nqa mmm you got him yesterday so paper towel for 2 months
#What is the best substrate for my 8 month leo?
faint spindle
faint spindle
after that, 70% topsoil and 30% playsand only after you ensure he has the correct temperatures and heat sources
loose substrate without proper heat can mess a gecko up
wraith swallow
rn as a light he has a desert uvb and heat lighting kit
faint spindle
oh no.
ho no
desert uvb too strong
thats 10%
youre gonna want 2.5-7% for leos
can we get a picture of your enclosure
faint spindle
rn he has a 13 watt 10.0 uvb
yeah thats way too much
wraith swallow
sorry ive never had a reptile before i was listening to a worker there
faint spindle
yeah no worries
people dont really know that pet store workers arent trained to work with animals
we arent actually trained at all.
we watch a video about customer service and have to learn everything else ourselves. so if a petstore worker learns from a bad source, thats the info theyll give
wraith swallow
k 1 sec
i forgot my pass ðŸ˜
sorry 1 min
@faint spindle sorry it took so long
Here
faint spindle
eyy thats not terrible
wraith swallow
his hides behind the tree
what can i do to fix it u?
up
i wanna add a few more plants and hides
nova gulch
can i ask a few questions about your setup?
wraith swallow
Yes
nova gulch
- What is your current heat source? I know you said a heating kit but like what specifically
- Do you have a thermostat for your heat source
- How many hides do you have in the tank as a whole
wraith swallow
It's a light bulb, a heat bulb. Along with the uvb
No, but I have a thermometer coming tmrw for his enclosure
1
nova gulch
Okay so in order of things:
-
if you have paper towels lying around the house I would switch the substrate to paper towels right now. They're sanitary , easy to clean and not going to accidentally harm your gecko.
-
The first big purchase , you need to get a thermostat for your heat source. It does not matter what kind of heat source it is, every heat source needs to be regulated with a thermostat. If you get an on/off thermostat you will either need to get a new fixture that's dimmable or get a dimmer switch because you'll have to manually dim the bulb yourself.
-
you need a total of 3 hides. A cool, a hot and a humid hide. along with purchasing 2 other hides you'll need a basking spot which you can achieve by using safe rocks you find outside or you purchase and clutter like corkbark, fake plants and safe woods can be added.
-
last would be a tank size upgrade (the one you have now is a bit short) and proper uvb. With the height you have now uvb and heating gets a bit funky because it is only 12 inches tall . we recommend 36x18x18 tanks for leopard geckos. The height allows for better enrichment but also is better for the heat and uvb.
we have a shopping list that has everything you need for a leopard gecko setup with multiple different options / price points I can provide as well to make this a bit easier.
wraith swallow
Idk of I could get him a bigger tank, I'm only 13 and my mom's the one paying for this, but I could get the hides and a thermostats
nova gulch
the tank upgrade is the last of the worries for now.
proper heat regulation and such is much more important C:
!shoppinglist
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wraith swallow
Rn I have the heat source on one side with the uvb making one side hot and one side cool
faint spindle
in addition if you havent removed the uvb already, please do that
faint spindle
you need to take the bulb out though
wraith swallow
Ok
nova gulch
in tandem to all the points i pointed out , what supplements do you currently have for your little guy?
wraith swallow
They are 2 lights combined to one so I could just turn off the uvb
nova gulch
I see a calcium box on top of the tank so 😮
wraith swallow
Crickets, some type of roach, mealworms, crickets are covered with calcium powder
Yes
I teed him 3 crickets, 2 roach, and mealworms as treats
nova gulch
So leopard geckos need 3 types of supplements
a pure calcium which it seems you have, a multivitamin and a calcium with d3
!supplement
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Supplements are a necessary part of a leopard gecko's (or most any captive herp's) diet. In the wild, they would be eating a wide variety of prey, and that prey would be eating a wide variety of foods itself. In captivity, there's no way to replicate this perfectly, which is why offering supplements and as varied of a diet as possible is crucial in preventing deficiencies and illness.
The exact schedule you use for supplements will depend on your individual animal, its age, and your feeding schedule. However, a good place to start is by picking up some calcium, calcium + D3, and multivitamins. If you use UVB, you will likely not need a D3 supplement since UVB allows reptiles to produce their own D3. This takes the guessing game out of how much D3 to provide (they can overdose on it) since they will regulate their exposure and D3 levels themselves. D3 is needed to use calcium in the body, so animals will become calcium deficient without D3. Additionally, make sure any calcium supplements you use are phosphorus free since they generally get enough phosphorus in their diet, and too much will cause a calcium deficiency.
Fluker's Calcium + D3 https://bit.ly/39lMQ9d
ZooMed's ReptiCalcium with D3 https://bit.ly/3f7lHdS
Fluker's Calcium (no D3) https://bit.ly/3ntLUpD
ZooMed's ReptiCalcium (no D3) https://bit.ly/2wrkeN0
RepCal Calcium (no D3) https://bit.ly/35DMY4u
Repashy Calcium Plus Multivitamin https://bit.ly/39kqVPu
RepCal Herpivite Multivitamin https://amzn.to/3lBo4rK
ZooMed Reptivite Multivitamin https://amzn.to/38NMQRL
Fluker's Repta Vitamin Multivitamin https://amzn.to/3lC8TON
If you'd like to learn more about how to assess supplement brands, here's a good article from Reptifiles: https://reptifiles.com/reptile-vitamins-reptile-calcium/
If you'd like to learn more about how reptiles use D3, here's an article from Arcadia: https://www.arcadiareptile.com/d3-cycle/
Example supplementation schedules:
http://bit.ly/3cpFcyO
nova gulch
this explains it a bit more
wraith swallow
Is there a way I could make the uvb lower?
wraith swallow
Does he really need it if I have my window blinds open?
nova gulch
it would be best for now to just leave the uvb off and dust a bit more with calcium +d3
wraith swallow
My mom doesn't make much so I'm just thinking of alternatives
nova gulch
there's example schedules based on the age of your gecko at the bottom of the command above!
the cheapest option would be doing what i just suggested until you can save up for a proper uvb some way
wraith swallow
This Is him rn
nova gulch
leaving the light off and dusting accordingly C:
faint spindle
hehe a baby
wraith swallow
Ok
nova gulch
this is how you would be dusting his food by the way for a gecko his age without the uvb!
he atleast looks a year old or so based on everything
nova gulch
With the height of your tank + the mesh type on the lid it would not be safe
wraith swallow
Ok
nova gulch
if you need help with exact products and such to get i can also get individual links if that helps
wraith swallow
So I need a heat lamp with thermostat, uvb under 7.5
nova gulch
uvb is not important atm
wraith swallow
And then 2 more hides
nova gulch
thermostat, a multivitamin, calcium +d3, 2 more hides (a cool or a hot and a humid hide), clutter (fake plants, cork bark, wood), basking spot
wraith swallow
How do I make a humid hide
nova gulch
if your mom has any tupperware containers she doesn't use or mind being cut up you can cut and soften a hole into the side or lid
otherwise you can buy one
wraith swallow
I mean make a hide humid
nova gulch
like what is one?
wraith swallow
No how to make the hide humid and not dry
nova gulch
It's a hide that consists of a top and a bottom piece and is filled with either paper towel , undyed sphagnum moss , or something like coco fiber and you spray it down to keep it moist
nova gulch
the humid hide is provided so that they have a place to go so they can shed properly
wraith swallow
Would he be okay with reptile carpet or is it necessary for it to be soil
hallow mirage
Reptile carpet isn’t recommended because it harbours bacteria and their nails can get caught in it. You also shouldn’t have soil right now because the leo should be in quarantine! So replace it with paper towel for now
wraith swallow
I just don't think my mom would listen because she believes whatever a worker saysðŸ˜
hallow mirage
Would it help to know I once upon a time was a petsmart employee and I also have worked in an animal shelter?
wraith swallow
Because the workers say "It could hurt the lizard while eating"
hallow mirage
So that is typically a concern that comes from impaction. Impaction is caused by improper heating more often than not, and improper substrates. If you think of a gecko in the wild, they live on dirt. They don’t have carpet or paper towel laid down for them.
wraith swallow
Ok ty
hallow mirage
I’d read through our guide though, it’ll help to learn more. After you’ve read the guide, feel free to ping me with any questions and a list of improvements you should make 
!guide
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