New owner and need help

[Martina Bueno]

First mistake we bought our Leopard Gecko from Petco. Everything they told us you have said differently. UGH... So I have learned my mistake and want to do this correctly! Please answer the following questions. You guys are the real life owners and will listen to you!!!!

1 - Do we need lights? They had us set a black light 24/7, a heat light for 10-12 hours a day and a UV light for 10-12 hours a day. IS THIS NECESSARY???

2 - Moss to keep damp for humidity. Do you need to wet this several times a day? We work and can't imagine this being true! What is the best way to keep tank at correct humidity.

3 - They said 4 meal worms a day and 4 crickets every other day. Is this correct? They also gave us a calcium spray to spray crickets before feeding. Is this correct?

Thank you for your help and answering our questions. We want to be the best Gecko owners possible. Just FYI we live in Napa, California

 

[Geckomaster743]

1. HELL NAW. If you're getting Lights Red lights might be the best as they wont mess with the geckos vision, If you want to be able to see you're geckos bask better in the sun you should get normal Day Lights with a Dimmer because without a Dimmer lampshade the lights are very bright. Honestly it's much easier to stick to a heat pad.

2. I dont know why you would need moss. You can just get a humid hide by misting the area, and getting a little coconut hut at the edge of the cage. You should also get a humidity meter to make sure it doesnt get too high. You should mist more before you gecko begins to shed, or when you start seeing signs of it.

3. I think 4 Mealworms a Day and 4 Crickets is good because it's enough food, and it will make you're gecko hunt, and get active. Less active geckos become more dependent on you which becomes annoying during Sheds, and handling.

Thank you for coming on to the forums, and asking for advice. Just coming here for help makes you a responsible owner

 

[Star1]

1. NO LIGHTS! Especially not UV!!! UV lights can make them blind. For heat get an under tank heater and plug it into a thermostat.
2. They don't need a humid enclosure, just 1 humid hide. Just get a bowl with a cover and cut a whole in it and fill it half full with wet moss or wet coco fiber. It's most important for shedding- I wet mine about once a week.
3. I feed my adults 5 mealworms or 3-4 dubia roaches every other day. Younger animals get 7 mealworms every day or 5 dubia roaches every day. I breed both because I have a lot of animals and I never use crickets but if you're going to 4 is probably a good amount. I use Repashy calcium plus on my bugs at every feeding- it gives them all the necessary nutrients.
Good luck with your new little one!

 

[Caleb C]

First mistake we bought our Leopard Gecko from Petco. Everything they told us you have said differently. UGH... So I have learned my mistake and want to do this correctly! Please answer the following questions. You guys are the real life owners and will listen to you!!!!

1 - Do we need lights? They had us set a black light 24/7, a heat light for 10-12 hours a day and a UV light for 10-12 hours a day. IS THIS NECESSARY???
You absolutely don't need lights, if I were you, id return everything I can to petco and buy an under tank heater. They're nocturnal animals.

2 - Moss to keep damp for humidity. Do you need to wet this several times a day? We work and can't imagine this being true! What is the best way to keep tank at correct humidity. These are only needed for when they're shedding, but try to mist it at least once a day.

3 - They said 4 meal worms a day and 4 crickets every other day. Is this correct? They also gave us a calcium spray to spray crickets before feeding. Is this correct? Make sure you don't overfeed. Numbers are different depending on the size of the gecko and the size of crickets and mealworms. My geckos get 5 mealworms the length of their head per day. I don't use crickets, as they stink, jump, and chirp. I use repashy calcium plus, it's a much better supplement and it smells like bananas!

 

[Josh2]

Getting some great advice in this thread! I'm glad we can help people out like this!

 

[Star1]

Someone agrees with me that it smells like bananas!