Greetings from KY

M

Master_Shake

Guest
Hello y'all,
I'm brand spankin new to the Gecko following and in the process of building a house for my new pet. I've wanted a lizard since I was a kid because I was a Dinosaur and Dragon nut. My parents never bought me one because they were ill informed as to a reptile's life span so I was instead forced into caring for their 40+ rabbits. Being the aquantance of several cats and one dog, I found I still had a want for a little cold blooded pal whenever I went to a pet store.
I still haven't bought one yet out because I'm still preparing his habitat and want to make sure all is good before he comes home. I bought an eco-terra 18" by 18" glass enclosure and I'm using a tile sustraite with an undercage heater. Any other suggestions would be helpful and appreciated.
Cheers.:D
 
Scott&Nikki

Scott&Nikki

New Member
Messages
2,003
Location
DeKalb/Wheeling IL
Chris, just some quick pointers. Your hot spot should be somewhere about 90 degrees and your cold end around 78-82. You should have a hide on the warm side, the cool side, and a humid hide in the center. You should also have a dish in the tank at all times with pure calcium. If you have more specific questions you can post them in the General Care and Husbandry forum or use the search function. Welcome to the forum!
 
BalloonzForU

BalloonzForU

New Member
Messages
7,573
Location
Grand Blanc, MI
Welcome to GeckoForums.net, Chris! Glad to hear you are working on getting your future leo's home setup prior to bringing him/her home. I'm sure you'll be able to get all your answers here!
 
P

PrototypeGeckos

New Member
Messages
1,354
Location
McDonough, Ga
Hello Christopher, you wouldn't be a Wildcat fan would you??? lol. I just saw you was from Lexington and figured you was or you would probably get kicked out! My mom is from Elkton KY in the Southwestern part of the state. Welcome to the forums!!
 
M

Master_Shake

Guest
Update (long read)

Well, I bought my first on Super Bowl Sunday. His/her name is Dr. Gonzo (no not Payton, I'm a Bears fan.) I went into Petsmart (no, don't throw blood on me) for a couple of accessories and wound up talking to the person in charge of lizards. She actually was very knowledgeable about Leos and showed the ones that were there. It was feeding time and when I saw the Dr. going after a cricket, I fell in love. Dr. Gonzo is about 2 and 1/2 inches long and is looking healthy and active. Gonzo’s home is an 18x18 Eco Terra glass enclosure with a 17x16 tile and Eco Terra desert sand to fill in the cracks. The UTH is an Eco Terra 8x10 that I reluctantly stuck on. It has two digital thermometers, one on the warm in his hide and one on the cool side next to the moist hide that is filled with moss. I also bought an extra hide cave for the in between area. I keep the temps in the lower 90’s, is that too hot? It dropped to 88. 3 one night, is that too cold? He has a stone water dish that I hope he uses and a small lid for the Jurrasi-cal calcium. I have the crickets in a cricket cage with the tubes (name?) and I feed them the Fluker’s orange cube. He hasn’t eaten any of the meal worms I bought and they keep escaping the dish. I’ll try that Altoids tin trick to see if that works. Am I missing anything? Sorry this is so long but I want to get it right the first time.

On with the story, I think the first two nights were more stressful on me than him, I kept waking up and checking the temp every 2 hrs the first night. The second night was better but I threw in four crickets the night (1) before (the lady at Petsmart said he eats three at a time usually) and when I checked the next day they were gone. I know you're supposed to take out the ones they don't eat, but I didn’t see any even after lifting the hides, so I tossed in some more that night (2) and woke up the next morning to see they were gone as well. Healthy eater? Not quite, the vivarium has a Styrofoam back ground with two holes on the bottom for wires and such. When I took out the background to adjust the wires I found out the crickets were hiding there. I pin stabbed all but 4 ,it was the only way I could get them out, and left the rest in for him to feed on. Was that wrong of me to do (the leaving in part, not the stabbing part)? I also need to know what everyone uses to lightly clean the cages. I saw those cage wipe towelettes but I worry about heavy chemicals. Is there anything more natural to use? How about the once a month cleaning.
Dr. Gonzo and I thank you for your welcomes and all your replies in advance. Pics will be on the way.

Cheers. :D
 
MichaelJ

MichaelJ

CelebrityGeckos.Com
Messages
822
Location
Seminole, FL
Welcome!

There are a lot of care sheets out there but your on a good start and it's excellent that your planning ahead.. so many just don't.. i would suggest getting your hides setup as well. IE - Moist and Warm
 
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