Old lizard. New house?

[BowandWalter]

I spent the day researching the natural habitat of leopard geckos, then decided to turn my poor elderly ladies world upside down. The end with her heater and bowls has a Reptimoss carpet and the rest is a scrubby coco coir like substance called rainforest mulch. There's a big cave under the hill and a little one on top of it. I think it will work out, she seems excited, at least as excited as a 6 or 7 year old gecko can be. Any opinions? Good idea or one for the trash heap?

 

[acrantophis]

Elderly?! I had a pet gecko die at 37 years old! She laid eggs up to almost 30 years old. Yours is just a teenager. Great set up. Very creative!

 

[BowandWalter]

Elderly?! I had a pet gecko die at 37 years old! She laid eggs up to almost 30 years old. Yours is just a teenager. Great set up. Very creative!

Really?! Wow. I'd always heard 9 was old! Thats awesome. Maybe I'll have to get her friends after all!

 

[Angi]

I heard 20, but I am pretty new to geckos. I never would have thought I could love a lizard, but I adore Smallz.

 

[BowandWalter]

I heard 20, but I am pretty new to geckos. I never would have thought I could love a lizard, but I adore Smallz.

I know in the wild they can live that long. Captivity for some reason makes them live shorter life spans, but they probably average it out, so that would include all the badly cared for geckos. I hope she lives a long healthy life, I always wanted to breed her but figured she was to old, when I'm done with school I can get her a mate!

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What would be an interesting color mutation to breed to a eclipse eye blizzard gecko? She's a darker purple mutation, she's at a light faze right now.

 

[lisa127]

She's not elderly at all! She is actually probably considered quite young for a leopard gecko. The enclosure looks nice, though when I was breeding them and kept them as pets I never kept them on any type of particulate substrate.

 

[BowandWalter]

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She's not elderly at all! She is actually probably considered quite young for a leopard gecko. The enclosure looks nice, though when I was breeding them and kept them as pets I never kept them on any type of particulate substrate.

I always feel like it's best to try to keep something in a habitat as close to the wild as I can get it. Plus this just seems so much more fun then AstroTurf or newspaper (I don't really know any other non particulate substrates). I'm glad she not elderly, she's the coolest leopard gecko I've ever seen, trying to replace her would be impossible.

 

[lisa127]

That non adhesive shelf liner can be used and comes in different colors. There are browns and tans that can look more natural. Leopard geckos are not like tortoises. No keepers, breeders, or anyone well known in the hobby advocates particulate substrates for them. Way too much chance of ingestion and impaction. Lots of people also cover the floor in slate tiles. That looks cool and there's no chance of impaction. The slate tiles also heat up nicely for belly heat.

 

[BowandWalter]

That non adhesive shelf liner can be used and comes in different colors. There are browns and tans that can look more natural. Leopard geckos are not like tortoises. No keepers, breeders, or anyone well known in the hobby advocates particulate substrates for them. Way too much chance of ingestion and impaction. Lots of people also cover the floor in slate tiles. That looks cool and there's no chance of impaction. The slate tiles also heat up nicely for belly heat.

I've had her much longer then my tortoise, in fact, for the last 7 years she was on sand. I guess I'm just not big enough in the hobby for shelf liner. I've never had impaction problems with this substrate and it's in several of my other reptile tanks, which have much more exuberant substrate eaters then Gumps is.

 

[lisa127]

Well, at least you got her off the sand. That's a start.

 

[BowandWalter]

Well, at least you got her off the sand. That's a start.

I actually have cared for 16 leopard geckos, including a breeding pair. The ones who have natural habitats where they can climb and dig are much more active then ones kept on things like AstroTurf and newspaper. Gumps is just my only "at home" gecko.

 

[lisa127]

Really? You've cared for 16 leopard geckos and you thought she was old at this age?

I'm sorry you feel that I am being critical. But you did ask for our opinions. And my opinion was that while it looked nice, I didn't think it was a great idea. And I stick by that. I've cared for, bred, and seen many many geckos myself(many more than 16). And my experience has not been as yours. Again, my apologies if you feel offended.

 

[BowandWalter]

Really? You've cared for 16 leopard geckos and you thought she was old at this age?

I'm sorry you feel that I am being critical. But you did ask for our opinions. And my opinion was that while it looked nice, I didn't think it was a great idea. And I stick by that. I've cared for, bred, and seen many many geckos myself(many more than 16). And my experience has not been as yours. Again, my apologies if you feel offended.

I'm not offended, I actually like hearing other opinions. I worked at a pet store until I realized that if I stayed any longer I'd go insane (my manager enjoyed killing small animals, then claiming that it was accidental). I know the reasons behind not liking particulate substrate, though many people have had things die from impaction I have not. I always like trying different things, and if they don't appear to be working I have no problem changing them. I also always try to do things differently, not like silly "leopard geckos like being on fire" differently, but like finding out how they live in the wild and duplicating it differently. I'd be thrilled if you'd tell me about some of your different leopard geckos and experiences, people should only stop learning once their dead.

 

[Floof]

It looks neat, but I'm also wary of the particle substrate. I've never personally kept Leopard geckos, but it's my understanding that the concerns/risks are about the same as with the Bearded Dragons I'm used to. On that front, Slate Tile is an awesome compromise--it looks very natural and pretty, without the constant worry of ingestion and impaction (which is *always* a risk, even if you have been lucky with past animals).

As far as trying to replicate their natural environment, I agree that's always a nice goal. Experimenting is always a fun and interesting experience. I think you would find this thread interesting. It's an old thread from a snake forum I frequent, where the poster tried out an alternative, naturalistic substrate option: http://www.cornsnakes.com/forums/showthread.php?t=101129&highlight=leopard+gecko

 

[lisa127]

I will say, this substrate is a little better than the sand at any rate. Sand is the biggest risk. It's my personal preferance not to take the risk. Let's face it, every gecko is ok on any substrate........until the day they are not. I'm not saying every gecko will become impacted. I'm saying every gecko that becomes impacted was ok until that point.

 

[CourtneyAndCarl]

If you want a non particulate substrate that is probably one of the most natural things they will find, try slate tile. In the wild, leopard geckos live in rocky areas with lots of dens and hiding spots, but for the most part they don't spend their time on any dirt or sand, it's mostly all spend on rocks. My leopard gecko is on rough slate tiles and loves it, she will lay her belly down on the tile to warm herself.

The only time that geckos really need to be able to dig is when they are laying eggs.

 

[BowandWalter]

It looks neat, but I'm also wary of the particle substrate. I've never personally kept Leopard geckos, but it's my understanding that the concerns/risks are about the same as with the Bearded Dragons I'm used to. On that front, Slate Tile is an awesome compromise--it looks very natural and pretty, without the constant worry of ingestion and impaction (which is *always* a risk, even if you have been lucky with past animals).

As far as trying to replicate their natural environment, I agree that's always a nice goal. Experimenting is always a fun and interesting experience. I think you would find this thread interesting. It's an old thread from a snake forum I frequent, where the poster tried out an alternative, naturalistic substrate option: http://www.cornsnakes.com/forums/showthread.php?t=101129&highlight=leopard+gecko

That's very cool. I don't envy him trying to clean the clay out later, but it's a really cool idea.

 

[Floof]

That's very cool. I don't envy him trying to clean the clay out later, but it's a really cool idea.

Lol, no, I suspect that part isn't terribly fun. It is neat, though, and would certainly be an interesting thing to try!

 

[BowandWalter]

I will say, this substrate is a little better than the sand at any rate. Sand is the biggest risk. It's my personal preferance not to take the risk. Let's face it, every gecko is ok on any substrate........until the day they are not. I'm not saying every gecko will become impacted. I'm saying every gecko that becomes impacted was ok until that point.

I was looking at it over the weekend thinking of ways to change it, and I realized that what might not have come across is that the rainforest mulch is pressed into boards, I can get it to crumble, but it involves a saw and then breaking it against the kitchen table, it's not something I imagine would be easy for a lizard. The only loose substrate is in the back in the pot with aloe growing in it, the loose ground in the pot is also covered by some sort of succulent (I don't remember the name but it was on the tortoise safe to eat list).

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Lol, no, I suspect that part isn't terribly fun. It is neat, though, and would certainly be an interesting thing to try!

It would. I do a lot of ceramic art, it makes me wonder how hot his lights were. To get it that solid they'd have to be scorching.

 

[Floof]

Oooh, ok. Yeah, the pressed into boards part didn't quite make it in translation, at least for me. When I heard rainforest mulch, I thought Reptibark or cypress mulch or something.

As far as the clay, from what I gathered from the post, it sounds like he probably threw a few very hot bulbs on it and left them on 24/7 for a 3 days--seems like it'd be enough time, not unlike sticking it in the oven at a low temperature for a few days straight.