Leopard Gecko help! ?

Question

I am going to get a leopard gecko soon but i need all the help i can get whats there personality like and how much times a day should i feed them? Any good informational sites would be appreciated. Also can i use a heating pad instead of light?

Answer 1

A leopard gecko is a great pet. They have a great personality if treated correctly. After 1 week of owning the gecko it should be accustomed and you should start handling it for at least 5 minutes per day. If the gecko bites, that's alright, just keep handling it and it should learn that you are not a danger. You should feed it every day if it is still a baby, also every feeding should be coated in calcium powder. If the gecko is an adult, you should feed it every other day with the food coated every other feeding. I recommend feeding your gecko in the evening or right before you turn its light off to go to bed. A heating pad is recommended in order to help the gecko digest food. You should still have a light though otherwise the gecko will not be able to tell night from day and will most likely not eat.

Answer 2

~Without proper lighting geckos will be neither healthy or active.

What you need to do is go to your pet store and buy a book about them. You can use it as a reference once you have a gecko. How are you sure that you want one if you don't know about their personalities, or their feeding habits?

Answer 3

Here is a copy of my mini care sheets with a couple of excellent websites.  No light is needed for leopard geckos...they are nocturnal.  A heat pad is a must.

Leopard Geckos

Minimum size tank for one leopard gecko is 10 gallons, but an adult will benefit from a 20 gallon or larger.

A heat mat (under tank heater or UTH) needs to be attached under one end of the tank.  Leos warm up through belly heat, not heat from a lamp above (which is not recommended or needed).  The mat should be plugged into a thermostat (made for this) or a dimmer switch in order to adjust the temperature.  UTH mats often get over 100F, which is too hot.  A good temperature is 88-91F.  Use a digital probe thermometer to measure the basking temp.  These are sold as indoor/outdoor thermometers in most garden departments.  Set it to “outdoor” and place the probe on the inside bottom surface of the tank over the UTH mat end. You cannot use stick on or dial thermometers, as these only measure air temps and not basking temps.  They can be off by more than 20F!  Leos do not need UVB lighting.

Do NOT use sand or other loose substrate in the bottom of the tank!  Leos often eat this and can become fatally impacted in their intestines.  It is not natural for them to live in and be forced to eat in a small sand-filled environment which can harbor bacteria and parasites.

Provide a small dish of calcium powder which the gecko will l**k as needed.  A small bowl of water is also necessary.  

Leos need 3 hide boxes.  One should be placed over the warm end of the tank, one on the cool end, and the third should be a humid hide.  This is very important to help prevent shedding problems.  It can be as simple as a margarine container with a hole cut in the side (leave the lid on).  Fold a couple of paper towels in the bottom and keep them misted with water.  Your Leo will go into this as needed.  Keep the humid hide on the warm end of the tank.  Shedding problems include shed skin left on toes.  If this happens, the dead skin will constrict the blood flow, often leading to loss of toes.  

Feeding a variety of insects is always best.  In the wild they will many different types of insects.  Good choices include crickets, superworms, phoenix worms, silkworms, hornworms and occasionally wax worms (high in fat).  Mealworms may also be used for leopard geckos.  All insects must be properly “gutloaded” before being used as food.  This means providing correct food and water or moisture for them.  

For more info on care, health, and feeding of Leopard Geckos please check out http://www.drgecko.com/index.html.  It is my favorite web site and is very complete!  Also good is http://www.thegeckospot.com/shortleocare...