Juvenile Leopard Gecko Questions

[Lil Turkee]

Hello! I'm going to get my first leopard gecko very soon and I would like some help with care. It is a juvenile leopard gecko and I have a few concerns. First, can I put them in a drawer? I have been wondering about this for a while. Also, the reason why It would be good if I can put it in a drawer is because I don't have the space for an empty room that is quite, so, this means it will be a little loud where the drawer is, and I will be opening drawers around it, but this wont happen very often, once a week or perhaps once a day, is this okay? Also, can they breathe in there? Second, lighting. With it being in a drawer, how do I get my gecko to know when it is day, night, dusk, and dawn, and should I use UVB or LED? This also brings me into my third question, supplements. Is the normal calcium multi-vitamin diet good? Should I use UVB or calcium with D3? Fourth question is, what do I keep it in? Is a plastic bin okay? Thank you for reading!

 

[acpart]

I don't recommend keeping your leopard gecko in a drawer (I assume you mean in a drawer in your bureau). First, it's hard to safely and reliably heat wood. In addition there will not be good airflow, as you mention there will be pitch darkness all the time which isn't good for most creatures. I can't imagine a way to successfully put any kind of lights inside a drawer.
You don't need an empty room to keep a leopard gecko. My geckos are in my living room and dining room and I live my normal life there. The geckos cope fine.
The best easily obtainable enclosure in my opinion is a 20 gallon long tank (30"x12"x12") which can go on top of a bureau. If that's too expensive, you can keep it in a tub, though you need to get a large tub of approximately the same dimensions as the tank above. For a cover, you can cut a rectangle out of the cover it comes with and hot glue some screening on top so there's airflow. You can also use a soldering iron to make some holes along the side of the tub at the top for more airflow.
You will need an under tank heater with any enclosure and especially if you're going to have a plastic tub you need a thermostat to control the heat so it doesn't melt the plastic. With an enclosure that allows the normal daylight to enter, you don't really need any other lighting.
In my opinion, the best supplement is calcium with vitamin D3 and multivitamins that you dust its food with every other feeding. I have used Repashy Calcium Plus successfully since 2009. I don't feel that using UVB to supply the needed D3 is reliable for leopard geckos since they're nocturnal and there's no way to know how much they're actually taking advantage of the UVB.

Aliza

 

[Lil Turkee]

I don't recommend keeping your leopard gecko in a drawer (I assume you mean in a drawer in your bureau). First, it's hard to safely and reliably heat wood. In addition there will not be good airflow, as you mention there will be pitch darkness all the time which isn't good for most creatures. I can't imagine a way to successfully put any kind of lights inside a drawer.
You don't need an empty room to keep a leopard gecko. My geckos are in my living room and dining room and I live my normal life there. The geckos cope fine.
The best easily obtainable enclosure in my opinion is a 20 gallon long tank (30"x12"x12") which can go on top of a bureau. If that's too expensive, you can keep it in a tub, though you need to get a large tub of approximately the same dimensions as the tank above. For a cover, you can cut a rectangle out of the cover it comes with and hot glue some screening on top so there's airflow. You can also use a soldering iron to make some holes along the side of the tub at the top for more airflow.
You will need an under tank heater with any enclosure and especially if you're going to have a plastic tub you need a thermostat to control the heat so it doesn't melt the plastic. With an enclosure that allows the normal daylight to enter, you don't really need any other lighting.
In my opinion, the best supplement is calcium with vitamin D3 and multivitamins that you dust its food with every other feeding. I have used Repashy Calcium Plus successfully since 2009. I don't feel that using UVB to supply the needed D3 is reliable for leopard geckos since they're nocturnal and there's no way to know how much they're actually taking advantage of the UVB.

Aliza

Thanks! I got a few questions though. Does this apply with a juvenile leopard gecko? Next, the enclosure is in my room where I talk very often, is that okay? Next, is a 20 gallon okay for a juvenile? Finally, the tank will be located on a drawer with a curtain near by and not in fully direct sunlight, is this fine?

 

[Lil Turkee]

Below is an image of the tank for my first leopard gecko (it's a juvenile leo) and I would like some help with general care and setup. First, how does this look overall, just like, hide locations, fake plants, water dish, calcium dish, and basically just everything in the tank. Second, Supplements, are those supplements down bellow good? Third, lighting, there's a window to the left of this photo where sun comes through but not direct sun light, but, there is also a much smaller window to the right where direct sun does come into the room but not the tank, so is that fine, and also the lights are on all night in this room as well, what should I do about that? Fourth, sound, the room this is in can be kind of noisy with lots of talking and perhaps a yell or two, is that okay? Fifth, and final, is it fine that it is on top of a drawer that I might open and close once a week or, at most, once a day?

 

[acpart]

I'm not a stickler for details. Everything looks pretty good to me. If you have both calcium alone and Calcium+D3 supplements, just alternate which you use. The gecko may be hard to see with all the stuff in the enclosure, but it's fine. The lights, including natural light and light in the room and the noise are, in my opinion, also fine. It kind of sounds like my house.

Aliza

 

[Lil Turkee]

I'm not a stickler for details. Everything looks pretty good to me. If you have both calcium alone and Calcium+D3 supplements, just alternate which you use. The gecko may be hard to see with all the stuff in the enclosure, but it's fine. The lights, including natural light and light in the room and the noise are, in my opinion, also fine. It kind of sounds like my house.

Aliza

Thanks! I do have a curtain right next to it, should I close it at night so my gecko knows when its day and night, this may be a problem because I won't be up at 6` in the morning to open it though?

 

[acpart]

It sounds from your other post (which I responded to) that you have things worked out a bit more. A juvenile leopard gecko can live in a smaller enclosure, but then you have to have 2 enclosures. It will be fine in a 20 gallon as well. Even a juvenile shouldn't be in a pitch black drawer, so I agree you should go with what you've been setting up.

Aliza

 

[Lil Turkee]

Okay, thanks! I am a little bit curious about light still, because, as I said in my last post you replied to, the lights are on in my room at night, so should I close the curtains or leave them open or non of this?

 

[acpart]

Do you keep the lights on all night or just till you go to bed? I'm often up in my living room (where a lot of my geckos are) until 2 or 3 in the morning but after that, when I go to bed, I turn off the lights. The shades are always up, so when it gets to be daylight, there is light from outside in the room. Does that answer your question?

Aliza

 

[celestiallove]

Hello! I'm going to get my first leopard gecko very soon and I would like some help with care. It is a juvenile leopard gecko and I have a few concerns. First, can I put them in a drawer? I have been wondering about this for a while. Also, the reason why It would be good if I can put it in a drawer is because I don't have the space for an empty room that is quite, so, this means it will be a little loud where the drawer is, and I will be opening drawers around it, but this wont happen very often, once a week or perhaps once a day, is this okay? Also, can they breathe in there? Second, lighting. With it being in a drawer, how do I get my gecko to know when it is day, night, dusk, and dawn, and should I use UVB or LED? This also brings me into my third question, supplements. Is the normal calcium multi-vitamin diet good? Should I use UVB or calcium with D3? Fourth question is, what do I keep it in? Is a plastic bin okay? Thank you for reading!

definitely shouldnt be in a drawer that seems really bad. they would probably be depressed. in my room, i usually have a tv show on and sometimes my dogs bark and my leo is fine with the noise for the first two weeks my leo was a little scared of the noises, but she eventually got adjusted and now i could probably yell and it wouldnt startle her lol they should get adjusted really fast! they need day and night regulation so please dont put them in a drawer... it kind of seems like animal abuse... if you arent ready for a leo, thats okay. dont rush it. get one when you can have the proper enclosure for it. if you live in a loud house, a good way to drown out some noise is to put a fan in your room

 

[Lil Turkee]

Okay, Thank you so much, I have already set up an enclosure, but I'm still wondering about the lighting. I don't know how to get my juvenile leopard gecko to know when it's day and night because the lights will most likely be on for most of the night, so what do I do?

 

[Lil Turkee]

Do you keep the lights on all night or just till you go to bed? I'm often up in my living room (where a lot of my geckos are) until 2 or 3 in the morning but after that, when I go to bed, I turn off the lights. The shades are always up, so when it gets to be daylight, there is light from outside in the room. Does that answer your question?

Aliza

I have the lights on all night with the shades down.

 

[acpart]

Is this your bedroom? Is there any reason why the lights are on all night? Just curious.

Aliza

 

[Lil Turkee]

Yes, this is my room, and no there is no reason why I have the lights on all night. But, is that fine for my leopard gecko?

 

[acpart]

If you can live with it I guess your gecko can as well.

Aliza

 

[Lil Turkee]

Okay, Thanks!

 

[Lil Turkee]

If you can live with it I guess your gecko can as well.

Aliza

I just want to clarify that the lights are very dim so is that better? Also, I'm sorry if you thought I was insane with the lights on bright 24/7 lol.

 

[acpart]

I don't think dim lights would be a problem.

Aliza

 

[Lil Turkee]

I don't think dim lights would be a problem.

Aliza

Thanks!

 

[ZNature]

Nice your setup looks perfect. Sometimes all the clutter in the tank is better for the gecko as they feel more secure in their environment. I would assume dim lights are fine just like the moon is in the wild. You can do some more research on uvb lighting and get one for your tank. You can set the lights on a timer so that your gecko maintains a good light cycle. But it’s ok without a light too. Drawers really aren’t a good idea. Good luck with you and your gecko!