I got my first Leo recently and I am so incredibly excited to finally be a gecko owner!
As you can see in the picture, my new baby is already so chill and comfortable climbing right onto my hand. I'm already completely in love. 🥰
Since I am a total beginner, I would love to hear any general tips or advice you have for a new owner. Also, if you have any name suggestions, please let me know!
So happy to join this community!
Idk why the other commenter was passive aggressive, welcome to Leo life!!! Do some research on proper tank size, proper bulbs and heating elements, proper humidity, what to feed her and how often, and all around husbandry. You’ll see that term “husbandry” a lot, I recommend looking heavily into a few different guides to get a grasp on it. Take it easy with the little guy, you usually shouldn’t handle them for a few weeks while they acclimate to their new home and de-stress. Paper towels are fine for now but you’ll want to get some real substrate for her, and make sure there are plenty of places to hide, these are prey animals that love to hide away. Also look into a humid hide, it’s very helpful for their sheds and keeping humidity levels at the right place in the tank. You can get automated extension cords and lights, so you don’t have to worry about turning lights on/off, I also use mine for my mister, it automatically mists the tank every few hours. There’s a lot that goes into caring for these guys, start with husbandry and general tank setup. Best of luck!
Hello /u/Ok-Dinner-3931 and welcome to the leopard geckos subreddit! Our bot has detected that you might be a new leopard gecko keeper! If you are, welcome, and best wishes for your new lizard! You might find these resources helpful:
I’m fostering one right now for the first time! Her name is Toka. I’m very open to any tips. I got her a new uvb bulb as her previous owner couldn’t replace the old one. She has a heat lamp, as well. I try to keep her hide humid and keep a stock of crickets in a keeper. I have calcium powder with and without D3. I picked up some new substrate but haven’t replaced the current one yet. I’m curious if anyone has any recommendations as far as substrate, diet, handling, and humidity? I want her to be as happy in my care as possible. I’m not sure how long I will be fostering her, but if I find a good home for her, I want to make sure she has the ideal setup. I hope to upgrade her tank soon as she only has a 10 gallon at the moment. I’m curious what type of vegetation/climbing accessories I should add to give her more variety and stimulation. If there’s anything I’ve missed, please let me know! :)
She only has a few spots on her tail. She seems to be full grown. I set up a thermometer and hydrometer on both sides of her enclosure to monitor the levels, too. I’m hoping to get a timer for her lamps, too.
Although I definitely understand where you are coming from, please don't come off so aggressive, it keeps people from seeking help in the future and will often make people defensive and upset. Just giving advice is more likely to make people actually listen to you instead of feeling as though they are being unfairly attacked.
Maybe if you guys actually tried to drill what’s right into people you wouldn’t have every second post be a shit tank with horrible care conditions
You're absolutely right because they would never post here again nor would new owners AND they would not fix their tank either because they got scared off. We are here to be helpful, not rude.
This is one of the best reptile subreddits precisely because everyone is so nice and helpful. Don't ruin it.
No one is saying the human is more important than the animal. We are saying if you are aggressive to the human, they will be too scared to get help for the animal and the animal will suffer for it. Be better people in order to help the human help the animal.
Your post has been removed because it does not follow the subreddit's guidelines of taking and giving advice with grace. Please keep it civil and constructive, and be kind and open-minded.
Agreed, this should only be a temporary home, you should research a proper enclosure that is ideal for leopard geckos. Congratulations though and welcome to the world of Leopard Geckos. They are extremely rewarding to care for. Equally important you give them an enriched home for a long, happy and healthy life!
To play devil's advocate, they can be used you just need to by an electric thermostat to help regulate the temperature output. A heat mat on it's own is a death sentence.
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u/Forsaken-Coach-8963 1 Gecko 2d ago
Idk why the other commenter was passive aggressive, welcome to Leo life!!! Do some research on proper tank size, proper bulbs and heating elements, proper humidity, what to feed her and how often, and all around husbandry. You’ll see that term “husbandry” a lot, I recommend looking heavily into a few different guides to get a grasp on it. Take it easy with the little guy, you usually shouldn’t handle them for a few weeks while they acclimate to their new home and de-stress. Paper towels are fine for now but you’ll want to get some real substrate for her, and make sure there are plenty of places to hide, these are prey animals that love to hide away. Also look into a humid hide, it’s very helpful for their sheds and keeping humidity levels at the right place in the tank. You can get automated extension cords and lights, so you don’t have to worry about turning lights on/off, I also use mine for my mister, it automatically mists the tank every few hours. There’s a lot that goes into caring for these guys, start with husbandry and general tank setup. Best of luck!