Leopord Geckos

[Robot_Rooster]

what size of a vivarium would you recommend for two? thinking of getting some after xmas, 2ft? 3ft? 4ft? ......

 

[Robot_Rooster]

would a 2ft in length be fine for two leopard geckos?
24"inches (L) x 12"inches (D) x 17"inches (H)

 

[Netty]

2ft would be fine and 3ft even better. Just make sure you get 2 females. Males will fight and it's not advised to keep a male and female together permanently as he will harrass the hell out of her and also you don't want them breeding when they are still too young.

Always have a back up though as we have a female that wont tolerate another female in with her and she is kept on her own now.

Keeping two together you need to make sure you have a couple of hides at both the cool end and hot end for them

 

[Robot_Rooster]

thanks netty and yh i know about the grouping an such two males will fight to the death. i will be getting females anyway i'll think about a 3ft though also would i need to buy both at the same time? or can i wait a period for oo you know to save up for another?

 

[Netty]

It shouldn't matter too much as long as when they are introduced they are the same size, to avoid any bullying. Obviously the younger they are the better they adapt to suddenly having a room mate. We bought two young females at the beginning of September from different breeders. We quarantined them for a couple of months and then tried them in together......and they've been absolutely fine.

Also don't forget that when you introduce a new female completely clean and re-arrange the tank so that the original one isn't so territorial (pretty much like female Bettas lol)

And then take lots of pics for us to see

 

[Robot_Rooster]

hehe i will they are much easier to take pictures than my anti focus fish

thanks netty

 

[Netty]

That's ok There are some gorgeous colour morphs out there at the moment and they have such pretty faces........very photogenic lol

We've got 9 at the moment and hoping to breed next spring as long as they are up to correct weight!!

 

[Robot_Rooster]

i was already jealous of your bettas netty and now you got nine geckos you have made me more jealous

also would it be fine to feed them just mealworms like back in the days (i researched im not old) or a mix?

and do i need a heat lamp? would a heat pad just do? and since every substrate i researched the only thing that hasnt been criticized is kitchen roll

 

[Netty]

That's not even the half of what we have

We give ours mealworm (dusted with vitamins) every day and locusts (dusted with vits or calcium) every 2 or 3 days. They also have a small pot of calcium which they help themselves to and a bowl of water.

We have a heat pad under one side at a temp of 95f and the cool end is about 75f.

For the substrate we use the clickable laminate from Wickes, which looks like big tiles and has a nice rough surface which helps them to grip and keeps their nails down. The other benefit is that it's really easy to clean. Some substrates can cause impaction which can be deadly in most cases. This way we know that's not ever going to happen!!!!

The single ones have a hide at both the hot and cool end and also in the middle we have put moist boxes which they use when they are shedding and helps it to come off easily. It's just a cricket box with damp moss in.

Hope that helps

 

[Robot_Rooster]

yeh it helps netty

but now im in a tough decision over bearded dragons now

do you reckon a 36"inches (L) x 12"inches (D) x 17"inches (H) would be suitable to hold a adult?or would be too small?

i researched and all the sites are practically word for word saying 4 ft but when i went to the reptile shop he said a 3 ft would be fine for an adult

 

[Netty]

Well we've got 2 young Bearded Dragons and they both have a 4ft x 2ft x 2ft viv each. They do get quite big and grow very quickly compared to other reptiles. I don't think a 3ft would give enough space for them to move around. Even with the 4ft ones I let them have a run around the rep room, so they get more exercise.

Difficult decision but if you can only provide a 3ft I'd go with the Leos

Also with a smaller viv it can be harder to get the correct heat gradient. They need a basking spot of 110f and a cool end of 80f.

 

[Robot_Rooster]

aye but i want to handle it and geckos you can't handle for very long

btw i can get a 4ft i think not sure it will fit in my room ^^

because i asked is that it says a 4 ft is too big for a young dragon and need to be put in a smaller viv ?

 

[Netty]

Mine have been in a 4ft since they were about 4-5 months old and have been absolutely fine. I did have my first one in a smaller tank for a few weeks until I got the bigger one set up, but they grow so quickly that they will soon outgrow a smaller tank. If you're concerned about it being to big for a baby then you could pop a divider in and then as the Beardie grows you can take it out again. Much cheaper way of doing it.

I must admit I do love my beardies and you can handle them alot more than Leos and they sleep in the most amazing positions at times too lol

 

[Robot_Rooster]

but with a divider it would have no way to get to the colder side of the viv

 

[Netty]

It would be harder to get the gradient right but it is do-able. It would just mean alot of fiddling around to achieve it before the Beardie goes in.

Heat lamps should be around 6" above a baby and 12" above an adult from the roof to the top of it's basking spot. We have high pieces of wood that they can climb up onto and one has a wooden basking platform.