# leopard gecko help



## nelsong6969 (Jul 26, 2004)

im thinking about getting one in a 10 gallon but when i read what all they need every site i looked at had all kinds of plastic containers and newspaper floors. is there any way to make the tank look more realistic? im pretty sure my firend said theres fake caves to use instead of a plastic hide box, but what can i use for a bottom that looks real because i read that sand isnt good for them


----------



## nelsong6969 (Jul 26, 2004)

also anyone have pics of theire tanks?


----------



## Burf (Nov 3, 2003)

you dont really have a choice of substrate if you are looking to get a juvinile. Younger than 6 months should be kept on paper towel or similar. Once the gecko is nearly full grown you could move it to sand if you feel it necessary, but it will never be as safe as paper. I personally use one large piece of flag-stone with a VERY fine grade sand filling in the gaps around it.

As for hides, the humid hide really should be made from a plastic container. Anything else will either rot or not hold moisture. To make my humid hides look more natural I coat them in PVA glue and then dip them in sand to "camoflague" them. For the hides other than humid hides, you can use basically whatever you want. I have glued together a pile of rocks. This provides caves to hide in and a place to climb. I also use coconuts. I Am going to write a how to sheet about using coconuts, i'll provide the link soon. There are comercially avaliable hides but I feel that they are often over priced and its much easier to make your own.


----------



## nelsong6969 (Jul 26, 2004)

that glueing sand is a good idea thanks for the info


----------



## Burf (Nov 3, 2003)

http://www.piranha-fury.com/forum/pfury/in...t=0#entry556850

Here is a link to a caresheet I made for them. The pictures are quite old and I will update them sometime this evening


----------



## nelsong6969 (Jul 26, 2004)

can you show more pics of your setup? i saw one on the link you gave me and it looks nice


----------



## Burf (Nov 3, 2003)

this is my current set-up. Not the most attractive i've ever had but i find it the easiest to keep clean
**edit** It usually has a red bulb, but it blew yesterday so i put in a clear one untill I can get to the shops at the weekend.


----------



## nelsong6969 (Jul 26, 2004)

what kind of substrate do you have?


----------



## nelsong6969 (Jul 26, 2004)

one more question how much should i be looking to spend on a leopard gecko


----------



## Burf (Nov 3, 2003)

nelsong6969 said:


> what kind of substrate do you have?


 It's a large piece of stone, with sand filling in the gaps around the edges of the tank.

Its hard to say how much you should pay for a gecko. It depends upon the age, what colour morph and the quality of the markings of that particular gecko. For a young, normal morph you would pay £25-30 in the shops, but less at shows. I dont really know what the prices are like in america


----------

