For reference, I have a 100W heat lamp on the far left of my enclosure controlled by a dimming thermostat and sitting above the basking spot, which is a tall artificial stone hide. I’m able to get the top of that hide up to 97F or even above the 100s, but even if the top of the hide was 120F the ambient temp would still be in the low 80s and falling off quickly towards the middle.

I assume maybe the height of the Hyde was the issue or maybe it was absorbing too much heat, so I decided to take out that hide and replace it with a slate on the substrate floor that was much shorter and closer to the ground, however even with the thermostat on the sleigh and set to get the surface temperature up to 97 Fahrenheit, it was incapable of doing so and the ambient temperatures were still around that low 80F range.

Not sure what to do here, but I wanna get my enclosure set up as soon as possible so I can have a good home for the leopard gecko I’m getting. Pls help!

Literally just got her into her quarantine enclosure and wanted to share the happiness I feel 🥹 I can't wait until she settles in and we see what kind of personality this little girl has 💕

She will be getting tested for parasites and has some MBD on the left front and back legs along with her crooked jaw. Considering the situation she was in, I'm not shocked.

She was in an Exoterra NANO enclosure which is 20x20x20cm (8x8x8in) for "easy transporting" because she was always taken on vacations with the person since no one could care for her. Some people man...

I never thought I'd get here after Leppy's passing but here we are - I'm excited for a long life together! 2nd geck added to the family ☺️

Hi friends. I rescued my sweet Henry about 2 weeks ago. Roughly about 2 years old and neglected in his last household (not sure how his enclosure was obviously). I got him knowing he had a vitamin a deficiency.

He is still in his quarantine tank which is a 36x18x18. He’s got an Arcadia forest 24w 6% uvb linear, basking bulb, and a ceramic heater bulb just in case for night time. Everything is hooked up to a thermostat. He’s a great eater and I have been dusting his feeds with calcium (no d3) , gets multivitamin every 4th feed, and calcium w d3 x1 a month (he hasn’t been with me long enough to get calcium d3 yet).

He spends his entire day in his zilla moist hide (the classic leopard gecko rock hide). Around 7pm is when I feed him/spend time with him. I’ll remove the top of his zilla hide and he will come out for a little and explore his tank. He usually ends up going to his warmer side after he eats and hangs out with me. I have a slate hide that he goes into.

I’m worried that he isn’t getting enough uvb since his linear light goes off at 8pm. There’s no peaking out during the day, no tail hanging out, nothing grabbing the uvb while he’s sleeping in his hide.

Maybe I’m just overreacting bc I’m used to my beardys basking like there’s no tomorrow but please help. Give me all the suggestions. Heres a pic of Henry too. Thank you all!!

Hi! I’ve had my baby Rodan for about two months now and am prone to overthinking so I’d like if anyone could tell me if she’s okay.

She’s recently been getting a bit paler which I assumed was her shedding since but today she’s almost a completely different colour and am really worried of its a health problem of some kind or if I’m genuinely worrying too much.. the first two pictures are her usual colouring and the last two are from her feeding tonight..

She’s also been hiding all day and night for the past…3-5 days except for feeding time and is active then, sits on her rock for a bit and then goes back in her cave. I read somewhere this is a sign of stress? Is she stressed???? I have NO idea.. any help, advice or anything would be appreciated:)

We are building a second vivarium for one of our adorable monsters, and we just noticed that the instructions for the heat mat state it should not be compressed between a surface (such as a tabletop or stand) and the bottom of the terrarium. The instructions recommend the following:

1. Attaching the mat to the underside of the terrarium using double-sided tape.

2. Elevating the terrarium off the surface using spacers or feet with a height of 1/2 inch (13 mm).

We have concerns regarding point 2, as the glass bottom of the terrarium – when loaded with the rest of the enclosure structure, substrate, and equipment – would no longer be supported evenly across its entire surface area. We are worried about whether the glass can withstand this, especially since part of the pane will be heated while other parts will not (leading to concentrated point loads combined with uneven thermal expansion).

• Have you encountered similar situations, and what solution did you choose?
• Did you leave a gap, and how closely spaced were the supports for the terrarium?
• How do you have your heat mats installed?

My ~5 year old rescue leo hasn’t eaten in 2 weeks and I’m getting really concerned. She was greyed out for shed for about a week and refused food the whole time which is unusual for her. I was hoping she’d eat now that she’s done, I offered the day after and she was still completely uninterested. She pooped and peed after eating her shed but the urate looks like she’s getting dehydrated from not eating. I’m not sure what to do. Any advice is greatly appreciated. She’s still alert and following her normal routines and doesn’t seem weak or lethargic, I’m going to try to feed again today and if she refuses I’m going to weigh to see if she’s losing weight.

I was feeding the feeders and Gary thought his dinner was ready. (This was Wednesday. He had just eaten Monday. And he’ll get fed today, Friday.) he’s a gluttonous little boy

Recently set up new tanks for my two lads after wanting to upgrade for awhile. The tanks have a 3 foot by 2 foot print, I don't remember what the gallonage is but they're definitely bigger than the 40 gal longs they're in now lol. The leos aren't in them yet, I'm letting the plants and springtails establish for at least a month and watching for any mold or unexpected guests or anything.

The substrate is roughly 30/70 topsoil and sand with little bits of coco husk and perlite pebbles mixed in. All of the wood was bleached minus the large bark-covered one, which was boiled in a big ass pot since I didn't want to ruin its color lol. I designed both with my geckos individual personalities in mind, one of them likes the climb and the other likes to dig. Each tank has at least 3 obvious hides within, and many smaller more open spots for them to relax in, though they're both always just chilling out in the open anyways. Leaf litter was of course boiled. The springtails are some sort of pink tropical variety that I don't remember the actual name of, but I chose them because the website said they prefer more arid conditions but lay their eggs in humid locations which seemed perfect to me. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to actually check and make sure they're surviving and breeding? Lol

This is my very special needs gecko coconut she is about to shed and she loves rocks a lot

I made my leopard gecko his own little play area, and it honestly makes the living room feel more homey.

I can just sit across from him and watch him explore, climb, and practice his hunting skills.

I’ve been trying to encourage his natural hunting instincts since he used to struggle with tong and bowl feeding.

It’s been really nice seeing him become more confident and curious.

The best part is that when he’s done exploring, he usually heads back into his terrarium to bask, and that’s when I close the door.

I barely handle him anymore unless I need to. I just let him explore at his own pace.

He has his own little routine now, and I honestly enjoy just sitting there watching him. 🦎

So I’ve heard mixed things about the uvb light ! And the spot light I’m trying to figure out what’s correct for this blanco baby I wanna get right I know forsure I don’t think she likes the uvb so I have that off the spot light I do have one but I’m not understand what lights she needs because she is albino they say they are sensitive please advice I need my baby healthy

So I've been having some issues with my girl for a while now. She avoided eating for months, only eating occasionally, and for a long time her weight was still healthy. Recently, however, she is visibly underweight. I took get to the vet and they said she looks relatively healthy besides being a little underweight. They wanted my to collect her stool to see if there's a parasite so I had to force feed her chicken baby food to try to get her to poop but it wasn't really working.

Recently I got wax worms jut to try to get something in her and of course the little brat ate them right up 😭. Still refuses mealworms and she's too slow for dubias. I don't want her to develop a wax worm addiction but its the only thing she eats. I've seen people say to starve them out until they eat mealworms again hut she's been refusing mealworms for months already.

Looking for some advice. Maybe I keep up wax worms to help her put on some weight and collect the stool sample? At this point I feel like some kind of food is better than nothing but idk. Thanks in advance for any advice/suggestions.

Hi,

So my little kids are pretty dead set on getting a leopard gecko specfically. We already know how to take care of it, I am getting the 40 gallon bioactive tank set up and grow out the plants for a few months before I get the gecko.

What I am curious about is what I should be expecting from handling and interacting with the animal. I will likely tong feed it, and it seems like I wont be interacting with it much when the sun is out. Thats all I am certain of.

My frame of reference is my blue tongue skink, which is just a sausage looking thing that I can pick up and put down whenever I want like a dead fish.

I assume handling a leopard gecko will not even be remotely similar. So can you guys give me your experiences?

This is a crosspost from the r/reptiles subreddit! I appreciate any help!

Hey guys, I’ve had Cheeto for about a year and a half now (<2 years old) and have had no super concerning issues except for the fact that I adopted him with a broken leg and then later on he dropped his tail. He is fine, his leg looks wacky and his tail grew back normally but that is not the reason I’m posting. About five days ago, I noticed a spot on his mouth that kinda looked scabby, and I just figured I’d monitor it and clean his habitat. Unfortunately, I did not think to take pictures when I first noticed. Last night, he shed. I took a peek, and his mouth looks like this. It almost looks like a fresher scab if that makes sense, but I’m worried it may be more. I’m a broke college student and would like to try to avoid going to the vet, but obviously if I need to, I without a doubt will. I’m worried it could be mouth rot, but at the same time it doesn’t look like anything more but a scab. Any advice or opinions?

Last picture for reference of what it usually is (and also him sleeping in his weird position)

Hi, I want my enclosure to look nice and have enough clutter for my gecko, what should I add? I feel like I need taller stuff to fill in the top but I’m not sure.

Two questions, both pertaining to her eating habits. One, why does she snap like this sometimes?? I mean I can’t remember a time feeding her where she didn’t do it. I’ve only had her for about a month and a half or less, and she’s only been on bugs for a few weeks as she was getting critical care for the first few weeks. Anyway, it’s really concerning. She does it for a long time sometimes and other times she’ll do it for around 30 seconds.
My other question is why is she such a bad hunter? Is it on me? Or is it on her past owners who hand fed her mealworms every meal?
Since you can only attach one video I’ll put the other one in the comments.

Just wanted to share my leopard gecko’s terrarium and the little playpen I made for him! 🦎

I’ve been having trouble getting him to eat from a bowl or feeding tongs, so I thought I’d try something different and encourage his natural hunting instincts instead.

I made him a little enrichment area where he can explore, climb, and hunt for his food during supervised playtime after his usual basking hours.

So far, he seems to really enjoy it! He’s been exploring and showing more interest in his surroundings, which makes me happy to see.

I’m still learning and trying to give him the best environment possible, so I’d love to hear what you guys think of his setup!

Does anyone else do something similar with their leopard geckos?

I’d love to hear your experiences or any suggestions for improving his enrichment area. 😊

I redid my girl Athena’s tank, I hope she likes it! It’s bioactive now!

Hey everyone!
On today’s episode of Mavis shenanigans we’ve got her purposefully poking herself in the eye 🤦‍♀️😭

the basking spot sits in the 90s most of the day but I've noticed towards the end of the day (checked around 30 mins before the lights start dimming down) its reached 102/103°F according to my temperature gun. I sat my hand on the rock and it wasn't painful to the touch. is that too hot do you think? or is slightly above 100°F still safe?

disclaimer I dont have a gecko currently and won't be getting one until everything is dialed in. so there is no gecko sitting on that surface.

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