The Substrate Debate

        Most websites can agree that dirt, bark or regular outdoor sand is not appropriate for Leopard Geckos . When Leopard Geckos hunt crickets they could possibly swallow this substance and harm themselves. That is why fake turf, or Calcium sand is recommended. I have used both. And can maybe help you make a decision.
        I first started with calcium sand shortly after we got our lizards. We had white sand for a long time and had no problem with it other than it would get very dirty with cricket parts and in her "restroom corner". My boyfriend decided to switch our female to the light blue colored sand. This was a stunning substrate, I loved the way it brought colors out in my Leopard Gecko. I did have one problem with the Calcium sand, which is why I no longer use it. The color rubbed off on my lizard. She developed a blue stain on her legs and belly from the sand. At first I just thought she had sand on her, but now I realize that she actually had the dye from the blue color soaking into her skin. I do not think it is that toxic but I switched the substrate to the fake turf immediately. She does not like it as much, but it is much safer and the blue has faded and been shed off over time. It is not as pretty. I recommended using reptile moss to spruce it up a little bit. There are two colors. You can see the options in my article here.

http://halleyscometscienceandlife.blogspot.com/2012/09/the-perfect-pet-for-kids.html

The Perfect Pet For Kids

The Perfect Pet for Any Young Scientist


Maybe you have a young child, even as young as 6. As most children do, they want their own pet. As a former pet wanting child I can relate to this.

When I was the age of 3, my parents decided it was time to get two outside farm cats and a yellow lab puppy. I will not say this is a mistake, because I did form bonds with all three animals growing up. My dad used to call it, “The lifestyle of the yellow dog”. There were many difficulties however, many young lab owners can attest to the hardships of training a lab puppy. She ate tools, drywall, even a whole rose bush as a puppy, and eventually mellowed out around the age of 2. My cats were wary of me as a toddler. Wanting to pet them I would grab at their tales, squeeze them, and try picking them up. Any cat person can tell you most cats and toddlers do not mix very well as cats do not take being poked and pulled. Here is the picture that sums this up:

So back to the story. Most parents do not believe their child when they say they will take care of it, I do not blame them. Dog and cat food is expensive, and children do not work. Simply children can not take care of a dog or cat. That does not mean all animals are off the list however, plenty of pets are somewhat inexpensive. The point should not be lost that children can learn to take care of animals themselves at a very young age. So what animal do I recommend? The Leopard Gecko.

A persons first thought to this might be, expensive set up, or reptiles are skittish. This may be true with some species. Chameleons are humidity sensitive and need a proper humidifier. Anoles can be skittish and jump and run when you reach in to pick them up. Leopard Geckos are mellow as far as reptiles go. Sure there are other mellow reptiles, tortoises and turtles, but they can be ornery, and they literally live 50 plus years. Leopard Geckos have an average life span of  15-20 years. They can move fast, but for the most part move slowly. Most Leopard geckos I have come in contact with like to be held. Your body is warm, and they like to sit on you stomach, chest, arm, shoulder, or even head while you read or watch TV. I had one Leopard Gecko when I was young that I would walk around with it on my head, I thought it was the neatest thing as a 7 year old. Your 7 year old will too.

So now you have the reasons why to pick a Leopard Gecko but you still might have some thoughts. For example, how much will it cost me? How should I set up my terrarium? What do they eat? How do I maintain them? Most importantly how do I make sure my child learns something for the experience?

How to make sure your child learns from the experience. Children as young as 7 can be responsible for a Leopard Gecko. At this age it is a great opportunity to teach about financial and physical responsibilities. One idea I have to suggest to parents on how to do this is to have their children or child agree to do chores in exchange for a certain amount of money to be saved until they have the amount they need to purchase everything for the Leopard Gecko. Children as young as 7 can learn to pull weeds in the garden, wash dishes, vacuum, or do laundry. Offer them $2-$3 per chore. This can add up fast. Dishes every night for a week can mean up to $21, so be careful what you set your prices at. This teaches kids to be responsible and self sustainable. It also teaches them about savings and money spending. The total approximate price of the set up and lizard is $100. Make sure to have $100 saved up, this might take 4-6 months worht of time to do, but patients is a virtue, something many children are not taught.

So what do you get for $100? I recommend a 20 gallon long tank, substrate of calcium sand or fake turf for reptiles, lighting, heating, and a basking spot. Do not go into the store and try to purchase all these things separately or brand new. This will cost much more than $100. I Give you some ideas of products I recommend, but the best way to get your lizard is to hit up yard sales or tanks, or Craig list and just get the whole set up and lizard together plus left over food, for one low price. This is actually what I recommend doing, Here are some Craigslist posts for Leopard Gecko set up and terrariums that I found, and will be what you will want to start looking for when your child is nearing having saved up $100.


http://spokane.craigslist.org/for/3226520659.html 
http://spokane.craigslist.org/for/3242623729.html 
http://losangeles.craigslist.org/lgb/for/3238620961.html 
http://inlandempire.craigslist.org/for/3186029232.html 
http://inlandempire.craigslist.org/for/3186300819.html 

Many of the pets I see on Craig list are animals whose owners do not have time for them any more. Many getting them for their children just to have them loose interest. While there is always a risk for this, adopting an animal that has already been through that can teach a lesson to your kids that it is not okay to make a commitment to take care of an animal and back out. It is a commitment for the entirety of the animals life and not for as long as you are interested in it.
Leopard Geckos are nocturnal. During the day they sleep, and sun bathe. You might see them moving from place to place in their set up. This is the Leopard Gecko thermo regulating it’s own temperature. My lizards I really only see active at night before bed and in the morning when I wake up sometimes they are trying to crawl up the glass, or on a piece of décor.
Leopard Geckos are insectivores. This means they eat various types of insects. One of the most common being crickets. You can purchase crickets from your local pet store, for usually about 10 cents a cricket. Be careful when you feed your lizard crickets. They will have to hunt them down and some lizards are better at this than others. My male Leopard Gecko ended up being underweight because I had him on a diet of mainly crickets. I had to switch him to wax and meal worm diet to gain weight. My female loves crickets and is a true hunter and has never had weight issues. In my personal belief a variety of these three insects would be the best diet. Plan on spending average $2 a week on food.
I feed my lizards about 3 times a week. The female gets all cricket diet because she likes them so much, and the male gets mostly meal worms, wax worms, and at least once a week crickets too. When my lizards were babies, they looked pretty frail, their arms and legs were stick like. Once they because young adults they got pretty muscular and now have very thick back legs and forearms. They arm really pretty strong muscular creatures and this is due to what they eat. It is important to feed them regularly or you could stress them, cause medical issues, or they will be stunted in growth and size. Getting some Leopard Gecko Calcium supplement is important if you do not have the calcium sand. It keeps their bones strong and prevents a variety of health issues. Because Leopard Geckos only typically eat certain insects they natural lack Calcium in their diet. This is why it is important to use. One bottle of the powder can last you a very long time and you only have to do it twice a week. I go in and buy crickets every Friday. Then sprinkle this stuff in the bag and put 3-4 in the tank, and the rest in a small cricket container. Could even be old Tupperware with tiny nail holes punched for air. You can search for several products that can help keep you crickets healthy and fat. They have these strange orange chunks.     As well as using parts of egg containers. They love them. Any person at the pet store who handles and bags the crickets will be able to tell you just what you need to keep them healthy at home, as it is the same things they have to do at the store. The alternative to this is stopping by three times a week to buy about 75 cents worth of crickets each time. Meal worms and wax worms can be stored in the refrigerator. When meal worms get cold they hibernate.
You can learn about raising your own meal worms here. 
You can learn more about the Leopard Gecko here.
If you are not satisfied with the Craig lists posts in your area search for a 20 gallon long used tank online. That is one item to always buy used, because they are really expensive new. Here is a checklist and product recommendations. These are not necessarily the cheapest products or the best line or the most politically correct company, these are just products I have used with my Leopard Geckos, Lizzie and Optimus, and what my experiences were with them and why you may or may not want to consider them.

Leopard Gecko Checklist: Before I get my Leopard Gecko I need these things:

Tank - recommended a 20 gallon long for enough space to grow and run around and thermo regulate properly. Most sites say 10 gallon is okay, I say the bigger the better, if you are getting it used anyway you do not want to end up with the freak lizard that grew to 12” and needs a new tank later on.
Substrate - Substrate is the flooring for your lizards enclosure. Leopard Geckos are used to dry, rocky and sandy lands. I recommend using Calcium sand, or fake turf made specially for lizards. You can see my opinion on this substrate debate in this article here.

Water and Food Dish - You can buy a cheap small ceramic food dish at Petco for $1, here is the one I have for my lizards. The Water dish needs to be bigger, I bought the plastic $1 that are about 2-3 times larger than the food dish. This way if my lizard needs to get in he can. Sometimes they wet themselves during shedding, or if they get too hot and need to cool down fast. One issue I constantly face is crickets dying in the water. The plastic dish with its high slanted sides helps a little bit, but I still have to pull a few out here and there.
Hideout - Here is a shot of my big expensive hide out:

Now here is how to make your own. Take a medium square 2” deep old Tupperware or plastic container you do not want any more, and cut a “doorway” from the edge of the Tupperware being the bottom. The “doorway” should be about 2 times the diameter of your lizard. Maybe 2-2.5 inches wide and tall. The Tupperware can be sharp. If it is too sharp tape the edges so your lizard does not get hurt. If you decorate your hideout make sure to use reptile safe décor, and just because it says non-toxic does not mean it is for lizards. Stuff it with reptile moss. Here is what I recommend, it holds moisture and helps the lizard shed. Plus it is cheap. You can even scatter it various places around the tank for your lizard to crawl on and hide in.
Heat - Because Leopard Geckos thermo regulate they need a hot and cold spot in their tanks. I use a light, paired with a heating pad or a  heating rock. One of my set ups uses day and night lights with a heating pad, one with day and night lights and a heated rock. I got the heated rock at a garage sale. I try to put the light over one side of the other, so he can move away from it if he gets hot, or closer if he gets cold.

Lighting - Leopard Geckos need a days worth of light everyday. It is important to keep this consistant. I turn mine on the day light when I wake up, and then have a red heat lamp for night time. Bulbs frequently go out. I recommend you use a smaller watt bulb than the holder is made for. An example being use 75 watt bulbs in a 150 watt holder. They tend to not go out as fast. Sometimes my bulbs last a full year, other time my bulbs last a month. Keep receipts I have had to take multiple brands of bulbs back after they went out weeks after getting them.

Décor - Lizard safe décor. I combined my décor and my hideout in one. In my opinion lizards prefer rocks and things over fake plants. But there are a variety of decorating options at any local pet store that are lizard safe.

Sources:

http://spokane.craigslist.org/for/3226520659.html 
http://spokane.craigslist.org/for/3242623729.html 
http://losangeles.craigslist.org/lgb/for/3238620961.html 
http://inlandempire.craigslist.org/for/3186029232.html 
http://inlandempire.craigslist.org/for/3186300819.html 
http://www.petco.com/N_75_105/Leopard-Gecko-Terrarium-Decor.aspx?CoreCat=LeopardGeckoHPDecor
http://www.mtsociety.com/forums/index.php?topic=1145.0
http://www.petco.com/

Leopard Geckos

Facts about Leopard Geckos and Leopard Gecko Ownership

This is Lizzie, our female as a baby when we first brought her home.

History

The Leopard Gecko (Eublepharis macularius) in the wild is partial to the dry desert regoins of Asia, India, and Pakistan. These lizards stood out to scientists because they have moveable eyelids, something other lizards do not possess. About 35 years ago this breed became a popular pet and was bred in captivity. They are not taken or “harvested” from the wild for pets. They are almost a different species after spending so many generations out of the wild. Leopard Geckos are related to the African Fat-Tailed Gecko. Both species store food energy in their tails.

Shedding:

Leopard Geckos shed their skin about once a month, more when they are growing fast as younglings. When lizards are about to shed their coloration will become lighter, and they will eventually turn a whitish color and start to peel. During this time they need a higher humidity to help them get their skin off. If lizards can not get their skin off their face or out of their nosterals they can actually soffocate on the skin. Irregular skin shedding can also be a sign of disease or malnutrition, and the lizard should see a reptile certified vet. Leopard Geckos can get some skin diseases, fungus, and bacterial infections. These cases should be seen by a vet. I have also seen dry skin mistaken for an infection, Make sure you mist with a mist bottle and water at least once a day, this will lesson chances of skin problems. In my personal experience I have rarely had a health issue with my lizards, but knowing where a certified reptile vet is located is a must in case of emergency. The process of shedding is quick and not messy at all. I can first hand compare this to my Columbian Red Tailed Boa, who is more expensive of an animal, takes more space, less handle able, and sheds messy balls of bark and skin rolled up  in her cage. Leopard Geckos will often eat their skin after they shed. In the wild they did this to leave no trace behind for predators. In captivity it is thought that they eat their skin for vital nutrients. They have tougher skin for a gecko, to navigate rocky and sharp climates in the desert and grasslands. Their skin is bumpy on the top side, and smoother on the bottom side. They might rub up on their housing or the side of the tank to help themselves shed. I have also seen mine biting at the skin and pulling it off. This is all normal.

Temperature:

Everyone should know that lizards thermoregulate their temperature. Meaning they have to move from cold to hot places to keep their body the right temperature, not like ours where our blood pressure and muscles regulate our body temperature. This is why the body shivers when we are cold, it is the bodies main defense against being cold. Shivering is your body contracting and expanding muscles in small movements similar to muscle spasms. Lizards do not do this. When lizards get too cold they simply stop eating and/or die. That is why it is important to have a hot and cool zone in your terrarium. In the cool zone I suggest setting the water and food dishes. In the warm zone a basking rock for extra heat. That is if you are using lighting as a heat source. With hot pads just center them on one side or the other, same with a heated rock. Leopard Geckos are actually ectothermic. This means they sun bath during the day and store the heat up so they can be awake and active at night and hunt and eat.

Cleanliness:

Leopard Geckos are my recommendation for families with young kids who are begging for a pet that they “will take care of”. One of the reasons why is this topic. Leopard Geckos are known for being cleanly. They only poop in one section of their cage, usually away from their food source. This not only makes them smart, but easy to clean up after. Their excrement is much like hardened bird poop and is usually small, solid and easy to pick up. If something is internally wrong with your lizard a good sign might be runny stool. Take them to a reptile vet as soon as possible. Other than scooping poop every so often I also wipe the sides of the tank down, to take the drips from the spray bottle off the glass so that tank looks better and if more presentable. Every once in a while crickets will die in the terrarium before they are eaten. If they are dead usually a Leopard Gecko will not eat them and their bodies will have to be cleaned out. Proper cleaning of the terrarium will ensure better chances for your lizard to not get diseases or bacteria. Think of it as a vaccination for your lizard. It’s health depends upon you.

Physical Traits:

Leopard Geckos are known for being rather large for a member of the gecko family. They can grow to be between 8”-11” long as adults. They have fat tails. When a lizard does not have a fat tail it means he is not getting the nutrients he needs to become big and strong. They can actually shed the whole fat tail as self defense when they are severely frightened. It does grow back, during which time they need extra nutrients and calcium powder. They can also easily get infections and disease after a tail loss, so a clean terrarium is a must. In captivity Leopard Geckos are more bright in coloration than in the wild. Certain types have been bred and albinos are frequent. There are many different types of color. Most Leopard Geckos do have spots, but some albinos can not have spots so that is not necessarily an identifying factor of this species. There are many types of coloration, and breeders bred new colors everyday so it is hard to keep track. Here are several pictures and names of different types of Leopard Geckos and their colors.

Food:

Leopard Geckos eat crickets, mealworms, and wax worms. They can also eat “pinkys” if they are large enough but I have never personally tried this and do not recommend it. They will get a fatter tail from it, but will get little nutritional value out of the mouse. I would feed a mixture of mealworms and crickets. I feed my lizards 3 times a week. It is recommended to feed Leopard Geckos every other day. You can see my guide to raising your own mealworms here. Or you can buy them from the store and keep them in the refrigerator. They hibernate when it is could and can last up to 5 months, although they won’t if you feed them to your lizard regularly. My female loves crickets more than mealworms, so she gets mostly crickets, with calcium powder at least once a week. She hunts them down with ease, spying one flicking the end of her tail and then lunging and swallowing it in a couple bites. They are interesting to watch hunt, and for the most part do not mind an audience. I feed my lizards at night before bed because they are nocturnal and hunt and eat at night.

This is Lizzie and my boyfriend watching T.V. together. She loves being handled, but too much handling can cause stress and anorexia. This is not an everyday play time animal. They do prefer to be in their safe terrarium environment. 

Habitat:

10-20 gallon tank is recommended on most websites for a Leopard Gecko. I personally recommend a 20 gallon long tank. This will give enough room for even the biggest Leopard Geckos and plenty of space for food and water dishes and large hide outs and backing rocks. I have both my lizards in 20 gallon tanks. My female in a long size tank. Leopard Geckos are used to a desert climate, but shed most easily in 50% humidity. You can buy an expensive humidifier, but I just bought a $1 misting bottle and spray a couple squirts at least once a day, if not twice around shedding time. Certain reptile approved plants can help retain moisture. I recommend Fluker’s Reptile Moss. It is inexpensive, and should be used in corners, and in the hideouts. The Gecko can also use this to help shed. As mentioned at least one hideout is necessary. I first bought a coconut shell hut for my babies when they were small. They quickly outgrew it, now one of my lizards has a large fake rock with compartments and hallow. My other lizard has a little plastic house bought from a pet store. I have also seen moss stuffed Tupperware with lid and a hole cut in the side for lizard access. I just recommend taping the cut area so your lizards belly does not get cut or scraped entering or exiting. I felt the rock was the most appropriate and least stressful as it looks like something from their natural wild environment. In reality this probably does not matter, and I only have the one for my female because they are very expensive. As long as they have at least one if not multiple places to hide. My male used to dig under his water dish in his calcium sand. I only recommend reptile approved faux turf, or calcium sand. Real sand and bark can get stuck in their jaws or swallowed causing major health issues if not death. I put a couple fake reptile décor plants in my tanks, and a couple flat river rocks to climb and sunbathe on. My male lizard has his own heat rock, which he loves. These are expensive however, and I got mine second hand. I always liked the look of a background sticker on the tanks. I have never bought one though.

This is Lizzies tank set up, the food and water dishes are just below those sticks. We have tken them out because she did not use them. Her real basking rock and climbing rock. The climbing rock is also hollow and serves as he house/hideaway. You can see the egg carton for the crickets behind it. Calcium sand is used as substrate in both, but we have since switched to an easy to clean reptile turf. 

FAQ:

If I get two Leopard Geckos can I house them together in one large terrarium?
No. Do not for any reason, even for a 5 second cage clean up put two adult lizards together. When I first got my female as a baby we had her around 6 months when we got the male as a juvenile. We housed them together for a couple months before separating them because we had concerns about her eating most the food. Around a year later we were changing the substrate in his tank and decided to just set him down inside her tank for a few minutes. Wrong decision, I learned my lesson the hard way. She ran across the terrarium to him and bit him in the head and started to drag him across the tank. We got her to release him and immediately took him into the vet the next morning (the incident happened at night). I was worried he may have a broken jaw, brain damage, and lost his eyesight. You could literally see where she bit him. He was badly bruised, the skin cracked in some areas. She missed his eye by about 1 millimeter. It was swollen originally but went down by the time we saw the vet. He said he would have lost the eye if it was any closer. He tested the jaw movements and was very knowledgeable. He did not break his jaw, but the vet said he might have brain damage. I have not noticed it if he does, he is a sweet lizard. He comes out and up to your hand when you reach in his habitat, although he has always been more quick and skittish than my female. The vet visit was cheap however, and we did learn he was under weight for his age, and he was prescribed a wax worm diet to gain some grams. The scale they weighed him on was the cutest thing. The total was only around $50, I was expecting more, but still could have been a tragic serious accident. Even though they are housed together as juveniles as adults they must never be put together. This is one example of what can happen in just 30 seconds.

My Leopard Gecko is not eating.
This could be serious. Many diseases and infections can cause anorexia is lizards. High stress is usually the cause but it can be caused by Coccidia, or Metabolic Bone Disease. The only way to know for sure is a vet visit to a certified reptile veterinarian. My city only has one in the whole town, and luckily he is inexpensive. $45 dollars for a basic visit.



What if I want to breed my Leopard Geckos?
Check out some Leopard Gecko sites like this one. If you are serious about breeding good luck! I personally do not believe in breeding, and try to get most of my animals adopted from families who no longer want them online, or the humaine society. Often times there are reptiles listed on Craigslist, and petfinder.com. The local Humaine Society has even had hermit crabs and lizards too, although usually they send them to a herpetological society to be properly cared for by experts. Although the most interesting thing about breeding Leopard Geckos is that the temperature range of egg incubation actually determines the sex of the lizard. You can have all males or all females or keep it at the middle range and get a various number of each. It is very interesting actually. I once looked into breeding and hatching because our male and female were housed together for so long before separated, but she never laid any eggs so she never got pregnant.


Sources:

http://www.leopardgecko.co.uk/documents/leopard-gecko-morph.htm
http://animal.discovery.com/guides/reptiles/iguanas/leopardgecko.html
http://www.leopardgecko.com
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leopard_gecko
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_fat-tailed_gecko

I have owned three Leopard Geckos in the last 15 years, I highly recommend them. My next article in this series if how to use a Leopard Gecko to teach you kids responsibility and pet ownership. They are ideal pets for children and adults alike. Thank you for reading my blog posts! 7 views from Russia! I am particularly honored because my Dad traveled through Russia on his last trip, when he passed away he had just entered Mongolia, so this has been particularly appreciated.