Anyone have Leopard geckos.

[QuinnieLeeBlu]

My cousin has 2 leopard geckos. He is only 8 and doesn’t know how to take care of them. Can anyone give me care tips. I want to start caring for them when he’s gone. I want them to have long lives.

 

[MissSkittles]

Hi. Yes, I have 3 of them. While they are very common, I’ve found most of the care info on line is all different. If the 2 aren’t housed in their own enclosure, they really should be. Some females will get along and can be kept together, but males will fight and male/female...well, we all know what will happen there. They need an under tank heat mat. I keep mine at around 90f. They’ll need a warm hide, cool hide and a damp hide (usually on the cool side). I use sphagnum moss in the moist hide. They are moist shedders. You do need to check their toes for any stuck shed as it can constrict if left and they’ll lose those toes. Stuck shed can be soaked and gently removed. Paper towel or tile for substrate. No calci sand! It causes impaction. They don’t eat plants, so you can add fake if you want. They don’t bask, so no basking light. Some say uvb isn’t needed, but I provide it anyhow and sometimes mine do sleep with part of them sticking out of their hide. Low humidity. They do drink from bowls. Females will need a little laying bin. I used a plastic food container with a hole cut in the lid and filled halfway with soil and moss so It doubled as moist hide/lay bin. My girl is yet to lay any eggs. Mine are finicky eaters and each is on their own eating schedule. Basically I offer all food every other day or so and it’s rare that all 3 will eat the same days. I feed mealworms, little silkworms, wax worms and bsfl. Mine have little to no interest in crickets or roaches. I dust all feeders with Repashy calcium plus (has a leopard gecko on the label). I keep a tiny dish of calcium without D3 for them to lick as they desire. Check out Stroodies on Etsy. Super cute and inexpensive leopard gecko stuff. They aren’t really good climbers, but will appreciate some varied things to climb on. For info, I like Leopard Gecko on YouTube.
Most important of all! You have to share pics.
This is a pic of one of the basic set ups I had. I had the log hide close enough for them to climb on it to get in the food container hide. Also, I believe they prefer entering things from the top.

I wanted them to live more naturally, so this is now what each has.

 

[QuinnieLeeBlu]

Hi. Yes, I have 3 of them. While they are very common, I’ve found most of the care info on line is all different. If the 2 aren’t housed in their own enclosure, they really should be. Some females will get along and can be kept together, but males will fight and male/female...well, we all know what will happen there. They need an under tank heat mat. I keep mine at around 90f. They’ll need a warm hide, cool hide and a damp hide (usually on the cool side). I use sphagnum moss in the moist hide. They are moist shedders. You do need to check their toes for any stuck shed as it can constrict if left and they’ll lose those toes. Stuck shed can be soaked and gently removed. Paper towel or tile for substrate. No calci sand! It causes impaction. They don’t eat plants, so you can add fake if you want. They don’t bask, so no basking light. Some say uvb isn’t needed, but I provide it anyhow and sometimes mine do sleep with part of them sticking out of their hide. Low humidity. They do drink from bowls. Females will need a little laying bin. I used a plastic food container with a hole cut in the lid and filled halfway with soil and moss so It doubled as moist hide/lay bin. My girl is yet to lay any eggs. Mine are finicky eaters and each is on their own eating schedule. Basically I offer all food every other day or so and it’s rare that all 3 will eat the same days. I feed mealworms, little silkworms, wax worms and bsfl. Mine have little to no interest in crickets or roaches. I dust all feeders with Repashy calcium plus (has a leopard gecko on the label). I keep a tiny dish of calcium without D3 for them to lick as they desire. Check out Stroodies on Etsy. Super cute and inexpensive leopard gecko stuff. They aren’t really good climbers, but will appreciate some varied things to climb on. For info, I like Leopard Gecko on YouTube.
Most important of all! You have to share pics.
This is a pic of one of the basic set ups I had. I had the log hide close enough for them to climb on it to get in the food container hide. Also, I believe they prefer entering things from the top.
View attachment 298137
I wanted them to live more naturally, so this is now what each has.
View attachment 298138

Omg they lay eggs?!?!?! My cousin has had them for like 2 years one of them is 2 and one is 3. He’s cage doesn’t have a heat mat. He doesn’t have three hides and no laying bin. He uses sand with I know that is not good for them. Here is a pic of the cage. What age do they lay eggs?!?!

 

[nightanole]

Ill just drop a few tips:

Dont use calci sand, or any other sand. Dont use any fine pulp stuff either. They will lick everything, its their whole goal in life. Anything they can not digest till just build up in the gut.

You want a moist hide. I make mine out of clay flower pots. aka toad-a-bodes

They have a "pooping spot" and some times its hard to find. I found 2 months of poop in the upper inside rim of a mushroom ceramic hide one time.

 

[kinyonga]

@QuinnieLeeBlu ...are they make or female?

 

[QuinnieLeeBlu]

@QuinnieLeeBlu ...are they make or female?

There both females.

 

[kinyonga]

@MissSkittles has given you great information!

I used to keep mine in trios...one male and two females and they always seemed to get along? They lived together for over 15 years. They're sort of seasonal breeders so the rest of the year they have no reason to compete and if there are several hides in the cage they seem to be fine even in breeding season.

I did provide UVB light for them...their skin does absorb it so it might be something they need in some way.

I did use sand for the substrate...but ONLY the same one I use for egglaying bins for my chameleons. It's produced by Kings and comes in a white bag with red, blue, yellow sand toys on the front. (Since my Leo's lived on it for over 19 years I think I would have known if it caused any impactions.)
https://www.ici-here.ca/en/gammes-produits/3402/

Good luck!

 

[QuinnieLeeBlu]

I just need to convince my uncle to sell them. And get my cousin a fish or something my cousin is not really ready for this much responsibility.

 

[MissSkittles]

Omg they lay eggs?!?!?! My cousin has had them for like 2 years one of them is 2 and one is 3. He’s cage doesn’t have a heat mat. He doesn’t have three hides and no laying bin. He uses sand with I know that is not good for them. Here is a pic of the cage. What age do they lay eggs?!?!

I don’t really know how often an un-mated female will lay eggs. Some will lay and some won’t is what I believe. @kinyonga could tell you better than I. My lady is probably about 2-3 years old and to my knowledge has never laid any eggs. I am prepared for it just in case.
A good point to make to your uncle is that leopard geckos sleep during the day and aren’t a whole lot of enjoyment for a kid. Also they can carry salmonella (you don’t need to tell him that it isn’t common in leos though) and I doubt an 8 yr old is all that great about hand washing. Maybe something like a hermit crab would be a better pet.

 

[CJ's Exotics]

One of my females used to lay eggs when she was younger, but she got older and hasn't laid any in a few years. I had another that never laid with me, lay bin or no lay bin. I agree that some will and some just don't.

 

[kinyonga]

I always had a male/female pair so I don't know how often they would lay infertile eggs.

 

[QuinnieLeeBlu]

I just going to try to change things in the cage slowly.

 

[QuinnieLeeBlu]

And try to-do it Unoticed

 

[8675309]

I don’t really know how often an un-mated female will lay eggs. Some will lay and some won’t is what I believe. @kinyonga could tell you better than I. My lady is probably about 2-3 years old and to my knowledge has never laid any eggs. I am prepared for it just in case.
A good point to make to your uncle is that leopard geckos sleep during the day and aren’t a whole lot of enjoyment for a kid. Also they can carry salmonella (you don’t need to tell him that it isn’t common in leos though) and I doubt an 8 yr old is all that great about hand washing. Maybe something like a hermit crab would be a better pet.

Wouldn’t recommend hermit crabs huge tank and aren’t good with handling a lot of the time. Kids wouldn’t be a big fan of that lmao.
Maybe sea monkeys or something, brine shrimp are pretty cool full grown

 

[MissSkittles]

Wouldn’t recommend hermit crabs huge tank and aren’t good with handling a lot of the time. Kids wouldn’t be a big fan of that lmao.
Maybe sea monkeys or something, brine shrimp are pretty cool full grown

I was thinking sea monkeys!

 

[QuinnieLeeBlu]

Update I was looking up how to tell the gender of leopard geckos and umm both of my cousin geckos are actually boys not girls.

 

[kinyonga]

They need to be in separate cages then.

 

[QuinnieLeeBlu]

They need to be in separate cages then.

Okay