Baby leo

Question
QUESTION: Hi Diane,Im back again,I know your probably getting sick of me by now. lol I am also an expert here on the iphone and ipad side. So I know getting the email notifications saying " you have a question waiting" can get a little annoying. lol

Anyways I got some baby pinhead crickets,so tonight I dusted them with the calcium with D3 like normal,I took every thing out of my leos cage,but she acted like they were going to kill her,she wasn't running away,but when the crickets came close to her she did walk the other way. So she didn't want to eat tonight and of course the guy at the pet store had no idea when she eat.

Is she doing this just because she is new to the habitat? I just wanted to make sure,since my last leo did eat the first night I got her.

Also I have noticed her walking around the cage a little when I first put her in earlier,then she went under her hide rock which is normal. Tonight she did climb up the back wall (I believe she's a climber,she was on a perched rock at the pet store). I stuck my hand in the cage and she came up to me and checked me out and was watching me.  The one thing I am kinda stuck on is she's only staying on the warm side of the cage, I have the UTH on and a night basking light and the temperature is right at 92.6 degrees. Alot of times I don't keep the night basking light in because It does make the tank supper hot,I only use it during cold fronts. So can you shed some light on why she might not want to go on the cooler side of the cage? My  other leo did tend to be on the heated side of the cage also,but again that is supposed to be the cooler side,I bought another digital thermometer with a probe today to put on the cool side so I will report those temps when I get it up and running.

Also one more thing,I just put down some repti carpet,I only used it for 2 weeks before my last leo passed,so I took it out and cleaned it and dried it out and now my new baby leo is using it,I have noticed she sometimes gets her little claws stuck in the carpet and has to taking an extra tug to get them out,now is this ok for her? or could she rip her claws out? Whats your advice?


Diane I cant thank you enough for all the helped you have given me,you are truly a life savor. Thank you

ANSWER: Hi Taylor,
Not many pet store people have time to sit and watch to see who/what is eating like they should..again,its one of the things that make it harder on the new owners. She may have eaten a bunch of crickets right before you picked her up and since the stores tend to feed in the morning, she just may not have been hungry then.  Today she should be hungry be it early or later in the day/evening. Just remember to leave a cut potato in the cage so that any crickets that are not eaten will nibble on the potato instead of your leo.  Count the amount of crickets you put in the tank, try to watch to see how many she eats in that 10-15 minute timeframe and remove any uneaten ones..not always easy to do..hence the cut potato.
It sounds like she just isn't sure of everything yet and wants to get secure in her environment. She does sound like she might be one that will be fine with being handled..thats always nice. Its not uncommon for leos to spend most of their daylight hours on the warm side of the tank..in their warm hide.  Mine never leaves her warm hide during the day unless she hears me or sees me and wants to eat. She may be going to the cool side late at night when you are sleeping...remember..they are nocturnal..the sun heats up their rocks or where they are bedded down and as evening approaches, the rocks still hold the heat..but as time goes on, the rocks cool. Also, babies do tend to spend more time on the warmer side.  Just make sure that your floor temperature on the warm side is within the 88-92 degree range.  Leos do not do well when overly hot temperatures.  That's why there is the temperature gradient for the warm side. Also, on your cool end, do you have a hide or plants she can go into or climb under? If not, it's best to add something there so that she can also feel secure in that area.  
Do be careful with her climbing so that she doesn't fall and get hurt..  having fake plants on the floor in areas that she MAY fall help soften a fall if she would do so.
The claws getting stuck in the repti carpet is one of the problems using it.  They can and do pull out their claws on it.  That is why I switched to using the ceramic/slate tiles in my tank. In the caresheet that I sent you, I have the way I set up my tiles in the tank.
With your tank being 18 by 18, I believe there is  an tile that exact size..Home Depot and Lowes carry them.  They are super cheap...for one that size it will be under $5 and you may even find something cheaper or on clearance.
You may find that as nice as your cage is, you may have to go to a 20 gallon long tank to get the temperature zones you need...hoping you don't have to do that...
If the temperatures are a constant battle, you might want to consider a thermostat for the heat. Again, cost there is about $30, depending on where you get it.
I just went through my previous replies to you and didn't see where I sent you my caresheet...unless I missed it..so, just in case.. here is the info...
BASIC CARE FOR A LEOPARD GECKO
Leopards are pretty easy to care for but they do need
special care.  Here are some of the basic needs of your gecko.
HOUSING: The need to have at least a 20 gallon long tank for one Leo. This needs to have a secure fitting screen top...they can be quite the escape artists!!! They need to have a humid hide box.You can make this with something as simple as a small plastic dish with a hole cut in one side and a small mesh bag filled with some Sphagnum moss coconut bark or Peat moss that you mist.  
I made mine out of the small plastic folgers coffee containers...I cut an opening in the lid..and put the moss in..they LOVE it. I use the terrarium moss in mine.
I use that on the warm side of the tank. Be sure to provide a cool hidebox on the other end. I also provide a mid temperature hide...which is in the middle of the tank.I use the critter caves which you can purchase.  NOT the ones that have heat in them!!!!
Provide secure climbing areas for your gecko.  Fake plants, rocks and branches are all fine to use. be sure there are no wires or sharp ends to any fake plants you use.
*****SUBSTRATE:(that's the stuff on the floor of your tank) Newspaper, lizard carpet or paper towels work great and are easy to clean and are much safer than any loose substrate.  Sand or other loose substrate is not recommended as that they can be deadly to the leo when it is ingested(eaten, even by accident while eating their insects)...A very graphic site of an impacted leo surg can be seen at http://homepage.mac.com/exoticdvm/reptile/PhotoAlbum181.html   it is very graphic!!! ******What I have found that works great for safety and heat distribution is using about 1/4 inch of childrens play sand(since the tiles fit tight together, there is no sand danger) on the bottom of the tank and on top that you place ceramic or slate floor tile.  What is nice is that the 12 x 12 squares fit perfect in a 20 gallon tank with no spaces between the tiles.  The sand and the tile distribute the heat wonderfully.  Using the under tank heater as described is what distributes the heat.  Also, overhead heat will help in heating the tiles...I've been using this set up for several years and the leos love it.  Using a tile that isn't smooth is recommended.  **********
TEMPERATURES:  They need a warm area ( on the floor) of 88-92 degrees and a
cooler area  in the upper 70s,  low 80s.   At night their temperature can drop to the low to mid 70's.  
Never use a hot rock for a leopard gecko...or any reptile.
They can severely burn any reptile.  You can use a heating
pad under the tank,under tank heater for the warm area.  You can use a regular household lightbulb in a dome fixture with a ceramic socket in it to keep the warm area at the 88-92 degree area if needed there, otherwise, placing the lightbulb about midway in the tank will give the needed temeratures throughout the tank.  You may have to play with the wattage of the bulb but generally 40-60 watts is sufficient.At night, no white light. If room temperatures stay above 70 degrees, no extra night heat is needed. The undertank heater or heating pad should cover about 1/3 of the tank....be sure to raise the tank up about 1/4-1/2 inch off the stand when using an undertank heat source to prevent heat build up which can cause the glass to break and hot spots in the glass. Be sure to have a good layer of newspaper, carpeting or, even a thin flat rock(such as tile) on top the area that the undertank heat source is placed...if you use a thin rock or tile, it helps to distribute the heat very well.
You can  use the special nighttime lights that are designed for reptiles. I like using a ceramic heat emitter on a thermostat for  nighttime heat.  
DO NOT use black lights or party lights as they can cause eye damage!!!!
The wattage you use will vary based on room temperature and size of tank.  
LIGHTING:  Leopard geckos do not need UVB lighting but it does not hurt them to give them uvb.  They should have some type of light during the day, be it a uvb tube, regular florescent light, reptile day light or regular household lightbulb. NO white lights at night!!!
FEEDING: Geckos should not be fed  crickets or other insects that are bigger than the space between their eyes.  Generally, hatchlings can be fed more than once a day,juvys can be fed twice a day, adults are fed once daily or every other day, in the early evening. Crickets and other food items such as silk worms, super, and an occasional treat of a wax worm, need to be dusted with a calcium supplement two times a week and also they should have a small dish of calcium in their tank.  I use the lid of a milk jug for the little dish of calcium in their tank.  For dusting the insects, Use a calcium with no added phosphorus.  Insects must be gut loaded(fed) for at least 48 hours prior to feeding your gecko. Remove any uneaten crix or superworms after 15-20 minutes.....  Place a piece of cut potato in the tank so that if you have missed any uneaten insects, they will eat the potato instead of nibbling on your gecko!!!
*************You have to be sure to feed your crickets and insects the right foods before feeding them to your gecko.  If your crickets/insects are not healthy and well fed, your gecko will not get the nutrition he needs. You can gut load your crickets and insects greens, veggies, cereals or specially designed commercial foods for crickets or the insects you are feeding. ************
Be sure to have a small dish of clean water for your gecko at all times!!
You can offer them some baby food or fruits on occasion ...
Mine will even eat a small piece of watermelon now and then.WATER:  always provide a dish of drinking water.  If you choose to mist your gecko to drink, its best to not get the tank too wet as that they do not do well with higher humidity.  Sometimes its better to take your leo out of their tank to mist them to get them to drink!!!
HANDLING:  Some geckos enjoy being held...others prefer not to be handled at all.  Be sure to be very gentle when holding your leo and NEVER grab them by the tail!  Their tails are extremely fragile and will break.  
I do suggest finding a vet that can treat reptiles BEFORE you actually need one!!!  To find a vet that is able to care for reptiles:
http://www.herpvetconnection.com
http://www.arav.org/ECOMARAV/timssnet/amm/tnt_mdsearch.cfm
http://www.anapsid.org/vets/
For more information on leopard geckos:
http://www.drgecko.com
If you have any questions or don't understand something, please let me know.




---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks for the quick replie. I do have a thermostat on my heater. I have the everything set where with the heater,the UVB bulb and the 15 watt day bulb gets the tank just at around 90 degrees the temps you recommended. At night with just the heater on they fall around 87 or 85 degrees. (I live in florida,I thinks that's the lowest I can get since my house is only 79 degrees). Well last night I stayed up till 3 in the morning and it she just stayed under her warm hide and slept. So maybe her sleep cycle is a little off or something. I do have a hide on the warm side with the butter dish that has moss for a humid hide,I have a rock hide in the middle,and another log hid on the cooler side,also in the middle I have the calcium and water that I change daily.

When I feed her,I take everything out of the cage and just give her a cricket at a time so I won't overwhelm her with crickets and so thoose little bugs can't go and hide from her and it also helps me to be able to pull the crickets out if she doesn't eat them. Now when feeding her,can I feed her during the day. I try to have a set time,930-10 at night is when I want to try and feed her or right now should I try for feeding her during the day also? Thanks again for all your help.

Answer
Hi Taylor,
Great on the thermostat.It sounds like you have all bases covered with temps, hides, etc.  Yep, those little pin heads are hard to spot!!  You can feed her in the daytime if you want...if she prefers to eat then, thats fine.  With the babies, offering insects a few times a day is a good thing. Basically, what ever she prefers for her time to eat and also what is easiest for you. Many prefer to eat early evening, but again, what ever she wants is fine.
This may sound odd but....  when you stay up, since she is in the room with you, she is seeing lights... she may think it's still "sun up" and remains in her hide.  You might want to try blocking the light from getting into her viv with a towel or sheet where the most light is coming in.  It may sound like a simple thing, but sometimes its the little things that make a big difference. Also... try not dusting the crickets with the calcium and offer them plain. See if that helps.  

Since she seems to be accepting you, you might want to dip your finger in some water and see if she will lick at it.  Its important to keep her hydrated as there really isn't much to a baby leo and dehydration can happen quickly.