a question for ILoveReptiles

[BitsyNaceyDog]

I work at an up-scale pet boarding facility, and we are boarding a leopard gecko. It came in yesterday, on my day off. He'll be staying with us for almost 3 weeks. The only thing the woman brought in for him to eat is small meal worms, no supplements or anything. I know nothing about leopard geckos, do they need any supplements? Do they need heat? What about UV? Are meal worms a good diet? Please let me know. I want to be sure he will receive the best possible care while with us, and help her to continue proper care for him after he returns home.

Thank you.

[CathyBogart]

I'll let ILR give the detailed answer, but I'll say that he will need under-tank heat underneath part of his cage.

[BitsyNaceyDog]

I thought he should have some kind of heat source, but I wasn't 100% sure. I also didn't know if it should be under the tank or a heat lamp. Also what is a good temperature to maintain?

[BitsyNaceyDog]

Well, I'm an idiot. When I got to work today I was talking to a coworker about the gecko having no heat. She said "he does have heat", and then she showed me. The cord was so very well hidden by the tank that I didn't even see it.

[ILoveReptiles]

Hi Kblaix,

Sorry I didn't answer right away, but I was away for the weekend. And my PC keeps crashing while I'm writing responses. Let's hope this one gets through.

You can find just about every bit of information you need to raise a Leopard Gecko from the following URL:

http://www.anapsid.org/leopardgek.html

I personally do not use an under tank heater for my Leopard Geckos. I have an above tank heat light (red) that doesn't emit much light, as these lizards are nocturnal and do not require it.

As for what they eat - Meal worms are ok, provided you crush their heads before feeding them to the geckos, as they have been known to eat their way out of the Gecko's gut. I prefer crickets, since this is not an issue with them. you should range the temperatures, as you will see on that site, from 90 during the day to as low as 70 at night.

For younger geckos, I'd use newspaper or paper towel as a substrate to avoid impaction problems. I have all my adult geckos on super fine sand, and I've not had any issues with impaction.

I hope this helps!

[luckies4me]

Originally posted by ILoveReptiles
Meal worms are ok, provided you crush their heads before feeding them to the geckos, as they have been known to eat their way out of the Gecko's gut.

[BitsyNaceyDog]

Thank you. I have a ceramic heat lamp for my iguana, maybe something like that would be a good idea for the gecko. They are kind of expensive, but they last a lot longer than regular heat lamps and don't give off any light.

Thanks again for all the info.

[ILoveReptiles]

Well be very careful with the CHE... they might generate TOO much heat. Is it a 150 Watt or a 250 Watt?