Emergency - gecko care

Eukio

Eukio

Arachnosquire
Joined
Nov 10, 2019
Messages
50
Someone is bringing my son a gecko as a gift, and I know nothing on care, husbandry, etc. Please help.
 
A

Arthroverts

Arachnoking
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Jul 11, 2016
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2,467
The species and size would be helpful to know in order for us to try and help.

Thanks,

Arthroverts
 
Kitara

Kitara

Arachnodemon
Joined
Jun 21, 2019
Messages
761
Such a terrible gift. My MIL gave my son tadpoles and I could have punched her in the mouth. That said, I do wish someone would give me a gecko! LOL I want a crested gecko. Good luck with your new pet. You are in the right place.
 
Brachyfan

Brachyfan

Deactivated account
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Jun 14, 2019
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310
Feel free to pm me if you have any issues. I have several leo's and have had to do medical treatments etc to some whose previous owner had severely neglected. Been through a lot when it comes to that species. They are really awesome!

Biggest thing is NEVER put them on sand or any other loose substrate. They will eat it and that will kill them. Just google impaction and you will see
 
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Tim Benzedrine

Tim Benzedrine

Prankster Possum
Old Timer
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Apr 4, 2004
Messages
1,503
I have three of them and may be getting a fourth.

In my opinion, they are relatively easy lizards to keep. They require no UVB lighting, for example. Although, some folks are coming to the belief that some UVB is beneficial. I don't use it, and mine seem to be doing fine.

Note that I said above "relatively easy" Do your research. Study up on the proper temperatures, and the need of at least two hides, for example And, pay close attention to calcium and vitamin supplementation, otherwise you could end up with the lizard getting a case of metabolic bone disease, resulting in a deformed pet. Shedding should be monitored, especially in regard to the toes, as built up shed skin can restrict blood-flow resulting in a loss of the toes, which is the most common area to be afflicted. I'm probably rehashing info found in the link that was provided above, however.
Don't let this scare you, if you do the proper research, you should have no problems. It sounds like you have started already, you mentioned ordering items for it.
Oh, and they can detach their tails, so handle with care. Their tails grow back, but just don't look as nice, cosmetically In fact, I can't say for sure, but after taking a second look at the photo, the gecko may have already had this happen in the past.

An animal as a gift is not always the wisest of decisions, but the giver has the best of intentions. At least they chose something fairly manageable for a first-timer.
 
Feral

Feral

Arachnobaron
Active Member
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Oct 6, 2019
Messages
407
Besides what other have mentioned... Please remove his tail from the enclosure, gross. Leos don't drop their tails nearly as easy as other lizards, so I wonder what was so stressful/life-or-death that he felt like he had to drop. Hmmm. In any case, I think some TLC and stress reduction is in order. Also, he looks a bit thin. Best to be on top of that. UVB is debatable, but I believe it can be beneficial even in small doses and even for crepuscular species, especially to leos like this one who don't have red eyes. Ditto on the vitamins and supplements (always offer pure calcium free-choice, and also alternate dusting feeders with calcium with D3 and dusting with vitamins, and research dusting schedules), offering three hides (warm, cool, and cool/moist) and ditto on watching the sheds around his toes. Some loose substrates can be used successfully, like cocofiber, but research it well before making your decision. Although many people don't think of leos as climbers (and they're not true climbers like some other geckos), many leos like safe (!) low climbing opportunities and multi-leveled enclosures as enrichment, as long as it's set up safely. They like lots of cover. I found with my child's Leo that adding more cover made him feel more secure so, kinda paradoxically, he would actually be out/visible more often when given more available cover. (Same concept is true in fish and tarantulas and many other creatures).

As much as that's a sucky situation (animals aren't gifts), still, congrats on your new friend! He's adorable!
 
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Brachyfan

Brachyfan

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310
Feral said:
Besides what other have mentioned... Please remove his tail from the enclosure, gross. Leos don't drop their tails nearly as easy as other lizards, so I wonder what what so stressful/life-or-death that he felt like he had to drop. Hmmm. In any case, I think some TLC and stress reduction is in order. Also, he looks a bit thin. Best to be on top of that. UVB is debatable, but I believe it can be beneficial even in small doses and even for crepuscular species, especially to leos like this one who don't have red eyes. Ditto on the vitamins and supplements, (research different types of calcium, like D3!), offering three hides (warm, cool, and cool/moist) and ditto on watching the sheds around his toes. Some loose substrates can be used successfully, like cocofiber, but research it well before making your decision. Although many people don't think of leos as climbers (and they're not true climbers like some other geckos), many leos like safe (!) low climbing opportunities and multi-leveled enclosures as enrichment, as long as it's setup safely. They like lots of cover. I found with my child's Leo that adding more cover made him feel more secure so, kinda paradoxically, he would actually be out/visible more often when given more available cover. (Same concept is true in fish and tarantulas and many other creatures).

As much as that's a sucky situation (animals aren't gifts), still, congrats on your new friend! He's adorable!
Click to expand...
Its probably the infected toe.
 
Eukio

Eukio

Arachnosquire
Joined
Nov 10, 2019
Messages
50
Feral said:
Besides what other have mentioned... Please remove his tail from the enclosure, gross. Leos don't drop their tails nearly as easy as other lizards, so I wonder what was so stressful/life-or-death that he felt like he had to drop. Hmmm. In any case, I think some TLC and stress reduction is in order. Also, he looks a bit thin. Best to be on top of that. UVB is debatable, but I believe it can be beneficial even in small doses and even for crepuscular species, especially to leos like this one who don't have red eyes. Ditto on the vitamins and supplements (always offer pure calcium free-choice, and also alternate dusting feeders with calcium with D3 and dusting with vitamins, and research dusting schedules), offering three hides (warm, cool, and cool/moist) and ditto on watching the sheds around his toes. Some loose substrates can be used successfully, like cocofiber, but research it well before making your decision. Although many people don't think of leos as climbers (and they're not true climbers like some other geckos), many leos like safe (!) low climbing opportunities and multi-leveled enclosures as enrichment, as long as it's set up safely. They like lots of cover. I found with my child's Leo that adding more cover made him feel more secure so, kinda paradoxically, he would actually be out/visible more often when given more available cover. (Same concept is true in fish and tarantulas and many other creatures).

As much as that's a sucky situation (animals aren't gifts), still, congrats on your new friend! He's adorable!
Click to expand...
He has since been moved from that enclosure. I am using carpet stuff. Is that okay? I have a day and night heat lamps and have been keeping it around 90. I have one hide and another with cocofiber, keeping it moist for shedding.
 
Feral

Feral

Arachnobaron
Active Member
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Oct 6, 2019
Messages
407
Eukio said:
He has since been moved from that enclosure. I am using carpet stuff. Is that okay? I have a day and night heat lamps and have been keeping it around 90. I have one hide and another with cocofiber, keeping it moist for shedding.
Click to expand...
Good, I'm glad he/she is away from the dropped tail.

Some people use repti-carpet and say it's fine, some say their toes can get caught. I don't use it, so I can't say.

What do you mean exactly by day and night heat lamps? Explain, please.
Using bulbs that produce both light and heat don't work well for leos because they don't bask in sunlight; They are crepuscular/nocturnal. They do much better with other kinds of heat that don't involve light.
The daytime temps are usually 78-84°F with a warm spot of about 86-90°F. This creates a warm end and a cool end of the enclosure. The night temps should be about 73-75°F. There should be a hide on the warm side, and at least one hide on the cool side which is moist (but ideally one cool dry hide and one cool moist hide). Using two different thermometers, one for each side, is wise. Heating elements should be used with a seperate rheostat/thermostat to control them. You can preset the max temp allowed into the thermostat. (FYI: I see a lot of people who think thermostats and thermometers are the same thing. So in case you didn't know, they're not the same thing.)
 
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Eukio

Eukio

Arachnosquire
Joined
Nov 10, 2019
Messages
50
Feral said:
Good, I'm glad he/she is away from the dropped tail.

Some people use repti-carpet and say it's fine, some say their toes can get caught. I don't use it, so I can't say.

What do you mean exactly by day and night heat lamps? Explain, please.
Using bulbs that produce both light and heat don't work well for leos because they don't bask in sunlight; They are crepuscular/nocturnal. They do much better with other kinds of heat that don't involve light.
The daytime temps are usually 78-84°F with a warm spot of about 86-90°F. This creates a warm end and a cool end of the enclosure. The night temps should be about 73-75°F. There should be a hide on the warm side, and at least one hide on the cool side which is moist (but ideally one cool dry hide and one cool moist hide). Using two different thermometers, one for each side, is wise. Heating elements should be used with a seperate rheostat/thermostat. (FYI: I see a lot of people who think thermostats and thermometers are the same thing. So in case you didn't know, they're not the same thing.)
Click to expand...
I am using a halogen bulb for heat (one is red for night time and one is for day time) and a fluorescent bulb. The thermostat placed right above the heat pad says it is 88-90 degrees usually, but I am not sure what the temperature is in the rest of the enclosure. The normal hide is on the heat pad. The hide with cocofiber that is kept moist to help with shedding is not kept on the heat pad.

What I am using:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009CVYDY2
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01545RM0Q
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B079345G3K

edit: I should be able to program it to do a nighttime thing of lowering its temperature if you think it to be wise if you advise that. I have a fancy thing that can do that.
 
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SamanthaMarikian

SamanthaMarikian

Arachnoknight
Joined
Jan 7, 2019
Messages
272
One thing I love using for mine is natural tile stepping stones from Home Depot. Wherever she poops just wipe it clean. And they’re cheap. And on the hot side since the tile is kinda thick i just put down paper towel and coco fiber and moss for her humid hide and haven’t had an issue in the two years I’ve had her. Just have to make sure the paper towel layer is thick enough so she doesnt over heat
 
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