Future Leopard Gecko Owner

[Gc99]

Hello everyone, i will be adding a leopard gecko to my animal collection next week. Its not for me, my stepmom is buying it for her 10 year old son but im the one who is gonna look after the little guy or girl (I'm more than happy to do it, I was going to buy one anyways but my dad said I already have too many animals, 2 ball pythons, a tarantula and a vinegaroon) and im very excited because i find them really cute. So, the set up i have in mind: 20 gal aquarium, with eco earth, a uth, a hide without a bottom piece on the warm spot (so that the gecko gets belly heat, they dont bask due to being nocturnal as far as i know) and a humid hide with moss on the other side to help with sheds, a water bowl and food bowl, and of course i will buy supplements and probably some fake plants as well

Whats the best brand of supplements and which do you use?

What are the best food items? I was going to go for mealworms mostly, offer silkworms and superworms as treats once a month maybe or to get the gecko to gain weight if needed, and try to avoid crickets (not very nutritional and very annoying):cens0r:

How much and how often to feed?

Will medium sized hides be enough for a fully grown male?:cens0r:

What should i look for in a gecko when i pick him/her up from the store? As in looking out for any issues, trying to get a healthy one

Any extra reccomendations are welcome

I think those are all my questions for now, but if i have any doubts i'll be posting some more thanks in advance

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[bcr229]

Do not use eco-earth or any loose substrate as geckos will eat it and get impacted - they like to lip at loose/powdering stuff, which is why you can put out a bottle cap full of calcium powder and they eat it. Paper for substrate is ideal for them, though some people use tile.

Mine have three hides, a warm hide, cool hide, and humid hide, as well as lots of fake low ground cover-type plants to hide in.

I feed dubia roaches, much better than crickets as they have a lot more protein and less chitin. I feed every other day and dust the feeders with a mix of calcium w/ D3 powder and a commercial powdered vitamin mix. Dubias can't climb a smooth surface and they can't jump, so I put them in a smooth-sided shallow container so they can't run off and hide.

[Gc99]

Do not use eco-earth or any loose substrate as geckos will eat it and get impacted - they like to lip at loose/powdering stuff, which is why you can put out a bottle cap full of calcium powder and they eat it. Paper for substrate is ideal for them, though some people use tile.

Mine have three hides, a warm hide, cool hide, and humid hide, as well as lots of fake low ground cover-type plants to hide in.

I feed dubia roaches, much better than crickets as they have a lot more protein and less chitin. I feed every other day and dust the feeders with a mix of calcium w/ D3 powder and a commercial powdered vitamin mix. Dubias can't climb a smooth surface and they can't jump, so I put them in a smooth-sided shallow container so they can't run off and hide.

Im considering eco-earth because of impaction, as ive read that its digestable. So, D3 is fine? I read people saying not to use it and people saying its ok.

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[bcr229]

No, eco-earth is not digestible. If you look on the Facebook group "Leopard Gecko Care and Advice" you can find a post less than two weeks ago from a woman who kept her baby leo on it for a short time and it passed away in a few weeks due to impaction. She had also read it was digestible and thought it was safe. It's not.

Most people use CA in a bottle cap in the enclosure and CA+D3 to dust the feeders, others use CA+D3 for both. I use CA+D3 for both so I'm not buying 2 different calcium supplements.

I use spaghnum moss in the humid hide since leo's won't eat it.

[Gc99]

Thanks for that! Okay, so, best substrate? Paper towels?

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