Question about a new leopard gecko

Question

Getting a new leopard gecko on thursday!!!! (i think so anyway)

I just have a couple of questions.

First up. These are REALLY young geckos. They can't be thicker or longer than my pinky finger, which is smaller than most 16 year olds pinkies. I'm wondering what should i feed it for awhile until it gets a little bigger.

Next. Will a 20 gallon tank be to big? I can use a small plastic tank if needed and provide bedding and a hide so on so forth.

Lastly. Any other recommendations you might have as to taking care of this very young gecko.

Thanks for reading guys!!!

Answer 1

Everyone gave you good advice except for the part about getting a 10 gallon tank. Don't do it. I accidentally killed two baby collared lizards but keeping them in a 10 gallon tank (one lizard a tank). The tanks do not allow for a heat gradient, they are either hot or cold, not both. Think about it if you were in a hot area let's say 100 degrees, would you cool off enough if your cool spot was only 90? No, and neither can the lizard. Also if you bought a 10 gallon tank then you would just have to upgrade later anyway. So save the money and save the lizard. If you really feel the need for a smaller enclosure you can always get a tank divider and move it to increase the space until you don't need it anymore, (make sure the little guy can't get over or under it if you use one) but I wouldn't bother with it personally. Set up the tank, then feed him.

Answer 2

well pinhead crickets and fruitflies can be fed to a baby leopard gecko and as they grow bigger(they grow pretty quickly) you can up the size of its food just remember to dust its food with calcium daily. for something that small i wouldnt try to hold it much until it acclimates itself to the enclosure and as for the the tank a 20g is fine just give it plenty of hides  

Answer 3

First off, young geckos ( shorter than six inches) have to eat at least once daily. Small crickets, no longer than the geckos head and half the width, should be the staple of your geckos diet.

Secondly, no, a 20 gallon shouldn't be too big at all. But, I recommend that for bedding, you use reptile carpet or paper towel. Whatever you do, NO coconut shavings, bed- a -beast, etc. Don't use sand, either, until your gecko is older, and even then, use the smallest grain size of play sand available- no calci- sand! Sand can cause impaction, when the gecko ingests sand in an attempt to get calcium, and it clogs up their digestive system.

I've found geckos to be a lot of fun and easy to care for, and congrats!

Answer 4

Ya, I have geckos about that size. The leopard geckos are pretty awesome aren't they! Ok, when you go into your local pet store, ask for pinhead crickets. They are a great size for leopard geckos that are that small. The bigger the better so a 20 gallon tank is a good size. You don't have to make it smaller because they grow fast. You should buy a book on leopard geckos or research and sort of raise your gecko based on what they say.

Have fun with your new little friend.

Answer 5

Here is a copy of my mini-care sheet:

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...

Answer 6

Don't worry, my leopard gecko was like that too! He was very skinny because he was young... Now he is a mature 1 year old adult and is very healthy! Oh and here is the weird thing, I got my gecko on a Thursday too!

Let your gecko explore his tank for 6 hours- 1 day. Because this gecko is so small,(just like mine was) I would not recommend handling him for at least 14 days. This is when he has adjusted to living in his new home. First let him walk on your hand and l**k it. do this 4 times a day until he walks on top of your hand. Leave your hand in there until he does this 5 times, then pick you hand out of the cage very slowly and he should stay on.

A 20 gallon tank is too big for a baby leopard gecko. I would purchase a 10 gallon first and then when he is 4 or 5 inches long put him in the 20 gallon. If you were to ever buy another leo you would not have to purchase another tank.

Feed your small leo VERY small pinhead crickets. when he is in the 20 gallon, feed him large or mid cricket size.

                                ENJOY YOUR LEOPARD GECKO!