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Leopard Gecko?

smokeyandthebandit05 said:
When you feed then do you have to do anything special besides thawing them out?
Click to expand...

You may have to wiggle them around, a couple of my geckos will not eat f/t pinkies and the others need me to wiggle it around with tongs for them to eat it. They like things that move so if you just place it in there he probably won't eat it.
 
^^^ Agreed!

I actually have 7 Leopard Geckos (4 of which are my brothers), and every single one of them is different in how they "hunt/eat" their food. With the 2 of my Geckos that I've had the longest, all that I had to do was lower the pinkies with the tongs, and they just snatched it right away. But they're very alert, responsive, and quick to eat most moving prey. They are quite good at chasing down crickets, and almost never miss.
Some of the others are very different, as they won't just pluck the crickets or worms off of the tongs, but I have yet to offer them pinkies. I feed some of them primarily with tongs, as they don't have the same hunting prowess, so they're more likely to miss and accidentally get a mouthful of substrate. I believe their less than enthusiastic eating style would make them less likely to just snatch a prey item that's foreign to them, such as a pinkie.

So basically just try lowering the pinkie with the tongs, wiggle it if you have to, and see what happens. If that won't work, perhaps try placing some sort of tray/dish in the tank (as to not get substrate directly on the pinkie), then drag the pinkie across it to mimic a cricket running. Just some suggestions...
 
I would also advise against using sand as the substrate as a lot of people think it is easily eaten and the gecko will become impacted by it. I've never personally seen it happen, but I've heard of people where it's happened to them.
 
^^^ I have heard the same, and I'm sure the risks are very real. However, I have had no problems using sand (Calcium sand), and it shouldn't be a real threat if you are careful when feeding your gecko, as to not let him/her go for prey that's on the substrate.
Actual sand is most likely a definite no/no, as the grains of sand have minuscule edges unseen to the naked eye, but act as individual puzzle pieces that latch together, and can cluster and cause impaction.
Still be careful when using Calcium Sand (as it's still not great to ingest), but most Calcium Sand grains (at least what I buy) has rounded edges, that are less likely to join together in the intestines to cause impaction *from what I have read*.
 
I have to disagree about Calcium sand being ok if you are careful when you feed your gecko. I had two here that I rescued, they had been housed on Calcisand and came to me with impactions.

I consulted two different reptile vets, one here in Canada and one in the US(who strictly works with reptiles and birds). Both vets advised me that Leopard Geckos should never be kept on any type of sand and esp. not Calcium sand, regardless of whether the bag says it is vet recommended. They confirmed what I had already read on the internet about Calcisand, that the geckos will purposely eat it to get calcium and that it is not a digestible calcium that is in the sand, the calcium will instead become solid in the digestive tract or the bowel and cause blockages/impactions.

The damage these two had suffered from impaction was so bad that in spite of all that I did under the advice of two reptile vets, neither gecko could manage to properly pass food with exoskeletons(crickets, meal worms, super worms) and they had to be put on a strictly soft insect diet. After two months of watching them suffer, struggle and still be unable to pass feces, unless it was with the stress of enduring multiple daily warm bathes(20 min at a time) and being given olive oil on their lips to lick off(as a stool softener) I had to make a very heart wrenching decision and have them euthanized.

So just know that while some may suggest using it(as they have not had a problem thus far) it can be lethal to your gecko. The suffering the two leo's I rescued and tried to save was not "nice" to watch nor did they need to go through it.
 
I used slate over the UTH's and paper towel in the rest of the viv, and the vets told me that was a great set up and to continue with it. They said it is great because it allows for easy observation of poops, or regurges, ease of cleaning, and if a gecko has an injury it is very nice and clean for healing. As well the slate warms up and conducts the heat well, simulating a warmed up rock in nature. Just make sure that your UTH is controlled by a theromstat or Rheostat and check the temp on the top of the slate. You will want the temp to be 92-95 on the warm side and no cooler than 70 on the cool side.

Hope this helps.
 
Cool. Ive been thinkin of using slate since i first got it. Would home depot have scraps or be able to custom cut it or would I have to go to an independent flooring or tile place. I have both by me and I kinda think that the independent place would be more helpful.
 
Well Rona sells slate by the single tiles and they also cut them at $1.00 a cut so in total for all the 2 cuts I needed and the 2 tiles I needed I think it was around $5-$7. I would think Home Depot would do the same, be sure to choose a slate that is as natural as possible, not polished or smoothed up as they can not grip slippery surfaces well.
 
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