Questions about Leopard Gecko.

[CleaTheChameleon]

I know some of you may say..go on a gecko forum, but i know many people on here keep these guys so i was wondering if u can help me out.

To start off i got this little girl from a local reptile shop. Im pretty sure its a girl because by the look of her vent, it shows she is a girl. I wasn't told how old she was. I was just told the she is a Juvenile CB. Can you guys guess an age?
Also..I got her on Tuesday and right when i put her in the cage..she ate a couple crickets, Then yesterday and today i haven't seen her eat any because at the end of the day, there is the same amount of crickets left in the cage. So since they are nocturnal i put like 2 with her overnight to see if he will hunt them, and she didn't. Is this bad? Can you help me make a feeding schedule for her?

I also have a bit of moist moss in her cave to help with her shedding. Good or bad??

And last but not least...how does her cage look?

 

[Julirs]

I would ditch the light and get an undercage heat mat. Put one hide over the heat mat side and the other one on the other cooler end. A moist moss hide is a good thing. I feel my juvie every night, since it is up and hunting then.

 

[Olimpia]

Yep, what Julirs said. I would upgrade to a 20 gal long because with a 10 gal you don't have the room to put a hide on either end and still have some sort of floor space for her to walk around on.

She's a cutie!

 

[james L]

I disagree with Julirs. I use lights and have never had a problem, but if I had to guess, I would say she is not eatting because lack of heat. What kind and how many watts is your heat bulb? Cave sounds good. Enclosure looks cute and functional.

 

[Ryan Jarosek]

Bulbs are not the way to go. I currently own 200 leopard geckos and have seen a number of problems using lights. You need a heat pad for them to be comfortable. It is preferred by them. They do not bask and get their heat from the belly like Juli said.

In the wild they warm up on rocks that have been sitting in the sun all day. They do not sit in the open sun. While a heat lamp may work it is not ideal or natural in anyway.

You should also put a small bottle cap or dish with calcium powder in it. They will lick it to regulate calcium. Dust the feeders with Cal with D3 powder every feeding.

As mentioned by Olimpia its important for them to have a warm side with a hide and a cool side with a hide. They will self regulate when needed and spend time in both hides. The moss should go in the hide on the cool side of the tank.

 

[CleaTheChameleon]

Thanks everyone. I will look into the heat mat.

Im pretty sure she is eating because she is leaving some nice big poops. LOL

I did put a bottle cap filled with calcium WITHOUT D3 and it looks like she licked some

The bulb is 40 watt

 

[ballin]

Judging by the lack of the blotches on the back, I would guess she would be older then a juvenile. They lose these blotches when they get older.

 

[Redeye]

i prefer to keep a dish or meal worms always available, then do crix like 2-3 times a week, heat mat for sure, not really any leo's running around pakistan during the day
amazing how these guys self regulate their calcium intake
I'd follow Ryan m Jul's advice ANYTIME, unless it comes to voting