · answer #7 · answered by lily 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leopard_gecko
http://exoticpets.about.com/cs/lizardsaspets/p/leopardgecko.htm
is his area to bright? Do you have a hider box for him to hide in?...The links above may help You may also want to get him a heater rock, I have one for my snake it heats up to 110 degrees, which helps him digest his food.
2007-01-01 03:16:37 · answer #8 · answered by whateverhohum 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
reptiles are stupid. If you dont watch, they'll literally cook themselves. If you have a heat rock, make sure its not burning his undersides. The 88 degrees is ok, but they need heat to help with their digestive system. YES YES YES get a cover, they will get out.
like i said. they are stupid. dont expect them to know you very well. they will come to expect food if you feed them everyday, but not affectionate at all.
2007-01-01 02:59:39 · answer #9 · answered by Ann S 3 · 0⤊ 4⤋
am i going to have to buy insurance if i answer this question
2007-01-01 02:56:34 · answer #10 · answered by matzaballboy 4 · 0⤊ 4⤋