Leopard Gecko Help

My brother is wanting to get a leopard gecko, and he needs some help on questions he has.
He has much experience with fish, and pet keeping, and he watches, and he has much experience with helping me with my hermit crabs.

He was wondering about these topics.

Can he have 2 in a 20g? Or is it better to start off with one.
He knows about not putting a male, and female together, and 2 males.

Would EcoEarth dirt work the best for a substrate?
He knows that they don't do well on sand.

What ground heaters are best recommended for them?
(also what thermostat would be best?)

How thick does the layer of dirt have to be in the tank?
Do they dig in the substrate?

Last but not least.
Any tips on basic care for before, and after you get a gecko.

My brother is making a list on what to get for their needs.
Once he finishes it, I will post it on here.

 

Wrong place to ask really.. see if there are any other pet or reptile forums online!

Oh, and could you attach what you find out here please if you remember? My dad has always wanted a gecko but never found the time to research enough.

 

My little sister owns one, I'm not the one who cares for it but..
she uses eco earth (dont know how thick and I'm not home) and it works fine, tho the gecko is taken to a shoe box to be fed. My little sister freaked out when a beetle came out of the dirt. Gecko dint eat a worm, it dug down and became a beetle lol.

Leopard gecko don't dig but they do like hides. They are more active late in the day/night don't expect them to do much in the day.

I would say its better to start off with only one. But that's my opinion, not a fact.

She used an exoterra mat / under tank heater.

 

My little sister owns one, I'm not the one who cares for it but..
she uses eco earth (dont know how thick and I'm not home) and it works fine, tho the gecko is taken to a shoe box to be fed. My little sister freaked out when a beetle came out of the dirt. Gecko dint eat a worm, it dug down and became a beetle lol.

Leopard gecko don't dig but they do like hides. They are more active late in the day/night don't expect them to do much in the day.

I would say its better to start off with only one. But that's my opinion, not a fact.

She used an exoterra mat / under tank heater.

Thanks for the quick response!
My brother is looking into lots of details.

Wrong place to ask really.. see if there are any other pet or reptile forums online!

Oh, and could you attach what you find out here please if you remember? My dad has always wanted a gecko but never found the time to research enough.

My brother has some knowledge with Leopard Geckos.
I would be more than happy to share some with you, I'll PM you.

 

Thanks for the quick response!
My brother is looking into lots of details..

No problem!
Its good he is doing his research, its what my sister did. If I think of anything else I might get back on this thread.

 

No problem!
Its good he is doing his research, its what my sister did. If I think of anything else I might get back on this thread.

He loves to do his re-search on animals.
I bet he will be a great owner of a leopard gecko.

 

Ok.

The only substrate you should use is repticarpet or paper towel. If you use paper towel make sure it doesn’t get eaten. It happens and it’s fatal.

No you can not keep two together. Everything could be fine for a day or for years and one day one will snap and that’s all she wrote. They are very territorial and should be kept alone.

An under tank heat mat should be used only. No overhead heat lamps or anything else. They need belly heat to digest food and temp should be 90-92°F. They also need three hides. Warm hide, cool hide and moist hide. The moist hide should be half on the warm side and half on the cool side. It helps them not get a stick shed which can cause a ton of other problems. Feel free to PM me with any questions.

 

1. He could have two in a 20 gal long, or one, although females don't get as big as males you may need to up size them as they grow. But one (female or male) in a 20 would be good.
2. The best substrate for Leo's are tiles. Yes, like flooring tiles. There is no risk of impactation, they're easy to clean, and they hold heat well. Paper towels are also good.
3. Any under the tank heater would work, as long as you get the right size. Also it's recommended that you have two thermometers, one for the warm side and one for the cool side. And then to be safe you can also get a digital thermometer with a probe. I also got a thermometer that's a hydrometer.
4. I have heard that Leo's like to dig, although their safety is at risk with things like sand and dirt.

And if you have any other questions, ask away.

 

1. He could have two in a 20 gal long, or one, although females don't get as big as males you may need to up size them as they grow. But one (female or male) in a 20 would be good.
2. The best substrate for Leo's are tiles. Yes, like flooring tiles. There is no risk of impactation, they're easy to clean, and they hold heat well. Paper towels are also good.
3. Any under the tank heater would work, as long as you get the right size. Also it's recommended that you have two thermometers, one for the warm side and one for the cool side. And then to be safe you can also get a digital thermometer with a probe. I also got a thermometer that's a hydrometer.
4. I have heard that Leo's like to dig, although their safety is at risk with things like sand and dirt.

And if you have any other questions, ask away.

Okay, firstly. When the original post mentioned “brother” that was my younger brother on my account typing this in my position, which was many months back. He has the gecko now, and we are enjoying her a lot
I do have some things to point out on your post.

1. You cannot have two in a 20 long, that’s actually the bare minimum for one gecko.

2. Tiles are good, but they support a sickly gecko more than a healthy one that needs more options. We are using PlaySand right now.

3. We are using a heat emitter and UVB light source.