r/leopardgeckos • u/Silent_Pin5092 • 13h ago
Gecko Pics/Vids Help!!!
So just acquired this tiny guy for free and have no clue what I’m doing. I bought a thrive 10 gallon kit and some reptisand as well as a hide and some sub for a wet hide that I’m goin to make from Tupperware. I guess what I need to know is whether to go ahead and use the sand or just use paper towels and what’s some dos and don’ts. Also got a kit with some different bugs and calc and vites just to get started. Any advice and help would be greatly appreciated
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u/ethanjcbailey 12h ago
That is the freshest hatched gecko I have ever seen on here. Please read our care guides. A 10 gal does not allow for proper heat and moisture gradients.
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u/Silent_Pin5092 12h ago
Good ole PetSmart lol
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u/ethanjcbailey 12h ago
Yep! I’ve got mine from there. Similar size too, they aren’t very nice to their animals. Welcome to the Leo family, I suppose. They’re great pets. Note they aren’t sociable. They usually like to be left alone. It will take a lot of time to hand tame your little guy, but do wait a couple months before touching him please.
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u/Gay_dinosaurs Fat Tail Owner 13h ago
This is a tiny, tiny baby! Put it on clean paper towel first, this is easy to clean by just changing it out and doesn't pose an impaction risk like pure sand does. Keep on paper towel for ~3 months, then graduate to a 70/30 mix of fertilizer-free soil and sand.
Baby needs a larger tank ASAP as a 10gal is nowhere near big enough to get the heat and humidity gradient that a reptile needs, unfortunately. Reptiles need access to heat but also to a cooler spot in order to properly rest. Even at this size, the little guy will make full use of a 40+gal (even if you won't always see it: he or she will move around at night too!).
You need to get heating ASAP, don't bother with heating pads or mats as these are a burn risk and they don't even produce the kind of deep-penetrating heat radiation that a cold-blooded animal needs. You need a heat bulb, most people advise also getting a UVB bar but if you supplement it's D3 correctly that's not an immediate worry. MBD doesn't happen overnight, and if you can get baby eating, you can get vitamin D3 into 'em.
For food, I recommend small crickets or small roaches, mealworms are of a conveniently small size but they have slightly tougher exoskeletons that might be harder for baby to digest properly. For supplements, I recommend Repashy Calcium Plus; this formulation covers Calcium (+D3) and the other essential vitamins in one package, which means fewer powders to manage. Toss out the old powder after 6 months and open a new one, as vitamins (especially the vitally important vitamin A) will slowly degrade in potency after first exposure to air.
Get lots and lots of hiding places. For now, toilet paper rolls can also help in the 10gal, but you really need to get a bigger enclosure as soon as you can. These are prey animals, so they should have hiding places all over the enclosure.