Leopard Geckos

[Julia]

Hi Hannah,

Those are some beautiful leos you have there! I love seeing how babies transform and get their grown up colors...you wont ever recognize them in a few months!

I dont want to be one of those people who look for threads to add negative comments but I feel I should speak up. Babies that young should NOT be on sand. The problem is that they eat it. Leos are not the best hunters, and often they will miss and get a mouth full of sand. Also Leos control their own calcium intake. Its recommended that you keep a shallow dish of calcium in their cage with them. They will eat it every night, its really cute because they get a milk mustache!! Anyways, if you use "calcium sand" they mistake it for regular calcium and start eating it. Here is a video of what can happen if they eat sand.
YouTube - Leopard gecko--HARM of sand

With that said around 8 months of age they CAN go on (non calcium) sand if that is what you really want. You would have to feed them in a separate container and monitor them to be sure they are not eating it.

But if you want to be careful and give them the best possible care then tile, reptile carpet, paper towels, and shelf liner work well.

Good luck with your new babies!

[MarshallsMom]

Jo-Anna,
Thanks so much! They are too cute, and I can't wait to see their colors develop. I hope you end up with your carrot tail. I really enjoy these little guys!

Julia,
I know all about the dangers of impaction from sand. They were on sand for maybe 15 hours, now they are on reptile carpet. Here's a picture, feel free to give advice.


Here are some pictures of my other one, Stumpy. I rescued him, and they told me his tail had been bitten off by a cat. It's growing back.

And the tail.

[Jace]

Most tail regrowths I've seen are pretty much devoid of any pattern-Stumpy's new tail looks rather neat, I must say. Luckily that is all he lost if he had a tangle with a cat!

Have you ever used those caves that are magnetic for your geckos? Both of mine have them and it's great because they use them to sleep during the day, but it still allows me viewing access whenever I want.

[MarshallsMom]

No, I haven't seen those! Those are really cool.

Yes, Stumpy is pretty hardy. I wouldn't be surprised if the cat lost its tail. And Stumpy's new tail is pretty cool, but he's timid about having it touched.

[Jace]

The caves are also their moist hides. Every other day, I take them out and clean them, using warm water. When I put them back, it creates a humid environment and I have not had to worry about problems with shedding. The only problem is, Mika is rather chubby, so it can be quite the tight fit at times!!

[MarshallsMom]

Those are really nice! I am spritzing mine with tap water to help with shedding.

[Jace]

Is Stumpy set up in the classroom? How is he adjusting to school life? He is getting his homework done, right?