# leopard gecko mites



## Suew (Jul 21, 2008)

I kind of got stuck with "Gizzy" my daughters Leopard Gecko. It was too cold in her room during the winter so Gizzy came upstairs in my kitchen & never left. She is in a big aquarium with the same sand my daughter put in when she got her. I think we have had her 8 or 9 months. I added more sand recently & I have been cleaning her poop & taking out dead crickets, etc. My son in law told me yesterday that there were baby crickets mostly in the area where Gizzy sleeps. So, immediately I decided to clean the aquarium because the baby crickets were creeping me out. I went to the pet store & they told me its was mites. I bought Natural Chemistry Reptile Relief. I put a little on Gizzy when I put her in the box. I have sprayed & cleaned all her "furniture" but I have 2 things made of wood that I just sprayed. I have sprayed & scrubbed the aquarium. Is it ok now to put sand in, and everything else & put Gizzy back in there?? I haven't noticed the mites on Gizzy & she is about to shed her skin. Can someone help me? Thanks, Sue


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## Reptilover (Jan 15, 2007)

Personally i recomend using paper towels for substrate all the way. But especially when mites are involved. i wouldnt put the sand back in and start to use paper towels or some other non digestable substrate. When you said it was too cold you still have a heatmat AND a thermostat??


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## Suew (Jul 21, 2008)

*Heatmat & Gizzy*

My kid bought the Gecko herself. A friend who had lizards helped her set it up. She never had a heat mat but she did get a heat type light & turned it on during the day & off at night. When she came upstairs I continued to do this. I would put the light in the area where she slept hoping the other end was cooler until the light was turned off. I put a thermometer in to kind of watch the changes in temperature. Since I have had her upstairs I have read up on Geckos & inquired at the pet store. She seems to be very healthy so far. 
Do you mean you just use paper towels underneath the geckos & nothing else. If thats the case I just spent $20 bucks on sand for her!!! I had no idea. Write me & tell me about it!
After I scrubbed everything. put new sand or whatever you call it & put her back in everything was fine she loved all her clean stuff then this afternoon I mover her little house thingy to see her and I saw a little bug running around. I killed it then didn't see anymore. Did I do everything wrong????


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## Sambee (Jul 4, 2008)

Suew said:


> My kid bought the Gecko herself. A friend who had lizards helped her set it up. She never had a heat mat but she did get a heat type light & turned it on during the day & off at night. When she came upstairs I continued to do this. I would put the light in the area where she slept hoping the other end was cooler until the light was turned off. I put a thermometer in to kind of watch the changes in temperature. Since I have had her upstairs I have read up on Geckos & inquired at the pet store. She seems to be very healthy so far.
> Do you mean you just use paper towels underneath the geckos & nothing else. If thats the case I just spent $20 bucks on sand for her!!! I had no idea. Write me & tell me about it!
> After I scrubbed everything. put new sand or whatever you call it & put her back in everything was fine she loved all her clean stuff then this afternoon I mover her little house thingy to see her and I saw a little bug running around. I killed it then didn't see anymore. Did I do everything wrong????


You have been badly misinformed.

Please replace the sand with reptile carpet, lino, tile, paper towel or newspaper.

Sand can cause impaction for the gecko and it could die a slow and painful death. 

You are more likely to get the mites again from using sand too.

You really need to get a heat mat too. The reason for this is because leopard geckos take heat from underneath them and not from above. So if you have a light on, that is going to benefit the leopard gecko a tiny amount, it is probably freezing!!

I suggest that you google "leopard gecko caresheet" for more information. I'm no expert and I've only had my gecko for a month but saying that, I know to do my own research well before I get any kind of pet.


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## Suew (Jul 21, 2008)

*beginner*

Thanks for all your info!! I want you to know I'm not stupid though. GIzzy belongs to my 18 year old irresponsible daughter. If I wanted a pet lizard I would have researched & been ready. Thats why I am researching now because I'm worried about him.
I saw another mite after I cleaned averything. I haven't looked today.
So you say I need a heatmat. Do I put that under the aquarium on the side whare she sleeps?
Paper towels are best??? How often do you change them?
Doesn't sand make her feel like its a more natural environment?
Again, thank you so much for responding to me.


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## Suew (Jul 21, 2008)

*help with leopard gecko*

Will someone read my other 3 posts on Gizzy & answer my questions, please??
After I cleaned her aquarium I saw one little mite or whatever they are but I haven't seen anymore since.
I need info on using other stuff underneath her instead of sand. Wouldn't sand be the closest thing to a natural environment??
If I get a heatmat where do I put it?
I'll take any help I can get. Thank you!


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## Pirate7 (Apr 7, 2008)

im a noob at leo's myself, hopefully this info is correct, if im wrong i know ill be corrected.

you usualy put the heatmat one end covering 1/3rd of the viv i think thats right im not quite sure but that how much mine is covering. i have 3 hides in mine 2 in the cool end and one in the hot end and mine usualy sleep on the hot end. So yeah were it normaly sleeps. You'll also need to get a matstat which controls the heat.

change the paper towls every time theyre soild. i think... one of mine are on the towls and i change every time it is soiled.

i think geckos live on rocky & dry grassland (as wikipeida says) so sand really aint there natural enviorment. 

]first time giving help, so hopefully its correct. but someone more expreneced will come allong.


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## imitebmike (Jun 22, 2008)

If you have a wooden vivarium you should put the heat mat inside the viv, and if its glass, then on the outside
Also, Place it on the bottom, as leos get the majority of heat from their tumtums


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## linda60 (Jan 14, 2008)

I use tiles for my leos put the heat mat under the tiles and the heat will radiate through,you must use a thermostat to keep the heat at a constant temparture about 86f (30c) to 70f (21c).If you can see what you think are mites running around they are probably not mites as these are minute and will be on your gecko as they suck the geckos blood.Try and take out any uneaten crickets at the end of the night as these can bite your gecko causing stress and stopping it from resting comfortably,if you think there are still some in the viv,put a bit of veg in for them to eat and they will leave your gecko alone,you should also dust the crickets with calcium and vitamin supplement about once a week if it is an adult more often for babies and juveniles.You can put a small dish like a milk bottle cap filled with calcium in the viv for the gecko to help its self,also provide a moist hide with damp moss inside to help with shedding.Why not try a few other food types for variaty meal worms are cheap and easy to handle.


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## Scaxtile (Aug 12, 2017)

You have been misinformed, I am surprised the gecko has survived, your daughter should not own this sweet darling, do not house a leopard gecko in sand, this causes impaction, use kitchen towel/tile/other substances. You should use a heat pad stick under the aquarium/enclosure which it is at 80-90 degrees I believe( you also need a thermometer to make sure it is the right temperature at all times), then one on the other side which is cooler, three hides one on the hot side, two on the cool side, one humid and one regular (the humid will help the gecko to shed, also a humidity measurer so it isn't too humid as this could cause illnesses) in guessing you know about calcium and vitamins etc, I may not have got the temperatures completely right as I don't own a leopard gecko just yet but I have put many hours into research, hope this helped with the cage and care


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## Shellsfeathers&fur (Jan 18, 2009)

Scaxtile said:


> You have been misinformed, I am surprised the gecko has survived, your daughter should not own this sweet darling, do not house a leopard gecko in sand, this causes impaction, use kitchen towel/tile/other substances. You should use a heat pad stick under the aquarium/enclosure which it is at 80-90 degrees I believe( you also need a thermometer to make sure it is the right temperature at all times), then one on the other side which is cooler, three hides one on the hot side, two on the cool side, one humid and one regular (the humid will help the gecko to shed, also a humidity measurer so it isn't too humid as this could cause illnesses) in guessing you know about calcium and vitamins etc, I may not have got the temperatures completely right as I don't own a leopard gecko just yet but I have put many hours into research, hope this helped with the cage and care


This thread is from nine years ago!

Husbandry has changed a bit since then. If you would like to post your thoughts on why you do not recommend sand in an enclosure in the main Lizard section, I am sure you will get some good informative discussions going.


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