New leopard gecko owner

[Johnlock777]

Hello,
Was interested in housing two leopard geckos together. Females to be exact. New to world of these geckos. Not sure what lighting an uvb are needed. But can you house two together or is it better to house one. I want to buy a albino leopard gecko but want him/her have a friend.
I own Cuban rock iguana panther chameleons an bearded dragons. Just wanted see if am up for a leopard gecko. Any advice would be a appreciated. Would house in a 20 gal inclusive.

 

[acpart]

In my opinion you can house 2 leopard geckos (both females) in a 20 gallon long, though others would say a larger enclosure is better. If you're gong to have 2 it's not for the benefit of the geckos, since they are solitary creatures, it's more for your benefit. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing. They don't need a friend. If you get them from the same place at the same time you can house them together immediately. If not, you need to quarantine them from each other for at least a month. You need to have a backup enclosure in case they don't get along.

Aliza

 

[Johnlock777]

In my opinion you can house 2 leopard geckos (both females) in a 20 gallon long, though others would say a larger enclosure is better. If you're gong to have 2 it's not for the benefit of the geckos, since they are solitary creatures, it's more for your benefit. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing. They don't need a friend. If you get them from the same place at the same time you can house them together immediately. If not, you need to quarantine them from each other for at least a month. You need to have a backup enclosure in case they don't get along.

Aliza

Hi, thanks for the reply. There coming from same place Tues or weds. But can still contact them an tell them only want one. I don't have a back tank so probably should only get one. Also what is recommended for lighting. Heard don't need uvb an need heat but no regular basking lamps like bearded dragons for say. Tile is best but going to use a sand mat. Until it's garbage because of bacteria. Need cut tile to fit glazed pieces o have are to big. Just trying get a correct setup by Tuesday for them or just chocolate albino.

 

[acpart]

As long as there's ambient light in the room so the gecko can tell the difference between night and day, no light is needed. The best heat is with either a heat mat or heat cable. I prefer ZooMed heat cable which is rubberized cable that you tape (use Nashua tape that looks like a roll of aluminum foil with a peel off backing) to the underside of the enclosure. That way if you want to move it somewhere else, you can just pull it off and reinstall. A heat mat is no good once it's been pulled off.
My leopard gecko enclosures all have ceramic tile. There's always the option, with a 20 gallon long, for example, to get two 12" tiles and to sue the sand mat on the other 6" until you have a chance to get some smaller tiles or to get a big one cut.

Aliza

 

[Johnlock777]

Ok so can't use a halogen 75 watt or a daytime 75 watt bulb exo terra tight beam for say. So during the day can't have any lights on 20 gal tank but the current lights in the room? Type gecko I have is a chocolate albino leopard. Going use a exo terra sand mat with 3 hides one moist with a wet paper towel. Some rocks an maybe a fake plant for coverage. Will do the 12 hour cycle of heat an other 12 hour with no heat but room temps. But not understanding people recommend a halogen bulb but no light that's what I have. An uvb is another story saying I shouldn't use at all.

 

[acpart]

You can have lights if you want, but they're not necessary. In some cases, albino leopard geckos are disturbed by the bright light, which might be what people are referring to. Usually lights are on during the day,, but it's best for the leopard gecko to have heat all the time, at least in captivity, which is why most people use heat mats. A UV light is also OK but the problem its that if you depend on the UV light to supply the gecko's UV needs, it can be hard to tell whether the gecko is spending enough time outside the hide to benefit (some of my geckos are out of the hides nearly 24/7 and some are in the hides nearly 24/7).
Does that make sense?

Aliza

 

[Johnlock777]

Hi just thought lights were needed because of the uva with most reptiles. So you would set a theostat probe at 91 degrees with a heat mat. Leave it on 24/7. I uploaded a photo of the mega ray 60watt infrared heat projector. Only heat source I currently have. Purchased a zoomed reptitemp thermostat an the reptitherm UTH. Also that zoomed heat cable. Just waiting receive them. Figuring out if I should go with pad or cables. Or just keep the mega -ray projector. Yes that makes sense. Was told use the Arcadia shade dweller 7% would that be ok for em. Just have to save for it. It's kinda costly 50 with the kit. Would think that's 12 on 12 off with uvb. Also need advice on using herpivite once a week an calcium with d3 twice a week. An calcium without d3 every feeding. Also can you let crickets free roam I know they bite. I use nutri grubs also an less then 5 find a way out of the dish. You think this gecko will stay pink or change color with age? I never had a gecko or albino just bearded dragons an my rhino iguana.

 

[Johnlock777]

Hello, currently using reptitherm heat mat zoomed an this thermostat. These are reading its stuck on is it good for a albino leopard gecko.
Also took a pic of the 18" inch box exo terra tank she's in. Am I missing anything? Not sure if a albino needs a overhead uva basking bulb an uvb over the heat mat that's placed in back left side of tank.
Also does the blue backlight ever go off on this thermostat?

 

[acpart]

Setup: I can't advise about the thermostat because I'm not familiar with it. If you have the heat mat or heat cable, I don't think you need the lights as well, especially because you'll be putting a lot of heat into an environment without a lot of airflow. Leopard geckos generally don't bask since they're nocturnal, unlike bearded dragons (I have one of those). The setup looks fine.

Supplementation and feeding: I would recommend rotating herptivite, calcium without D3 and calcium with D3 from feeding to feeding (so every 3 feedings the gecko gets one of the above). It may be a bit more calcium than the gecko needs, but if the schedule gets too complicated, it's a pain. I use Repashy Calcium plus because it contains the calcium, D3 and vitamins all in one as well as a digestible form of vitamin A. With my adults (I don't have any juveniles at this point), I feed twice a week and use the Repashy plus for one of those feedings.

Gecko: This is actually a Mack snow leopard albino. Regular albino leopard geckos hatch out beige/pink and yellow. Mack snow albino's hatch out beige/pink and white. Usually as they age the white will get yellower (google around for pictures of albino mack snows). I have no idea why the breeder is calling it a "chocolate albino". Some albinos end up with the beige/pink markings getting really dark brown. Some people think this is due to lower incubation temperatures, but I'm not so sure since, when I was breeding geckos, I got light colored and dark colored albinos out of the same incubator. These darker albinos are often called "chocolate albinos" but it's more of a color description than a distinct morph. The pink markings may get more beige as it matures. In any case, it's a nice looking gecko! Enjoy.

Aliza