Hi I am a soon to be leopard gecko owner

Geckofan.me

Member
Messages
79
Location
South Africa
Hi I am a soon to be leopard gecko owner , my leopard gecko (super hypo tangerine carrot tail ) will be arriving on January 4th or 5th as well as its hides , decorations , heating equipment etc.I am getting my leopard gecko from a well known breeder in my country . I also got a 3 ft (35 gallon) wooden vivarium the other day too! I will hopefully post when my leopard gecko and its supplies arrives !
 

NearMeGeckos

Member
Messages
67
Location
USA, Minnesota
Thank you so much ! Took 7 months to convince my parents so I am so excited
Wonderful! Love that your starting with a decent set up. Your Leo will love you for it. A few tips:

If it's a baby, feed free choice Mealworms. They grow 100 times faster. I have raised and breed plenty of geckos. They do better with the extra. Feed them in a cat dish so they can't get out. I personally use a simple stainless steal, you want something slippery. You can also feed crickets if you snip their hind legs off so they can't jump out of the dish and chew on your gecko. A few wax worms.

Use a multi vitamin plus calcium and d3.

Stick to no loose substrate. People swear by it being safe but personally, not worth the risk. I have had it and it caused eye infection from powder, and impaction. Vet confirmed. Others have had it for decades and no issues. Just not worth the risk IMO and in my reptile savvy vet of 40 years opinion. She also said it is not natural, they do not have loose substrate in the wild but compacted. Reptile carpet gets rank and risks stuck teath and claws in my experience. Best 'substrate' I've found is non adhesive under counter lining. Definitely recommend.

Heat mat only. Lamps are unnatural as leopard geckos do not naturally bask like bearded dragons do.. Should cover about a third of your tank. You can use UVB if you follow instructions right with the heat mat. Also herd good things about the deep heat projector but never used. Use a thermostat for all heating aquiptment as well as a thermometer and hygrometer.
 

Geckofan.me

Member
Messages
79
Location
South Africa
Wonderful! Love that your starting with a decent set up. Your Leo will love you for it. A few tips:

If it's a baby, feed free choice Mealworms. They grow 100 times faster. I have raised and breed plenty of geckos. They do better with the extra. Feed them in a cat dish so they can't get out. I personally use a simple stainless steal, you want something slippery. You can also feed crickets if you snip their hind legs off so they can't jump out of the dish and chew on your gecko. A few wax worms.

Use a multi vitamin plus calcium and d3.

Stick to no loose substrate. People swear by it being safe but personally, not worth the risk. I have had it and it caused eye infection from powder, and impaction. Vet confirmed. Others have had it for decades and no issues. Just not worth the risk IMO and in my reptile savvy vet of 40 years opinion. She also said it is not natural, they do not have loose substrate in the wild but compacted. Reptile carpet gets rank and risks stuck teath and claws in my experience. Best 'substrate' I've found is non adhesive under counter lining. Definitely recommend.

Heat mat only. Lamps are unnatural as leopard geckos do not naturally bask like bearded dragons do.. Should cover about a third of your tank. You can use UVB if you follow instructions right with the heat mat. Also herd good things about the deep heat projector but never used. Use a thermostat for all heating aquiptment as well as a thermometer and hygrometer.
Thank you !
 

LZRDGRL

Active Member
Messages
2,807
Location
Southern Illinois
Welcome to the hobby! You have a nice big cage! I bred leopard geckos from 2008-14 and will get back into the hobby when my kid is big enough to care for a gecko ;)
 

Geckofan.me

Member
Messages
79
Location
South Africa
Welcome to the hobby! You have a nice big cage! I bred leopard geckos from 2008-14 and will get back into the hobby when my kid is big enough to care for a gecko ;)
Thank you , since then I am building a bioactive tank with a deep heat projector as well!
 

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