leapard gecko care?

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homedog98

homedog98

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Lauren
i'm willing to do the live prey :) i find it sort of weird that they advertise using sand so much in the chain stores if it's such a big no-no, but then again i can't say i'm surprised considering the way they market fish lol. ;) and one more thing... will i need to mist them or anything? i have sphagnum moss to use as a moist substrate in the sort of "hidey-hole" but i wasn't sure if that was all i needed to do. thanks for bearing with me guys! i'll check out those links AAF posted and get back to you guys to clarify.
 
Vicious_Fish

Vicious_Fish

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You can lightly mist the tank once a week but having a moist hide in the tank is more important. It sounds like you're on the right track with the hidey-hole. Leopard geckos need a moist hide to achieve the proper humidity levels to help with shedding. If geckos don't have humidity then a lot of times some of the shed will get stuck on the toes and tail tip.

Using sand as a substrate is opening up a whole other can of worms. I would never recommend it to a beginner but I've use a sand/peat mixture for almost 20 years without any issues. It once again comes back to having the proper humidity levels and having your gecko on a good diet. A healthy adult gecko can easily pass sand that it accidentally ingests during feeding. But if a gecko is eating sand to gain nutrients, then there's a problem with it's diet.
 
homedog98

homedog98

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wow... read AAF's second link. that was very helpful! i'm wondering, since more then likely if i do wind up doing this i'll end up with an adult rescue, if i might risk it with some extremely fine grain sand that can be easily passed... but i'm still deciding on that. ok, so from what i've read and been suggested, this is what i'm currently thinking:
i do know that i'd like a female, because they stay smaller and are more passive should i become addicted and add another one. (assuming i upgrade of course). i'll feed crickets once every other day and mealworms twice a week (once again assuming it's an adult), and i'll gut-load both the crickets and mealworms, and use a heating pad on one side. i'll have 2 or more hidey-holes. one that is moist for shedding and one that is not moist just for everyday hiding on both the hot and cold side. i'll use a few peices of driftwood in order to take advantage of vertical space, and leave out a bowl of water and a bowl of calcium without D3. i'll coat both mealworms and crickets in a vitamin powder with D3, and remove any feces or uneaten crickets before feeding again, so as not to infect the new crickets. i'll also leave out a bowl for mealworms so they don't burrow into the sand.
is there anything i'm missing? :) thanks so much!
 
ladyblues1965

ladyblues1965

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I have had my geckos for about 6 months and I feed them every day. I was told every other day but they come looking for food when I am near the cage and I cant say no to them. Is this a big problem? they eat well. I dust the crickets with mineral powder like shake and bake .
 
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