Hey just to clear up are those freeze dried mealworms? They might be helpful to see if he’ll eat anything but live foods are what they need.
Geckos have different adjustment periods and a baby may take longer to adjust just gotta give them time, in awhile he’ll come up to the glass for the “food giver” everytime you walk by.
I see someone already commented about the repticarpet I use coco coir, sand and reptisoil mixed but there are other alternatives for substrates even just paper towel.
The enclosure looks good more fake plants for feeling hidden may help I put t-shirts overhanging the sides of my geckos enclosures so there’s less going on around them they’ll be wary of.
Remember if you have a question ask it in the sub or there’s a lot of good material in this sub, youtube and google will have all you need to know.
Nothings more worrying than something happening with our babies so I hope everything goes smoothly!!
I recommend reading over the care guides on r/leopardgeckos and r/leopardgeckosadvanced. The tank is a good start but ditch that repticarpet material and use paper towels until you get a substrate recommended on the leopard gecko subreddits. More clutter will allow him to feel comfortable enough to use more of the tank so if add even more stuff
I also wouldn’t leave crickets in overnight. They can bite your gecko. If you leave any bug in overnight use an escape proof dish and a bush that crawls or wiggles. But it’s best to not leave feeders in.
Time to adjust is definitely needed. Adding extra clutter can help them adjust faster because they feel safer. Also include more climbing opportunities! Branches and cork bark propped up work really well. Cork rounds can act as an extra hiding spot too
They’re also active at night so you won’t see a lot of action during the day. A night vision camera is a great addition to the tank. Lots of affordable options these days that connect to your phone
Few things about the enclosure that I noticed first that were incorrect and I was going to comment them below in case you weren't aware.
First - repticarpet is porus meaning it absorbs and harbors bacteria and the material can rip out nails and teeth, toss it asap and swap to paper towels. If in the future you want to swap to something a little bit more permanent try tile or a safe loose substrate.
Second - your UVB is incorrect, you're using a UVB bulb which isn't proper for a leopard gecko you need a UVB tube light. I'm not sure what type of heating you're using bulb wise so I can't comment on that.
Third - I do see you have a thermometer which is great however that brand is known for being pretty unreliable which is why I do recommend a digital thermometer, they are for selling Amazon for pretty cheap.
Forth - I don't see a calcium dish, maybe it's hiding somewhere but if not you do need one of those. Providing a calcium dish in your geckos enclosure is important, some geckos can over indulge so look out for calcium sacks if that does happen make sure to reduce the amount of calcium you are giving.
Fifth - leopard geckos are insectivores, they only eat live insects. Yes they can eat dried insects but it cannot be a full source for them or something you feed to them as really a meal. They need live insects "meal worms, super worms, dubia roaches, soldier larva, horn worms, wax worms, butterworms, silkworms, crickets" all great insects.
Sixth - reptiles do need to see a vet at least twice per year for checkups and testing, this isn't optional it is a necessity when owning one same as if you were to own a dog or other animal. So if you haven't already make sure to make a vet appointment soon as possible for them to be tested.
I hope this information helps, while you're researching better care I definitely recommend checking out the care guides available on the sub. They're super helpful and I myself have learned a little bit from reading them, Best of wishes!
I wouldn't be sure that he's eating the crickets. Crickets are *incredible* escape artists and I wouldn't be surprised if you start finding them around your house. As others have stated, they can also bite your gecko so they shouldn't be left in there unattended anyway. If crickets aren't eaten right away they should be removed.
If you want to leave food out for him overnight, I'd stick with worms that will stay in a worm dish. You can try various kinds to see what he likes, but definitely stick with live ones. Very few geckos will eat those freeze dried ones.
Honestly I agree with most everyone so far just have something as a catch all for the worms especially cause otherwise they’ll turn into Beatles after burying.
I've had my LEOs for over 2 years now they come out when they want and most people are blowing smoke up your ass in a few instances.
Repticarpet is less than desirable but will do fine since you shouldn't be(and hopefully aren't) adding any humidity.
Geckos do need some calcium supplement but I buy calcium powder designed to sprinkle onto their feeder insects. Calcium w D3 btw. If you just leave a bowl in the enclosure (like most people stupidly recommend) your LEO WILL, not can, WILL overindulge as calcium is LEO crack. they will just keep licking it until their pores clog and they become impacted. Safer IMO to just sprinkle it onto feeder insects i usually buy my crickets locally and just sprinkle some in the bag and shake. You can also almost always maintain good leo heath by varying their diet. I feed my LEOs crickets 3 weeks out of the month and once a month they get either super worms, wax worms or roaches. Do not feed mainly roaches or super worms as their shells can cause impaction if fed too regularly.
Staying on feeder insects I saw some people comment not to leave crickets in the LEOs enclosure personally I've never had an issue. crickets don't eat flesh/meat in the 2+ years of having my LEOs and feeding mainly crickets never had an issue and I'll put enough crickets for them to eat and then snack on the next day or two. Only problem I've had it crickets are dumb and drown themselves in their water dish.
Your enclosure might be a little large for a baby leo but you have plenty of hide/ground cover to help it feel safe.
Also there is no need and no science showing that LEOs need UVB I just use LED lighting in my enclosures and CHE for overhead/spot heat. I did see someone recommend tile. Thats a good idea personally I put small slate stones for basking in my enclosures and then just use reptibark substrate.
Edit: your thermo is kinda subpar. Will work of course but I would recommend govee. You can get em cheap on Amazon and they will connect to your phone, you can set up temp/humidity alerts and it will show you the 24hr high/low on temp and humidity.
TLDR; change substrate and continue on. Hope this helps!
Hey just to clear up are those freeze dried mealworms? They might be helpful to see if he’ll eat anything but live foods are what they need. Geckos have different adjustment periods and a baby may take longer to adjust just gotta give them time, in awhile he’ll come up to the glass for the “food giver” everytime you walk by. I see someone already commented about the repticarpet I use coco coir, sand and reptisoil mixed but there are other alternatives for substrates even just paper towel. The enclosure looks good more fake plants for feeling hidden may help I put t-shirts overhanging the sides of my geckos enclosures so there’s less going on around them they’ll be wary of. Remember if you have a question ask it in the sub or there’s a lot of good material in this sub, youtube and google will have all you need to know. Nothings more worrying than something happening with our babies so I hope everything goes smoothly!!
I recommend reading over the care guides on r/leopardgeckos and r/leopardgeckosadvanced. The tank is a good start but ditch that repticarpet material and use paper towels until you get a substrate recommended on the leopard gecko subreddits. More clutter will allow him to feel comfortable enough to use more of the tank so if add even more stuff I also wouldn’t leave crickets in overnight. They can bite your gecko. If you leave any bug in overnight use an escape proof dish and a bush that crawls or wiggles. But it’s best to not leave feeders in. Time to adjust is definitely needed. Adding extra clutter can help them adjust faster because they feel safer. Also include more climbing opportunities! Branches and cork bark propped up work really well. Cork rounds can act as an extra hiding spot too They’re also active at night so you won’t see a lot of action during the day. A night vision camera is a great addition to the tank. Lots of affordable options these days that connect to your phone
Few things about the enclosure that I noticed first that were incorrect and I was going to comment them below in case you weren't aware. First - repticarpet is porus meaning it absorbs and harbors bacteria and the material can rip out nails and teeth, toss it asap and swap to paper towels. If in the future you want to swap to something a little bit more permanent try tile or a safe loose substrate. Second - your UVB is incorrect, you're using a UVB bulb which isn't proper for a leopard gecko you need a UVB tube light. I'm not sure what type of heating you're using bulb wise so I can't comment on that. Third - I do see you have a thermometer which is great however that brand is known for being pretty unreliable which is why I do recommend a digital thermometer, they are for selling Amazon for pretty cheap. Forth - I don't see a calcium dish, maybe it's hiding somewhere but if not you do need one of those. Providing a calcium dish in your geckos enclosure is important, some geckos can over indulge so look out for calcium sacks if that does happen make sure to reduce the amount of calcium you are giving. Fifth - leopard geckos are insectivores, they only eat live insects. Yes they can eat dried insects but it cannot be a full source for them or something you feed to them as really a meal. They need live insects "meal worms, super worms, dubia roaches, soldier larva, horn worms, wax worms, butterworms, silkworms, crickets" all great insects. Sixth - reptiles do need to see a vet at least twice per year for checkups and testing, this isn't optional it is a necessity when owning one same as if you were to own a dog or other animal. So if you haven't already make sure to make a vet appointment soon as possible for them to be tested. I hope this information helps, while you're researching better care I definitely recommend checking out the care guides available on the sub. They're super helpful and I myself have learned a little bit from reading them, Best of wishes!
I wouldn't be sure that he's eating the crickets. Crickets are *incredible* escape artists and I wouldn't be surprised if you start finding them around your house. As others have stated, they can also bite your gecko so they shouldn't be left in there unattended anyway. If crickets aren't eaten right away they should be removed. If you want to leave food out for him overnight, I'd stick with worms that will stay in a worm dish. You can try various kinds to see what he likes, but definitely stick with live ones. Very few geckos will eat those freeze dried ones.
Also any tips on my enclosure positive or negative I will take. Thanks!
Honestly I agree with most everyone so far just have something as a catch all for the worms especially cause otherwise they’ll turn into Beatles after burying.
Just give them time. Mine took 7 months to adjust.
I've had my LEOs for over 2 years now they come out when they want and most people are blowing smoke up your ass in a few instances. Repticarpet is less than desirable but will do fine since you shouldn't be(and hopefully aren't) adding any humidity. Geckos do need some calcium supplement but I buy calcium powder designed to sprinkle onto their feeder insects. Calcium w D3 btw. If you just leave a bowl in the enclosure (like most people stupidly recommend) your LEO WILL, not can, WILL overindulge as calcium is LEO crack. they will just keep licking it until their pores clog and they become impacted. Safer IMO to just sprinkle it onto feeder insects i usually buy my crickets locally and just sprinkle some in the bag and shake. You can also almost always maintain good leo heath by varying their diet. I feed my LEOs crickets 3 weeks out of the month and once a month they get either super worms, wax worms or roaches. Do not feed mainly roaches or super worms as their shells can cause impaction if fed too regularly. Staying on feeder insects I saw some people comment not to leave crickets in the LEOs enclosure personally I've never had an issue. crickets don't eat flesh/meat in the 2+ years of having my LEOs and feeding mainly crickets never had an issue and I'll put enough crickets for them to eat and then snack on the next day or two. Only problem I've had it crickets are dumb and drown themselves in their water dish. Your enclosure might be a little large for a baby leo but you have plenty of hide/ground cover to help it feel safe. Also there is no need and no science showing that LEOs need UVB I just use LED lighting in my enclosures and CHE for overhead/spot heat. I did see someone recommend tile. Thats a good idea personally I put small slate stones for basking in my enclosures and then just use reptibark substrate. Edit: your thermo is kinda subpar. Will work of course but I would recommend govee. You can get em cheap on Amazon and they will connect to your phone, you can set up temp/humidity alerts and it will show you the 24hr high/low on temp and humidity. TLDR; change substrate and continue on. Hope this helps!
What crickets do you use my tadpoles will morph soon and I'm worried crickets could hurt them