Need someone who KNOWS about leopard geckos.?

Question

I purchashed a female albino leopard gecko for my son in Oct of 08. When I got her I was told to use calcisand for her substraint and she did not need any lighting except for a red nightlight. Within about a week after getting her and reading peoples blog's on line and reading everything to know about leopard geckos. It told me while she was young not to use the sand because it could cause her to become impacted and that she could get her calcium from her food when I feed it to her. So I removed the sand and I put a piece of the artificial turf.
She has been doing just fine until I discovered this store called Underground Reptile, Now they are telling me once again to put the sand back into her cage and she needs to be under a UVB light for at least 8hrs a day or she will start to get real sick.
Well I changed out everything yesterday and after she ate dinner last night she crawled into her cubbyhole and has only came out once and it was not to eat her food when I put it in her cage it was to eat the calci-sand. Now I am worried sick because I have no idea who to listen too she is only 7months old and I do not want to make her sick and the thought of taking her to a vet this point when all I really need is someone who does not want to sell me something to tell me the correct way to keep her safe and healthy. SOOO, I am reaching out to you my fellow yahooer's for some advice. Please help me, she really is beautiful and she has kinda grown on me I just want her to as healthy as she can be.
Yoeshi's Keeper

Answer 1

The store you went to is wrong and doesn't know what they are talking about. Leopard geckos do not need UVB because they are nocturnal. You could still use it if you wanted to but it is not a requirement for leopard geckos unlike other lizards. You can establish a day cycle with the light which is what I do with mine.



As far as sand goes you should NOT use it at all. Although the bags of sand including calcium sand say it is completely digestible it is not. Calcium sand is actually more dangerous then any other sand because it has calcium in it and the gecko is more likely to eat it for the calcium. Sand can be deadly for lizards of any size not just those under 5-6 inches, so I strongly encourage not using it.



In the wide, Leopard geckos live on hard packed rocks and dirt in India and Afghanistan, not on sand as many people think.



In my tank I use a thin layer of sand, but I have slate tile over it so my leopard gecko can't eat it. That works really well, it looks good, and it is closer to what they live on in the wild. You could also use paper towels, reptile carpet, or astro turf. I've also heard shelf liner works good. Be careful with the carpet because they can catch and pull their nails out on it.



Change the sand out again and you should be good.

Answer 2

Geckos will get some UVB in nature. It really isn't completely clear if they need any in captivity. Most people say their Geckos do well without it. If you want to use sand, use fine playsand, not calci-sand. If the carpet was working, you can also go back to that. Geckos will eat calcium, that is why she is eating the sand. You should keep a small container of calcium dust in the tank so she can eat what she wants. If something is working for you, why change?

Good luck!

Answer 3

Pretty much every reptile requires UVA and UVB lighting. Not to mention that Leopard Geckos require high heating in the day time. While they're rarely out basking during the day surely common sense would tell you that shady desert is hotter during the day then room temperature.



Leopard Geckos should not be housed on sand until they're about 5-6 inches long for the reasons you mention. Afterwards they go on any sand that is digestable, calci-sand is of debatable merit in the herp world.



An exotic vet IS an expect in this field and is the person you should go to for advice.



If you're close to a petsmart go in and get a care guide for leopard geckos or better yet, a good reliable book.



There are a few of us in pet stores that know what we're talking about. Before you take advice from any pet store employee ask them if they've personally kept the animal before and how their own animal is doing.

Answer 4

I have 4 leopard geckos, they're all adult now, but the reasons its good to avoid coarse sand is because of what happened to me. My adult male got a single grain in his eye which created a cyst in his eye, I just happen to know a great veterinarian that specializes treating reptiles. I'm lucky i caught it in time. But anyway, it is important to have the UVB light on for 8 hours eventhough if you have a hiding spot for them or shelter they will stay in there and sleep most of the day. My geckos only come out a few hours out of the day and it's to eat, so that's perfectly normal. As long as you use a very fine grain sand your geckos will be fine. And also the calci-sand is very important, i put my crickets in a zip-lock bag with the calci-sand, shake it up so they get the protein and the vitamins, its the best way. Anymore questions just ask.

Answer 5

Veronika pretty much covered it all. The only thing I don't agree with is her thought on going back to reptile carpet. My daughter and I have 2 rescued leopard geckos and one of them only has 1 claw due to getting them caught in the reptile carpet (before we got her) and having them ripped out!! My daughter volunteers at a local reptile rescue center and the owner ( a herpetologist) said it happens all the time with reptiles that have small or skinny claws!! I can only imagine the pain this must cause, so I totally advise against that stuff. You can use paper towels, shredded newspaper or what I have..Ground English Walnut Shells. It looks just like sand, but is totally digestible. Trust me, I did a lot of research, checked with my vet and checked with the owner of the center. All the experts say it's great.

Answer 6

alright now. petstore people are incredibly clueless, listen to me NEVER rely on them EVER!!! they have no idea what they are talking about and are just trying to squiggle themselves out of the conversation. i have had experience with these dumb employees, so i know......ok now, YES red light, and an undertank heat mat is needed as well. obviously leopard geckos are nocturnal, so they DO NOT need a uvb light. seriously! - uvb rays come from the sun, is the sun shining at night? > nooooo....so a uvb light can be beneficial but it is not needed. calci-sand is a hotly debated subject. you see sand in general is bad. but CALCI-sand is intended to be swallowed, so they make it safe. but swallowing sand?come on..the safest substrates are newspaper and paper towels, they have no dangers whatsoever of being swallowed so they are good choices. and your worried that she is sick? well what are the temperatures? is it too cold. any reptile becomes lethargic and limp in cold temps so monitor those at all times. you should have a 60-75 watt red bulb for night time. and an undertank heat mat to warm to substrate.



edit: ooohh ok i took out the repti-carpet part. usually it is safe, but can have some possible dangers

Answer 7

i think sand for her is ok but she is pretty young to be on sand yet she is old enough. if you feel worried then you could switch her back to the turf if you want but you don't have to . we use play sand in our adult cages and there have been no problems. just make sure she is eating and pooping and you will be fine. it is pretty much up to you wattever you decide should be ok. i read that after 6 months you can use sand so you can see why it would be kinda hard to decide if its ok. but i think it is. good luck!

Answer 8

Ill be short and too the point, your leapard is eating the sand because she is trying to get the calcium, they know when they need it, are you dusting the ckickets and worms with calcium powder, also place a small container in with her full of the calcium powder, this should help

Answer 9

The sand may cause impactment only if they eat it. Dont worry to much if the tail is fat there fine.You do not need UVA You Do Not NEED it

Its better if you do of course. If a petstore is small and dont specialize in reptiles theyll b.s all over you.

Answer 10

Leopard Gecko (Eublepharis macularias)



General Information, Description, and Life in the Wild

General Information Leopard geckos (Eublepharis macularias) are a truly unique and amazing gecko. Eublepharis macularias, the leopard gecko’s scientific name, means Eu- true, blephar-eyelid, and macular-spotted. They are in a family called Eublepharids. This is an exclusive family of geckos that have eyelids. Included in it are cat geckos, African clawed geckos, African fat-tailed geckos, banded geckos, and others. They are terrestrial, meaning they spend the majority of their life on the ground. They, like most other geckos, are nocturnal and prefer to hunt and be active at night. They remain to be one of the most popular reptiles in the pet trade due to their availibilty, spectrum of morphs, and ease of care and husbandry.

Description Leopard geckos are small in stature compared to many other lizards. They will generally reach a length of around eight inches, but smaller and bigger specimens are not unheard of. Most males will reach a weight of around sixty grams, while females will stay in the fifty to fifty-five range. Leopard geckos, as they appear in the wild, got their common name from the many spots covering their back, head, legs, and tail. They have a yellowish background color with dark spots, ranging from red to black, covering their body. Their underside is an off-white color. Leopard geckos usually live twenty-five to thirty years in captivity.

Life in the Wild Leopard geckos are from Afghanistan, Pakistan, and other desert areas in the Middle East. During the day, these geckos will hide and sleep in small caves, holes, and crevices dug by nature or other animals. They live in an area that is infested with many species of deadly scorpions, so they have adapted by becoming immune to scorpion stings. They will come out at night to hunt for their prey, often scorpions, small tarantulas, crickets, beetles, and occasionally baby mice.



Getting a Leopard Gecko

Should You Choose a Leopard Gecko? Leopard geckos make ideal pets for people just getting started into keeping reptiles. They are small, low-maintenance, and hardy. Leopard geckos can be handled and will become quite tame and friendly. They are endearing to watch eat and romp around their enclosure. There are almost no drawbacks to leopard geckos, but if you can’t commit to caring for a pet or are not financially stable, then you certainly should not get a leopard gecko at this point. Leopard geckos can live twenty-five years or longer, so be prepared for a long, long time with your new pet.

Picking Out a Leopard Gecko Ideally, you should try to have your cage set up before you bring home your new gecko, but if that is not a possibility, try to get it set up as fast as possible. Leopard geckos need heat and will rapidly decline if left in a deli cup or other carrying container. You can find leopard geckos at nearly all pet stores, local breeders, online breeders/sellers, or reptile shows. I find that the best place to buy a reptile or amphibian is from a reptile show. There are tons of options, and you get to see and hold your prospective pet in person before bringing it home. Reptile shows also usually have dirt cheap prices on animals and supplies.

Difficulty Beginner – simple care, hardy, readily available.



Housing

Cage Size and Type Leopard geckos are a snap to house due to the fact that they are fairly small. A ten gallon to twenty gallon aquarium or reptile tank with a screen cover is the most popular choice people use for housing their leopard geckos. For housing multiple geckos, I would not go smaller than a twenty gallon tank for a pair. Increase the tank size by about ten gallons for each gecko you add to the cage. In addition to glass tanks, acrylic tanks, custom built reptile cages, plastic containers, and rack systems may be used to house leopard geckos. The latter are normally used by breeders of leopard geckos to house multiple geckos in a small span of space.

Substrate Choices One word comes to mind when thinking about substrate for a lizard – impaction. Leopard geckos are very vulnerable to a life-threatening condition called impaction. Impaction is when an animal ingests too much indegestible material (usually substrate in the leopard geckos case) and it clogs their intestines and makes it difficult to eat, drink, defecate, or move. If your gecko does suffer from impaction, bring it to a vet immediately. Good choices for substrate to surely avoid impaction and other problems are ceramic floor tiles, reptile carpet, paper towels, blank newspaper, or non-adhesive shelf liner. Substrates that are not known to surely cause impaction, but are also not quite risk-free, are washed-screened playsand, natural reptile sand, false grass, and printed newspaper. Substrates that are imfamous for causing impaction are calcium sand, crushed walnut shells, and corn cob bedding. Do not use and woo