Hello,

I have a digital thermometer with a probe and it is in my humid hide. My leo found it and won't go in there even though I hit it with paper towel. Where should I put it?

Oh, the humid hide is a normal hide on the warm side with some wet paper towel because I have no space for another hide...

You need to put the probe on the warm side so you can accurately measure your temps. Place it outside the hide if it is spooking him out and tape it down if he keeps moving it.

I don't understand when you had such a long thread about leos and did so much research why you bought a tank that is too small for an essential item like a second hide on the warm side. You NEED to give him a temperature gradient, you NEED to give him an option of hides dry and humid. I really don't understand why you ignored all the research you did.

I have a budget. I couldn't spend too much. I do have a temperature gradient. I have a dry and a humid hide, i am making his warm hide humid for now because he is going to shed soon. I didn't know I was supposed to tape it down, thanks for that info. How small is too small? I have a 20 Gallon tank for him and for my birthday I am going to give him a 40 Gallon breeder.

What are you temperatures right now? If you are heating usign bulbs go with a smaller bulb, it will most likely SAVE you moeny in teh logn run, and a thermostat IMO ( in my opinion). I am not trying to be critisive( spelling?) but even befor i bought my first leo ( and leela ) i had teh cage set up the way i liked it, and teh way it was supposed to be, and i monitored temperatures for a few weeks to make sure they were safe for a Leo beofor i bought one. That is just my 2 cents. To have the cage set up and temps set up befor a Leo "moves" in

I agree with unrealjill. It seems like you've been around this forum a lot longer than I have with your post count so I don't understand how you could not already know at least the basic items and setup that your gecko needs. You need to also know that you can't be on a budget where these basic needs are concerned. If you can't afford these things then you shouldn't have a gecko. You'll also need to set aside money in case he needs to go to the vet because he'll probably have to at least once or twice in his lifetime.

yeah I know I am supposed to have the temps right, but here is what happened, I saved up 625 dollars to spend on all my leo stuff and a big tank and all and my dad said I can't use more than a 100 dollars, I already knew I wasn't going to spend 600 dollars but he said 100 dollars. I am going to get a thermostat online soon and my temp on the warm side in 84 and I didn't check the cool side recently but about an hour ago it was 75 is that good enough? Also, I knew I had to keep the probe on the warm side, I just didn't know where to keep it to make him stop freaking out. Will my leo be okay in a 20 gallon until mid august?

I didn't buy a tank too small, i bought a hide too big.

I also watched some of your youtube videos and I really would advise you to lay off the handling for a while. He's stressed from the move and the handling seems to be stressing him a lot more (he jumps when you touch him, seems to try to run away, and has bitten you. All are clear signals to leave him alone for now). You need to let him have his space for a while and definitely don't lift his hides anymore. Think of it as a trust building process between you and him. Stress can be very harmful for them and can cause many negative things to happen to their health.

oh alright, so that is who you are, xelapat?
Alright so here are some things I have learned I am doing wrong:
I do not have a thermostat (I am ordering it tomorrow)
I shouldn't lift his hides
I need a humid hide

For the humid hide can I just make my warm hide a humid hide when he is going to shed? I am going to be posting pictures of him because he is out now so I can ask if he is going to shed, but I won't pick him up to look. He didn't seem stressed when I picked him up today, he crawled up to my shoulder and on my hands but I will lay off. But what am I supposed to do when I spot clean because his pooping spot is on his hide so I need to clean that everyday and if he is in it should I wait a while to clean it? Also what about when I am changing my paper towel when he poops on it, I cannot handle him then either?

Looking at your setup, I think that you have plenty of room for a humid hide in there. I have a 20 gallon and I have the half log that you have (for the cool side hide), a rock hide (for the warm side dry hide), a tupperware humid hide, all of the appropriate bowls, and a hammock and it's not too crowded in there. Here are some pictures to give you an idea:

Warm side


Cool side


Overall view


As far as handling him, I really would give it a week or possibly two before handling him again. I know that you're excited about him but the most important thing is for him to be happy and healthy and he needs this time to get used to his new surroundings. You can go about the daily routine in the cage but I wouldn't pet him or pick him up. I would suggest waiting until he is awake to spot clean any poop or change any paper towels. Once the week or two is up, slowly introduce yourself to him so you can build his trust. Place your hand flat on the floor of his tank and hold it still in there for a few minutes every day. Let him come smell you and walk on you but don't try to pick him up. Maybe hand feed him a few insects so that he learns you're an okay guy. After a while of this, if he seems interested, then you can slowly start handling him but only for a few minutes each day. Just take everything in baby steps. The main thing I want to stress is to pay attention to the signals your gecko is giving you. Watching your videos, it was pretty obvious to me that you were stressing him out but you didn't seem to pick up on that at all. Pay attention to what he is telling you! Good luck.

Thank you! You are sooo helpful. There are a few difference between our tanks and leos
#1 I have a 20G high not long
#2 My rock hide is bigger
#3 I have two rock hides which are big
#4 he cannot fit in his log hide so I had to take it out

I could possibly sell my tank to someone and get a 20 gallon long or something like that, would that be better?

Well, maybe you can exchange the hides for something that fits a little better but I think with some creativity you could figure it out. Also, I have the same size log that you do and about the same size gecko as you and it works out fine. Just pull it away from the glass and he can go through it like a tunnel and sleep in there (Sebastian likes to climb on it a lot too). Keep my setup in mind and try to see if you can arrange something like it knowing that the log is okay

I think Sebastians Mom has had most of this handled but I want to add in that you NEED separate hides at the warm end. Leos can turn and shed without us noticing. Take out the rock hide that is too big - go back to basics and use two cheap ziploc boxes or large yogurt tubs as hides until you get him sorted. It doesn't matter how it looks, it is what is best for your leo, I know that you appreciate that. Like S_Mom said, a little creativity. At least you are now getting things sorted - if your dad puts up barriers like that again tell him that it is in the best interests of the animal - these are not luxuries, they are essentials. Knowingly not using them is irresponsible, I'm sure all parents can be persuaded by their kids showing that kind of responsibility.

I talked to him yesterday but he said he was too tired to decide so I asked him again telling him about the vet stuff and all and I am waiting for an email response back. I am going to have to rearrange the whole tank right? My hammock is on the warm side and so is my rock hide which fills up the whole side if the tank and my other rock hide and my calcium dish,water dish and feeding dishes are there. So how would I set this up? Also wouldn't this stress him out a lot? I was thinking that I keep the wood hide and the humid hide near the back of the tank (like s_mom) but that would take way too much space up because then he wouldn't have enough walking space. I will rearrange it and take pictures but I need to go make a humid hide also.

Alright,

So I have got three pictures of my hide one is of the cool side, on is of the warm side and one is of how much space I left behind the wooden hide and could someone tell me if it is too much or too little? Also is my hammock too high?

Cool Side


Warm Side (hammock above wooden hide; is it too high?)


How much space I left from the back of the tank and the wooden hide

No Offense or anything but I agree with alot of people here. all the research you did and the HOURS asking me Questions on here and Yahoo Messenger but for some reason did you think i was wrong? I gave you answers to Dozens of Questions on the Plus side your fixing your setup wich is good and get your dad to get that thermostat it will save alot of time and money.

Your setup looks much better to me. I think he'll be in for a happier, healthier life now. I think the wood hide looks fine and don't stress if he doesn't use the humid hide. They will only use them if they need to. Just make sure to follow my advice about the handling and get a thermostat as quickly as possible so you can get those temperatures spot on.

FP_4LC4PON3 I know I asked you a lot of questions and all and I am still working on getting my set-up better and I am going to stick to mealies like you said and I can't go out to a reptile store any time I want because I don't have a car or anything but I did order my repti temp 500r which you said was the best investment I could make, so it is a start.

sebastians_mom as soon as you and unrealjill started talking about the thermostat I started talking to my parents and it is on the way. I had to get the 6-10 business day shipping because my parents didn't want to pay for the 5 day shipping. Yeah I stopped handling him, I just waited let him go into one of his hide and I cleaned the other and when he went in the other i re-did the warm side.

Here are some full enclosure shots there is one paper towel that will not go down could someone tell me if that is fine?