My new (and first!) Leo!

Well, I picked up the Leo from the pet shop tonight, and I'm happy to report that very shortly after being placed into her new home, she began to dart at crickets already! She wasn't traveling long, but I did think that she might take a while to explore much - not the case at all :)

Anyway, without further ado, here's Big Bertha (for the love of all that is sacred, I need a new name for her!):
http://www.subliminallusion.com/imag...eopard-001.jpg
http://www.subliminallusion.com/imag...eopard-002.jpg

I'm not sure, but she looks awfully large to me! Seeing as how this is the first adult Leopard I've ever seen, I don't have much to judge on. Anyway, what do you guys think about her size? She's certainly not malnourished! The brown dish is water, and the green is calcium. She's got multi-vitamin dusted crickets hopping to and fro.

Anyway, after getting the tank set up, I instantly had some new questions that I didn't have before:

• How do I keep the paper towels from acting like a cricket hide-away at the edges and corners?
• How large should her humid hide be, and should it be in place 24/7? It's not in there yet, but the two rocks are hides.

Well, that's all the questions I have for now. If you guys have any questions or concerns with how her tank is setup, please let me know!

Her hot side is set on the thermostat (I watched the temp rise, then turned the nob till the light went off) at 92-degrees, and the cool side is about 80- to 85-degrees, humidity at about 30% because I dampened the paper towels to get them to lay a little flatter.

She's cute.. looks full grown to me.

Your 1st question: I don't use any substrate for my leo.. the poops are dry and I just pick them out of the cage. Disinfect with chlorhexadine. Even with paper towel.. the crix will come out to look for food/water eventually.

2: you can place the humid hide when you see her get a bit dull before shedding. I don't have one in for my leo now.

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Originally Posted by Shelby

She's cute.. looks full grown to me.

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Isn't she, though? :D She's about a year and 1/2 old the petshop owner said the other day. Hopefully I can get another female and a male within the next couple of months, though I'm not too sure where I can find any more adults around here, and it's getting too cold for mail-order. Maybe next spring - I can wait, but I don't want her to be too lonely.

A small update: she really seems to be happy already. I've found little spots in the calcium where she's had a bite or two, and some calcium on the edges of the water dish where she's left some while drinking :) What a lovely little lady!

Thanks for the help, Shelby!

No problem.. leos are fun and easy. They love mealies too!

She won't be lonely. Leos are solitary animals, and don't get lonely.

well she certainly looks much healthier than the leos you posted before. she's a nice looking girl!

i keep the hot side in my leo cage at a max of 88 degrees. i also leave the humid hide in at all times. for my females it doubles as a lay box (i use damp peat moss but damp paper towels are fine for non-laying leos).

the crickets will get under and around the paper towels but like april said they will come out and she will find them quickly so that shouldn't be a problem.

glad to hear she is settling in well for you. sounds like she is going to be a nice pet. :)

not to take over the thread but how many toes do leo's usually have?(i know her toes are fine, im just curious)

and how come there is so much space underneath my posts?

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Originally Posted by reptile-girl

and how come there is so much space underneath my posts?

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Because your avatar is long. No big deal.

oh ok, thanks shelby :-]

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Originally Posted by reptile-girl

and how come there is so much space underneath my posts?

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Fill it in with a signature :) List all of your animals, or write a nice poem in there.

A couple more pictures of her, hopefully these give a better sense of her size:

http://www.subliminallusion.com/imag...pards/Leo1.jpg
http://www.subliminallusion.com/imag...pards/Leo2.jpg

I just can't get over how large she is! Do they generally get this big?