Taking the plunge

C

Californiaman

New Member
Messages
46
Location
Santa Maria, California
Hi everyone,
My son's and I are finally ready to dive into the wonderful world of leopard geckos.
I can't believe the cost of getting started! The price for the screen top, light, warmer, habbitat and water dish are more than the cost of a lot of lizzards.
Any hints on how to differ the cost?
Also, what's better, overhead heating light (150 watts) with a dimmer or an under the tank heater? I thought an UTH would be best but some are saying go the other way.
Californiaman
 
P

pawsfoot

Guest
You definitely want to go with a UTH. Leos need belly heat to digest their food. There are several good care sheets out there if you type Leopard gecko care and hit search. People here are wonderful and very helpful. You can ask pretty much anything. There is not much you can do for cost. I prefer to buy heat tape instead of the stuff they sell in the pet stores. It seems to be less expensive. You can order it from http://www.reptilebasics.com. You should also have a thermostat or a dimmer with that so you can control the temperature. A thermometer is good so you know how hot it is. Please do not use sand as the substrate if you are getting a baby. Sand can cause impaction and kill your leo. Those are just some pointers for you. If you have any other questions feel free to ask. Oh and welcome.
 
acpart

acpart

Geck-cessories
Staff member
Messages
15,169
Location
Somerville, MA
You can save some money on set-up supplies by buying on ebay, which is where I get most of the supplies I sell to people as complete set-ups, checking out yard sales for tanks, and doing price comparisons with the on-line suppliers. If you buy enough, the shipping cost is minimized.

Aliza
 
G

GeckoMandi

Guest
Welcome!

Another place to get supplies and animals is reptiles shows, they are fun for you and kids if you find one coming in your area.
 
gecko_man2

gecko_man2

New Member
Messages
247
Location
Marseilles, IL
I am sick of hearing people saying "Please do not use sand", or sand is bad. Half of the people that do use sand use the wrong kind and the others don't know what they are talking about. I have been using sand for so long and I know dozens of reputable breeders of various geckos and lizards that use sand, just wanted to vent, thanx. Hey welcome to geckoforums.net.
 
J

Jacy

Guest
Welcome, My daughter and I...........

are recent newbies this past year. We have a ball and hope to have some pretty gorgeous little ones this year. As far as supplies use the internet as much as you can. The people on this forum have wonderful recommendations. Also check out www.kingsnake.com. Post what area you live in as there maybe some up and coming reptile shows someone may be able to turn you on to.
 
C

Californiaman

New Member
Messages
46
Location
Santa Maria, California
Central Coast Californiaman

Jacy,
we're in the Santa Barbarbara—San Luis Obispo area.
Not much in the way of shows around here unless you want to make a weekend trip out of it for a No. Cal or So. Cal show.
Thanks.
 
J

Jacy

Guest
There is show this weekend that I'm going to. The San Jose show on the 11 & 12.
 
S

steve75

Guest
I am a college student and leopard gecko enthusiest so I know how it is have to be as cost-efficient as possible. To keep leopard geckos and to keep the costs as low as possible, I do this:

Keep them in 28qt. Sterilite tubs. I house one animal per tub. They are $3.99 at WalMart. I use 2 plastic, big bowl containers as hides (WalMart 3 for $2). One see-through (moist) and one not (cool). I use soap holders as feeder dishes (the ones that hold the bars of soap...dollar store...$.50/ea), petri-dish halves (free with silkworms) as calcium containers, and store-bought water dishes ($3 @ your local pet shop). I used to heat them with exo-terra UTH's (I use flexwatt now in my rack) with a dimmer-switch ($25 for proper UTH, $10 for lamp dimmer switch). I got a $10 digital thermometer for them.

That's how to keep costs down for the enclosure, you're still going to need to spend the money on the calcium and vitamins/minerals and feeder supplies (gutload, which you can make yourself (see drgecko.com), the feeder insects and a place to keep them (big tub - $6 at walmart).

The money you save on the enclosure can help you keep some extra money in the bank in case of emergency vet bills.
 
S

steve75

Guest
And for substrate, just grab 4 squares of paper towel out of the kitchen.
 
C

Californiaman

New Member
Messages
46
Location
Santa Maria, California
Way to go Steve... I'm impressed!

That's pretty smart, Steve. I'm totally impressed by your set-up.
Yeah I could do that too I guess. We're going to go with a more natural set-up when we finally get all dialed in.
I'm going to go with a 30 gal. tank I have. We'll probably get by with a couple of females and a male. I like the harem idea. Of course I'll get an incubator.
Thanks again for your frugal insight.
Todd
 
Golden Gate Geckos

Golden Gate Geckos

Mean Old Gecko Lady
Messages
12,730
Location
SF Bay Area
Leopard Geckos are primarily nocturnal, and therefore do not require any lighting. All they need is to be able to tell the difference between night and day!
 
C

Californiaman

New Member
Messages
46
Location
Santa Maria, California
Nocturnal... oh yeah, that's right.

Marcia,
I knew that.
I guess that's why a rack system of the Sterlite tubs is a good way to raise several geckos in a limited amount of space.
We're going for the natural looking vivarium.
How was the San Jose Reptile Expo?
I see that you sold that cute (well that's what my kids said about him) Jungle Albino.
 
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