I may be getting a Leopard Gecko

[Brendan]

Yep, I'm thinking of getting one, or perhaps two (1 male and 1 female).

For those who own them or have experience with them, can you tell me what is expected? What are the hardest things about keeping em'?

Alright so I've got a 10 gallon tank and I'm deciding to use astroturf or calcium sand or newspaper as the substrate. I have a infrared red heat lamp to make the temperature around 85-90F on the hot side, and about 70 F on the cool side. Is this okay?

As for humidity, I'm not quite sure which exact recommended percentage I should stay at. What is the recommended level?

So yeah, that's about all. Advice please

 

[~Abyss~]

Why don't you try following that link in the bottom of your sig? LOL or click mine it's all gravy?
Reptile

 

[RoachGirlRen]

- Do not get one male, one female. The male will stress the female with constant mating attempts, and breeding should only occur with a set purpose in mind by a prepared individual. This species is best kept solitarily, though some have had luck with female groups in large enclosures. This is a contentious issue so I will leave it open ended, but male/male and male/female are not suggested.
- No to the sand. Reptile carpet is OK if you watch for fraying, as is newspaper (though I suggest unbleached paper towel, no risk of ink toxicity). Tile is one of the best as far as holding heat, being easy to clean, and looking nice goes.
- 10g is OK for a juvenille, but it is best to keep an adult in a 20 long. This is because this provides a better temperature gradient, and allows you to provide a warm hide, cool hide, humid hide, calcium dish, and water bowl AT LEAST without the animal being cramped - remember, they get to be a good 8"!
- The humidity should be pretty darn low. I'm blanking on the number off of my head, but the only humid thing in there should be the humid hide. This is another reason tile is better; when you use sand, astroturf, or paper, the moisture from the hide can seep out through the substrate into other areas of the tank, but tile generally doesn't transfer moisture much.

Hope that helps.

 

[Brendan]

- Do not get one male, one female. The male will stress the female with constant mating attempts, and breeding should only occur with a set purpose in mind by a prepared individual. This species is best kept solitarily, though some have had luck with female groups in large enclosures. This is a contentious issue so I will leave it open ended, but male/male and male/female are not suggested.
- No to the sand. Reptile carpet is OK if you watch for fraying, as is newspaper (though I suggest unbleached paper towel, no risk of ink toxicity). Tile is one of the best as far as holding heat, being easy to clean, and looking nice goes.
- 10g is OK for a juvenille, but it is best to keep an adult in a 20 long. This is because this provides a better temperature gradient, and allows you to provide a warm hide, cool hide, humid hide, calcium dish, and water bowl AT LEAST without the animal being cramped - remember, they get to be a good 8"!
- The humidity should be pretty darn low. I'm blanking on the number off of my head, but the only humid thing in there should be the humid hide. This is another reason tile is better; when you use sand, astroturf, or paper, the moisture from the hide can seep out through the substrate into other areas of the tank, but tile generally doesn't transfer moisture much.

Hope that helps.

It does help a bunch

What if I were to get a male, and then possibly a few months later, put a female in there?

Also what type of tile should I use?

 

[Ted]

Yep, I'm thinking of getting one, or perhaps two (1 male and 1 female).

For those who own them or have experience with them, can you tell me what is expected? What are the hardest things about keeping em'?

Alright so I've got a 10 gallon tank and I'm deciding to use astroturf or calcium sand or newspaper as the substrate. I have a infrared red heat lamp to make the temperature around 85-90F on the hot side, and about 70 F on the cool side. Is this okay?

As for humidity, I'm not quite sure which exact recommended percentage I should stay at. What is the recommended level?

So yeah, that's about all. Advice please

Hey, Brandan!

I bred them for about 15 years..here's all i ever did...

I kept them on clean white butcher paper..since they are always licking the ground i didnt want them to ingest feces or anything, and deter impaction.
makes it alot easier to see whats going on, and also to clean up.
astro turf is fine, if its disinfected at least once a month and spot cleaned regularly..[its also very cost effective and isnt too bad looking.

there's nothing particularly hard about keeping them.

as far as the humidity..
i used a small humidity shelter inside the cage, which, they used often..it was a small-medium sized tupperware container half filled with damp sphagnum and one opening they entered and exited.
this helped with shedding and everything else..meanwhile, the rest of the cage was pretty dry..just the way you want it.

I had a few flat rock/wood hides randomly put around the cage..and a small water dish..which i placed rocks and stuff around the edges, so that they could ascend a bit and look down on the dish.

they breed pretty well if happy, and when its egg laying time you'll want to make sure to change the sphagnum to vermiculite mixed 9/1 ratio [vermiculite to water] she will almost always lay her eggs in it, and it will double as a incubator, as after she lays them ,which is what you want, because if she lays them on a hard surface or against the glass they can stick and be impossible to move without fatal results..also..dont rotate the eggs..this can kill them.]
youll want to remove that container and put it in a safe place..preferably a nice dark place.
remember that the sex of the offspring can be chosen by what temperature you incubate them at.
its realy easy to do..they are hardy and great pets.

good luck!

 

[bigjunk93yj]

as far as the humidity..
i used a small humidity shelter inside the cage, which, they used often..it was a small-medium sized tupperware container half filled with damp sphagnum and one opening they entered and exited.
this helped with shedding and everything else..meanwhile, the rest of the cage was pretty dry..just the way you want it.

this is a must for nice, complete sheds! i used a delicup and lid, turned upside-down. just make a notch in the cup so they can get in and out. also gives them a nice edge to rub on when they are trying to get that itchy old skin off.

 

[suicidepill]

a better substrate is a 75/25 dirt/sand mix.so they can burrow when they want, and thats where they escape heat, and get the humidity they want so they can get shed off quicker.lookk at the way there feet are, they are designed to dig.cant do that with paper towels or repticarpet.Oh no! leos cant be on loose substrate because if they ingest it they'll get impacted!nope.give them a high surface basking temp and it'l pass like nothing.i dont see people going around putting tile and carpet and newspaper all over wherever the leopard geckos a running around and eating.there is a reason for this.

 

[Ted]

a better substrate is a 75/25 dirt/sand mix.so they can burrow when they want, and thats where they escape heat, and get the humidity they want so they can get shed off quicker.lookk at the way there feet are, they are designed to dig.cant do that with paper towels or repticarpet.Oh no! leos cant be on loose substrate because if they ingest it they'll get impacted!nope.give them a high surface basking temp and it'l pass like nothing.i dont see people going around putting tile and carpet and newspaper all over wherever the leopard geckos a running around and eating.there is a reason for this.

I never had mine burrow..nor did they seem to want to.They were quite happy walking around with some slight topograpghy.
not saying the dont..its just not necessary...or is optional, i should say.

I dont like inviting the kind of cleanup time[simple being the best] and chance of soil contamination.


Also, creatures do die from impaction in the wild..an avoidance of this is not a bad idea..why risk it?

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Brendan..if you want to breed them, here is what temps you can incubate them at, if you want to choose gender ratio
80 degrees to get females, 91 degrees for males, 86 degrees for both
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this is a must for nice, complete sheds! i used a delicup and lid, turned upside-down. just make a notch in the cup so they can get in and out. also gives them a nice edge to rub on when they are trying to get that itchy old skin off.

exactly.
i only ever increased the humidity level if they seemed dry or when the females were gravid.

 

[Mushroom Spore]

What if I were to get a male, and then possibly a few months later, put a female in there?

Not in a ten gallon you can't, like the others said that's barely big enough for one. Also the male is still going to stress out the female.

Unless you mean only putting them together very briefly to breed, in which case I guess that's okay.

 

[Brendan]

Hmmm.

I actually thinking of considering getting a large enclosure, however, not a glass tank.

Would those plastic boxes/sweater boxes/shoeboxes work?

 

[Ted]

Hmmm.

I actually thinking of considering getting a large enclosure, however, not a glass tank.

Would those plastic boxes/sweater boxes/shoeboxes work?

yes..but make sure there is plenty of ventilation.
you want maybe 40% humidity tops.

 

[RoachGirlRen]

What if I were to get a male, and then possibly a few months later, put a female in there?

Again, the male will stress the female with constant mating attempts, regardless of if you put them together immediately or at a later date. It is best to generally keep male and female animals seperate unless deliberately breeding.

So far as keeping on sand goes (and the cute comment about putting astroturf all over their wild habitat), it is definately an absolute no for juvenilles. There is some debate over adults, but IMO the impaction risk isn't worth it. And actually, most of the studies done on the wild hunting/feeding habits of this species suggests that much of it goes on in rocky crevases, not out on the open sand. So unlike in the enclosure, they probably really aren't injesting much sand in the wild. There is also a whole lot MORE sand in the wild, being constantly changed by the forces of nature, not stewing with feces and urine and uneaten crickets for months inbetween cleanings in a highly confined area. You also have to consider what kind of sand we're using in captivity vs. the wild as far as grain size and content go. Many natural desert sands are much finer than the quartz etc. sand we use in captivity, and calci-sand is basically just death in a bag.

 

[Brendan]

Again, the male will stress the female with constant mating attempts, regardless of if you put them together immediately or at a later date. It is best to generally keep male and female animals seperate unless deliberately breeding.

So far as keeping on sand goes (and the cute comment about putting astroturf all over their wild habitat), it is definately an absolute no for juvenilles. There is some debate over adults, but IMO the impaction risk isn't worth it. And actually, most of the studies done on the wild hunting/feeding habits of this species suggests that much of it goes on in rocky crevases, not out on the open sand. So unlike in the enclosure, they probably really aren't injesting much sand in the wild. There is also a whole lot MORE sand in the wild, being constantly changed by the forces of nature, not stewing with feces and urine and uneaten crickets for months inbetween cleanings in a highly confined area. You also have to consider what kind of sand we're using in captivity vs. the wild as far as grain size and content go. Many natural desert sands are much finer than the quartz etc. sand we use in captivity, and calci-sand is basically just death in a bag.

Okay then I won't go for calci sand or any other type of sand.

I'll use astroturf/reptile carpet.

 

[RoachGirlRen]

Just watch for snags/fraying and keep it clean. Like I said, tile is one of the better ones, but stone tiling a 20g can be a little expensive. Paper towel works nicely as well because it is easy to keep clean.

 

[bigjunk93yj]

Like I said, tile is one of the better ones, but stone tiling a 20g can be a little expensive. Paper towel works nicely as well because it is easy to keep clean.

tile isn't that bad, i use the biggest tile i can so there are less joints for poo to fall in. and you only really have to buy it once unless you break them when cleaning or something. i think i only paid $1-2 each and i was using 12x12 tiles. the real PITA is cutting them lol.

as far as keeping males and females you are better off keeping them separate from each other unless you have a pretty good size tank and multiple females for one male. i kept 4 females and one male in a 2'x4'x1' enclosure for almost 3 years with no problems. each one had their own hide and they were spread through the tank.

 

[suicidepill]

sand dirt mix, not just sand.


read this


http://repticzone.com/forums/CagesandEnclosures/messages/1502065.html


and

http://repticzone.com/forums/CagesandEnclosures/messages/1348801.html

 

[bigjunk93yj]

sand dirt mix, not just sand.


read this


http://repticzone.com/forums/CagesandEnclosures/messages/1502065.html


and

http://repticzone.com/forums/CagesandEnclosures/messages/1348801.html

every board is going to have their "sand is fine, they live in the desert" group. truth is:

From Wikipedia

Leopard Geckos are native to south-eastern Afghanistan, throughout Pakistan, north-west India, and into Iran where it inhabits the rocky, dry grassland regions of these countries.

I just figure if I can reduce the chance of my leos being killed by impaction I'm gonna do just that. If I kept 100 leos and they were all on sand and only 1 died from impaction it would still be 1 (probably very painful) death that could have been prevented. The substrate battle will go on as long as we are keeping reptiles as pets and I can point you to a dozen sites that say "TILE ONLY!!!" and another dozen that say "SAND ONLY!!!". It all comes down to personal preference. Nobody can say your leo will die from impaction if you keep it on sand but be aware that there is that chance that it could.

 

[RoachGirlRen]

The sand we use in the captive environment is coarse grained silicate or quartz, not the very fine sands these animals are accustomed to in nature. This combined with the fact that wild leopard geckos hunt primarily in rocky and packed-earth areas means that the large, loose sands of the captive environment are a far cry from any attempt to mimic nature. The result is often impaction and thus, death. What's more, though the sands of a natural desert are constantly changed and renewed by the forces of nature, sand in a small aquarium quickly becomes begrimed, which can have dire consequences as dangerous bacteria mount.

Calci-sands are equally problematic. Though digestible in small quantities, they are carbonate based, which means that they neutralize stomach acid if consumed on any significant scale. A small lick of the stuff may be no problem, but a clumsy young leo consuming a fair amount of the calci-sand hunting will soon be unable to digest the content, resulting still in impaction. Leopard geckos, in addition to often ingesting substrate while hunting, explore often using their tongues, which in turn inevitably results in consuming substrate.

In short, we have few resources for appropriate sand, and the present options do come with a risk of impaction. It is ultimately up to the keeper if they wish to take that risk, but it is not one I personally would - particularly with a young gecko, seeing as they are so notoriously prone to impaction.

 

[suicidepill]

i never said JUST sand. im talking about a 75dirt/25sand% mix. Just because they deserve what they would have gotton in the wild. And you know what? impaction is not caused by substrate, its all around husbandary, meaning temperature and humidity. Give it a nice high degree basking spot, the right humidity, and there wont be a problem with passing a little dirt/sand mix.
Switching to tile is not what prevents impaction. switching to tile prevents a leopard gecko from doing what it would naturaly do, dig, for many reasons.Giving a high surface basking temp(not ambient air temp) will prevent impactions when using a burrowable dirt/sand mix. I would never use JUST sand, because it wouldn't make much sence, just like tile/paper towel. Now for babies i can understand a solid substrate.
I'm not trying to tell anyone what to do, just what i think is righgt and what makes most sence to me.
I got a baby leopard gecko today and it will be on a solid substrate until it gets bigger, and i'll be switching do a burrowable dirt/sand mix.

 

[Brendan]

Okay well ANYWAYS...

I got the leopard gecko! (I actually got a few days ago)