# hi everyone newby here !



## jacko32 (Jan 26, 2012)

hi everyone just joined 

im from huddersfield west yorkshire i have been keeping tropical fish for about 5 years now and was looking into something new.
as with all new pet projects i like to do plenty of research before buying im thinking a 3' vivarium and i like the look of geckos so really could do with info on the equipment i will need to buy before im ready to get the little fella.

i have been told that geckos like a smaller vivarium i thought if i got a 3' one i could partition it and use it for 2 gecko would this be a reasonable idea ?

cheers jacko


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## Mujician (Mar 7, 2007)

There are lots of species of gecko. So you would need to be more specific as most of their requirements are different. I'm guessing you mean leopard geckos as these are the most common beginner species. If so, a three foot viv would be fine for two adults. There is no reason you shouldn't put two babies in there as long as you provide plenty of places for them to hide and feel secure.

To keep them happy, you would need a heat source, normally a heat mat, or ceramic for leopard geckos ad they don't require any lighting bring nocturnal. Some people including me use a spot lamp for heat. The heat source MUST be plugged into a thermostat set to 90 degrees at the warm end.


For substrate I personally use soft astro turf like you see at a local green grocer. Some folks use Lino, or even just newspaper. 


Welcome to the forum


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## jacko32 (Jan 26, 2012)

hi thanks i was looking at several geckos including 
golden gecko
hybino leo
dwarf yellow head
crested
bibrons
marbled
carrot tail baldy
white spot
i was also looking at tremper mack snow 
like i said i will be doing a lot of research so any info will be great

cheers


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## Mujician (Mar 7, 2007)

jacko32 said:


> hi thanks i was looking at several geckos including
> golden gecko
> hybino leo
> dwarf yellow head
> ...


Tremper mack snow, hybino, carrot tail baldy are all the same animal. A leopard gecko.

Some of the different species you've mentioned will require differing set-ups so you need to work out exactly how much space you have, what kind of set-up you can maintain, then go looking for an animal that you like and will live in the viv you can put together. 

Cresties and Chinese cave geckos don't need any extra heating so may be two good species to look into.


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## jacko32 (Jan 26, 2012)

that explains another question i just saw them all listed on blue lizard reptiles also is that a good place to buy from ?

is there any books you can recommend i get that will help me out.

cheers


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## Mujician (Mar 7, 2007)

Blue Lizard are great, if you are local it's very worth a visit and the staff are very welcoming.

Rather than a book, I would recommend the Internet! You do however need to exercise a certain amount of caution as a lot of stuff on the net is crap. You need to read a load, and work out a happy medium from all the stuff you've read. Then, if you still need to make things clear, come on here and ask a few questions!


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## Spot (Jun 15, 2011)

Can I suggest (to narrow your field of possibilities down) that you consider what you want from a reptile.


Your list of possible species includes both those that need desert/dry and those that need a more tropical/moist environment. You've also got both handleable species and those that are more for display, and both nocturnal and diurnal geckos on your suggested list.

For instance, do you want to be able to handle your gecko/s or is that not very important to you?

What about your typical schedule? A reptile that's always kipping while you're around isn't going to be a very satisfying pet! So think about whether you want one that's nocturnal/crepuscular or diurnal.

So, just to illustrate - supposing handling is not important (which doesn't mean no interaction btw. Just something that's too delicate and/or fast to be constantly fiddled about with) and you wanted geckos that you would be able to watch during the day. Well then the day geckos would be for you - the Phelsuma and Lygodactylus species. They're small, beautifully coloured and are utterly fascinating to watch. They do best in glass terrariums, though their small size means not very big ones, and a tropical environment.

If, on the other hand, you wanted to handle your gecko and it suited you to have something which becomes active in the evening/night, then a leopard gecko or african fat-tail would be good - they're placid and relatively robust and easily tamed. They need a dry vivarium which is easier to set up in a wooden one.

There are so many varieties of gecko with different needs and characteristics, it really would help you to narrow down your research if you can come to a decision on what type of behaviour etc would suit you best.

Hope this is of some help to you.


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## jacko32 (Jan 26, 2012)

Spot said:


> Can I suggest (to narrow your field of possibilities down) that you consider what you want from a reptile.
> 
> 
> Your list of possible species includes both those that need desert/dry and those that need a more tropical/moist environment. You've also got both handleable species and those that are more for display, and both nocturnal and diurnal geckos on your suggested list.
> ...


i defo want 1 i can handle and im around the fish tanks all day but i have most free time in the afternoon/evening and night i really like the look of the hybino variations of leos would these be a decent starter to gain some experience before trying those that need a more tropical/moist environment which i would really like to keep also once i have a better understanding.


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## Spot (Jun 15, 2011)

Yep.

Leo's are usually considered an excellent starter lizard as their requirements are not particularly complicated or difficult to maintain.

You'll need a viv (minimum of 2 ft long - wood for preference), a heat mat to cover about a third of the floor area and a thermostat to regulate it (the mat stats are the cheapest type too). A couple of digital thermometers will enable you to keep an eye on the temperature gradient and calcium and vitamin supplements to dust the food are your only other necessary purchases.

The rest like decor and such can either be bought or made/improvised. In this vein you will need a couple or more hides - one of which must be kept moist (using moss or similar) to aid in shedding. Things to climb on and so on keep things interesting for them and good for you to look at.

Substrate is a contentious issue - i.e should you use loose substrate or not, a lot of people use lino or tile the floor (easily wiped down and you can get a natural-ish look with it. Just avoid anything too shiny), some use kitchen roll or reptile carpet, others use play-sand or desert-bedding. The issue is that accidental ingestion of sand or similar can impact in the gut - fatal. Also, loose sand isn't a natural environment for leos anyway. They're from Afghanistan - rocks and compacted arid dirt.

There are a lot of caresheets about for leos - you'll have no trouble finding specific info and look in the habitat forums of this site for set-up ideas.

Good luck.


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## jacko32 (Jan 26, 2012)

Spot said:


> Yep.
> 
> Leo's are usually considered an excellent starter lizard as their requirements are not particularly complicated or difficult to maintain.
> 
> ...


great im looking at a 3' viv on ebay i will look on there for the other items aswell thanks for your help i had a look on youtube at some keepers videos for more info i saw 1 recommend lino i think i will go down that rout


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## Spot (Jun 15, 2011)

You're welcome. 

A 3ft viv would be great. If eBay doesn't have all the bits you want, check out the online stores that advertise here - they are usually very good value.

Lino can be a good choice because you can get offcuts cheap/free and you can get naturalistic designs (if that's what you want of course - there are plenty of people who go for decidedly unnatural looking set-ups. The lizards don't care what it looks like!).


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## jacko32 (Jan 26, 2012)

Spot said:


> You're welcome.
> 
> A 3ft viv would be great. If eBay doesn't have all the bits you want, check out the online stores that advertise here - they are usually very good value.
> 
> Lino can be a good choice because you can get offcuts cheap/free and you can get naturalistic designs (if that's what you want of course - there are plenty of people who go for decidedly unnatural looking set-ups. The lizards don't care what it looks like!).


do you still need a heat matt if you have a heat rock or are these the same thing also what sort of lighting would you use to watch nocturnal geckos


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## Mujician (Mar 7, 2007)

People don't like heat rocks on here. I don't see a problem with them as long as you have it plugged into a thermostat and the probe is touching the warm part of the 'rock'. Yes, heat mats do the same thing but heat mats cover a larger area. For what is costs I'd go for a heat mat. If you want to create a 'hot rock' you could easily find a rock from an aquatics/reptile shop and stick a spot lamp above it.


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## Mujician (Mar 7, 2007)

As for lighting. Most leos are used to normal lights. Only albinos are sensitive to them. Even low level lights will upset nocturnal animals. I only ever see my cave gecko when it's pitch black and it's summer!!


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## jacko32 (Jan 26, 2012)

Mujician said:


> As for lighting. Most leos are used to normal lights. Only albinos are sensitive to them. Even low level lights will upset nocturnal animals. I only ever see my cave gecko when it's pitch black and it's summer!!


do you put the heat matt under the lino ? also how would blue LED light strips be would they work ok


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## Mujician (Mar 7, 2007)

Yes.

They would be fine. And would disturb an albino Leo less.


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## BenjaminBoaz (Jan 6, 2006)

I wouldnt try splitting any viv. buy what you need for each animal that way you cant go wrong.


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## jacko32 (Jan 26, 2012)

is there any benefits to buying a pulse stat to run a heat matt or do i need to get a regular stat


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## Mujician (Mar 7, 2007)

A mat stat is good for use with just heat mats, a pulse stat is good for any non light emitting heater such as ceramic bulb, heat cable or heat mat. A dimmer stat is good for use with light emitting heat heaters such as a spot bulb and also non light emitting heaters.

A may stat will be by far the cheapest so most people opt for that if it's just for a mat


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## jacko32 (Jan 26, 2012)

Mujician said:


> A mat stat is good for use with just heat mats, a pulse stat is good for any non light emitting heater such as ceramic bulb, heat cable or heat mat. A dimmer stat is good for use with light emitting heat heaters such as a spot bulb and also non light emitting heaters.
> 
> A may stat will be by far the cheapest so most people opt for that if it's just for a mat


thanks thats cleared a few questions i had up

is it a good idea to get a roach hotel going or do most people just buy live food as and when required ?

where is a good place online to buy a leo from ? 

is leaping lizards a good place as there quite close to me


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## lukeors (May 5, 2011)

i would highly recommend cresties over leopards just to throw things in the mix :lol2: personally ive found leopards not to be great starters there not a fan of handling when young and sometimes even adult where as cresties are and also you get the fun of your crestie doing little jumps onto your hand - crestie all the way :2thumb: cresties are more height though so thats something have to bere in mind


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## jacko32 (Jan 26, 2012)

lukeors said:


> i would highly recommend cresties over leopards just to throw things in the mix :lol2: personally ive found leopards not to be great starters there not a fan of handling when young and sometimes even adult where as cresties are and also you get the fun of your crestie doing little jumps onto your hand - crestie all the way :2thumb: cresties are more height though so thats something have to bere in mind


i was looking at crested but you dont get so many colour morphs to be honest theres so many lizards im interested in geckos seems like a cool place to start and get some experience im just doing research at the moment and getting together a list of equipment


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## Spot (Jun 15, 2011)

You were asking about where to buy leos from.

Frankly, pretty much any reptile shop will have some and you can even get them at [email protected] if you're not fussy about morphs. 

If you are thinking about a specific morph (and it seems you are) a breeder will be more likely to have what you're after - remember there is a classified section on this site.

The other possibility is online. I've not experience of them myself, but there a couple of sites that I've seen spoken well of here:

Triple 8 Reptiles - 888 Reptiles - Online Reptile Shop UK - Reptile Supplies

Blue Lizard Reptiles - Reptile Shop

Edit: Just remembered. It was a leo at Blue Lizard you first had your eye on, wasn't it! :blush:

Go for it while they're in stock!


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## Dan Trafford (Mar 10, 2011)

If you are only having the one Leo. Don't bother breeding roaches, you'll end up with far too many and what if you can't pass them onto other people? For a couple of quid a week, I stick to buying (I decided against breeding for this reason)


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## Dan Trafford (Mar 10, 2011)

I would advise getting a book. Not because you won't be able to keep a leo without a book, but simply becasue they are great fun to read! It adds so much excitement to buying a rep. I have had my chameleon book now for a good 3-4 months and I still keep going back to read it! You'll find everything you need in a beginners book. Leo's need simple requirements, so everything in there will be accurate.


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## jacko32 (Jan 26, 2012)

Dan Trafford said:


> I would advise getting a book. Not because you won't be able to keep a leo without a book, but simply becasue they are great fun to read! It adds so much excitement to buying a rep. I have had my chameleon book now for a good 3-4 months and I still keep going back to read it! You'll find everything you need in a beginners book. Leo's need simple requirements, so everything in there will be accurate.


i bought a few books off ebay and it just made me want even more im starting with 1 but would really like to get more i thought about the roach hotel and wondered if the birds might eat any excess if they breed too fast.

im going to have a visit to leaping lizards at york in about 4 weeks when i have got all the stuff i need together.
most of the shops close only have a limited stock which is mainly bearded dragons plus there pet shops so dont really specialise in 1 area were leaping lizards are specialists so i should be able to pick up some tips aswell.


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## Dan Trafford (Mar 10, 2011)

Now I'm not a bird expert but generally speaking, our UK birds don't eat a lot of bugs and I doubt they would eat roaches at all, and no way in the quantity that I expect you would be throwing out.


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## jacko32 (Jan 26, 2012)

Dan Trafford said:


> Now I'm not a bird expert but generally speaking, our UK birds don't eat a lot of bugs and I doubt they would eat roaches at all, and no way in the quantity that I expect you would be throwing out.


oh right i will leave them for now then and just buy food in

your not far from me dan can i ask which shop you buy your reptiles from ?


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## Dan Trafford (Mar 10, 2011)

Well I've bought mine off breeders actually. My current cham I got from Lilly Exotics (which is a shop too) but in Kent I think. Now I know that near you there is a very good shop, on Leeds road called Paws for thought. They have a great selection and they seem to look after them properly.


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## jacko32 (Jan 26, 2012)

Dan Trafford said:


> Well I've bought mine off breeders actually. My current cham I got from Lilly Exotics (which is a shop too) but in Kent I think. Now I know that near you there is a very good shop, on Leeds road called Paws for thought. They have a great selection and they seem to look after them properly.


cant find a paws for thought on leeds road theres a couple in leeds i could go have a look at though


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## Dan Trafford (Mar 10, 2011)

jacko32 said:


> cant find a paws for thought on leeds road theres a couple in leeds i could go have a look at though


My apologies mate that was duff information, it's the one on York Rd in Leeds.


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## jacko32 (Jan 26, 2012)

Dan Trafford said:


> My apologies mate that was duff information, it's the one on York Rd in Leeds.


no worries im going to check that 1 out in a couple of weeks


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