Just Got a New Leopard Gecko

I got it a few days ago from someone my mom knows for 30$ with a 10gal tank, heat rock, little cave, waterdish, and a couple of crickets(Insane deal xD).

She's 6 years old and seems healthy to me, I just noticed a bit of poor shedding on her feet, on the tips of her toes theirs old skin stuck to them, right behind the claws. Should I just put her in a container for 20-30 minutes with lukewarm water and then carefully use tweezers to pick it off, or do you have other suggestions?

Heres 2 pictures of her. Didnt get a picture of the feet though. Ill get on up by tommorow.




Comments greatly Appreciated.

-Anthony.

>> Top

Welcome to Herp Center Anthony! Congrats on your new friend.

For the shed, you can soak in a dish with luke-warm water and then gently rub the area with a q-tip. You don't want to try to pull the shed off, if it's not loose enough you could do damage to the scales below.

I would also suggest you do one of 2 things with that heat rock. A. Trash it. Or if you are really attached to having it B. Cut the cord.

You should also consider upgrading to a larger tank. You will find that you have a difficult time getting a proper temperature gradient with the 10 gal. I am curious as to what kind of substrate you have her on, and what your temps are like.

Have a look at our Caresheet and let us know if you have any questions.
Leopard Gecko Caresheet (Eublepharis macularius) - Reptile Information - Caresheets Database

__________________

>> Top

Well Ill have you updated maybe later on tommorow, or in a day or two with temperatures, etc. And yeah I know about heat rocks, and how they can cause burns to lizards, and malfunctions can be common. But the lizard seemed to love it, so I left it in there. She always sleeps on it. Also Im just feeding her small and medium sized crickets.

Ill buy a red heat lamp(im pretty sure leopard geckos cant see red, so that the brightness of the light wont cause her stress). Any specific wattage?

The enclosure has a screen lid so the humidity does not exceed 10%, as for substrate, she has sand, not sure the brand, its from the previous owner. Im feeding her the crikets outside the cage because I read that their messy eaters and will tend to ingest alot of sand if fed on the sand.

>> Top

It's time for an overhaul, toss the sand and get something solid, slate tile looks great and reduces the risk of impaction.

If you are so attached to the heatrock I would VERY STRONGLY advise you to cut the cord off and just put a light over it, that will heat it up and provide a safe alternative.

She looks a bit skinny, have you taken her into the vet yet to be screened for parasites?

__________________

>> Top

I would highly doubt it has parasites, its been with its last owner for 6 years, but just in case I'll check with a vet. And yeah I'm going out to buy a heat lamp today, as well as a thermometer and some other nick nacks. So all should be well. Thanks for your replies.



Also what amount of crickets would you guys recommend I feed her per day/every other day. Just making sure I'm giving her enough, or every other day should I just give her whatever she can eat in 10-15 minutes?

>> Top

Indeed she looks skinny, "personally" I would try to give her 4-5 per day.. but that's me. Just to fatten her up a bit. That's what I'm doing with mine , she's not even 1 year old yet and shes already a bit bigger than yours so far.

You can also giver her a few mealworms, it fattens the geckos up quite a bit, not as nutritious for them though.

>> Top

That gecko looks REALLY thin. Offer as much as it wants to eat in 15 mins, and I would offer food every day until she fattens up. Pick up a digital thermometer, they are much more accurate than a dial one. Home depot has small ones for $8.

I agree with Lacey, she needs an overhaul. Just because she has been kept alive for the past 6 years, doesn't mean it was the right care.

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

>> Top

Yeah, shes a little nervous in her new area, not eating to much. Only about 2 crickets a day. Ill go pick up some mealworms today, but the crickets she eats I feed with apples, oranges, celery and carrots. So she should be getting essential nutrients..I hope..

I noticed she was skinny too, thin tail, needs to be fattened up, guess my moms friend didn't feed her to well...

And about the screening for parasites, whats the price for a screening approximately, I'm really strapped for cash...my budgies just made me fork out 200$ for a vet examination and treatment three days ago. -.-

>> Top

I would work on getting the proper setup FIRST, then worry about parasites. If she continues to not put on weight after eating a ton, that's a good sign there is a problem.

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

>> Top

I asked my local vet for a parasite test.. thats with the fecal matter I think. She specified me 28$+tax ... so 35ish. I'm in Quebec.

>> Top