Hi, I just inherited a 7", 3 year old gecko. Previous owners had them in a 10 gal tank with a small 4x3 heating pad underneath using sand as substrate. It has only one tree/bark cave structure that it hides in on the cool side of the tank to shed its skin. No moss, I have tried but it doesn't like it & won't go into the hiding area until I took it out. I have purchased two lights for the top for heat with 50 watt bulbs. One is red for night. The temps fluctuate in the day, close to 88 & at night closed to 82. It seems very healthy & active and seems that it likes it out of the cage the more we handle it, than being in the cage. It only has eaten crickets twice in almost two weeks. I have been worried about it eating & purchased wax worms to see if it would eat which I know it is not very good to feed them. I have done this to fatten him up a little. Unfortunately my son had fed him more without me knowing & he consumed 7 wax worms yesterday. Now hes seems not very active & is sleeping a lot. Hopefully this is due to over feeding & not being sick. I am getting different feed back about the lighting. I was told not to use the heat pad with the lamp and don't run the red light at night. So I am not sure which is correct. I am worried about his eating habits. Previous owners fed crickets but threw about 5 & never takes them out, which I read is not good either. i have watched crickets pass by & not interested. What can I feed on a regular basis if wax worms are only a treat & crickets he seems not interested anymore. I am in the near future going to get a 20 gal set up since the 10 gall is obviously too small. I am going to do away with the sand as it seems a pain to deal with when changing & also not good for them. Although this is what he/she has for substrate since he was small. I didn't want to do too many changes until he get acclimated into his new setting as this will stress animals out. Any info will be appreciated. Thanks
Hello cped1079. I know it has been since Monday since you messaged but I wanted to let you know I am a first time leopard gecko owner myself and I will inform you of some things that I have learned regarding the same concerns you currently have. As far as the light. Not too necessary, I have researched and talked to some leo owners and they have told me these lights are a waste of money. The red bulb is supposed to imitate dusk hours but pretty much everyone I have talked to explained that it is the pet store trying to make a buck. Leopard geckos are nocturnal reptiles and don't use any UVB light to gain energy. Instead, leos rest their stomachs on the heat pad you currently have to boost its digestive and immune system. So if your not seeing much response from him during the day, how about checking on him at night to see what his activity is like then. My leo sleeps most of the day and often doesn't come out of his hide during this time. So with that said, has he been pooping at all in the past 2 weeks? How are you measuring the temp in his tank? I ask this because he may be digesting his food very slowly. If he just recently ate then that is very good, even if it is wax worms! You are right to do away with the sand and go for a larger tank. My Girlfriend's friend gave him to me with sand in the tank and I took it out immediately. Since I have owned him I placed slate tile in the tank, water sealed of course. The tile is easy to clean, looks nice and I don't have to worry about impaction issues. As far as his diet goes, most leo owners stick with crickets. They are excellent for gut loading, and contain water for your leo. I also do mealworms in a little food bowl he has. Mealworms are a little harder to digest because of their tougher shell but they are much easier to store and preserve. But the hard shell means that your leo may not be able to absorb the nutrients from the worm as well as it could from a cricket. However, there is still nothing too terribly wrong with it. Just as long as he/she is getting the nutrients it needs. But crickets are your best option. Let us know how it goes!
