Reptiles - Geckos, Lizards, Snakes, and Turtles!

[triplethesix]

i own a leopard gecko, and they seem pretty healthy as far as i can tell from online websites. now, i got this gecko from a store that a lot of people say mistreats their leopard geckos and they are often unhealthy? is there anything i should look for?

[CSF]

i own a leopard gecko, and they seem pretty healthy as far as i can tell from online websites. now, i got this gecko from a store that a lot of people say mistreats their leopard geckos and they are often unhealthy? is there anything i should look for?

Make sure they didn't give you any incorrect information. What's your set up like? Do you own just one?

[triplethesix]

i own a leopard gecko, and they seem pretty healthy as far as i can tell from online websites. now, i got this gecko from a store that a lot of people say mistreats their leopard geckos and they are often unhealthy? is there anything i should look for?

Make sure they didn't give you any incorrect information. What's your set up like? Do you own just one?

i own one female leopard gecko. her tank is 10 gallons, and the ground is eco earth. she has two hide outs, but one is more exposed. there is a water dish and a food dish, and a heating pad is on the side of the tank. i feed her live crickets which she prefers, but i include live mealworms in her dish occasionally.

i read that sand was bad for them, but hey did recommend me sand which i didn’t purchase. many of the geckos were missing their tails, but i made sure that i got one who had her tail.

[CSF]

i own a leopard gecko, and they seem pretty healthy as far as i can tell from online websites. now, i got this gecko from a store that a lot of people say mistreats their leopard geckos and they are often unhealthy? is there anything i should look for?

Make sure they didn't give you any incorrect information. What's your set up like? Do you own just one?

i own one female leopard gecko. her tank is 10 gallons, and the ground is eco earth. she has two hide outs, but one is more exposed. there is a water dish and a food dish, and a heating pad is on the side of the tank. i feed her live crickets which she prefers, but i include live mealworms in her dish occasionally.

i read that sand was bad for them, but hey did recommend me sand which i didn’t purchase. many of the geckos were missing their tails, but i made sure that i got one who had her tail.

Technically any loose substrate is bad for them. They have a Jacobson organ that causes them to lick things, meaning they can ingest whatever is around. Eco earth isn't a good substrate because it's loose and it can cause the humidity to be too high and they can get a respiratory infection. An easier and safer flooring would be papertowels, or I use nonadhesive kitchen shelf liner. Easy to clean, no risk of catching toes or teeth, and it comes in many patterns ^-^

She should have a heating pad below one side of the tank that covers 1/3 the bottom. This should be connected to a thermostat so it doesn't get too hot. They need belly heat to digest their food. 3 hides is also a need. One on the warm side, one on the cool side and the other in the middle. The one in the middle is where you can put eco earth, because it will be the humid hide :)

She'll also need calcium and vitamins. I put mine in a cleaned out Gatorade cap.

You didn't mention them, but you don't need any lights above their tank for heat or ref lights. They hurt their eyes. Also, remove any uneaten crickets if you're walking away, as they can bite your gecko.
In the future, it's also okay to get a gecko that has dropped their tail. They will regrow it, but it will look different than the original. You'd just have to keep it clean and feed regularly while they regrow it ^-^

[Bluecatfire]

i have caught lots of wild lizard ad kept them as pets Xd its wried for some people and i got bitten once on my tumb skin by a big lized and then the tiny one tried to bite me but i let go of it cue i got scared XD

[sunflower,]

@sunflower

So great you rescued the little guy!

Crested can eat a variety of bugs however most fruit the calcium to phosphorus ratio is off. (Always use fresh fruit never baby food or applesauce or fruit cups etc) In addition to Repashy you can check out Pangea as the have several flavors. They also have a Breeders formula with higher protein for growing geckos, so if your new guy is on the thin side I highly suggest using this to get his weight up and build some muscle. (Go to http://www.pangeareptile.com)

GOOD FRUIT you can feed in moderation (once or twice a month, as a treat): Pureed Papaya, Fig, Mango.
OK FRUIT you can feed rarely : Pureed Banana
BAD FRUIT to avoid never feed: Citrus (orange, lime, lemon), Avacado , Starfruit, Rhubarb

For bugs you can also try Dubia Roaches (illegal in Florida though), Discoid, rarely you can try Wax Worms (high in fats) and Hornworms . If he definitely won't eat bugs, you can try adding some Cricket Powder to his food for the extra protein. It's like eating the bugs but without having to deal with live bugs lol.

Hope this helps YOu can also check this page here for other fruits Ca:Ph ratios though remember the Citrus and High acid fruits are not good to feed > link here <

I have no experience with geckos, but maybe he'll eat freeze-dried crickets? If you hide it in his food he might eat it, kind of like space fox said with cricket powder

thanks so much! i really appreciate it, and i'll be sure to try to feed him some fresh fruit and dubai roaches (along with repashy)! and maybe some freeze-dried crickets as well!

here's a picture of him! i've decided on naming him kovu.



(sorry, it's a little blurry)
(also, please excuse the pink paint on the outside of the tank. younger siblings haha)
i have a fishtank as well, and he seems to really like staring at the fish!
he's doing quite well. he loves climbing up on my arm and sitting on my shoulder. it's so cute!

[saorsa]

aw what a sweetie! if you ever have any other questions you can PM me, i breed cresteds c:
i adopted one from petsmart for free several years ago, nobody wanted him because he dropped his tail and they thought something was wrong with him. they're like potato chips to me, can't have just one lol. i have actually worked for the company Pangea and I know the owner and staff personally. great group of people and their food flavors are a big hit with my geckos

[CSF]

i have caught lots of wild lizard ad kept them as pets Xd its wried for some people and i got bitten once on my tumb skin by a big lized and then the tiny one tried to bite me but i let go of it cue i got scared XD

You should never catch and keep wild animals. They won't survive very long because they won't be able to hunt like they normally would and they will not adjust well. If catching them to get them to move them out of a location, please release them back outside :)

[Violently Violet]

i have caught lots of wild lizard ad kept them as pets Xd its wried for some people and i got bitten once on my tumb skin by a big lized and then the tiny one tried to bite me but i let go of it cue i got scared XD

You should never catch and keep wild animals. They won't survive very long because they won't be able to hunt like they normally would and they will not adjust well. If catching them to get them to move them out of a location, please release them back outside

I believe that this is true in a lot of situations.. but plenty of people successfully keep wild-caught reptiles. My first snake was a WC plains garter snake. He lived a little over a year in captivity with me before my inexperience got the better of him (I had researched A LOT, but I had no thermostat, wasn't monitoring temps or humidity, wasn't putting calcium supplements in his fish & worms, and I'm thinking he may have had RI or something).

Now I take MUCH better care of my BP, and am much more educated.

But anyway, my point is, lots of people keep WC animals. As long as it is legal where you live, and you actually know and have studied up on their requirements and how to take care of them, as you should any pet, then I see no reason not to. However, you do need to watch out for parasites in WC animals, and if you have a collection that you would not want it to spread to, then maybe try treating them for parasites. WC animals will also be a lot less tame, but if you get them as babies, with time they may become used to you.

So, you can keep WC animals. But should you? Is it morally acceptable? Won't the reptile be unhappy in captivity? It depends on how you morally view the capture and keeping of any animal, including WC. To take an animal that is thriving in the wild (no injuries or situations that would endanger its health) and bring it into captivity for no reason other than to keep or breed the animal is controversial. But what makes a reptile any happier in the wild than in captivity? If it has access to food, water, acceptable temperatures, suitable space to roam, mental enrichment so that it does not become bored, and overall proper care and husbandry meeting all the needs depending on the species and individual, then it should be "happy".

I personally believe that animals do have emotions, albeit a different kind and way of expressing that than us, but to say that a reptile can identify a situation where its needs are being met as making it "unhappy" just because it is not in a wild environment, is anthropomorphizing them.

However, a lot of WC reptiles do get stressed from being captured, contained, and having contact with humans. They can get scared and live their captive life in fear. If you get a WC reptile, it is your job to try and reduce this stress as much as possible. You can do this by adding extra hides, covering the sides of the enclosure in black paper, and trying to make it feel more secure. Constant handling will also stress it out, however handling the reptile often will also have it become tame and reduce stress the more it realizes that you are not a threat. It all depends on the animal and situation.

But I believe that if your local laws allows it and you have proper husbandry and knowledge of the species, then it is morally acceptable to capture and keep a wild reptile.

I personally try to avoid keeping adult WC reptiles now, as they are not very tame, and can carry parasites. And I don't feel the need to take them out of an environment where they are thriving if they are not injured (my garter was caught by our cats as a baby so that's why I took him in). However I have nothing against those who have WC reptiles, as long as they are being properly taken care of.

This is all the way I see it, and I respect your opinion ^u^

[maninkari]

I have a wild caught Rosy and so does my friend. Hers has lived in captivity for over 40 years, and is still going strong. Some animals do just fine as long as you have proper husbandry, and of course it has to be legal to keep them.