#Want to get a leopard Gecko, what do I need? Also how do I breed prey?

1 messages · Page 1 of 1 (latest)

candid ether
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Hello! I'm planning to get a leopard gecko in the near future (by 2024) I'm reading the server provided care sheet right now, is there an itemized list of items I need to buy somewhere, or could somebody on the server provide me with one? Also please give me tips on breeding food for my leopard gecko as I have a 15 gallon tank which I can use for caring for and breeding prey

viral wraith
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!shoppinglist

fiery bobcatBOT
candid ether
viral wraith
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and that would depend on what you’re wanting to breed for food

candid ether
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anything really

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id prefer it to be quiet (crickets are not, just realized that) and the primary food source

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Ill diversify but whats a good primary food source that I can breed in my house?

viral wraith
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you may have better luck asking specific feeder colony questions in #invertebrate-chat

Ideally, you should have at least three regular !feeders for your leo

fiery bobcatBOT
viral wraith
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many people here breed various roaches and mealworms for their leo’s

candid ether
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hmmmm

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Is feeder breeding complicated?

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and do I need a lot of space to house feeders?

limber zealot
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depends on the feeder

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nqa breeding crickets is the most difficult

candid ether
limber zealot
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mealworms and roaches are the easiest

candid ether
candid ether
limber zealot
candid ether
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alright thanks

limber zealot
candid ether
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for the roaches, should I cut them up or just let the gecko swallow the entire thing?

viral wraith
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let the gecko eat it

candid ether
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alright

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Last thing, is buying feeders from a place such as petco/petsmart a bad thing? Also is it alright if I buy supplies from one of those two places?

limber zealot
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its not bad if you check if their feeders are alive before buying them

but petsmart isnt a very cheap option lol

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employees might give you a cup of dead mealworms

candid ether
viral wraith
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it’s also super easy and cheaper to just breed mealworms

candid ether
# limber zealot

ok I know I already said last thing, but this is a just a curiosity question, will my gecko be alright if I cut the head off the superworm, immediately before feeding it to my gecko?

limber zealot
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its preferred, yes

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though generally supers are treat feeders

candid ether
candid ether
limber zealot
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its better to ask questions to be safe. thats what this forum is for

viral wraith
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!heating

fiery bobcatBOT
viral wraith
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You will also need UVB in addition to the heat source

candid ether
viral wraith
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!setup

fiery bobcatBOT
viral wraith
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Does this help?

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you can also get a dimming thermostat, where you would not need a dimming dome. There are also thermostats that come with timers, but that’s the general idea of what a heating/lighting set up will look like

candid ether
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so when building the enclosure, I need the hot, cool and humid hides, and a basking area?

viral wraith
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yes, the basking area will be on your hot side

candid ether
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alright alright

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so the enclosure has three sides?

limber zealot
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think of it as a gradient

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2 sides and the middle

candid ether
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Oh alright!

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one side has a cool hide, and water

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the other side has a hot hide and the heat source

viral wraith
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so this is my tank. on the left, i have rocks that also make a hide. Right above those rocks is the halogen, and on the same side is the UVB

7BCF37B9-3A60-43F2-90FF-8D94A4926644.jpg
candid ether
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and the middle has a regular hide

candid ether
viral wraith
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It is hotter on that side, and the right side is cooler, so they can navigate the tank to thermoregulate

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the humid hide will be in the middle

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it is burried at the back in that tank

candid ether
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ok thanks, this sums up a lot

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bruh, the video on the exo-terra is just really bad :/

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Would this substrate work?

viral wraith
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no, !ecoearth

fiery bobcatBOT
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Eco Earth alone is not recommended as a substrate for leopard geckos. Eco Earth or any other coconut fiber substrate is meant to be used wet, which is not suitable for low humidity species like leopard geckos. When kept completely dry, it becomes quite dusty and very fluffy. Not only is the dust bad for leopard geckos (or any animal being kept in an enclosed space), but the fluffy, loose consistency is incorrect for leopard geckos, which generally live on firmer substrate that can be burrowed into. Eco Earth is best used in a substrate mix.

There is a common myth that coconut fiber substrates are easier for leopard geckos to digest, but this is entirely untrue. Coconut fiber, unlike the inorganic particles in soil or sand, would never be encountered by wild leopard geckos, so their body is not evolved to pass it. As insectivores, leopard geckos are most certainly not evolved to digest coconut fiber or any other plant matter, which is a biological feat in itself. Although coconut fiber is still passable, it is in no way more passable than dirt or sand, but is rather more likely to be a bit harder to pass.

viral wraith
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!substrate

fiery bobcatBOT
candid ether
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So I can probably just do something such as !lighting

fiery bobcatBOT
candid ether
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and it gives me a guide

balmy kettle
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!commands

fiery bobcatBOT
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Server Commands - Use ! as a prefix for all
badbreeder - shows a list of bad breeders
badmorph - problematic morphs
bin - bin enclosure graphic
bioactive - explains what a bioactive enclosure is
breeding- a set of information about breeding leopard geckos
cohab - why leopard geckos and other solitary species should not be cohabited
ecoearth - information on coconut fiber substrate
enclosuresize - information on leopard gecko enclosure size and if enclosures can be "too big"
feeders - feeder nutrition chart and a list of websites to buy from
goodbreeder - qualities of a good breeder
guides - link to the server guide
gutload - feeder gutloading graphic
heating - moth's heating infographics
heatmat - information on heat mats
hides- moth's hides infographic
ir - information on the types of heat that can be utilized in herp keeping
lighting - moth's lighting infographics
loosesub - explains loose substrate and impaction
naturalistic - explains what a naturalistic enclosure is
newcaltemps - graph of average temperatures in New Caledonia
petstore - why not to buy from chain stores
pride - your pride is not more important than your animals
otherguides- links to the other leopard gecko guides
quarantine - information about quarantine and initial handling
repticarpet - information on repticarpet
setup - heating/uvb graphic
shoppinglist- A document filled with links for all leopard gecko related items
soil - safe topsoils
substrate - moth’s substrate infographics
supplement - information on supplementation
thermostats - information on the types of thermostats
thrive - thrive vs survive graphic
uvb - UVB information
vet - sends the links to the vet finders
weight - leopard gecko weight/body type graphic

Have a suggestion for a new command? Tell us! We're always trying to add more.

balmy kettle
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Those are all the ones the server has :)

candid ether
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Also how exactly would I use paper towel as a substrate, and why is it required?

candid ether
balmy kettle
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You just lay it down on the bottom of the tank, it's to monitor your new geckos bowel movements and its easier to clean NQA

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Here's mine with paper towel

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I need to fix it but I'm getting the general layout of it first

viral wraith
fiery bobcatBOT
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Whenever bringing a new animal into your home, you should quarantine it. The main difference between a quarantine setup and a normal set up is substrate. A paper towel substrate should be used. This allows for the tank to be easily cleaned and for you to monitor poops easier. A quarantine setup should be just as cluttered as a normal setup. Quarantine should last for 60-90 days to ensure the animal is heathy before moving it to a setup with loose substrate. Additionally, when first bringing the animal home and when moving tanks or making large changes, handling should be avoided for two weeks. Reptiles do not get enjoyment out of handling, they tolerate it. Not handling for two weeks will avoid adding stress to an already stressful time. Their entire world has changed which takes an adjustment period.

candid ether
balmy kettle
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Yes

candid ether
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Alright

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Do I need two seperate heat sources for IR-A and IR-B or just one with both, could you recommend me one?

viral wraith
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You'll only need one heat source, ideally a halogen

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and a uvb

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!uvb may help explain this a bit better

fiery bobcatBOT
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UVB light is essential to the vitamin D3 pathway in reptiles, and they would naturally get this from the sun in the wild. Reptiles cannot create their own D3, and insectivores, such as leopard geckos, and herbivores do not get enough D3 from their diet for survival, which is why supplementation is important in these animals especially. The big importance of D3 that reptile keepers pay attention to is that it allows the body to use the calcium it intakes, meaning that reptiles need D3 to properly get calcium. Without calcium, they will develop metabolic bone disease (MBD) as well as other issues, which can be deadly.

Unlike some reptiles, leopard geckos can get enough D3 through proper supplementation. However, it is still strongly recommended to provide leopard geckos with UVB to allow them to regulate their own D3 levels and for the additional benefits of UVB, such as bacterial and fungal management. The positives of UVB usage are well documented in the hobby, both with studies and anecdotal evidence, solidifying for many keepers that UVB is important to reptile welfare.

Leopard geckos in particular are Ferguson Zone 1 baskers, meaning they prefer to have fairly low levels of UVB, which makes sense for a crepuscular animal. We measure UVB exposure through UVI. **Most leopard geckos should have 0.5-1.5 UVI, but light sensitive morphs, such as albinos, should get closer to 0.5-0.7 at most. ** This is best provided with a linear/tube UVB bulb, for which there are two recommended brands: ZooMed and Arcadia. To find what bulb you need, look at UVI charts for specific bulbs, which show UVI levels at different heights. The Arcadia ShadeDweller or ZooMed T5 5.0 are good places to start looking. Keep in mind that T5s are much stronger than T8s and that screen tops filter out up to 30% of UVB.

Links:
http://bit.ly/2JQXKw4
http://bit.ly/3bdDv7a
http://bit.ly/3rZq14z

viral wraith
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and !ir

fiery bobcatBOT
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When you see someone talking about IR in reference to heat sources, they're talking about the type of heat that the source produces. The sun, which is what we aim to replicate for captive herps, is mostly IR-A and IR-B, which is the "deep heat" that penetrates to the muscle.

Some heat sources, like heat mats and ceramic heat emitters (CHEs), only produce IR-C, which is surface level heat. This is the type of heat that is most likely to cause burns, and it is the least efficient and natural type of heat. However, this is also the type of heat that objects, such as rocks, release as they cool down.

Halogens and deep heat projectors (DHPs) are currently the two heat sources that best produce IR-A and IR-B for herps. Halogens are better because they have a ratio of each type of IR that is closer to that of the sun.

https://imgur.com/a/tmXUNEH

Imgur
Heat sources
candid ether
balmy kettle
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Everything you need will be here !shoppinglist

fiery bobcatBOT
candid ether
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alright

candid ether
balmy kettle
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Np!

candid ether
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and once the gecko is quarantined, do I take it into a carrier for a bit and rearrange the tank?

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!substrate

fiery bobcatBOT
balmy kettle
candid ether
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Alright

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Would these lights work as a heat source? was on the shopping list but I'm not sure since its a generic light bulb.