a few questions

[snakewrangler89]

ok i have 2 different topics to talk about. First i got a 53 gram female leo in the mail yesterday and she still hasnt eaten. She isnt moving alot either. Can i put her in the same tank as my little male that is only 6 in long or does she need her own. Someone said dont mess with her for 5 days. Any suggestions??

Ok my other topic is:
the male leo i have is 6 in long

im buying each of the following (all females)
2 albino trempers
1 blizard
these three are about 4 inches long. I want to put all of these in one cage and let them live until they are full grown in it. It will be my own little breeding colony. Can anyone please specify exactly what i need. I want it to look as natural as possible. It is gonna be in my living room. I need to know aquarium size, good substrate(how bout that calcium sand), how many hideouts. what kind of hideouts to look natural. How many water bowls. How much powder. I know it will be a while before they breed. Please answer these questions. Thank you

[Tim and Julie B]

This is going to be a long post, but I'll try to keep it simple.

First of all DO NOT put any leos together until you've quarantined them long enough to do fecals. Second, if their size and weight are too different DO NOT house them together until they are of equal size. Larger ones can and will pick on smaller ones.

Now, the female you just received is probably stressed and that will be the reason she is not eating. Just give her some time, about 3 days or so, to fully adjust to her new home before offering any food at all. Give her fresh water and adequate heat and just let her be.

You are probably very anxious to get your new baby leos, and to watch them grow up until they are ready to breed, but there are some things to consider. You don't want your females in with a male too early. Males mature sexually much sooner than females and will cause them much stress trying to breed with them. If the females should happen to become gravid too young there could be major ramifications such as egg binding which can lead to death in extreme cases.

I am going to suggest housing all your leos seperately until you get clean fecals. After which you should be able to house the young females in one cage, the young male in his own, and the two older leos (male and new female) in a cew months when they are closer in size. It may be disappointing not to be able to set up a nice display tank right away, but your patience will pay off in the end:D

For housing please stay away from any granulated substrate. Leos do not live in deserts. They live in rocky outcroppings and dry scrub-lands. The best bet is paper towel, but for natural you can use slate or ceramic tile. Go to any home supply store and give them the measurements from the inside dimensions of your tanks. Choose the tile you like best and they will cut it for you, most often at no extra cost. For natural hides any pet store will sell ceramic or plastic caves in various sizes, most being quite cheap. You will also need a water dish. I prefer the small green sauces used with plant pots. They are cheap and can be easily disinfected on a regular basis. Be sure to use a lid on your cages also, and either a UTH or heat lamp for warmth. You need a hot side and a cool side in order for your geckos to be healthy and to digest thier meals. The hot side should be about 86-88 and the cool side at room temp. Be sure to provide a humid hide also. I use well washed magarine or tuuperware containers filled with vermiculite or paper towels, kept damp but not wet. This will help them to shed.

You will need good vitamins also. Choose a calcium D3 powder and a multi-vitamin. Don't worry about the cost as they will last a long time. Adult and sub-adult leos can eat every other day and the crix should be dusted lightly once or twice a week with both powders. Put a few in the cage and if they eat them all you can offer more until they are full. You'll know they are done because they will loose interest in hunting them down. The babies should be offered food every day. Just a few each dusted once or twice a week also. Clean, fresh water is VERY important at all times. You only need one water bowl in each cage.

I hope this helps. If I've missed anything it's because I'm exhausted. Hopefully if you have any more questions I will be able to help, but there are a lot of wonderful, knowlegable people here who have info to share also. Take care and good luck!

Julie B

[DragnDrop]

yup, like Julie said. :)

Oh... and you'd be doing yourself and the geckos a huge favour by owning the Leopard Gecko Manual or any other good leopard book. Maybe read some of the husbandry posts on this site and get an idea of what you're up to. Breeding is fun and rewarding but there's also more work involved than you first think, so check it out before you allow yours to start breeding.