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[leogecko-boy]

hi,

Ok i have some money i have to spend for the setup for my lizard well not yet mine. What do you exactly need for the leopard gecko setup. What site for everything i need. For the hide box i wanna get heat tape and all that but i need help to explain what i need for the hide box and how i do that. The vitiam supplements the dish bowls and easy to make your own stuff for the lizard. Also i have a 10 gallon tank, with a fluorscent light, i know i dont need it but my room is dark it will give them light, also i have a screen. Explain the cool area and the warm area. O yea where can i buy a dark light for them i dont know which one a dark light or a red light. Thank u and i hope u guys and women can answer my questions. Also i got 35 bucks to spend at this minute what should i get now.

[Bartman]

I dont 100 percent know what your asking, but if your asking what you need for your leopard, you need to buy 2 hides for each end. You can get some fake plants to put around. The cold and hot side is when you put the heat lamp on one end of the cage so one side is hotter than the other. You will need to get the temp on each side and compare it with the numbers people will give on caresheets. Its like 90 on the hot and 80ish on the cold..check that though im not to sure bout that. I have a 15 gallon tank for mine and i use a 50 watt bulb which gives me the right temps. For a 10 gall it might be slightly off but good luck with your leopard and tank.

[BrandonVeenstra]

35$ I'm going to say wont cut it. You dont need heat tape of your hide.. Get a Under Tank heat pad. I would suggest some fake plants.. Some sticks and what not. Just make it look nice with what you have

[leogecko-boy]

i know 35 dollers wont cut it thats just some money im puttin into it intil i get more. why 2 hides for each end i know the hot side but the cold side???

[Kat]

You need a hide on the cold side too, that way if he's too hot he can go to the cool side and still feel safe and snug in a hide. If you've already got the tank and screen, go get the calcium powder, 2 hides (make sure one if a humid hide) and an undertank heater. That's the basics and you can grow from there. The humid hide can be something as simple as a clean margarine container, a small rubbermaid box, or one of those gladware containers. Just cut a gecko sized hole in the side and line it with damp papertowels. Then, just spray it everyday!

[leogecko-boy]

what about heat tape? and what site can i get it from i got a debit card here right now:p

[jay76]

Here's a good leopard gecko care sheet: http://www.geocities.com/geckohaven/leocare.html

As far as hides go, one at each end is sufficient, I personally have three total - a hide at each end and a humid hide in the middle closer to the hot-end hide. Once you get the temp up to 84-88, the cold side wll be fine the way it is. If you want to make the most of your 35$, newspaper will be a good substrate, and get your calcium/feeding dish from a garden supply store (etc) because you can get one of those glazed clay plantpot bases for like a buck instead of a 5 dollar plastic rock feeding dish. Good luck with your leo.

[jay76]

Originally posted by leogecko-boy
what about heat tape? and what site can i get it from i got a debit card here right now:p

Why do you want heat tape, Brian? A UTH or one of those human heating pads can be just as effective, and you don't need a credit card :)

[JeffT]

Yeah heat tape comes in big rolls and is used by breeders when they have large setups. Just use a human heat pad, you can buy it at wallmart for like $10. Second, hate to break it to you, $35 probably isnt enough money at the moment, if you plan on getting a heat pad, proper caging, cage substrate, dark light, ESSENTIAL vitamins , the actual gecko,weekly food it will put you over $35. In my opinion a 10 gal in really pushing it, I think 15 gallons are a minimum, plus you can house about 2 leopards in a 15 gal.
What do you plan on feeding him?

Jeff

[leogecko-boy]

people on know 35 isn't enough i just want to buy lil things now intil i get more money soon

[sapphire_moon]

First off.......go do some research before you buy any animal. And if you didn't know that you need 2 hides, 3 actually (one on warm, one on cool, and a humid hide kinda in the middle), then you didn't do your research.

You can keep 1-2 leo's in a 10 gal tank, (male-female, NEVER keep 2 males together) and 3 in a 20 gal long tank.

Warm Side-----85 degree's---90 degree's
Cool side-------75 degree's---80 degree's

Diet----Keep a varied diet......main diet----crickets with wax worms, and meal worms occasionaly. (I'm sure there are more worms than that you can feed them, but consult someone more knowledgeable before you feed them to your leo.)

Hatchlings food has to be dusted with vitamens and supplements every feeding. and adults food can be dusted every other feeding.

Use common sence when getting your new leo. Don't buy from a pet store. I'm not saying all pet stores are bad to buy pets from, But you always hear horror stories about pet stores. So find a good reputable breeder (I'm sure there are more than a few good breeders here on ssnakess.com)
Get a fecal done ASAP if you do get one from a pet store, and even if you get one from a breeder.....because you just never know.

I'm sure there are people here that has more info.....and alot of people here have good advice...

[leogecko-boy]

i did do my reasearch but no one said anything about hides not evening the sites

[Siretsap]

You can use practically anything for hides. I use some black platic boxes and make an entrance hole in it.
On your warm side, put the hidebox with some moisture in it (I use a wet scott towel). This will help them shed. The hide on the colder side doesn't have a humid substrat in it.

I have many tanks and I use heat pads for them. Heat tape is expensive and won't give off as much heat as a heat pad (won't cover a better surface). You put your light on the same side as your head pad. The light is usually for you to see the gecko better since the heatpad will already give off enough heat for your gecko.

Go to a dollar store or a k-mart, you can find many plastic boxes to use as hiding places as well as water bowls. This will be fine for your 35$ buget, If you buy your hides from a pet store, it will cost you double or more.

[JeffT]

Yes, and a humid hide is essential too, it will greatly bennefit your animal. You can use a large margarine or butter container, just cut a 3 inch circle hole in the top and put vermiculite in it. This will aid them for shedding, and a warm, humid place to go sleep.

[jay76]

i did do my reasearch but no one said anything about hides not evening the sites

That's rather peculiar. Every site I read before I got my first leo had much to say about hideboxes. So did the site I pointed out to you.

You can keep 1-2 leo's in a 10 gal tank, (male-female, NEVER keep 2 males together) and 3 in a 20 gal long tank.

Personally I'd say a 10 gallon is too small for more than leo. Even a 15 would be a better choice for one. The fact is they can squabble over hides, and a 10 just wouldn't have the room for 4 hides and two leos, especially healthy full grown adults. Just my opinion though.

Use common sence when getting your new leo. Don't buy from a pet store. I'm not saying all pet stores are bad to buy pets from, But you always hear horror stories about pet stores. So find a good reputable breeder (I'm sure there are more than a few good breeders here on ssnakess.com)

Yes, you always hear horror stories about pet stores, but there are also some really good ones out there. They just don't get enough publicity because people tend to talk about bad experiences more than good ones. Besides which, a lot of stores actually have herps from people in the area who bred them and take them in to exchange for credit for supplies or other animals etc. Asking where a specific animal came from is a good idea.

[leogecko-boy]

well i use to search geckos and only get some stuff about them not there habitat now i look ed up geckos housing and got stuff what a vermiculite

[jay76]

Do you mean what is vermiculite? It's a soil additive used to help with moisture retention in gardening etc. Used alone it does the same thing, which makes it a good choice for a hide box... kinda messy though, as your leo will wind up tracking some of it out of the humid hide. Moistened paper towel doesn't have that particular problem.

[Lisa]

the site jay mentioned looked really informative. though i suggest a pet rock instead. they are easy to take care of and you could keep it for the rest of your life... it can help you open windows too.

[Zoe]

leopard... you don't seem to be paying much attention to caresheets or people, so I'm going to list exactly what you need (cheapest possible) and apprx cost:

- 15 gallon tank (10 gal is TOO small), 15$ used
- Secure lid, 5-10$ used
- Papertowel for bedding (free from the kitchen)
- 3 hides (if they are from the petstore, 10-30$ each, or if they are just upside down margarine tubs with holes in the sides, you can get them free from your kitchen or from the olive bar at the grocery store)
- rocks and sticks (boiled and scrubbed), free from the woods
- fake plants (5-10$ from wal-mart/zellers)
- moss/vermiculite to go in the humid hide (2$)
- undertank heater (20$ from the petstore or 10-15$ from walmart/zellers)
- thermometer (5-10$)
- food dish (5$ tops)
- water dish (5$ tops)
- mealworms/crickets/silkworms (varies)
- calc powder (10$)
- vit powder (10$)
- bottle cap for calc powder in the tank (free)
- leopard gecko (from a breeder it will be way cheaper and healtheir. Depending on colour morph, cheapest though would be 35$ for a juvenile normal)

I think that's it, if I think of anything else I will let you know!

** i based the prices on canadian prices, so yours' will be lower!**

Zoe

[leogecko-boy]

yes i know most of that u just said and i have been doing more reaserch and its going good

[JeffT]

As you see, its costs a lot more then $35. But it is important to get all that is needed for your gecko to ensure a happy, long life.

[jay76]

Plus pet rocks come in so many fantastic colour morphs too.