Post subject: First time owner - some questions! Posted: Mar 24, 2008 - 12:02 PM
In a few days my gecko will be arriving.
I'm doing a mad dash trying to get everything together...
so far on my list:
- creepy crawlies (food)
- heat mat
- enclosure (pretty sure i already have that..i'll just whip out a big storage box and try to make do with that lol)
- calcium and vitamin powders
- water & calcium dish
- thermometer
- humid hide
...is there anything i've missed?
anyway..here's the little guy
Been told by the breeder that he's an APTOR Het...
not quite sure what that means [and if someone could shed some light...that'd be great! still trying to get my head around all the different morphs]..but I think he's gorgeous
I would recommend getting a 20 gallon long aquarium tank for that guy, never try to just make do. Remember, if you undertake the responsibilities of taking in a pet, make sure you can care for it in the best way possible.
this is what is usually standard:
20g long enclosure (10g at the very minimum for 1 adult)
repti-carpet or slate tile flooring
3 hides: 1 on the cool side, 2 on the warm side (1 covered and 1 humid hide for shedding)
water dish
food dish (for meal worms)
calcium dish (can use soda cap, etc) for pure calcium
under-tank heater on one half (on warm side, two hides go on this area)
digital thermometer with probe
if your room is cold or you can't regulate the temperature with just a heat mat you can pick up a red-bulb lamp to help supplement heat.
someone correct me if im wrong or shed some more light on this...
thanks and good luck have fun with your new friend!
I would add a thermostat to regulate the amount of heat that the uth is putting out (or a rheostat/lamp dimmer)
Make sure that the thermometer is a digital with a probe as Knowquarter said. This cannot be emphasized too much, as you need to KNOW the substrate temps, and not guess at them. An IR temp gun is the only other good thermometer option. Dial and strip thermometers just are not accurate enough to do the job.
APTOR stands for Albino Patternless Tremper ORange. The albino and tremper are redundant.
As far as het goes, het means that he is carrying genes that he is not expressing. I'm not sure if he is het aptor, or aptor het something else, and as I'm still learning about morphs myself, I can't tell by looking at the picture.
I can see that he is expressing albino and looks a bit orange too. Maybe the patternless part is what he is het for? I don't remember which patternless gene the aptors carry and the specifics that go with them.
He is a beautiful little leo! What breeder are you getting him from?
Also, I love your name, Myelodiya. When my sister spent some time in Russia, and it was her Russian name
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Seriously though, it seems like you guys have all put together good lists. I'd like to stress the importance of a few things though...
- Thermostat (or dimmer switch). For everyone's safety heating elements should always be controlled. I've found a thermostat to be more useful than lamp dimmers since a thermostat generally doesn't need to be adjusted after set-up.
- Flooring. Make sure it's something solid. I've found ceramic tiles to be great. They are great at helping to regulate heat too.
- Floor space. If you can find a large enough container that can safely be heated to a constant 90F + then I would go with it. Otherwise I would go get an aquarium. The dimensions of a 20 gallon long are roughly 30"x12" so I would shoot for a minimum of that. More can't hurt though. There are quite a few of us that keep healthy and happy geckos in cages much larger than that.
Your little guy looks beautiful. I can't wait to learn more about him and see pictures of him and his new home. Good luck with him and don't forget to ask if you have any more questions!
Named him .45 Magnum because of the '4' and '5' on his back
here are his newest pics,
tried to take a few pictures of his colouring, though the '5' is on the other side of his body so doesnt show up as well in photos
Thanks for everyone's comments, opinions, and input etc. very much appreciated
there are a few things i still need from those lists, i have them ordered, and will be coming in the next few days.
His living area right now is a plastic container, as I havent found a tank that's 'longer rather than taller.
I think it's a bit cramped though with all the different hides etc, and I'll upgrade him to something a bit bigger once I find a tank of some sort that I'm happy with.
LittleLouie -
His dam is a tremper albino, and sire is a RAPTOR...
Pretty sure he's Tremper Albino RAPTOR het...or maybe not...
still a bit confused though lol
Well, I own loads of Siberian Huskies, and when/if I apply for my kennel name, I'm gonna put down Myelodiya..so that's where it comes from I think it's Melody in Russian, I could be wrong though but i agree, it's a very pretty word
The breeder has said not to feed him for a few days and just let him settle in...also he said if I'm going to feed crickets, i should remove the hind legs first??
And he also said wax worms are more nutritious than mealworms, and I should feed that more than mealworms....
although wax worms completely gross me out...
He's a lovely looking little guy. That 4 is really clear and unusual!
Removing the hind legs of the crickets will slow them down and make them easier to catch but I've never found it to be necessary to be honest.
Wax worms are largely made of fat and do not contain much of the vitamins and nutrients your leo will need. Some leos will also refuse to eat the more healthy feeders if they are offered too many wax worms (think of them as children always wanting junk food instead of veggies!) so it's best to avoid them or feed them very sparingly at most.
If you can't find a long based tank, you could get a tall one, turn it on its side and fit doors to the front. Others have done this before and there may be some pics in the enclosures thread.
Great looking guy. I'm glad he made it home safely and seems to be pretty comfortable with you already. Looks like he won't mind the camera.
I think crickets, mealworms, and vitamin supplements are a good start for a gecko diet. If you're looking for more options though, I would turn to roaches, super worms, phoenix worms and silkworms before going for wax worms. I don't have personal experience but I've heard from a lot of people that they are very fatty and feeding a diet of only waxies may contribute to fatty liver disease. If there's a risk I see no reason to get into it when there are so many other choices.
Also, having a high quality gutload will make a big difference too. Mealworms and crickets (as with anything) are far better for your gecko when they themselves are being fed a full diet. If you're in the US I suggest cricketfood.com or progeckos.com. They both sell a good product for gutloading feeder insects.
The APTOR/RAPTOR genes are a bit confusing, as some parts of them are line bred, and others are dominant/recessive.
R stands for Ruby(or red) eyes. I don't remember how this gene is passed.
A stands for Albino. It is a redundant way of saying Tremper.
P stands for Patternless. The different patternless genes and how they work are confusing to me.
T stands for Tremper. Tremper is one albino strain. It is recessive.
OR stands for ORange (Not sure if it's carrot tail or Tangerine) Either way, it is a line bred trait, so yours will have some of it; probably less than the dad, but more than the mom.
So he should look like a tremper albino with some orange. It looks like he already has a nice amount of orange coming on He is very handsome.
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Think on these things!
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