Basic questions from a first time owner

[rockonxox]

I've had my gecko (albino), Jinx, for about 2.5 months now. Jinx seems to be settled in very nicely; climbing up on the hide, seems to interact with my voice (if I talk Jinx comes over to the side of the tank and just listens or if I put my face up to the aquarium Jinx will come over and stare at me and sometimes attempts crawl up towards my voice), eats very well, and is growing like crazy. I don't know exactly how old Jinx was at purchase but I would say no more than 3" long. Now around 5" (maybe more). I am measuring from nose to tail. I have some questions though just to make sure I'm doing things right and general advice:

I have definitely seen two sheds as both times the shed has stuck on the face for a couple days. We are currently in the second shed I've and there is a piece sticking right out from under the eye. I keep misting the tank, always have fresh water, and have a moist hide set up. Should the moist hide be in the cool side or the heat side? I've seen both given as answers (heat so it can be humid but not heat because it will evaporate). Some suggestions said to mist the face if shed is not going away... how long do I give it (we are on day 4) and is that an ok thing to do? I don't want to tick off Jinx to the point we can't bond more.

Speaking of bonding I have no idea where to start. I have held my hand in the tank for 10ish minutes at a time. My tank is on a taller dresser and I am short so it is kind of awkward to stand there too long. Jinx has come over and sniffed me and sometimes will crawl around my fingers. I don't know what to do as a next step. I have been told that gecko bites really don't hurt, but I can't say I'm not still nervous that if I try to move my hand when Jinx is on it I will get bit. I am also nervous about Jinx getting away from me and getting lost. I don't want Jinx to fall off my hand/arm etc and plummet to the ground. How did everyone here start of working with there first gecko? I feel that Jinx is amenable to handling but I'm just not sure where to go from hand in the cage exploring time.

I currently feed every day for the most part. I have skipped maybe 4 days worth in the entire time of owning. Jinx gets gutloaded crickets most days and 2-3 days of mealworms. I see more activity with the crickets (seems to like chasing after them from what I can tell) and the mealworms I tend to have to dangle in front of Jinx to get him/her to notice they are there. I've seen a lot of different opinions on the subject of what to feed and how much. I've seen that some will always have mealworms available and understand that it can be a too fatty diet to only do mealworms. However, for those that do always offer mealworms how do you do it? I have left a few at a time in calcium powder in a dish they can't crawl out of, but by no means is that going to last more than a night. Do you use the mealworm manger things? How long can you leave them unrefrigerated before they morph, if they morph is that ok too? My biggest worry is that I am going on vacation in August. Yes this is a long ways off, but I want to be prepared. I have a room mate but they work 2 jobs and I am not 100% trusting that Jinx will get fed daily. I will be gone 10 days. I doubt the room mate will touch the crickets but think I can convince him to feed mealworms at least every 2-3 days. Is that going to be ok?

Sorry for all the questions. I just want to do right by Jinx

 

[Neon Aurora]

Welcome to GF! Sounds like you're doing good job. =) You happened to catch me right when I was on and have a few moments, so I will give my input.

I keep my moist hides on the cool end. For me, it's a matter of space. They seem to do just fine with is this way and none of mine ever have troubles shedding.

For stuck shed, you're going to want to get that off as soon as possible. The face is difficult, but you could try a q-tip or your finger nails along with the some warm water. Stuck shed can become a problem, so getting it off should be priority over bothering the gecko.

As for getting your gecko accustomed to handling, there are two main ways to do it. Many people do what you're doing with habituating slowly. If you want to continue with this method, than you can probably move to gently touching the gecko. Once she seems accustomed to that, you can gently pick her up. She's unlikely to bite you. They really only bite if they really feel threatened. My preferred method for getting a gecko used to handling is just to pick it up, honestly. They're very simple animals and almost all will become very docile quickly. The important thing to remember about this method is that it requires a sure hand. If you use this method, you should calmly and gently lift the gecko and do not pull back if she startles you by moving quickly. The gecko may struggle or run a bit when you're initially picking her up, but they often become much calmer once in the palm of the hand. If you do this regularly, she will get habituated.

If you're afraid of dropping her or losing her, than just hold her low over the ground of her tank. This way no drops or escaped can happen. As you gain confidence handling her and as she becomes more docile, you can move to handling her outside of the tank.

If sounds like she is getting enough food. At this age, you can provide as much food as you want. Mealworms can be left in a bowl and changed out daily (to make sure they are properly gutloaded). Many geckos don't understand bowls right away, but she will figure it out in time. Mealworms can be unrefrigerated for a few weeks before they start to pupate. This time can vary depending on temperature, nutrient availability, and age of the worms. It's worth mentioning, it's a good idea to take out the mealworms you want to feed 24 hours before you feed so that they can eat before giving them to your gecko. Refrigerated worms don't have much nutrition.

For information's sake, I feed mostly mealworms for now because I have breeding colonies. I usually give each gecko 10 mealworms on the days I feed them (they all have different schedules because of different needs). However, I also feed crickets and occasionally roaches (still getting the roaches established before feeding off too many). Mealworms are a fine diet for leopard geckos as long as they are properly gutloaded and dusted, although roaches are probably the best food and crickets are in the middle. Variety is key, though. It's also important not to overfeed. Geckos can become obese just like any other animal.

Just a check; what do you dust with and how often?

As for going on vacation, I personally wouldn't be concerned. She could go the whole ten days without any food and be fine, so if your roommate is willing to change the water out and feed her a few mealworms over the timespan, than I don't think you'll need to worry.

I hope this helps. Sorry for any typos, I need to get to class and didn't have time to proof read.

 

[rockonxox]

Awesome tips, thank you so much.

I was told to get calcium powder and dust with that. I also have flukers orange cubes in my cricket habitat. I replace those probably every couple of days to ensure they do not dry out. The mealworms I tend to just stir them around in the calcium powder.

I've seen some articles/videos of making your own gutload with fresh veggies, but that is just not going to happen. I did just read about feeding fish flakes, dog food, cat food, or oatmeal... all of which I have. Are any of those recommended and/or better than the others? How do you do it?

 

[rockonxox]

Alright well we just got over the what does a gecko bite feel like situation. I took a q-tip to the shed that isn't loose. Jinx was ok with that. I did not get all of the shed off. She squirmed back a little bit but otherwise no biggie. I then put the q-tip up and put my hand back and just hung out there. She started slowly walking towards me and then bit. No tail shake or anything that I would have expected with it. Did not hurt one bit but surprised me so I did the worst thing ever and moved my hand. I kept it in the cage though. She wouldn't come back towards me but also wasn't lunging, shaking, or getting upset. Just staring at me so I think we are going to be fine. She started licking the shed that I loosened up which I think is a positive sign. I did mist right above her face and got barked at (first time that has happened too). Just once and then I talked in calm voice to her for a while. I don't know if that works with geckos but it works for the dogs! I'm going to leave her alone now until tomorrow and see if she is still grumpy.

 

[Neon Aurora]

So as for calcium powder. It is important to not just use calcium powder. You'll need. Calcium, calcium with vitamin D3, and a vitamin supplement. Some people create schedules to dust with these 3 supplements, or you can skip all of the hassle and get a supplement such as Repashy Calcium Plus that is all-in-one and designed to be used every feeding. So for some background; Vitamin D3 is necessary for an animal to be able to process calcium. You can have all of the calcium in the world, but without D3, it can't be used. Vitamins are very important, especially vitamin A for good eye and skin health. Deficiency can lead to shedding problems and blindness.

You can use the Flukers for gutload, or you can provide fresh fruits or veggies. I personally don't recommend using cat food or dog food because of the protein content. I lost a gecko to gout, and feeding the feeders a high protein diet is linked to gout. Oatmeal is okay, but not very nutritious. I give my crickets/roaches wheat bran and a fruit/vegetable such as a potato or apple or carrot. My mealworms are kept in wheat bran and get different fruits or vegetables a couple times a weak. So in summary, if fresh fruits and veggies are out of the question, I would continue using the commercial gutload.

I suppose I overlooked the fact that your gecko is young. Young geckos tend to be more defensive than older ones. She probably lunged as a warning. I do want to say that a bite from an adult gecko can hurt, and often does draw blood. I think it's important to realize that a gecko is not a dog. A dog might be comforted by slow movements towards it and you giving it cues that you aren't going to hurt it. A young gecko most likely thinks your a predator and doesn't understand any of the cues you're trying to give her. By trying to get the shed off and then leaving your hand in the tank, you may have built up tension and made her feel threatened. This is why sometimes I think its a better method to just pick the gecko up gently and get it over with. They don't operate the same way as mammals. When my hatchlings first hatched last season, they were all very defensive. They would stand up and scream at me and they would lunge at me. By persisting through this and just picking the gecko up, they got over it pretty quickly. Once they realize that you catching and picking them up does mean you're going to eat them, they become rather tolerant. The only time I've been bit in the past few years was when I was trying to check one of my females for ovulation, which entails holding them partially upside down (not all of them tolerate this well).

Best of luck. =)

 

[rockonxox]

I have Rep-Cal calcium with vitamin D3? Is that ok if I get a vitamin supplement to go with it?

I can always throw in some extra veggies that I already have around. I just wasn't going to prepare some fancy feast for them.

Thank you for the notes/tips.

Sent from my SM-G920P using Tapatalk

 

[Neon Aurora]

Vitamin D3 can be toxic in high quantities, so most people recommend not using it all the time. If you're feeding daily, than you could make a schedule that is something like this: Calcium without D3 4 days a week, calcium with D3 2 days a week, and multivitamins 1 day a week. You'll have to change it as she ages and you stop needing to feed her everyday, but that is a decent schedule that will help her grow up healthy.

Yeah, pretty much any vegetable or fruit you have around will work for gutloading. I don't usually specifically buy fruits and veggies for my bugs either, I just take something from whatever I've bought for myself and give them that. I try to keep it variable, though, so my leopard geckos get the widest variety of nutrients they can.

 

[rockonxox]

Thank you. I will get some non d3 added calcium and multivitamin asap.

Sent from my SM-G920P using Tapatalk