leopard gecko

[AgileAttorney]

Hey i just got one of these for free i heard they wernt too hard but just wanted to be sure. i have like a juvenile/subadult in a 10g, two hides one on cold side one on hot, using some white calci sand and thats about it anything else i should get or take away?

 

[Mushroom Spore]

Get rid of the calci sand IMMEDIATELY. Don't argue. Anyone who's told you it's "good for animals" and "won't clump up in their guts and kill them" is either lying or misinformed. This goes double for the claims made on any product packaging.

Yes, there are people out there who've used it and had no deaths. There are also people who've been in car accidents and lived, but this doesn't mean you can go getting into car accidents left and right and expect to be fine forever.

 

[AgileAttorney]

can i use coco fiber?? i want something natural looking i dont want to have paper towels or anything like that

 

[Canth]

Go for rock (big rocks) or tile if you want natural.

 

[AgileAttorney]

what about those liner things that are like fake green ground?

 

[dangerprone69]

what about those liner things that are like fake green ground?

That stuff isn't horrible, but it's a pain to clean from what I hear (never used it personally).

 

[Taceas]

As Spore said, stay away from any sand regardless of the claims they make. It's not healthy and they ingest more than they should. I lost my very first Leo to calci-sand impaction.

I kept my later Leos on Repti-carpet and it worked well. Just wash it every month or so and voila.

 

[GailC]

I always uses natural rock tile with my leos.

Do you have a water and calcium dish in your cage? Leos will eat calcium out of a dish when they need it.

 

[AgileAttorney]

yes i have a water dish and calci dish im using paper towels for now but im thinking about getting one of them reptile carpets, as far as heat goes how long should i leave the light on? i also have a heat mat on the bottem should i leave this on as well? thanks guys for all the help im more of a tarantula guy so all the reptile stuff is new to me

 

[Taceas]

I had my light on a timer and it went off around 11pm at night and came on at around 8am or so. The UTH stayed on all of the time though, it kept the spot where the warm hide was toasty at night if the gecko wanted it.

I just purchased a new leo today, I should have it in the morning. I'm needing something to eat some of my roaches, and they're cute, small and easy to take care of. So I'm looking forward into jumping back in the saddle again.

Don't feel bad, I'm more of a snake person going to tarantulas, which is foreign territory to me. =P