Hi, my son is 9 years old and we purchased a leopard gecko about 2 months ago. Here are some questions that he has about "Leo" (or "Lilly", we're not quite sure yet if he's a boy or a girl).

1. How much is "too much" for him to eat? Last night he ate 6 mealworms and 1 cricket, which is the amount that we put in there. Is that too much or not enough? Should we give him more than he can eat, so that some are left over, or take out the ones that he doesn't eat after a certain time, or what? He is definitely getting fatter, so we were afraid he might be eating too much. We also give him a superworm every now and then, but they usually manage to hide under the carpet and I have to get them out over and over again.

2. How much sleep does he need? He sleeps all day, which I know is normal.

3. He is (and always has been) pretty "pale". He has the stripes and the peach color, but is not really vibrant like some of the pictures I've seen. Does he need to shed? Does this mean he's already shed? Is it just because he's probably young? We just got a moist hide in there, but haven't noticed him shedding yet, or anytime previously.

Thank you very much for your help!

Do you know if he or she was an adult when you bought it, or is it still a baby? I think most people (myself included) feed as much as they want to eat and take out the leftovers after a little while. I usually wait about 20-30 minutes and remove what is not eaten. Some leo's are shy about eating in front of people, so you may need to give it some 'alone time' to eat if it is reluctant to eat in front of you. Can you take a picture? That would help us know an approx. age, and also help with the paleness question. They do turn pale or foggy looking right before they shed, but then when they shed they look very bright! If it has been that way since you got it, it probably is just it's own coloring...but it is also possible that it needs to shed and is having trouble!

__________________
~Tamara~

The creatures I love to spoil!
1.1.0 Leopard Gecko (Matilda & Bob Marley)
2.1.0 Desert Tortoises (Thor, Scar, & Sundance)
0.1.0 Appendix Quarter Horse (Baylee)
0.1.0 Pitbull (Miss Riley Skyy)

Tell us how his setup is, temps, hides, substrate,,,etc.

here's a link to our caresheet

Leopard Gecko Caresheet (Eublepharis macularius) - Reptile Information - Caresheets Database

__________________
Ken
" The United States Marine Corps......sure we are a department of the Navy,,,,,,we're the MENS department "

Thank you both for your replies. I've read the care sheet, it was very informative. I can make some pics and will try to post them soon. He is living in a 20-long glass tank. He has a "coconut house" as my 2yo daughter calls it, that he can hide in, as well as one of those tunnel things that clips to the glass with magnets that you can remove to look at him. He has the reptile carpet in the bottom of his tank with a piece of material sewn on top of it, because my son liked the design of the fabric (chili peppers). He also has one of those bridge-type things that he can walk under of lay on top of to bask in the heat. He has a worm bowl, a water dish, and another bowl of calcium powder.

For warmth we have one of those ceramic heaters (for the night-time) and a regular light bulb for the daytime. The temps are usually 80-90 during the day, and 75-85 at night (I'm listing hot end and cold end temps).

He seems happy enough, just getting really fat. I didn't know if that was a good sign or a bad sign. I mean, he's not obese or anything, just definitely gaining some weight. That's why I thought we might be feeding him too much. He usually eats it all by the next morning, but doesn't eat it immediately because my son turns on his bedside lamp so he can watch him.....since he's sleeping during the day. I don't know how old he was when we got him, but he definitely was not full-grown because he has definitely grown since we bought him, maybe up to an inch I'm guessing.

I'll try to post pics as soon as I can, thanks for the replies and keep the advice coming!

I feed as much as mine will consume at a sitting. Leaving crickets in to run loose can disturb and even nibble on your gecko.
Be very careful with that two halved magnet cave! There have been numerous cases of geckos being injured by them. You pull it apart to see inside and then when you put it back together you don't notice that the gecko has his foot or leg down between the ornament and the glass wall and it gets pinched and broken.

__________________
Merlin,
What's Life Without A Little Magic!

You will also want to be careful with the heating rock as well the one I first tried failed and its temp went way to high almost to the point of burning the gecko. i think the tem of the rock was 115 when I checked it with an temp gage(automotive style with a laser) so be mindful with it and keep an eye on it.

Do you have a moist hide as well as the coconut husk? They need one of those to shed properly. Its described in the care sheet.

As for feeding, you want his tail to be nice and plump! That's where they store their fat.

Welcome to the board!

__________________
My name is Liz
Do what's best for the animal, not what's best for you.

I dont use a most hide. i give mine a bath every couple days when I see her skin start to change color and she sheds fine.

1) its difficult to over feed a leo. the 2 we have are.. well, well fed. our hatchling is actually putting weight on its tail even though all its calories should be toward growing

2)they will sleep while you arent around. no harm in waking him up for handling. this type of behavior will train them to be tame.

3) leo's will change color as they age. the grays and the "saddle" pattern will give way to smaller spots and different color patterns. if the lizard is young you can expect it to change quite a bit. my GF is bittybabe86 on these forums, look at her album, i believe it has pictures of her leo as a youngin' and as a sub-adult. the colors vary greatly

__________________
0.0.1 - Jack, Ghost corn, never sexed, but its a He darnit
1.0.0 - Neo, Columbian Redtail Boa. Everybody's best buddy :) except my roommate.... he bites my roommate....