#leo tips

[ussgecko]

question! size wise, how can i tell my leo geck has become an adult? oh also, when do i stop feeding every day? :o

Hi friend! Those are two questions that don’t really have solid answers, but generally leopard geckos are considered adults when they get to be around 60-70grams, which usually happens at around 1.5 years of age. Obviously there are other factors, like sex (males tend to be heftier than females,) and special circumstances, but that’s the rule of thumb! It’s around this point that you can start feeding them less often (I personally do 3 times a week but some people do smaller portions every other day or larger portions twice a week… just find something that seems to work for you and your gecko, to be honest! If they start dropping weight, reexamine your feeding plan. Ideally they should maintain a healthy adult weight!)

[ussgecko]

How do you tame a gecko? I just got one and it's rather small. Also how do you sex them?

There’s no secret ingredient to taming geckos other than patience, really! Every day (or as often as you can fit it into your schedule), try to interact with your gecko in some way. Start out with just lowering your hand into the tank where your gecko can see it and leaving it there for a while (5-10 min if possible!) They might approach it to investigate, they might be frightened, but they will slowly start to get used to the idea that your hand is something friendly that won’t hurt them.

Eventually it’s likely that they will climb up onto your hand (leos are curious!) and after this happens a couple of times, you can try slowly lifting them out of the tank. I wouldn’t lift them the first time they climb on– you want them to learn that climbing onto the hand is safe and that nothing happens to them. If they seem a little nervous, just hold them above their tank so that you can put them down safely and quickly if they get really stressed.

If they seem to be chill you can be adventurous and remove them from their tank– until you and your gecko get the hang of each other it’s a good idea to handle them while sitting, over a soft surface if possible (a bed, carpet), and in a closed room (so that if they get spooked and run away you can find them easily.) Speaking calmly to them will help them get used to the sound of your voice and realize you’re not a threat. When it comes to handling, start with small increments (5 min) and then work your way up to longer times (15 min) if you want. Some geckos love to come out of their tanks and explore and will come up to the glass to meet you (Grumps usually climbs on my hand as soon as I put it in,) while others might not love being handled but can be taught to tolerate it (which is obviously necessary for weighing/cleaning/etc.)

That’s just a pretty generic guide and there’s more I could say on the topic but I didn’t want to get too long-winded! There are lots of good videos on YouTube about how to pick up/handle leopard geckos too, if you want to search it up. As for sexing them, you can’t really be sure until they’re a little older, but here’s a good guide for when the time comes.

[ussgecko]

i got new geckos and theyre both about the length of my finger. is it okay for their tails to be thin? if not how can i get them to be thicker

Yeah, if they’re the length of your finger then they’re probably still really young! At this point their tails will be pretty thin, like maybe a little more than the width of a pen. They should thicken up just by having a consistent diet, though (so feeding them 10-14 mealworms/a couple crickets or roaches every day.) If you don’t see them getting any thicker, just make sure they’re getting enough food (watch them to make sure they’re eating, get a no-escape worm dish, etc.) As long as they’re eating and pooping alright, there really should be no cause for worry. Each gecko develops at its own rate, so it might just be that they haven’t hit their juvenile growth spurt yet. Hope that helped!!

[ussgecko]

what are your thoughts on coco fibre?

I have never had experience with it myself, but personally I would give it a no-go. It’s still a loose substrate so it runs the risk of impaction, plus coco fiber specifically tends to hold a lot of water which isn’t great for leos, who prefer a lower humidity in their tanks. If you’re going for a more natural look, try a nice sand or earth colored tile! Places like Lowe’s and Home Depot can cut it to your tank size, and it’s way safer and still looks great. (-:

[ussgecko]

are there benefits to doing a natural setup as opposed to paper towels and Tupperware hides?

There are pros and cons to both, but as long as you have a good setup (adequate space, UTH, lots of hiding places, moist hide, water, food, and calcium dish) then I don’t think it really makes a difference for the gecko, or at least not a very apparent one. (I actually did a research project for school on whether leopard geckos preferred naturalistic or “manmade” hides and there was no statistically significant preference.) Paper towels and Tupperware hides have the advantage that they’re easier to clean, but naturalistic setups tend to look a lot nicer.

So in the end, I think it’s mostly up to you to pick your battles!

[ussgecko]

Do geckos generally not like moss in their homes? I misted some moss and put it in the back of her home in the dry side, a few hours later she had kicked it all out of the cave! Would something else be better to make a moist hide?

It’s not necessarily that they don’t like moss, it’s just that some geckos love making a mess! It depends on the individual gecko, honestly. Two of mine are huge diggers, so I put in extra paper towels for them to dig through, but the rest don’t feel that urge. However, her kicking out all the moss constantly might be kind of a pain for you, so it might be in your best interest to switch to something easier to clean, like paper towels (which is what I use for my diggers.) This way, they usually just crumple it up or if they do kick it out, it’s in one piece that you can pick up easily. That’s pretty much up to you, though, and these are just my two cents!

[ussgecko]

Nebula looks very overweight or is it a she and has eggs?

Actually, Nebula’s just about in the golden zone for weight at 77g! Adult leopard geckos weigh about 60-80 grams on average (depending on sex and size and not counting geckos with giant genes.) Neb is pretty big for a female, even a little bigger than my adult male Grumps (although she’s a bit older than him so he might still catch up to her) so it makes sense for her to be on the heavier side for females.

As long as your gecko is responsive, climbing around and shedding without mobility issues, they should be okay. Obviously, if you’re concerned that your gecko might be overweight, taking them in to get a vet’s opinion is never a bad thing!

[ussgecko]

But I have a breeding Q for you. I have 3 males (a mack snow, a super hypo tangerine carrot tail , & a bell albino). Do you have any recommendations as to what I should breed those bad boys w/!?

Hey there, thanks for the question!

There are countless possibilities to get some really cool outcomes, honestly… one thing I suggest that is fun and useful is to mess around with ReptileCalculator and test some combinations to see what you get!

One important thing to remember is not to mix albino strains! Here’s a pretty good post about ethics with genetics to keep in mind when breeding your leos.

Good luck with your boys, and definitely submit some pictures if you end up breeding them! ;)