I am planning on getting a leopard gecko but i have a few questions:?

Question

. do i need just a heating pad, a basking lamp or do i need both?

2. would the smell of newspaper affect the gecko's health?

3. are heating rocks good? should i use one?

4. can females lay eggs even if they are not fertilized? and how many do they usually lay?

5. do leopard geckos like being alone or do they like to be with other leopard geckos?

thanks

Answer 1

1) both usually.

the basking light is more for the absorption of UVB nutrients so they can digest calcium and be healthy, and then the heating pad is for heat. also for the light, they are nocturnal so you will need a moon glo light for night time basking.

2) newspaper is ok, but i would suggest using paper towel as a substrate if you want to go the quick and easy way. newspaper can release ink and it could stain and potentionaly poison your gecko after long periods of exposure, it's also now very comfortable.

3) i wouldn't go for one, just put a nice flat bsking rock under the basking light. alot of heating rocks are too hot for leos and they will sit on them to get close to the light when they decide to bask. (they are nocturnal, so they won't do this often but it's still risky)

4) females generally lay eggs when they first hit sexually maturity (unfertilized duds) which will just rot, this is kind of like a test run to see if everything works before they are ready for mating. after they mate, they generally lay for about 6 months a year, the amount of eggs and clutches really depends on the age and heatlh of the female.

5) they do well on their own, you could house 2 females together if there is enough space as they will generally leave eachother alone, as long as they are roughly the same size. males will more often than not fight if they have hit sexually maturity.

good luck!!!

Answer 2

I breed leos and I have them in a breeding rack. With heating pads underneath them. I use papertowels for the bedding but newspaper works just as well. They do not need to be with other leos to be happy they are fine all by themselves. I dont use a basking light they dont need them if they have a warm side on there cage and a cool side. Never use a heat rock they can burn them. Always use fresh water. I feed mine everyother day. And provide a hide hut for them even a paper towel roll works good as a hide hut.

Answer 3

1. This depends on your overall ambient temperatures, although I usually recommend and preffer belly heat for geckos because they are nocturnal and bulbs will generally bother them. Use a red, black or blue bulb if you're using a lamp. If you get both, keep the receipts, so that if proper temps can be mantained with just one (use a digital thermometer) then return the less convenient, or keep it in case of emergency malfunctions of the other. Heating pads will not burn your gecko when controlled, that is nonsense. Simply invest in temperature control such as a thermostat, rheostat or a dimmer.

2. The smell of newspaper won't affect your gecko, but the ink might stain its feet. If you can find inkless sheets (most printing offices will gladly give away the last sheets of a roll), go with those.

3. Heat rocks are the bane of reptile keeping. Avoid these as if they were the plague. They can generate scorch spots and will burn anything that comes in contact with those spots.

4. Some females may lay eggs even if they haven't mated, its not unheard of. And then if they have mated, some eggs may come off as infertilized eggs. Females will lay eggs in clutches, usually of 2 eggs, and can lay anything from 1 to 10 clutches or more.

5. Most reptiles are best kept alone, like geckos as they are solitary cretures. If you really want to keep two together, make sure the tank is big enough to house them both, and that both the geckos are females. Males will fight and injure each other, and a female and male lead to the obvious. Temperaments vary between individuals, so one gecko may tolerate a tank-mate, but the other may not.

Answer 4

1.  i wouldn't get a heating mat/rock because some lizards can be burned on their undersides without knowing it.

2.  Actually newspapers are very good because they cant get they're nails stuck in carpet fibers.  However once they get older you can switch to sand.

3.  just like question one, i would not use heating rocks because they won't know it if they get seriously burned on their undersides.

4.  no they wont lay unfertilized eggs.  They can lay i think about up to 10 or 20 eggs but don't let them mate too early because it will cause the eggs to have problems.

5.  They CAN be with other leos but i think they prefer to live in a solitary enviroment.  But if you get two leos in the same cage make sure they or both girls or a boy and a girl (make sure they're about the same age and more than 1 or 2 years old)  but never two males together.  This is because if you have two males together they will probably fight and may result in injury or death for one or both of your leos.  If you want to know how you can tell the s*x of your leo, go to the link below.  Hope this helped!!!

Answer 5

1. either lamp or pad dosent matter

2.i dont no

3. NOOOO it will burn them is they even touch it!!!

4.they wont hatch........about 3-7

5. they like being with other LEOPARD geckos

ur welcome :-)

Answer 6

Everyone has given good info for you except when it comes to the heat rock. I don't recommend them for leos but they can be safely used if you really want it.  Before plugging in and using it, wrap it in an old sock a few times, plug it in and see how much heat you still feel. Of it's warm to the touch through the sock's layers it's ok to use. The sock will prevent the lizard from burning himsef since he isn't touching the hot surface directly.  I have a Clark's spiny lizard that has had a heat rock in her tank for the 4 years that I've had her and with it wrapped she has NEVER gotten burned.