I wouldn't recommend using carpet as the substrate (floor) bc their claws can get caught in it and sometimes even taken off!! Also you could put some plants in there too!
I had a friend who got a leopard gecko second hand from someone who kept it on carpet. It was a baby when most of the damage was done. The gecko has 1 claw left and he has alot of finger deformities from the ripping.
@@aronk001 not really. I've asked for advice on Reddit and as long as someone is actively trying to do better they're usually pretty good with giving advice
@snap.-_- not recently no. A lady asked for rehoming advice bc she couldn't keep them anymore due to office moving. And ppl were calling her a horrible owner. Saying she shouldn't have gotten them if she couldn't care for them in the first place and how her set up was terrible etc. She even explained the context of her moving them from her house to her work office bc of her cat trying to eat them. And then i've also seen them going around commenting on ppl who post even a small picture where you can see their enclosures being ridiculed for the smallest thing. For some reason there has been a flock of non helpful redditors. Only on there for malice or to put down ppl looking for genuine help
Add a humid hide please! You can make one out of a Tupperware bowl with a lid, and put either paper towels or sphagnum moss in it and moisten with clean water every day. If you do not add this then they will lose toes and get eye infections from stuck shed! Leo's shed every 2 weeks usually.
Since you have a million comments about the substrate, so ill mention the feeding. I learned the hardway to not leave feeder crickets in the tank with your Leo. They actually bite and eat away at him at night and I found this out when i woke to my Leo with a little blood on his back. Take them out when hes done eating so they dont munch away at him.
I would recommend making your terrarium bioactive, my gecko is so much more active and is thriving so much more in it compared to just any other normal tank. It doesn’t cost as much to startup and believe it or not, it’s actually easier to maintain to be clean. Although it still is sort of a struggle to start up
The carpets are super unsanitary. They harbor bacteria and can't be cleaned properly. We use non-adhesive shelf liner for our beardies and it's been a life changer for cleaning.😊
@@NaomiBeAgEnii have all mine of kitchen cabinet liners, i personally have only seen if you get ones that have been treated with chemicals, i usually soak mine in rescue spray, which is a veterinary grade animal bacteria and virus killer, i'd say as long as it's not bleeding any colors or having a reaction to heat, you're perfectly fine to use them
Be careful with the shelf liner, if you give them uvb you can’t use a shelf liner, since the uvb degrades the plastic and will release carcinogens. It can definitely work just gotta be careful
add way more clutter ! leo's like being able to hide in plane sight, providing them nooks and crannies can help them exercise and experience some natural behaviors, also add a humid hide ! leo's like a little extra humidity 45-60% and it can be hard to keep the humidity up in the tank so providing them a humid hide can help with that and adds an extra spot for them to hide in :)
@@notasovietspy8008 It really depends on the gecko. Id say 40 gallon is ok for any gecko but some need more room. 20gal is the minimum but most leopard geckos aren't going to live a happy life in that. I'm personally working on a 120 gallon for mine. It's not necessary but more room is almost always better and it costs less than a 40gal (new 40gals cost $200+. This tank I'm building will cost $140)
@@aronk001 40-60% is about what feels comfortable in a room for humans... they're also not from a desert but from arid regions... tanks usually have a little lower humidity than the room they're in because of the basking and UVB light that's why plants and proper substrate help
Lots of good advice here but I haven’t seen anyone mention a small dish (or bottle cap) filled with calcium. Leopard geckos can tell when they need calcium and other vitamins and in the wild will actually lick rock surfaces for minerals. You can see in the video your little guy is trying to lick up the calcium.
Instead of the carpet you should use paper towels it’s a lot more sufficient and it’s doesn’t collect bacteria like the mats do and it’s a lot easier to clean/replace
Looks amazing already, I would put in proper substrate, to give him more places to climb with some sticks and put in leaves or some real plants But I love how healthy he looks and how you are actively making his enclosure better for him ♡♡♡♡
I wouldn’t recommend real plants because they can eat them and choke on them or they can eat them in the plant could be toxic to them so I wouldn’t recommend it. I have a leopard gecko of my own.
i would recommend a substrate! try using a 70% scotts top soil 15% play sand 15% reptile clay. mix n add to the tank! or try terra sahara as it is a scientific substrate for leopard geckos
reptile clay is just normal clay fyi can just go to any hardware store and buy it. Also important to make the substrate wet when you put it in else it'll be too loose and geckos hate walking on loose ground
I love and if you decide to change the carpet but want that clean look I would just go with the none toxic cabinet liner it works great and easy to clean great video ❤❤❤
Use 70/30 soil and sand. I was afraid of the upkeep for it and had carpet for my gekos but I did it and they love it. My boy wybie burrowed a bed under a piece of slate I put in. This happened like two days after I put the soil in. Gary will LOVE it
If you’re slightly doing it for aesthetic reasons, I would recommend having Eco earth which is like coconut fiber dirt, I would recommended this substrate because it’s not only pretty and it’s safe for geckos
eco earth actually isnt good for leopard geckos, its bad for their joints since its a super loose substrate, top soil+play sand is the best option for sculpture
@@Tegu349Any loose substrate can cause impaction but it's not common for the gecko to just randomly eat their substrate unless it's calci-sand which is obviously bad for them
Hey you should get him a moist/humid hide! You’ll have to get rid of the tree to place it in the middle but if you get him a moist/humid hide it will help with when he sheds! Both of my leopard geckos love the zilla rock lair. I get terrarium moss for it. Just make sure to wet it every once in a while! :)
Get yourself some rock slates and design a little mansion, glue it together but make it easy enough to assemble it back together, so the little mansion can be made up of 3 pieces that can be removed for ease of cleaning.
just use 4 cinderblocks for terrestial gecko hides... they're too heavy for them to move, are great for keeping the temperature and you can easily move them for cleaning
Dude look into excavator clay. It’s awesome, and you can make such creative enclosures. I use it, you can build tunnels, bridges and shelters. It’s fun to design, and your gecko will love it.
I'd look into some excavator clay. It take a bit of practice, but you can do half hard clay on the hot end and then a proper substrate for the cool end. Using slate rock under a heating lamp like a dhp will have Gary feeling great.
I would have a little more for him to climb such as long sticks that span across the terrarium a they love climbing and mabey a bit more greenery, or at least thats what my leopard gecko loves!
I would recommend adding some loose substrate like dirt as the floor because it is really entertaining for the gecko to be able to dig and explore. You could also add some plants in pots if you wanted to
I agree with the loose substrate. If you’re heat and humidity are correct, they will pass anything they may accidentally ingest. Mine love to dig and throw dirt in their water bowl.
@@julieaime4594 not only that but it can simulate their natural environment. I have a hide in mine with substrate on top of it so it acts like a burrow. Its my geckos favorite hide
I would recommend not using carpet because their claws can get stuck. You should also give him a calcium bowl ( water bottle lid or food bowl with calcium in it)😊
As someone who has a lot of experience with geckos and other more exotic creature amphibians I can say that this is actually a decent terrarium so I would advise adding a bit more nature in there such as maple and oak
It's looking much better! But I wouldn't recommend gecko carpet, it can harbour bacteria and their class can get stuck in it. An easier conversion I like to use is textured tile or slate! It hold heat well and it's easy to clean 😁
hey joe! I’d recommend leaving some calcium in a little dish or deli cup in his enclosure :) when leopard geckos need calcium they will go and lick some up. also I’d do away with the carpet, and do 50% sand 50% topsoil with no fertilizer. I also recommend feeding him some meal worms in a dish, and put the calcium in a deli cup near it that you leave in there all the time :)) hope this helps! gary is adorable
@@michaelvilaire-c9y a mixture of things not just sand, but yes. I guess you could do ecoearth and reptilsoil with some peat moss if you’re against the sand.
i would add height i have multiple geckos and they love to climb just make sure everything is secure so nothing falls and crushes them, a hammock would be great too as long as it’s the smaller mesh material can be found at any pet store and im switching to substrate (coconut fiber) because it’s overall better enrichment
I would recommend adding a humid hide and some substrate. If you’re wanting to avoid substrate then maybe switch to tile. Reptile carpet isn’t a great option.
You need to have a thermometer/ hydrometer to make sure your humidity levels are at 30% and your temperature for ur hot spot is good, also with that new humidity try adding some live plants to add to the vibe.
Substrate is a lot better. It helps humidity, keeps their claws safe, and is overall cleaner. Think about it, you wouldn't wanna keep using the same carpet if your dog or cat keeps shitting or pissing on it. For leopard geckos, I am not an expert, but I've researched a little and Sand and clay are good, or you can mix sand and clay with some top soil. Basically, leopard geckos are desert reptiles, so you wanna provide them with a desert environment. Idk what the needs are for humidity, but the substrate should help with that.
I wouldn’t recommend adding more than one cricket at once because if you loose track of how many are in the enclosure it could lead to a cricket attacking your leopard gecko
Aww I have a jungle leopard gecko as well his name is Leo🥰. He looks very similar to Gary even down to his colors except Leo had a bright orange tail🧡. Very cool tank 👌🏽. I’m trying to find a good tank for Leo. He has outgrown his starter tank 😊
Idk about leopards but get some reptisoil and reptisand and make a good substrate. Add some spring tails and isopods to make it bioactive and you can have real living plants.
I have that same rock and it's my gecko's favorite rock! I really need to upgrade my geckos tank cuz she is getting bigger and her tank is pretty plain
Quick Question, i just got my first Leopardgecko. His tank stands in my bedroom and everytime i try to go to bed, i instinctivly turn on the lights, which is not good for the day-nightcycle of the gecko. What can i do to prevent putting the tank in another room? Someone told me to put a blanket on the tank, but doesnt that effect the airflow? I really need help here...
I just continued without putting a blanket on it and there is no Problem. Yes, sometimes i jumpscare them without it, but all in all it doesn't bother them much
i would add plants too cause they love to hide during the day and make sure all the sides are covered the glass can freak them out and they will hide more often
I think you should put cricket food and cricket quencher if you allow the crickets to stay in the cage with Gary because crickets will bite your reptile and the bite is microscopic so you won't be able to see it and it can get infected and harm your pet and give you one hell of a vet bill I just recently learned this myself because I used to do the same thing and came across some forums that said don't do this
add some eco earth, water, and some sand and a log to climb up to the other log, Uvb light(optional), heat mat, infra red heat lamp, thermometer , suitable substrate hides and hygrometer and humidity
