Hello, yes, it's me again.

Since my daughter was so upset about losing her anole, I asked her if she wanted another Lizard as a pet. She has proven to me that she can definately care for one (she's almost 9).

So we went out last night. I told her she could get what she wanted, either another Lizard, Frog, Toad, etc. She chose a juvenile Leo Gecko. She named it Miracle (from a movie she saw, lol). She said that she still misses Mystic, and that Miracle doesn't replace Mystic, but it makes her feel better.

I'll admit, it's a cute little critter. It has some interesting colors, including teal.

So anyhow, on to my questions. I'll post pictures as well. I did read the care sheet and had my daughter read it too.

Do the colors mean anything?

How can we tell how old it is? It's about 4 inches long in body and about another 2-2 1/2 inches longer with the tail.

Can you sex them this early? I read on the care sheet that it was hard, but the gal where we got it said it was a male, but I don't know if she TRULY knew that or not.

How long should we let it adjust to it's new home before trying to handle and hold it?

Are they personal? Meaning, if my daughter, who is the primary care taker handles it most, etc. would the Leo form a bond/relationship with my daughter?

And finally, Do we have too much in the tank? (Pictures for this) I have one large log, one small log, one plastic plant, two branches (one thicker then the other) and one rock. We have the lizard carpet in there and the heat lamp of course, and a water dish as well.

Thank you all so much for any advice. I appreciate it.

Congrats on your new purchase, you WILL enjoy having your leo...

Colors dont mean to much, there ARE variations called "morphs", your looks like a normal phase leopard gecko...

Age is hard to tell by size since all lizards grow and different paces based on diet, health, appetite, etc. but at 6 to 6 1/2 inches id say your new leo is around a year old or close to it...

You could sex him/her at this age, its not TOO hard, if you can get a picture of underneat it tail I/We may be able to help you sex it.... You could also look for pre anal pores just above (towards the head) your little ones "vent", if you see a v-shaped row of pores (bumps) then you have a male, lack of the pores states a female...

I would give your little one close to a week to settle in before too much handling... after that when you notice the leo out and about, you can put your or your daughters hand in it cage (slowly and calmly) and let him/her get used to your scent and your hand being in there...

Leopard Geckos arent really "personal" herps, like a bearded dragon for example, but they WILL tolerate and possibly enjoy being held/handled... And your leo MAY learn to "get used to" one person over another if that is what you are referring too...

As far as the tank goes, it LOOKS awesome!!! Good work, and as long as thier IS some floor space for him/her to roam around in it will be fine. All the hiding spaces are great for Leopard Geckos as they are nocturnal and enjoy hiding... Although at first glance I dont see a humid hide in there for your leo. You will need to come up with some sort of container with a most substrate such as sphagum moss in it create high humidity hide to aide your little one during his/her sheds... (if you need more details on this "humid hide" let us know)

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Jayr & Mandy Robinson
J&M Herp Shack
"Are you watching closely?"

don't forget the dish of calcium. Leopard Geckos need that.

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yes i am a she ^_^

~My Babies~

1 Rosy Boa (male) Chaos
1 Snow Corn (male) Blizzard
1 Anertherystic Corn (male) Bullet
1 Senegal Parrot (male) Shadow
2 dogs (male) Spot and Bear

The girl I spoke to where we got it said to dust the crickets with the calcium. Should I put a dish in there instead though?

And yes, I definately need more information about the humid hide. I want to make sure that everything is "perfect" for this little one so that my daughter doesn't lose another beloved pet.

Thank you ALL so much! You're a huge help.

It wouldnt hurt to have a seperate calcium bowl in the tank.

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MARSHA

:D I'm smiling because I have no idea whats going on!

Hello,

It's a good idea to leave a shallow dish of calcium in the enclosure at all times. Leopard Geckos will "eat" it as they require it. For humid hide information, read this: http://www.herphabitats.com/articles/Moisthide.html

There are more articles on the site, but you need to be a member to read them all. (We own that site too.)

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Thank you for the link, I read it and it seems pretty easy.

Now, should that remain in the tank at all times, or only when he/she is shedding? I don't plan on breeding or anything.

How often do they shed their skin?

I'm wondering now if I should get a larger tank. There is so much in there already, adding a ziplock sandwich container, the bowl for the calcium, I'll run out of room.

Think we will be heading back to the store this afternoon.

if you want lots of "furniture" and things in the tank,and are planning on getting new larger tank anyways, I would go with 20 gallon "long" tank, it is 30" long and 12" wide, and would leave room for all your "furniture", your bowls, and your humid hide, and in the future if you choose to get another leo, depending on the sex of you current leo, they could possibly live in the same tank...

I have read that some people only put in the humid hide during a shed, but I leave ours in all the time and just make sure that the substrate is moist when I notice a shed coming on... depending on age/size a leo can shed every 3-4 weeks...

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Jayr & Mandy Robinson
J&M Herp Shack
"Are you watching closely?"

Hello,

You should leave the moist hide in there at all times. In addition to being a shed aid and egg laying box, it also gives the leo a place to thermoregulate. The moisture in the humid hide helps keep the hide cooler than the ambient air. (Pending it is not over a heat source.)

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