leopard gecko question

sherriwat · 08-20-12, 04:36 PM

so i have purchased 2 leopard geckos babies. They are absolutely adorable and so tiny compared to my bibrons when i got them. I am feeding them mealworms and both lizards eat between 2 to 3 worms a day sometimes they eat 4 if the worms are smaller. (iv only had them 3 days). They are about as long as my bf's middle finger if that gives you an idea of size.

Anyways i have an over head light that keep tank at between 80 and 90 daytime temp. and night time temp doesnt go below 75, but usually stays at 80.
They have their hide which they prefer staying in cuddled together.

my question is they seem to sleep alot everytime i look in on them they are sleeping and i never see them come out of their hide ever. for meals i have to remove their hide and drop the worms right in front of them is this normal ok behaviour for baby leopards? i spray their tank lightly once a day i didnt read anywheres to do this but i have so many animals that need sprayed i just kinda added these guys to my afternoon spray routine.
they have been pooping.
these little guys are really really skinny but besides staying in hide and being skinny i dont see anything abnormal to their looks.
are they eating enough? am i feeding them often enough? should i spray them or willit hurt them? should they have undertank heat or above light ok? and my concerns bout not coming out and not going for food me needing to put infront of nose?

thank you and ill take pics next time i feed them and remove hide.

oh and we do not handle them or have alot of traffic around their tank as i read that stresses babies out.

sherriwat · 08-20-12, 04:39 PM

oh i re read and day time temps is 85 to 90 hot side as i have light on one side of tank. and night 75 to 80. sorry i was thinking temp doesnt fluxiate between 80 and 90 i wasnt paying attention or reread before i posted lol.

and i really wasnt paying attention to anything because i see there i actually a leopard gecko thread sorry ill post there for future questions.

sherriwat · 08-20-12, 05:32 PM

Moderator noteuplicate threads merged.

BarelyBreathing · 08-20-12, 06:00 PM

I have over forty of these guys. Here are my recommendations-

-Have food available 24/7. Meal worms can't escape bowls, so they're easy to contain. Also, roaches are an excellent food source for them, so I recommend either investing in a colony or finding a supplier. Mine eat Dubia nymphs and Turkish roaches.

-I use under tank heaters as my heat source. They are on all the time, so my geckos have at all times a hot spot and a cool spot. My hot spot is just over 100 in some areas.

-Leopard geckos are nocturnal. They are most active during times that you are sleeping. It's normal to see them asleep during the daytime hours.

-Leopard geckos need a minimum of three hides. One on the hot side, one on the cool side, and a third that is humid inside (I recommend using moist sphagnum moss). This is the bare minimum. Reptiles are often shy and don't feel comfortable being watched.

brooksy · 08-20-12, 07:55 PM

My input:
Get an under tank heater and a thermostat to keep it at the right temperature. UTHs can overheat and burn. And leos need belly heat to help digest.
Quit misting, too much humidity is bad for leos. Just provide a humid hide.
I would strongly suggest separating. 2 main reasons; in case fights occur and they can at any point regardless of how long they've lived together and it allows you to monitor who eats how much and who's poop is whose, which can be vital to troubleshooting illnesses.

sherriwat · 08-20-12, 08:27 PM

i do plan on eventually seperating them in the next couple weeks there has been alot of poop in tank more than one geckos worth daily. i have put in and undertank heat source but no thermostate right now. i have added another hide but my third hide will have to wait a couple days until we empty another towlette paper roll. i have put their dish in with a constent supply of mealworms now and i placed at the mouth of their hide they prefer to use.

i will stop misting unless one goes in shed, i researched to mist once when they go in shed or give them damp moss which the moss carpet is what i have as their substrate.

am i missing something?

thank you for your replies i really appreciate them.

sherriwat · 08-20-12, 10:17 PM

heres my inclosure as well as my 2 babies. I was going to get only one and i had it picked out but than i saw the other one and it missing it's tail and felt bad and brought both home. yes i know nothing to feel bad about but im that way. we are naming the no tail stumpy for now permanant names will come when their bigger and i can handle them and figure out sex and personalities.

BarelyBreathing · 08-21-12, 08:21 AM

The one with no tail is a jungle morph, I believe. A better picture will help.

BarelyBreathing · 08-21-12, 08:23 AM

Also, you don't mist when they're in shed. That's what your humid hide is for. Your humid hide can't be a paper towel roll. It will rot and mold. Go to the dollar store, pick up some Glad sandwich boxes. Cut a hole in the top. Fill it with sphagnum moss, and keep the sphagnum moss moist.

brooksy · 08-21-12, 12:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BarelyBreathing

Also, you don't mist when they're in shed. That's what your humid hide is for. Your humid hide can't be a paper towel roll. It will rot and mold. Go to the dollar store, pick up some Glad sandwich boxes. Cut a hole in the top. Fill it with sphagnum moss, and keep the sphagnum moss moist.

Ditto to this! Just make sure the edges of the hole are smoothed out. Also make sure that they can climb into it and out of it. And you can use papertowel folded to the size of the tupperware container but you just need to mist it more but it also easier to change out very regularily.

Also you need a total of 6 hides since you are 2 geckos. 2 warm ones, 2 cool ones and 2 humid hides. Some cheap hides can be found around the house or purchased for a low cost (PVC pipe cut in half to make a secure half log type hide is a favorite of mine that is low cost for multiple safe hides) just make sure the material is safe for them and that there is no sharp edges or ways for the hide to fall over and cause potential injury.

I am glad to here that you are separating them very quickly.
I would recommend slate tile or paper towel as substrate. I always use papertowel for the first couple months to easily monitor and keep the tank clean easily.

sherriwat · 08-21-12, 08:18 PM

oh nono the papertowel rolls not humid hide. my humid hides in there now i had to finish our butter so i could use that comtainer lol. the papertowl roll is just another hide on their cool side. humid hide is beside the rock hide on hot side.

sorry i should of said that wasnt in this pics yet.

i'll get better pics soon once these guys get more used to me. i started touching them today to get used to my hands around them. so hopefully soon ill be holding them without them freaking out.

sherriwat · 08-21-12, 08:20 PM

i dont have room int this tank for 6 hides so for now they have the 3 which are quit large hides. they will have their own once they are seperated

if i had roon thered be more papertowel rolls in there as im broke right now lol.

brooksy · 08-22-12, 03:59 PM

What size tank are they in?
Leopard geckos need a minimum of a 20 gal LONG (meaning the 30" long one) regardless of age, due to it being close to impossible to achieve the proper heat gradient in anything smaller.
If the one they are in is not this size, you will need to invest in 2 new tanks then. Keep an eye out of $1/gallon sales that many chain pet stores put on, or check out your local free classified website for some used ones (you just need to properly sterilize and rinse very very well).
Leopard geckos need very specific set ups, but you and your geckos will be glad you did it.
Also remember that they need a week or 2 to settle in before you start to handle them at all. A stressed gecko can often become a sick gecko since their immunity lowers when stress levels are raised.
I am excited to see pictures of the set ups with your geckos in them once you can get all the supplies to set them up.

sherriwat · 08-22-12, 04:40 PM

yes once i get them set up i will definetly post more pics. right now they are in a 10 gallon, only because thats what i already had at home. eventually both of them will definetly have larger each. if not a really really big one for the both of them if they both turn out to be females.

i wouldnt of gotten them without having the proper tank sizes but i couldnt leave them they where half starved and 90 percent of them where missing their tails after a week in pet store so they where being miss treated or stressed enough to drop it or something. everytime i went to petstore there dish was either empty of food or full of dead worms. plus no water in tanks. so i picked out one i liked the best (with tail) than i picked out the coolest looking one without a tail. i honestly didnt think much about it except i had enough of going to eptstore everyday and seeing them getting worst and worst lol.

in the next few weeks they will be set up properly i promise you and like i said i will for sure post pics. i'm super excited forwhen i have them all set up perfectly. My goal now is getting them a bit fatter and settled and their environment the best i can get it for now which is alot better than they had.

any more advice is greatly appreciated especially advice on fatting them up, though i think im good on that as i make sure there is always mealworms in their bowl. ill definetly stop touching them for a bit, proably until i go to move them to their new homes.

thanks

brooksy · 08-22-12, 10:17 PM

Tips on fattening up; feed nutritious gut loaded (with a good quality gut load) prey such as crickets, dubias roaches(wish these were legal where I live), pheonix worms, silkworms and horn worms. Remember variety is key to achieving a balanced diet. Also set up is vital since any stress at all can lower their immunity and leave them defenseless against parasites. Proper temperatures are vital to help them digest and absorb their food.
IMO I would separate regardless of if they are both female. You have to buy a second tank in case one evening one suddenly quits tolerating the other and attacks it and separation must occur immediately. Just a thought since we humanize geckos when they in fact thrivebest alone versus being forced to survive in shared quarters.