[Mango]

Hello people!
I have has a sub adult Leopard Gecko Male (Tangerine) called MANGO.
I have only had him 2 weeks and i have never cared for any type of reptile before
I am so happy to have this little man and i already have a very strong sense of care, loyalty and love for Mango!
he is in a 1ft sq vivarium at the moment as i was told this was the right size to make him feel safe at the moment intill he grows!
I do have some questions! i have been to the liberay and read so many books and articules on leopard geckos but one person says one thing another says something diffrent so can someone with expiercence answer my Questions?

1) I have a 2ft by 1ft vivarium that i brought from RSPCA (reptile rescue) for when Mango is bigger can i put a female friend in there for him or is this to small? I am going to get a member of my family to add a small shelf inside the vivarium to create more floor space and add abit more intrest. So can i get him a friend for this size tank?

2) I feed Mango calcium dusted crickets and waxs worms as a treat! how ever. Can i really feed my gecko insects out of the garden? i gave him a couple of wood lice and he loved them!

Thank you so much i really want to be a fantastic parent to my gecko and do not want to let him down i have spent so so so so much money on the set ups and accesories so far so i can not afford much more money! Mango seems happy and is getting more tame everyday he makes my heart Melt when he is sleeping awwwwwwwww bless him xxx Thank you so much to anyone who replies to this Message x

[Mango]

hmmmmm no one has replied not sure if i posted this correctly or said something i should not off!

Hiya and welcome to the forums hunny. It can be quite confusing the amount of info about.

If I was you I would'nt add a shelf purely because gecko's don't really do heights also if you gecko falls then it could get injured. As for adding a friend for her I would say the viv size would be ok but you would need to quarantine the new gecko for at least 3mths in case it is carrying anything also get a fecal test done to make sure its not carrying any parasites.

I would'nt feed any bugs out of my garden to any of my reps as you don't know where they have been and if they have been in contact with any chemicals. Its better to be safer than sorry hunny.

Chuffed you are happy with your gecko they are fun and I'm sure you won't stop at one lol,I did'nt

[SleepyDee]

Originally Posted by Mango

1) I have a 2ft by 1ft vivarium that i brought from RSPCA (reptile rescue) for when Mango is bigger can i put a female friend in there for him or is this to small? I am going to get a member of my family to add a small shelf inside the vivarium to create more floor space and add abit more intrest. So can i get him a friend for this size tank?

A 2ft x 1ft viv is just right for a single sub-adult/adult leo ~ not withstanding the need for quarentine for any new arrivals I really would not put another leo in with him ~ not least because a 2ft viv isn't really bug enough for two regardless if shelves are added or not but ... firstly leos are not really social creatures and at best only tolerate each other but also because putting a female in with a male can lead to the male trying to mate with the female almost constantly which could end with her becoming that stressed/bullied that it affects her health.
I personally keep males seperate from females and only put them together for a short time for breeding.

2) I feed Mango calcium dusted crickets and waxs worms as a treat! how ever. Can i really feed my gecko insects out of the garden? i gave him a couple of wood lice and he loved them!

whilst a diet consisting of well gutloaded crickets can be enough I really do not recommend using waxxies (even as a treat)... would try offering locusts or roaches for treats instead and as with all livefood make sure it's well gutloaded
I definately would not use livefood from the garden etc ~ not only is there a high risk of contamination of pesticides etc but also a variety of parasites... imo it really is not worth the risk.
I do have a variety of care-guides on my website that may be of further help with your leo

[Olivine]

Originally Posted by Mango

Hello people!

Hello and welcome to the forum!

Originally Posted by Mango

I have has a sub adult Leopard Gecko Male (Tangerine) called MANGO.
I have only had him 2 weeks and i have never cared for any type of reptile before
I am so happy to have this little man and i already have a very strong sense of care, loyalty and love for Mango!
he is in a 1ft sq vivarium at the moment as i was told this was the right size to make him feel safe at the moment intill he grows!
I do have some questions! i have been to the liberay and read so many books and articules on leopard geckos but one person says one thing another says something diffrent so can someone with expiercence answer my Questions?

1) I have a 2ft by 1ft vivarium that i brought from RSPCA (reptile rescue) for when Mango is bigger can i put a female friend in there for him or is this to small? I am going to get a member of my family to add a small shelf inside the vivarium to create more floor space and add abit more intrest. So can i get him a friend for this size tank?

Personally I would only keep one leo in a 2ft viv. Adding another leos would mean that you'd have to provide extra hides (to reduce the risk of bullying / fighting) and, even with the addition of a shelf, it would be difficult to fit the number of hides you would need for two leos in one 2ft viv. Secondly, as SleepyD has pointed out, housing male and female leos together permanently can cause problems for the female, as constant breeding can place a huge strain on her health. Plus, you'd really need to quarantine the new addition for a minimum of three months, just to make sure she's not carrying any parasites etc, so you'd really need another set up to allow you to do this.

Originally Posted by Mango

2) I feed Mango calcium dusted crickets and waxs worms as a treat! how ever. Can i really feed my gecko insects out of the garden? i gave him a couple of wood lice and he loved them!

I have to agree with the advice from Nana and SleepyD: it's really best to avoid offering bugs from the garden as they could have been exposed to pesticides / be carrying parasites. If you're leo liked woodlice, then try offering him dubia roaches; they're pretty similar. Although roaches can be expensive to buy initially, they're very easy to breed, so you can become self-sufficient relatively rapidly by establishing your own breeding colony. Like SleepyD, I don't offer waxworms to my leos; for treats, try offering locusts instead (most leos love them).

Originally Posted by Mango

Thank you so much i really want to be a fantastic parent to my gecko and do not want to let him down i have spent so so so so much money on the set ups and accesories so far so i can not afford much more money! Mango seems happy and is getting more tame everyday he makes my heart Melt when he is sleeping awwwwwwwww bless him xxx Thank you so much to anyone who replies to this Message x

If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask; there'll be someone along eventually who'll be only too happy to help.

[Mango]

Well thank you so much to you all for replying to me i am really suprised at how helpfull you have all been. i think i will leave of getting a friend for MANGO i do not want to upset him. He is so amazing i held him today and he was really calm and happy !! I LOVE MY NEW REPTILE LIFE