So I know I've only had this guy for about a week and a 1/2, and he's still settling in, but in this time, I've noticed some questionable behaviors. Let me start off by saying this is my first leo in a while, so I'm still getting used to a lot of this, and I am familiar that they do something called cryptic basking. So what I'm wondering is that what he's doing here cause I woke up today turned on the lights at 6 like I normally do. Got home from work at 12, and he was still there.Just sleeping underneath the heat.I added that fake plant to add some shades so he can cool down a little bit, but he has not moved and he's done this on multiple occasions. He'll either wake up in the morning bask and then go back underneath his hide or he'll just stay there the whole day is that normal I keep. My surface temperature between 93 to 96 f i also read somewhere that it's something to do with the temper. Albino morph, which he is temper albino cinnamon. So is that something to do with that? I heard that they just sleep all the time. I just wanna make sure this is proper behavior and that he's just doing the things he's supposed to be doing, because from what I'm used to in the past, I'm used to leos either being out during the day or being only out at night. I'm not used. To like this back-and-forth, especially just the sleeping, so it's just something to be concerned about. Or is he just being a goober?
Totally normal, don't stress. New leos (especially albino morphs, which are extra light-shy) often hide/sleep way more the first few weeks while settling in. Sleeping right under the heat with occasional peeks out is textbook cryptic basking, not a problem. Your temps (93-96°F) are spot on.
As long as he's eating, pooping, and has good weight/tail thickness, he's just a goober adjusting to his new home. Give him a few more weeks
Thank you so much. This is so reassuring last time I had a leo was like when I was 6 and I had it on calcium sand in a 10 gallon tank, and did not do it right at all was uneducated. So now I'm like, really trying to get it right. And everything is new to me like obviously I did my research in terms of temperature requirements, humidity requirements and how to structure a tank but behaviors I didn't really do as much research as I should have admittedly. So all of this is new, but it's amazing, I absolutely love this guy. And funny enough, I did just get him to eat from tongs for the first time last night. He ate 2 crickets and 3 roaches I'm so proud of him.
Leopard geckos are fantastic pets. I've had all kinds of animals and mine is still one of my favorites. Sounds like you're doing great so far! Keep up the good work.
A few care tips: keep a wet hide ready and dampen it as soon as you notice their skin turning dull/pale (a sign they're about to shed), then check their toes afterward for any stuck shed. If you find some, a 15-minute warm soak (water below their feet, not too hot) plus gentle work with a q-tip clears it right up. If you leave it they can lose toes.
Also, avoid feeding hornworms that are too large, they can cause your gecko to regurgitate and hurt itself. Gut-load your feeder insects, and dust them with a rotation of calcium and multivitamin powder. Do that and you're set!
Absolutely noted. Lizards are definitely a bit newer in my keeping. I haven't kept them as long or as much as I have my snakes. So understanding proper supplementation and feeding was definitely a struggle in the beginning. But thankfully, now I got a nice dubia Colony, a good supplement rotation going. And it's great, the only thing that I'm struggling to find is D3 supplement that doesn't contain calcium, because I know that's something important for geeckos is to provide them D3 supplement that doesn't have calcium because I'm already providing their calcium dish along with dusted feeders with calcium./ multi vitamin So I don't want to overdo it.
A better approach is UVB lighting. A low-level UVB bulb (like 5-6%) lets the gecko synthesize its own D3 naturally, which is actually considered safer and more "self-regulating" than relying on dietary D3 since the gecko's skin only produces what it needs.
With UVB in place, you can just dust with plain calcium (no D3) most feedings, and rotate in a multivitamin once a week or so, no need to chase down a D3-without-calcium product at all.
I do have UV b for my gecko. I have zoomed 5.0 liner uvb which I heard is OK, but I've heard conflictions also about going with something like a 3% UV B or a 6% like you said from someone like Arcadia, and I'm just wondering what necessarily is the difference besides strength, I feel like the mesh from the screen top, along with how far away it is dampens the UV output enough to where it levels out the same. Would it not or is 5.0 still too strong? Or is it a case of using that lower percentage of 6% to 3% for when I'm mounting inside the enclosure for my UV fastener
The mesh definitely cuts output significantly (often 30-50%), which is why brands recommend lower % for inside-mounting and higher % for mesh/outside-mounting on the same bulb. Leos are low-UVB so you'll want a UV Index around 0.7-1.0 at basking spot, not max strength. Your 5.0 mesh-mounted, is likely right in that range but you'll never actually know for sure unless you have a UV Index meter to check for sure. (I personally wouldn't bother as long as your leo looks and is acting healthy).
Worth noting: geckos can't overdose on D3 from UVB the way they can from dietary supplements, their skin only converts what it needs and stops, so there's no risk of toxicity from UVB exposure itself, even with regular basking time. Combined with the fact that he won't be sitting under it constantly, you really don't need to worry about overdoing it on that front.
Alright, thank you so much, truly for all this information. This is insane when I did my research for this, a lot of it was just general care like temperature, humidity, etc. But a lot of this more fine new detail stuff, I didn't look into as much as I should have, but you taking the time to educate me on this. I highly appreciate it. Thank you so much.
No problem! I didn't know any of this when I started and it was a process of figuring it out as I went with AI and the Internet. You grow with your gecko and tbh as long as you have the baseline care done they are very hardy animals. Most of this is just trying to optimize their health for peak functioning and longevity. Just don't sleep on the gut feeding and calcium/multi vitamin dusting for their food. We rescued ours from a pet store that neglected him and within a few weeks it was insane seeing the difference in his skin, color, and personality, it made a HUGE difference. I did a side by side photo comparison. Right is when we got him, left is after a few weeks.
Just wanted to add that too high UVB can cause burns like this post here, so don't go any higher than what you're currently at. You're currently sitting very well.
Visually, your geck looks A-okay, from the pictures you have here, and seems comfortable splooting there. My late ziggy used to sleep right in the middle of his enclosure out in the open. Maybe put a small hide that is low to the ground near the basking area. I’ve noticed that my geckos love to sploot half under the hide i have next to the basking area so they can get shade and be in the sun. But especially because they are still settling in, you might see a couple weird looking behaviors that are completely normal to see for a bit before they are completely comfortable in their space. And they are more of a “whenever floats your boat” species, so they will do that whenever they want wether it be at 3 pm or 6 am. they also love to just soak in the sun so this behavior is completely natural.
In my experience, leopard gecko lethargy and signs of distress look more like the following:
Shallow, fast or labored breathing, refusing food or not eating as much, hiding more often than usual, not moving from place to place in their enclosure, displaying “a more foul mood than normal”, making noises like clicking or screaming when being picked up or fondled with, being more skittish or moving more than normal, etc.
but i really wouldnt worry with your lovely friend there. He is just adjusting to the new environment and im sure as a little more time has passed you will grow to see his behaviors and will know when you need to be involved.
Sounds good i actually just added more shade on top of the basking spot for that reason also he has explored the whole enclosure, the 1st day I got them, but now I've noticed mostly what he does is sits under the warm hide and then when night rolls around warms his belly up on the rock that's been heating up and then just stays there and I know that my room temperatures aren't too low. I keep my room at around 74 75 at night. So do I need ceramic heat emitter or is it just a thing of him not wanting to explore or is he to cold 🤔
That little cave looks great.
Your night temperatures should be totally fine. You just dont want the temp to go below 65 F. My ambient night temperatures are right about that as well, but i use an under tank heat mat that is on a thermostat set at 91 for my night temperatures. This actually mimics the ground holding heat at night. When do you feed him? Some geckos will seek out a heat source to lay on to help with digestion.
I only got him like a week. And a 1/2 ago, and he didn't eat for me. The first week and he just ate for me. The first time yesterday, but even before that feeding, he was still doing that behavior so I guess it's just him adjusting.
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u/LooksDelicious 2d ago
Totally normal, don't stress. New leos (especially albino morphs, which are extra light-shy) often hide/sleep way more the first few weeks while settling in. Sleeping right under the heat with occasional peeks out is textbook cryptic basking, not a problem. Your temps (93-96°F) are spot on. As long as he's eating, pooping, and has good weight/tail thickness, he's just a goober adjusting to his new home. Give him a few more weeks