My first reptile pet.

hello everybody. I got my leo just yesterday, and I could really use some advice.
A lot of what the pet store owner said to me conflicted greatly with what I learned from other owners...such as calcium given only once every week or so and not every feeding. also, since I live in a highly tropical enviorment, I am worried that it will effect my poor Draco. Florida just doesn't have desert temperatures like you would think.

For his first day I tried to remake the environment from he was bought at, to try to get him used to his new home and edit as I go along. is it bad to change his environment so quickly?

Other than that, he is eating his crickets who love their fruits and potatoes. he is having kind of a hard time catching the little buggers, but to me Draco seems to get a lot of excerise chasing the little guys. (Don't worry, he does get them). There was something that concerned me with what the pet owner said. Since leopard geckos are nocternal and the crickets will sometimes eat at their eyes, should I feed him during the day or during the night? she said day, but that does not make any sense.

Please help me, I am scarred for Draco's little life. he is just a juvenile, a cute one. I don't want to send him back to the mean pet store.

It sounds like you are already doing well, and the new gecko is already eating so that's always always a good sign. You want to feed them at night when they are most active. During the day your gecko will be sleeping so that's not a good time to be dumping these crickets into his tank

The less you change their environment the better, but it won't hurt them. Sometimes if you are making a change for the better, then you simply gotta do what you gotta do. But the less changes you make, the less stressed they'll be. So you want to try to figure out the grand plan before making small, frequent changes. The fact that he's eating means he's fine with whatever changes you've made so far.

As for calcium/supplement, there are a couple of popular ways to go about it. One is to leave pure calcium (phosphorous free) without D3 inside a bottle cap or dish in the tank at all time. Leopard gecko will find it and lick it when they need/want calcium. On top of that, you will want to purchase multi vitamin supplement, such as zoo med reptivite, rep-cal herptivite, or repashy calcium plus. Use the multi vitamin to dust your feeders with, and you can dust every day for geckos that are less than a year old, or every 2-3 days for adults.

Dusting means you take say a sandwich ziploc bag, you place crickets inside it, and sprinkle some multi vitamin powders in the bag. You close the bag up, shake it up good, then feed the yummies to your gecko. That's what they call "shake and bake" method.

You do this, he'll be fine There are great gecko care guides out there, and also some on this forum as well if you look around. Good luck!

I only put in a few crickets at a time. I let him catch what he wants and after a half hour or so I take out the rest so they won't bother my leo. I don't know that they would eat out their eyes persay but they will bother your leo terribly.

hehehe, I know that. Draco bit off one of their hind legs when he went into his cave.

Just in case, I keep a little slice of veggie in Draco's cage, so they leave him alone and let him get his beauty sleep

Hello and welcome to the forum, Dylan! My name is Kathryn, I hope all your questions get answered here. I look forward to talking with you further.

What kind of environment was he in at the petstore? Here is a great thread to give you info on how a leo viv should look like: http://www.leopardgeckoforum.com/t166-proper-housing-for-leopard-geckos

Do you have a thermometer in your tank? Having one on the cold side and hot side of your tank will help us determine if your tank is gonna be to hot or too cold for your leo. I doubt it will be though, as there are all kinds of reptile owners in Florida. In case you didn't know, your leo viv should have a hot side (where there is a under tank heater, between 88-95*F. {31-35*C Approx.}). Your cold side shouldn't have a heater and should be about the temperature of the room.

There isn't much to be helped about changing environment quickly. You have to think, your leo was at a pet store, and even though its environment at home may be similar there would still be the ride to its new home. The best thing to do, is leave it alone (i.e no handling) for a week or two until he seems to be settling in. It sounds like he is already settling in though if he is able to eat (some leos won't eat for a few days when they are brought to their new homes). As Mardy said if the change is for the better, there isn't much you can do. That doesn't mean change everything constantly, but don't worry too much about the stress of changing his environment. In my experience leos adjust fairly well to change.

Mardy explains how/what calcium you need, so I'll leave that explanation.

I feed my leos at night, for two reasons 1. I'm too busy in the morning LOL
2. They are more active (the leos)
Leos are NOT nocturnal. They are actually crepuscular, so they are active around dusk and dawn. For my leos, in Canada, that means they are usually getting up around 6:30-7:30pm everyday so I usually feed them then. Never leave crickets in with your leo for more than about half an hour or so, especially unattended. The crickets can team up on the leo (I've seen it happen to my poor leo, Miracle once when I first got her -she was a rescue and was sick). I only put a few in there at a time. And I don't really reccomend crickets for feeding. I feed my leos worms (mealworms & superworms as main diet/waxworms, phoenix worms, butterworms as occasional treat).

Why would you have to send him back to the store?

I can't really see an immediate problem that would cause worry for your leo, it sounds like you are doing a good job. And he's your first reptile, so no wonder you're worried, I was too.

awwww. I am sorry to hear about your leo Miracle. I hope she is doing well.

There were unattended crickets in his cage the whole day, but like I said, he took care of the little ones. Draco is a tough gecko, dosen't take anything from anything...and I mean anything!

I just looked in the cage, and I say he has cleaned them all out...can't seeem to find one anywhere. but if there is, Draco wouldn't mind having a little extra snack. I never put more than 3-5 little ones in there at a time.

If I can't find a supplement for crickets that can be bought at a retail store...then the poor guy cannot live here. I am in a small farming community, where crickets are mostly sold at Bait shops here. I have heard of the health conditions in those places and that is why I am hesitant to get them there.

She is doing great now! She was severely malnourished, and has a regenerated tail (it fell off either because she was stressed, or because she was squeezed by previous owners). After taking care of her and giving her a proper tank (she was in an unsuitable environment, her tank hadn't been cleaned for a year!) she has gotten better. Her tail is still growing back slowly, but she is doing great.

I wouldn't keep the crickets unattended anymore. It isn`t really a good idea. It only takes one time for him to get hurt by them O_O

You can feed your leo as much as he will eat, but if it gets ridiciulous, stop feeding him. Like if its, more than 15, I`d stop.

You could order supplements online, its pretty cheap, and they last quite a while. Wouldn`t where ever you bought him, sell the supplements as well.
Yeah, a lot of crickets carry problems. Maybe make your own cricket farm, it will safe you money, and will be less likely to have health problems. Just a suggestion.
I hope you won`t have to take him back

With the current living situation I have, a cricket farm is not really that easy to maintain. My room right now is part storage closet. (Lost our house not to long ago, living with grandparents)

There is an outdoor shop that sells high quality crickets. if all else, I'll bring a pair of tweasers to get the good ones I will also see if I can get online delivery a try.

As for leaving them in the cage, I will make sure to inspect it for any scraps of food left.

Just a note, in case no one mentioned; Leo's are not nocturnal, they are crepuscular or active during the dawn and dusk hours.

Haha, I mentioned that Kodie

I understand, I want to start up a mealworm/supeworm farm, but I haven't been able to as of yet.

Definitely try to get some good quality crickets, and keep them in good conditions at home. If any die, take them out quickly, provide food (veggies and fruits) and water in the form of crystals or in wet cotton balls. Definitely try online delivery, especially for the supplements!

You sound like you're keeping everything undercontrol. You'll make a great reptile keeper.

Welcome to the forum, and just a side note seeing as how you're in a small farming community, you can also use a calcium/vitimin suppliment for dusting that is designed for horses called Osteo- Form and its made by vet-a-mix. The breeder that I got my leo from uses this religeously (on a suggestion from thee Ron Tremper) and has never had an issue. It is also available on line at Lambert Vet supply.com.



Also you can remove the jumper legs carefully off the cricket or refrigerate them for a half hour before feeding to make them a little easier for your leo to catch. If it's too difficult to catch, he could get discouraged.

Kodieh wrote:Just a note, in case no one mentioned; Leo's are not nocturnal, they are crepuscular or active during the dawn and dusk hours.

They are technically nocturnal/crepuscular, not either/or. They've been known to come out at dusk/dawn, but they are equally as active at night when it's totally dark. Leopard geckos have all the characteristics (their eyes) and behaviors of nocturnal and crepuscular species.

So it's not really wrong to say they are nocturnal, because they are. Just as it's not wrong to say they are crepuscular, because they are also. Just wanting to mention this real quick

Actually it would be inaccurate to call something that is crepuscular nocturnal because a "Truly" nocturnal creature will not rise until several hours after the sun has set. The fact that, left on their own undisturbed, we see our leos up most often right after sunset and right before sunrise pretty much proves the crepuscular versus nocturnal arguement (as well as lacking certain physical characteristics). It is HIGHLY unusual and unlikely to see a true nocturnal creature up at those times of day. You can't be both. All forms of niche differentiation (nocturnal, crepuscular, diurnal, cathemeral) is a form of crypsis, an adaptation to avoid or enhance predation, so if you change the predation situation for an animal then the animal could likely change their niche differentiation, and captivity certainly changes predation. However the change over of truly nocturnal animals (or truly diurnal animals), those equipped with extra sensory/light adapted organs to deal with life in the dark (or light), will seldom be able to live an alternate niche differentiation with out being at a deficit. THIS is why leos do not benefit or thrive from bright overhead lighting... they are twilight creatures, sun is setting or rising... they sleep when the sun is at it's brightest. This is also why leos have mistakenly been labeled nocturnal, because they will come out as the moon reaches it's apex in the sky, esp. as the moon is waxing and the nights are brighter. Being able to properly understand your animals niche differentiation is important to being able to provide optimum habitat and husbandry. Please don't think of it as no big deal, there are a lot of genetic/physiological adaptations/mutations many animals have made to adjust to survival and thrive at their chosen niche.

Granted this is wiki knowledge but the best yet description I've seen explaining crepuscular activity. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crepuscular

Welcome to the forum!

Thanks guys, and you too Kermit. I will try searching around for the osteo as soon as possible. I got a small packet sitting in his cage in a water bottle cap to see how he does with it.

On the other hand, food is going to be an issue, because I don't want to expose Draco to unsanitary kept crickets at bait shops.

Does anyone know a good delivery company that gives good gecko grub at low prices?


And thanks for the support everybody. I feel so much better knowing what to do with Draco. I really am excited to have him.

Grubco is great for worms, buydubiaroaches is great for dubia roaches. Both sites offer great bulk discounts.

And Kel, I just would like 1 field study that cites leopard gecko is observed in nature to be more crepuscular more so than nocturnal. I'm just asking for my own informational purposes because I've looked for it, and the field study documents I've found all name them nocturnal, with some stating "nocturnal/crepuscular".

Honestly it's more a debate on their behavior so it doesn't matter to me that much. All I know is they shy away from light, and they enjoy darkness from my experience. But I don't really like people saying others are wrong for calling them nocturnal when they are documented as such in edu and field studies.

There are so many places on line in the states to get bugs... omg take your pick really.... also rickets sold at bait shops are from teh same factory farms as those sold in petshops. What matters is how they're kept after they get to their location. I've seen some bait shops keep their feeders better than some herp shops.

Also if you're going to order on line you might want to consider trying meal worms or superworms. I think they handle shipping better and really are a lot better source of nutrition for your herp, plus easier to keep and don't stink or cherp. Superworms, my yr old boy eats 3 every 2 days or so. Maybe take a little reading time in teh feeding section. I'm pretty sure there's past threads with links to bug sellers as well. Grubco is one, mealworms by the pound, mulberry farm, tasty worms, and bug depot to name a few. be careful ordering on line for crickets. Make sure you ask directly for the A. Domestica cricket or you could get sent the more aggressive jamacian field cricket insted.

Mardy I have collected so much information over the years from reading bits here and there that I haven't saved either from school or the web so I don't have a page for you directly that has it all in 1 source and I honestly don't take the work of 1 person I look at a lot of different sources. A scientific sheet can be just as inaccurate as any other matieral so I wouldn't take it as gospel and the difinitive word on the matter. Look at the leos physiological make up and what's known about TRUE nocturnal creatures, the eyes in particular... it doesn't fit... Just the simple fact that leos are up during twilight hours is proof enough that they are not true nocturnal creatures and that the word is being thrown around inaccurately so until more people understand that, I will continue educating the ignorent .

ok Kermit. Thanks again for the help. I will start looking around right now
I did not know that they came from the same farm. I will check with the bait store as soon as possible to see what they sell.


Also, I noticed this dry white tip on the end of his stool, should I be concerned about that or is it normal? Other than that, he is acting fine in my eyes. he's hissing at my hand every time I change his water or misting his hideaways. still looking around and moving in every corner he could find to study it.

Fair enough, I got no issues with calling them crepuscular. It's because they are crepuscular. But I also think they enjoy the total darkness of the night, which goes more in line with nocturnal species.

In my collection of leopard geckos, I have a few that are early risers that wake up and roam around in the evenings. But majority of my geckos don't come out until it's dark, and some won't eat until I turn the lights off to go to sleep. So in my opinion they are interesting creatures with different personalities, some exhibit crepuscular behavior some nocturnal.

Ownagemaster wrote:
Also, I noticed this dry white tip on the end of his stool, should I be concerned about that or is it normal?

The dry white tip is the urinate.. their equivalent of urine It's perfectly normal, don't worry sometimes it can appear a pale yellow colour too but that's normal also

thank you Sarah, I really appreciate it. Hope banana is doing ok.

Banana is great thanks

Hey Dylan, welcome to the best forum on the net. I love your leo's name!