10 questions a 1st time Leo owner might ask:D

[Herp4life11]

So im going to the Repticon show in Charlotte and I wanna get a Leo. I will be keeping him/her in a 10gal, screen top and I will use newspaper as bedding. Im just wondering a few things...

1. Do I feed them every day or every other day?
2. What prey to feed and what size should I feed for a baby, juvie, and adult?
3. What age Leo should I start out with?
4. How big of a UTH will I need to warm 1/3 of a 10gal tank?
5. Were can I find the Calcuim and Vit3 they need and how much does it cost?
6. Can I feed them pinkies? (I breed mice so that would be easier)
7. What sex is better to start out with?
8. How do I know if it is healthy or not when im looking to buy him?
9. Do they need a "night light"?
10. Whats the price rang of Leo's at an Expo usually?


If you have any answers, please post them. I really want one of these guys just need some info from people who already have them or have had them.
Thanx!

[LGL]

So im going to the Repticon show in Charlotte and I wanna get a Leo. I will be keeping him/her in a 10gal, screen top and I will use newspaper as bedding. Im just wondering a few things...

<questions quoted below>

If you have any answers, please post them. I really want one of these guys just need some info from people who already have them or have had them.
Thanx!

1. Do I feed them every day or every other day?

Hatchlings should be fed every day or two, but adults only need to be fed every 3-4 days. This would all depend on how many crickets (or other prey items) are offered/consumed each feeding.

2. What prey to feed and what size should I feed for a baby, juvie, and adult?

Personally, I feed crickets. They are readily available and allow the geckos to "hunt", keeping them more active and combatting laziness. The crickets offered should roughly be the same length as the distance between the gecko's eyes. Hatchling Leopard Geckos will usually feed on "small" crickets, juveniles on "medium" crickets and adults on "large" crickets, but these sizes are open for interpretation depending on where the crickets are purchased.

3. What age Leo should I start out with?

It depends on what you would like. Since this will be your first Leopard Gecko, I would suggest purchasing at least a well-established juvenile. If you would like to be able to watch the Gecko grow and have its colors and pattern change, a juvenile is an excellent option. Otherwise, a healthy adult would also be great. I wouldn't suggest purchasing a fresh hatchling as your first Leo incase you encounter some sort of problem. Healthy juveniles and adults have enough fat stored in their tails to survive for a while without food. If a baby quit eating, you wouldn't have a ton of time to figure out what the matter is. Leopard Geckos are a hardy species, but might as well take some precautions to ensure a positive experience.

4. How big of a UTH will I need to warm 1/3 of a 10gal tank?

I've never used under tank heaters, so I'm not completely familiar with the sizes that they come in. I would suggest purchasing on that can be placed underneath one end of the cage and cover about 1/3 of the floor space in the tank.

5. Were can I find the Calcuim and Vit3 they need and how much does it cost?

Petstores, especially ones that specialize in reptiles, should carry many different brands of calcium with and without Vitamin D3. Read the label to check to see if it contains Vitamin D3 or not. Depending on the brand and quantity, each container of calcium will cost around $3-$5. Remember, you need one with Vitamin D3 (for dusting the crickets once a week) and one without (to put in a dish in the cage).

6. Can I feed them pinkies? (I breed mice so that would be easier)

Some people will offer breeding adult females an occasional pinky to provide some additional fat and nutrients to help facilitate egg production and to boost weight gain after laying a clutch. I don't find pinkies to be a necessary thing, and the extra fat can be more harmful than it is helpful. If it's not a breeding adult female, no you should feed a Leopard Gecko pinkies. Pinkies should especially not be fed as a regular prey item.

7. What sex is better to start out with?

It really comes down to personal preference. Although if you have any plans of potentially expanding your collection and purchasing another Leo in the future, a female may be a better option. Although you should quarantine new additions and they'd both have to be around the same size, you could potentially house them together if they were both females. If you purchase a male, he'll need to be housed alone unless you are breeding them. Males are territorial and will combat other males.

8. How do I know if it is healthy or not when im looking to buy him?

Make sure its eyes, nose, and vent are all clear. Make sure its tail isn't super skinny. If it's an adult, it should be nice and wide. If it's a hatchling or juvenile, its tail will be on the thinner side, but a roundness lengthwise should still be present. The gecko shouldn't have any kinks in its tail or digits (fingers, toes), and shouldn't have any stuck shed. Ask the seller about its feeding habits and temperment.

9. Do they need a "night light"?

They don't need one. Leopard Geckos are nocturnal so they become more active in the dark. Some people do provide light from special red or blue lights that apparently the Geckos can't see, allowing for them to be viewed more easily at night in their more active state. I don't know if people still do this for Leopard Geckos, but I often times see pet owners being told by pet store employees that they "need" to purchase an expensive red or blue light bulb, which most definitely is not the case.

10. Whats the price rang of Leo's at an Expo usually?

This varies a ton depending on what types you are looking at and which reptile show. You can find a variety of Leopard Gecko morphs (do they even come as Normals anymore??) anywhere from $20-$80. You may be able to find some young hatchlings for less, but I wouldn't suggest purchasing small, young, underpriced animals. "You get what you pay for." Make sure you buy a healthy, well-started/well-developed animal from a reputable breeder. If you don't have prior knowledge of the seller, ask other venders at the show what they think and have heard of the seller in question. Many breeders at shows know each other and are more than happy to recommend other quality breeders. I would tend to shy away from someone with a ton of young animals, especially displayed together, with low prices. Anyway, if you are looking for some more designer animals, you'll other Leopard Geckos into the hundreds of dollars. Since I mainly just keep my trio of Leos as pets now, I'm not sure what all of the lastest morphs and combos are and what those are priced at. I do know that some breathtaking, completely stunning, selective bred designer animals can purchased for $150-$450.

Best of luck with your purchase and your future Leopard Gecko(s)! Let me know if you have anymore questions. I'm more than happy to help out.

[Herp4life11]

thanx a lot this really helped me choose if I realy want one or not.

I am going to hold off for a lil on the lil guy cuz of my mice project im trying to get started. After I got that rollin I will def be picking up one of these guys.

Again thank-you

[BPelizabeth]

Make sure if you use an UTH that you have some type of dimmer control as it can get really really hot. We paid about 3 dollars for our dimmer and it works perfect. Also I feed mealworms....you will find out with leos they will like crickets or mealies....and once you perfect that ...they will probably change their minds....lol.

They grow super fast...at least mine have....and you will need to clean every couple of days...whew...their poo is quite stinky. But the cool thing is they will poo in one spot all the time. So you can put down something extra there to just pick up in between cleanings.

Also if you get some type of albino...make sure that you have them in a bit of a dark area or cover 3/4 of their tank as they are light sensitive. I just have mine in our tv room and its covered on 3 sides with a light fleece. They get indirect light that is not bright at all.

One more thing...they are not the type to be handled all the time. At least this is what I have read. We handle ours every couple of days only for a few minutes. They have both tamed up quite quickly but overall they are fairly private.

[Herp4life11]

So you use a "dimmer" as a thermostat? Were did you get yours?

[shootingstar26]

Any hardware/home supply store. I got mine at Home Depot for $10.
Don't forget to use a thermometer to check the temperature if you use one.

[cinderbird]

So im going to the Repticon show in Charlotte and I wanna get a Leo. I will be keeping him/her in a 10gal, screen top and I will use newspaper as bedding. Im just wondering a few things...

1. Do I feed them every day or every other day?
2. What prey to feed and what size should I feed for a baby, juvie, and adult?
3. What age Leo should I start out with?
4. How big of a UTH will I need to warm 1/3 of a 10gal tank?
5. Were can I find the Calcuim and Vit3 they need and how much does it cost?
6. Can I feed them pinkies? (I breed mice so that would be easier)
7. What sex is better to start out with?
8. How do I know if it is healthy or not when im looking to buy him?
9. Do they need a "night light"?
10. Whats the price rang of Leo's at an Expo usually?


If you have any answers, please post them. I really want one of these guys just need some info from people who already have them or have had them.
Thanx!

1. I feed my babies every other day, sometimes every day... They just look so hungry! The adults I feedlike 2x a week, maybe 3x a week. I do feed my animals a lot but they are not overweight. I feed roaches

2. Since i feed dubia roaches, I have every size feeder I need from baby to adult leo. I feed prey items the size of the space between their eyes or smaller.

3. Juvies are good, once they get to the 12-14 gram weight they tend to freak out a lot less about being handled. Babies will scream at you if they feel threatened but its a behavior they outgrow. Personally, I love raising animals from babies so I don't mind getting well started but young animals. I love watching their patterns change as they grow

4. I would get an UTH that covers 1/3-1/2 of the bottom of the tank.

5. They will have the supplies at the expo. I usually pay about 6.00 for a jar of calcium +D3. If they have a door prize or a grab bag with ticket purchase at the show, you can get some free stuff in there. Ive gotten lots of calcium with and without D3 this way.

6. I only offer pinkie mice to my adult leos maybe 1x a month (usually more like 1x every 6 weeks) My leos arent breeding. They are a treat and not anything related to their stable diet.

7. All my leos are female, some cohabitate, some don't. That is the reason I usually get females (so if they like having a buddy they can have one).

8. A healthy lizard will have bright, clear eyes and nostrils. A healthy looking mouth with no saliva, spit or bubbles. Clean bright skin (no stuck shed around the eyes, toes, tail, etc), clear clean vent (no feces, crust, etc), the animal should be robust and active with no abnormal looking limbs. A regenerated tail is ok.

9. Leos are nocturnal, no night light needed.

10. Prices I've seen range from 15-1300 dollars. Most pet type animals will be in the 15-100 dollar range.

[Herp4life11]

Thanx you guys a lot. All of this has really helped me.

[dembonez]

you ca get a UTH that says 10g on it or 5G i wen't by that seemed to work well! and people DO feed their leo's pinkys but i don't suggest it i mean why risk it its not 100% safe =\