NQA i wouldnt take the risk, theres really no rush to get a leo and a shop cohabbing them doesn't scream good care to me, so it's possible the geckos may come with some problems. its easier to have a good setup (maybe with christmas money, like you said, i assume the light thing is a uvb?) and then get your leo next year
#Help me idk what to do
honest herald
sly sage
we do not recommend buying leopard geckos in chain pet stores you should look for a good breeder
animals at chain pet stores are poorly bred often sick or unhealthy they are sold from unethical companies although they look „normal“ they can and will have hidden disease for someone in your age you want to avoid high vet bills i think which will be the next topic
you need spare money for the vet and if you get an alrdy sick animal you will have to put more aside and deal more often with the vet
ceramic heat emitters are not made for overhead heating during the day they are only needed during the night if the temperature drops below 18C lightless heating sources need to be avoided
you don‘t need substrate yet cause you have to quarantine your pet for a few months before introducing it to loose substrate and idk what kind of substrate you rn have cause there is also alot of things to be aware of we recommend a 70% organic top soil + 30% playsand
the long light thing ? i think you mean linear uvb so uvb you can‘t just buy a random one you have to get the ones we recommend in the guide and shopping list (arcadia zoomed)
other linear uvbs or in the worst case coiled ones have an inconsistent output they are poorly made
the ones we recommend are ideal they are tested properly and approved to be safe
if you read the server guide all of this should be allready clear but i think you should read it again deeply
getting pets from a pet store is not rescuing them it‘s supporting them if you buy one there will be another one replaced on the next day so yeah just don‘t do it and look for a breeder and proper setup
for reference i did think abt it a whole year i did research for 11 months and decided after 3 more months to get one then i spent building my tank 3 months and looked for a breeder for 3 months and tested out my temps for a few weeks before bringing one home it is a living being not a shelf which you can just put in your room
edit:lightless heating sources should be avoided as main heating source during the day
i will still drop the care guide and shopping list if you really want to get one as i said be prepared and everything will be fine and nobody will be harmed and talk to your parents abt it
!guides
crude phoenixBOT