HOW TO CARE FOR MY NEW LUNA GECKO?
First, thank you for purchasing or considering purchasing from Luna Geckos. We take great pride in selecting the highest quality breeders in order to produce unique and healthy animals that will bring you joy for years to come. So now what do you have to do to make this a reality? Here we go…
First, thank you for purchasing or considering purchasing from Luna Geckos. We take great pride in selecting the highest quality breeders in order to produce unique and healthy animals that will bring you joy for years to come. So now what do you have to do to make this a reality? Here we go…
- The most important thing to do is let your gecko settle into its new home. It has known one home most, if not all, of its life so it needs time to settle down from the move. Put it in its new house with food and water and LEAVE IT ALONE for a few days to a week or more (until it starts eating). Yes this is hard to do, but it is essential to reducing stress and getting the gecko to start eating in its new home.
- The next two most important things for a long healthy life are nutrition and environment.
- Nutrition:
- We feed our Leopard Geckos mealworms almost exclusively with an occasional hornworm, silkworm, or a few wax worms as a treat. Some picky eaters will get some superworms or crickets now and again to mix things up. Our African Fat Tailed Geckos eat crickets with available mealworms and/or superworms in their enclosure.
- Lightly dust their food with calcium with vitamin D3 and a reptile vitamin supplement. We use Rep-Cal Calcium with Vitamin D3 and Rep-Cal Herptivite for this.
- Environment:
- NEVER house more than one male together!
- A single gecko needs the floor space equivalent to a 10-gallon aquarium (20 inches long by 10 inches wide or 200 square inches). You can use this math to calculate your enclosure floor space and equate it to a 10-gallon aquarium. A screen lid is a good idea to keep the gecko safe and sound.
- Belly heat is a MUST. Geckos do not need light nor can they tolerate heat rocks. An appropriately sized Under Tank Heater (UTH) for your enclosure is what they need on approximately 1/3rd of the enclosure (the hot side). This should allow the enclosure to reach temps of 90-92 degrees on the hot side and 80-85 degrees on the cool side. The gecko will move around the enclosure to regulate its body temperature.
- DO NOT USE SAND or other loose material like small rocks as a substrate. Your gecko may eat it and become impacted and potentially die. Use terrarium liner/carpet, slate tiles, paper towels, or for a more natural look use Eco Earth or coconut fiber.
- Your gecko will need at least two hides. One on the hot side with moss, coconut fiber or similar material that can be misted every few days to remain humid. This will help with shedding. Place the other hide on the cool side. This gives the gecko choices and makes them feel secure.
- Lastly, a food dish, a water dish and a calcium dish. Having calcium available will help ensure that your gecko won’t suffer from calcium deficiency related issues in the future.
- Nutrition:
- My gecko won’t eat?
- This is the number one most frequently asked question!
- As described at the top, changes in their environment may cause stress. They need to settle into their new home.
- Other factors include lack of belly heat and/or improper enclosure temperatures.
- Ovulating or gravid females and ready to breed males may slow or stop eating for long periods during breeding season (Jan-Sept).
- The least common reason may be some other health issue for which a veterinarian’s help should be sought.
- If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask by sending us an email via Contact below.