Pet Store Employees Juvenile Leopard Gecko setup

[lolilikeReptiles]

does your leopard gecko ever go into is hammock? o_o i might get one

[brickfollett]

@lolilikeReptiles Sometimes, she likes to bask in the heat lamp at night when it goes dark. My bearded dragon LOVES it though

[skdaterror]

thats shit nice af

[mackredenbarger]

Okay do not listen to this guy when he says use lights!!!! I have done a lot of research in the past week. I have talked to a lot of people with many credentials! Leopard geckos do not like light, unless its red bulbs. This is because they are nocturnal. Also no uvb bulbs NO BULBS REQUIRED! Use a under the tank heater (uth), BUT with leos you will need a rheostate or a lamp dimmer switch to make sure it does not over heat look in the respone vid sec for a full video!

[brickfollett]

@mackredenbarger what are you talking about? i said no on UVB lights, but heat bulbs are a good way to maintain temperature and create a natural day/night cycle. you won't have an issue with the light if your smart and give them plenty of hiding place and if your smart you will have proper gauges to know whats going on in the cage. theres nothing wrong with using standard incandescent bulbs for the day because geckos would be exposed to similar light in the wild. use common sense

[TTcl0ud]

@brickfollett actually you're partly in the wrong there, The light can hurt their eyes, thats why they're normally closed when basking (if lights are included in the setup) YOu should keep in mind that leopard geckos draw their heat from the hot sand in Pakistan - their indigenous country - and so, draw heat from the ground, hence the heatmats that should be included in every leopard gecko setup. Lights are unnecessary however they aren't damaging. If you want to pay the extra electricity ;)

[brickfollett]

@TTcl0ud Thats why I had an undertank heater in there as well. The lights are there for the day/night cycle and for adjusting heat, hotter bulb for the day, cooler for the night

[NicKtheGreeK1100]

DO NOT CHANGE THE SUBSTRATE INTO SAND IT WILL LEAD TO IMPACTION. btw leos are active during night, that's why they don't need any bulb. only some kind of heat.

[brickfollett]

@NicKtheGreeK1100 The warmer day bulb and the cooler night bulb simulate their natural environment, that way they actually have a sense of day and night. they don't NEED a bright light, but i like to have it so that its more naturalistic

[mackredenbarger]

So do i need to run a compact uvb bulb, a day time bulb, and a night time bulb. Or can i just run a day time bulb, and a night time bulb?

[brickfollett]

@mackredenbarger just the heat bulbs for the day and the night. the UVB bulb will do more harm than good. IF you decide to put a UVB on there, don't go higher than a 2.0, just my own opinion. but the calcium dust is all they need, they don't naturally get exposed to UVB

[everyonesfoe]

@dizzra1 you can keep sub adult leos on sand. Once there 6" or larger they are ok to live on sand and if you feed them from a dish or a separate tank with no substrate you do not need to worry about them getting impacted by eating the sand

[brickfollett]

@everyonesfoe exactly. Thats how I fed her mealworms, however i let the crickets roam around in the tank

[cleostar1011]

I love your tank! I want to have mine just like it... i need a 20 gallon long tank first though haha!

[brickfollett]

@cleostar1011 Awesome! Craigslist is a great place to find cheap tanks as long as you clean them before using them really well

[Dizzra1]

You didnt go to Sand did you?

[brickfollett]

@Dizzra1 after countless hours of research and talk with people about their own experiences, yes, I did. I use Repti-sand, and she's been on it for 8 months without issues. she loves digging

[Reptilerickbp]

hey nice gecko stunning colours please check out my gecko in HD and let me no what you think

[MorayEeeeel]

what is the name of the cactus hide?



[brickfollett]

@MorayEeeeel I wish I could tell you, I got it from a co-worker so I have no idea what brand it is or anything

[4everthesystem]

HI nice set up i was wondering what kind of heat lamp would be perfect?? Im thinking of buying my first gecko pritty soon.

[brickfollett]

@4everthesystem depends on the temp in your room. for a 10 gallon tank tank i like to use a 75w for the day and a 50w for the night year round. for a 20 gallon tank in the summer time WITH an undertank heater i use a 75w and a 50w. during the winter months i use a 100w for the day and a 60w for the night. thats just my opinion though

[CCWInTraining]

@4everthesystem DO NOT get the "Zoo Med Basic Kit" it murdered my leopard gecko. He passed away today.His cage is at fucking 60. Setting it up like they fucking said for a leopard gecko its still fucking 60 in there with a under tank heater. I find it kind of bull fucking shit that they do that shit to customers.Sorry for my language. Im just upset. Its at 70 with the fucking heat lamp 2 fucking inches away from the heating pad. Well on the bright side I got a corn snake.

[brickfollett]

@CCWInTraining Are you sure your gauges were accurate? those kits can have pretty terrible gauges. Your room temperature should be at least 70 if your serious about doing reptiles too. the combination of a UTH with a 60w bulb should keep at least 80 degrees if you have a reasonable room temperature.

[CCWInTraining]

@brickfollett Room temputure was low. Now I got it raised. Its up to 75 and I got a crestie :)

[brickfollett]

@CCWInTraining crested geckos are cool, they don't need nearly as much heat either so you don't have to buy hot bulbs that burn out every two weeks haha

[BigEyedBeautyT]

CHECK OUT MY LEOPARD GECKO VIDEOS GUYS!!! :D

[Guitarplayer219]

Why are you switching form a safe substrate, to a dangerous one? Shows the ignorance of Petsmart employees.

[brickfollett]

@Guitarplayer219 This coming from someone with no videos on their channel? Read a couple books dude. Its dangerous when their young but their fine as adults

[Guitarplayer219]

@brickfollett It's YouTube, you don't need to have videos, that's not even a valid insult, or an argument. I've seen multiple people who's geckos died from sand when they switched.

[brickfollett]

@Guitarplayer219 well it depends on what type of sand. yeah calcium sand can be dangerous because the granules are often times bigger and the geckos can't pass it through their system. The sand I use is much finer and easily passes through the system of most geckos longer than 6 inches. also there are no vitamins or supplements in the sand so she isn't inclined to eat it just because. I recognize that it is a risk, but she likes to dig and the geckos have adapted to it well while in captivity

[DoodleMiracle]

@brickfollett theres no such thing as a type of sand that can pass through the geckos system. all sand clumps up together when wet. while in the geckos stomach its going to get a bit soggy so its going to clump up. ive had my gecko on sand and he was fine but the risk is still there

[brickfollett]

@DoodleMiracle I'm not saying that sand is the only substrate or even the best substrate. Its just what I use. I don't care what you use, if you have something that works for you, great. but this works for me and yes my gecko does pass it through her system because her droppings are not quite as solid and are more lightly colored. there's no clumps that come out. Everybody is entitled to an opinion, but I know that many people use and have good success with sand for many years on end.

[DoodleMiracle]

@brickfollett if your geckos poo isnt solid and ligthly colored then thats a bad thing. if its a liquid type texture then thats a bad thing.

[brickfollett]

@DoodleMiracle it is solid and lightly colored. the only time it was runny was when she was on carpet

[LeopardGex]

@Guitarplayer219 same here

[Ash22531]

I love that half cactus hide thingy!!!!!! Where'd u get that???

[brickfollett]

@Ash22531 co worker gave it to me, i dunno where she got it though

[Ash22531]

@brickfollett that's okay =] nice setup btw!

[brickfollett]

@Ash22531 haha thanks, it changes a lot though

[Mr112Coolkid]

he looks so sad go look at my 2 new leopard geckos and yous repti sand its made for reptiles it wont make your leo die and y the carpet once they take a shit you cant clean it if the take a wet 1 take my word

[brickfollett]

@Mr112Coolkid i had the carpet in there because she was still young. i have repti sand in there now and have for a few months now, she loves it

[Mr112Coolkid]

@brickfollett get her a friend go look at my vids and sub cous i hav like no views on my vids but put op new vid and add more branches and stuff way to empty not saying that in a mean way soo talk to you later

[drummerboyjack]

LOL like the leo can figure out the combo for that lock!

[TheEmster51]

DONT USE SAND-uv probally heard this a million times-but it impacts-and dont say what about Calcium sand or vita sand-yea thats even worse-i had that for my leo-i dont care how many vitamins it has it blinds animals-mines blind in one eye cause of it-it used to be both but took him to vet and payed 60$ for a special eye drops-but one was too bad to work-just dont

[brickfollett]

@TheEmster51 actually i agree about not using vita sand or calcium sand. i had vita sand in there for a brief period of time and it actually died my gecko yellow, i was ticked.

I use REPTI-SAND, its a natural sand and it smells like play-sand. no vitamins, no calcium, so my gecko isnt tempted to ingest it because of a deficiency.

I havent had a problem with it, and alot of other people use it too.

I am definitely against vita sand and calcium sand. dust the crickets for the calcium

[kawaiikes]

@brickfollett My friend used repti-sand for his baby bearded dragon and it became impacted and died.

Experienced reptile keepers will always advise against using sand, repti-carpet is a much safer option. Sure, sand looks cooler, but do you really want to risk an impaction and the life of your pet for the appearance of their enclosure? Just because it isn't vita sand or calcium sand doesn't make it safe.

[MagicalGeckos]

Just a little info on the carpet..

well its horrible.

Geckos get there toes and teeth caught in it frequently.

and worse than that. is due to the billions of tiny fibers it is IMPOSSIBLE to make it sanitary.  It should never be used.

also dont use sand unless you are very experienced is it really worth the chance of loosing your gecko due to impaction?

The best thing to do for your set up to keep it looking nice is use some slate or tiles from homedepot.

[brickfollett]

@MagicalGeckos already heard the argument, and well i could care less. many people use sand and have great success with it, and i understand the risks, but it simulates a natural environment for my gecko. and the carpet is not difficult as long as your using a good disinfectant and rinsing properly. yeah my gecko got her teeth caught in it when she went for a cricket, but it taught her to be more careful about catching crickets, so now she doesnt ingest as much sand as she probably normaly would

[MagicalGeckos]

@brickfollett

Wrong. They are not from the dessert sand is NOT natural they are from rocky out crops. they live on dirt. NOT SAND!!!

Carpet CAN NOT BE CLEANED!!!!! it can be washed of but will NEVER be sanitary.

[brickfollett]

@MagicalGeckos since we're now yelling, EVERYBODY IS ENTITLED TO AN OPINION.

I get my information from BOOKS

Not from the INTERNET WHERE ANYONE CAN SAY ANYTHING

Yes, they live on rocks, but can you really expect me to believe that there is no sand in the middle east?

Geckos are fine on sand, and I talk to people every day that have plenty of success with it.

if your not planning on being civil about your argument, preach it to somebody else

[MidSouthMorphs]

@brickfollett It depends on where in the Middle East. The part of Afghanistan I was in, their was not any sand. That is only in the flat southern portion where the deserts are, I was in northern Afghan near Kabul and Bagram in the mountains.

[brickfollett]

@MidSouthMorphs Thats cool, did you serve?

any way you look at it, the geckos at some point in the lifetime of their species, they have been on sand. and the store bought leopard geckos dont come from the middle east anymore, they are captive bred here in america, and breeders often use sand with their geckos or some type of dirt, because an egg isnt going to have much of a shot if its laid on tile, not accounting for incubators.

[MidSouthMorphs]

@brickfollett I figured they were, and yes I did. The only wildlife, reptiles wise I saw were Snakes. I just use paper towel, I would use sand I just don't want to chance impaction.

[brickfollett]

@MidSouthMorphs Yeah theres nothing wrong with that. Paper towels are super easy to clean, especially over carpet. Its actually a pain to clean the carpets once every week or two, they just look a little better.

And yeah impaction is always a risk, definitely more so during the first 6 or 7 months of age

[LeopardGeckoDude273]

Lol I have a pet perks card :)

[brickfollett]

@LeopardGeckoDude273 haha nice, i have a perks card and i hate to admit it but i have a petco pals card too. they sell some things petsmart doesnt and vice versa

[LeopardGeckoDude273]

@brickfollett Lol, but i get what your saying.

[TheAsswhipe123]

Hey you should get a night glo bulb it will look cooler and ur leopard gecko will feel happier, nice setups, I really love your Bearded Dragon setup.

[brickfollett]

@TheAsswhipe123 i have the purple night glo in there right now. i had to drop it down to 50 watts for the summer time because it was hangin around 90 on the warm side with a 60. the night glo does look cool though i agree but i think my gecko is more active with the red bulb

[88xoma]

that gecko is like in heaven. but check out my 2 gecko's setup! Thumbs up if It's awsome!

[brickfollett]

@Toadstool93 what was? and yeah its always cheaper to buy a kit than everything separate. i actually dont use the moss which is a personal choice. i use zoo-meds repti-shedding aid whenever my gecko is about to shed. it works really well. sorry you didnt have a good experience tho, i cant imagine every store is perfect

[tbabyok8]

@brickfollett i have a beared dragon there awesome

[tbabyok8]

are leopard geckos fun to own or are they boring?

[brickfollett]

@tbabyok8 bearded dragons are far more entertaining but their expensive. leopard geckos hide all day and come out at night so if your a night person then go for it. they like to explore and hunt crickets at night, and i even got mine to be comfortable with riding around on my shoulder while i walk around my house. i think their pretty fun =]

[brickfollett]

thanks, it wasnt cheap haha but i like to give them a good home

[gekoleopard]

as a second what you mean

[gekoleopard]

congratulations to wonder terrarium...how many you got there

[brickfollett]

@gekoleopard how many geckos? shes by herself in there, i might get a second one a little later on

[Mr112Coolkid]

why have a lock there is no point he cant even get up the glass

[brickfollett]

@Mr112Coolkid its sort of just the security knowing that if we have guests over with kids or something they cant open the tank up. its more to keep stuff/people/pets out of the tank than her getting out. if it was a snake i would use it all the time for sure

[AZATTACK1]

at 0:18, where do u get that gecko shelter thing? I really want it!!!

[brickfollett]

@AZATTACK1 my co worker gave it to me, i have no idea where to find it. i took it out because all she ever did was hide in there

[brickfollett]

@WarriorJustPwnedYou true. i see my gecko laying on the sand where her undertank heater is all the time. i like to use a night light in addition to the UTH though because i have a 20 long so it needs a little extra boost

[surferioz]

i had a leopard gecko when i was younger and my dad gave it to my cousin but now im 14 and interested again i already have a 10 gallon tank and was wondering if i need a daytime lamp or can i just use a heat mat and get a nighttime lamp? and what else do i need besides reptile carpet, water dish, food dish, calcium dish, and hides?

[brickfollett]

@surferioz if you dont have a screen top i would get one of those too. yeah i would have a day light and a night light because you want it a little warmer in the day, and that way the gecko can tell easier when its night and day. other than that you should probably get some gauges and a cricket keeper

[surferioz]

@brickfollett alright so besides the top and the gauges btw what kind temp and hygrometer? cause were kinda on a budget so electricity could i keep it by a window to show day light and keep a heat mat on 24/7? cause i see alot of people dont even use heat and just keep them in a tub? with holes and crap but i want tank so could i use to the basis they use i dont think they have any heat idk im confused ahaha

[brickfollett]

@surferioz temperature should be between 90 and 95 on the warm side and below 30% is best for humidity but i cant even maintain that. mine is usually between 40 and 50% because of where i live. i would use a heat lamp and not put it by a window because you have more control. for a ten gallon tank i would put a 60W for the day and a 40W or 50W for the night in addition to an undertank heater. you just have to experiment with different bulbs for the right temperature

[Nerdysseus]

@surferioz Don't get a daylight bulb, it's unnecessary, leopard geckos are nocturnal. Just get a night time bulb, I use a red Heat Bulb (50w in summer, 75w in winter) cuz they can't see the red, at night it just looks dark to them. and a bottom tank heater, that will be ur most important heater, leopard geckos bellies are where they need heat...

[brickfollett]

@Nerdysseus the reason i have a day and a night bulb is because it simulates natures. they arent exposed to uvb so i dont bother, but they do naturally hide from bright light 12-14 hours a day so i have hiding spots for her. i also have a higher wattage bulb for the day because that also simulates nature. i also have an undertank heater because your right, they do get heat from their bellies but the ambient temperature in the tank is easier controlled by a heat bulb

[Nerdysseus]

@brickfollett O Ok, that makes a lot of sense. nice setup by the way

[kccuffsman]

when are leopard gecko avaible at petsmart????

[brickfollett]

@kccuffsman they should get shipments of them in every week

[PinkTellsU]

One of my mealworms escaped when I accidently droped it, what do I do?!!!!!!

[brickfollett]

@PinkTellsU pick it up! haha they dont bit =] i have 8" feeder tongs that i use to handle the bugs

[brickfollett]

@brickfollett bite*

[PinkTellsU]

@brickfollett It escaped >.> i cant find it.... oh well it probably died.

[brickfollett]

@PinkTellsU just close every door of the house and search every single room thoroughly. look underneath and inside stuff on the floor. i talk to people all the time that lost their geckos and they turn up weeks or even a month later. it may drop its tail but dont give up, youll find it

[PinkTellsU]

@brickfollett I'm not talking about a gecko... Im talking about a mealworm.... lol!!!!

[brickfollett]

@PinkTellsU haha well thats good news!

[77alegro]

U shudhave put bad petsmart employee shouldnt you no not to use lamps I went to pet smart and they said only use a heat PAD for bearded dragons and use a lamp for leopard geckos. Now I know pet smart is always wrong and DOESN'T FEED THERE KRICKEtS .... Commercialized crap

[brickfollett]

@77alegro What? a heat pad doesnt produce nearly enough heat for bearded dragons and bearded dragons love basking under heat bulbs. i use an undertank heater and a heat lamp for both my leopard gecko and my bearded dragon in addition to the uv bulbs for my bearded dragon. and your petsmart must not follow procedures very well because we give our crickets a cricket meal and cricket water that they cant drown in. just because your petsmart doesnt know what their doing doesnt mean mine doesnt

[DownInTheSouth1]

im confused about where to put my heat lamps i put them on top of the cage and then the cage turned to 100 degrees and would a heat pad be better and where can i get one

[brickfollett]

@DownInTheSouth1 i have both a heat pad and a lamp. just get a lower watt of bulb. the lamps should be on one side of the cage, not the middle

[TheOrangeLightbulb]

I got a blizzard leopard gecko at your store but half its tail was missing :(

[brickfollett]

@TheOrangeLightbulb it grows back. mine dropped her tail when i got her too

[Khaatimful]

Where did you get the hide that the gecko is in?

[brickfollett]

@Khaatimful co worker gave it to me haha i dunno where to find it in stores

[brickfollett]

@Reptyler14 yeah i think the longer the breeders keep breeding them the more they adapt to whatever substrate they keep them on. i dont know what our petsmart distributor keeps its breeder leopard geckos on but it would be interesting to find out

[brickfollett]

@Brycen2000 i think youll like it. like i said its nice because its not dusty, wont die your gecko any funky colors and doesnt smell

[brickfollett]

@Reptyler14 thats understandable but i've read a couple books and done plenty of research. they live on all sorts of different terrain including sand. i'm well aware of the risks of sand, and many people i talk with at work use sand and have done so for years with success. theres nothing wrong with not using sand, its just what i prefer to use because my leo likes to dig. also i observe her droppings and she is passing whatever sand she eats very easily. everybody has the right to an opinion

[ArmyLeopardGecko]

@brickfollett heres the deal..not everyone has had the great chance to visit afghanistan..BUT! leopard geckos avoid soft sand. they actually live in hard rock like sand. if you want a more natural substrate then get the excavator substrate

[brickfollett]

@ArmyLeopardGecko thats understandable but people have been breeding leopard geckos in the u.s. for years. i'm sure enough generations have passed that the present day leopard geckos have adapted/gotten used to sand. like i said before, mine seems to love it, she digs and doesnt seem like she's trying to avoid it. she spends most of her time on it and my present setup (which is entirely different from the video you see) has plenty of places she can get off the sand. i've though about tiles tho

[brickfollett]

@Brycen2000 my tank? yeah i know. it just looks tropical but the humidity was right. i'll upload a video of what it looks like now, its completely different. i did try the vita sand once. its nice because its really REALLY fine, but it was so dusty that it made a big mess, and i used the yellow stuff and it died my leo the color of the sand. i switched to repti sand, which is just regular sand, no vitamins, no calcium. i just keep up with my dusting really well. its all a give and take thing

[Amphibtile]

Hey that cactus hide where did u get it I really want it my leos will love it

[brickfollett]

@Amphibtile actually one of my co-workers at petsmart gave it to me and i have no idea where she got it from. i stopped using it in my tank because my leo spent almost all of her time in it. look around though, i'ms sure youll find something

[Motmas900]

actually, dude, they don't live on sand in their natural environment...it's not the sahara desert or anything. they tend to stay on solid ground and rocks, i recommend using slate tiles to make their enclosure naturalistic. yes, a gecko will more than likely be just fine on sand, but it is an unnecessary risk for an inaccurate assumption.

[brickfollett]

@Motmas900 that seems pretty likely. there is a lot of research and literature like the Leopard Gecko Manual that explains that as long as they are old enough, the sand is safe. yeah its a risk, but there are a lot of people that house their geckos on sand without complications. and if it ever does create complications i wouldnt hesitate to change my setup, but my gecko is very happy on her repti sand. at least your not bitching at me like critterguy6296, i deleted all his comments

[brickfollett]

@Motmas900 and i will advocate that the sand is extremely dangerous for young leopard geckos because they cant digest it. when they are a minimum of six inches its not as much of a risk

[brickfollett]

@CritterGuy6296 they live in the middle east. all there is is sand over there dude. just because you had one friend that screwed up doesnt mean its gonna happen to everyone. i talk to tons of customers every single day that have had their geckos on sand for years and they are all fine. your response?

[brickfollett]

@CritterGuy6296 mines on the repti sand right now and shes fine. they live on it the wild. its usually fine as long as the sand is fine enough. the calcium sand granules are too big, but my leopard gecko is doing great and she likes to dig too =]

[ox455]

I have a leo thats a juvenile and i feed him about 8 mealworms per day. Is that way to less of worms?

[AFunnyWhisper]

Could you stop your PetSmart from using sand? That stuff's dangerous.

[brickfollett]

@AFunnyWhisper My Petsmart doesnt use sand for anything except hermit crabs. we have our bearded dragons and leopard geckos on carpets. i dont have any control over the other petsmarts though as much as i wish i did

[ox455]

@laceymiir Jesus crris! 10? wtf?? babys = 5 juve=7 adult=10

[brickfollett]

@laceymiir your leopard gecko looks really good, i would try feeding crickets too though, its alot more interesting for them to hunt down. make sure your dusting the crickets/mealworms with calcium 2 or 3 times a week because they can have all sorts of problems when they get older. hold off on the superworms for a couple months though. mine is about 7 inches and i feed her giant mealworms right from my hand. you've got a pretty leo though, and your tank is set up pretty good too =]

[brickfollett]

color is really your preference. their tail shouldn't be super skinny, but babies all have pretty skinny tails. mine had actually dropped her tail in the store but it grew back and looks fine. their eyes should be pretty clear and alert, and if they are babies, dont buy them if the store houses them on sand. they need to be on carpet until their at least 6 inches long. i know petco keeps them on calcium sand and their tiny, its not healthy for them cuz they can get the equivilent of constipation

[123leopardgeckos]

@brickfollett I got mine from a local petstore who did that and mine turned out fine she is now 5 and a half months old and very happy. Although i do not use sand for her.

[brickfollett]

@123leopardgeckos Yeah I have mine on the Repti sand right now, she doesnt have any issues with it. I dont like the calcium sand because the grains are too big, and the Vita sand is super dusty

[16toth]

im getting a gecko and dont know what a good gecko looks like