a few leo questions

Plan on getting a leopard gecko at the end of september (hopefully) and about to get my cage setup and I have a few questions.


1) does the under the tank heater stay on at all times? (nothing in my research said anything about it)

2) are those half coconut shells aka "dome homes" hides big enough for an adult leo?

3) I know you use calcium with Vitamin D3 for dusting food but should the little jar of calcium I leave in the cage at all times have it as well?

4) still debating on 10 or 20L terrarium

5) I know loose substrate is a no for leos so I can I clutter the cage with natural looking hides,wood and rocks so it's not so plan?

( god I feel like a reptile noob! lol)

I'm still relatively new to leos, but I think I can answer most of your questions.

1.) I would leave the UTH on all the time. They will regulate their temps by moving the other side.

2.) I believe the coconut shells come in different sizes, so if you are starting with a baby you should upgrade as it grows.

3.) I don't dust my food because I leave mealworms with gut load in the cage at all times. I leave calcium with D3 in the cage at all times too.

4.) If you are planning on a pair I would go wth the 20L, but one can happily live in the 10.

5.) I don't see any reason why you couldn't spruce up the cage with hides/wood/rocks.

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Originally Posted by Gpoop

Plan on getting a leopard gecko at the end of september (hopefully) and about to get my cage setup and I have a few questions.


1) does the under the tank heater stay on at all times? (nothing in my research said anything about it)

Just make sure it is hooked up to a thermostat ;) I do not do a night drop for my guys.

2) are those half coconut shells aka "dome homes" hides big enough for an adult leo?


3) I know you use calcium with Vitamin D3 for dusting food but should the little jar of calcium I leave in the cage at all times have it as well?

No, leave pure calcium in the tank.

4) still debating on 10 or 20L terrarium

If you have space for it get the 20L, it's a good size for an adult and all the 'stuff'.

5) I know loose substrate is a no for leos so I can I clutter the cage with natural looking hides,wood and rocks so it's not so plan?

Yup, as long as it's sturdy and there is still good floor space. Keep in mind though, crickets may get in that stuff and hide, don't want to leave them roaming about.

( god I feel like a reptile noob! lol)

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Gpoop

Plan on getting a leopard gecko at the end of september (hopefully) and about to get my cage setup and I have a few questions.


1) does the under the tank heater stay on at all times? (nothing in my research said anything about it)

Yes it does there is no real need to have a night drop on leopard geckos.

2) are those half coconut shells aka "dome homes" hides big enough for an adult leo?

Depends on the size of your leo and the size of the dome. I use Lee's desert den's for adult leo groups.

3) I know you use calcium with Vitamin D3 for dusting food but should the little jar of calcium I leave in the cage at all times have it as well?

Yes the geckos will eat it as they need it.

4) still debating on 10 or 20L terrarium

1 gecko is fine in a 10 gal I would go with a 20L as once you have one you end up with more soon enough.

5) I know loose substrate is a no for leos so I can I clutter the cage with natural looking hides,wood and rocks so it's not so plan?

You can clutter the cage if you want to but I would advise against it. You'll find that the more you've got the more you have to clean. Also if you feed crickets they will hide in places that they can not be eaten as well.


( god I feel like a reptile noob! lol)

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1) Use a thermostat to regulate it. I like Herpstat.
2) Yes, but sanitize anything organic (or purchased from a pet store) thoroughly.
3) I'd recommend Repashy. It has D3, but in a small enough dosage that you can leave it in all of the time. If not using Repashy, you will have to alternate calcium with D3, and calcium without D3, every few days.
4) At least 1 square foot per gecko. If housing multiple geckos (females of same size) a little more space is better.
5) Yes, but be careful that nothing can fall on your gecko, also see answer to #2.