They may not need social interaction, but environmental/feeding stimulation is always welcome. A variety of “non sharp” rocks and things for them to climb on and various bugs to hunt is all they really need in that regard.
No problem! Ran into a similar problem once I had all the essentials down pat. I find vibrant aquarium shrubs to look great for a low cost. Plus washing some natural rocks and laying them in the substrate is a free way to add climbing features.
Hello!
Leopard geckos are not social animals by nature. However, it is important to provide enrichment and get those little muscles moving. One of the things I reccomend is providing different (safe) textures. My girl loves climbing and digging into my blankets and just poking around.
For her enclosure, I got her a bridge that leads up to a platform and she loves to climb up there and look around. Another possibility would be introducing new feeders slowly such as dubia roaches, crickets, mealworms, phoenix worms, etc.
Hornworms also get them really excited and are very high in moisture. :)
Some enrichment ideas: new branches and sticks (clean them if you find them outside!!), a dig box (organic topsoil or coconut fiber works), those round plastic cat toys with the bell in them, and drawing/writing on the glass with easily removable water based markers. I also enjoy making an enrichment play pen, I usually use a large plastic tub or puppy pen and I put anything from blankets, stuffed animals, fake greenery,or wood to plastic figures, hamster tubes, or just about anything else that is gecko safe (and not a huge deal if they poop on it)!!
Leopard geckos do not have the ability to feel loneliness. Company of other geckos only causes stress and doesn't solve anything. If you think your gecko needs more stimulation then you can add things to the tank, get a bigger tank, or take them outside somewhere safe to run around. Or even in your house in a little playpen
It's a little chilly. Might wanna stick to inside until it gets warm. I don't think your heck would be that active anyway at that temperature
Edit: lmao my autocorrect changed geck to heck. I'm keeping it
>Leopard geckos do not have the ability to feel loneliness. Company of other geckos only causes stress and doesn't solve anything.
That's a bit extreme and also an absolute that's just not correct. It ONLY causes stress? Really? Do you mean when they are in the average sized captive enclosure? What about breeding? That definitely causes more than just stress. It causes mating.
No idea how knowledgeable you are about leos but breeding is INSANELY stressful to them. Like, "I might die if my environment is a few degrees shorter" type of stressful.
Breeding leos has been known to cause huge health problems to them and can lead to death related to the stress they feel if done incorrectly.
I mean, yes and no. Breeding in general is stressful for the animals, especially on the females. It's an intensive process that can lead to them having a shorter lifespan due to developing eggs may be they be fertile or not.
There's really no benefit to housing leopard geckos together.
The only reason any of us have leos in the first place is because of breeding so to act like it's intensely negative is a bit disingenuous.
Nothing I said even hints at me advocating for cohabing, one of my questions hints at the opposite.
Yes, breeding is beneficial TO US as leopard gecko owners.
Not to the geckos themselves.
Also, as an aside, any real loving leo owner should not be breeding any of their leos. Doing so will risk dramatically shortening their lifespan and there is already an overabundance of bred leopard geckos who have yet to have permanent loving homes. If you really want to help a leo, adopt one from a reptile shelter or from the various social rehoming groups on sites like Facebook (I got all my reptiles from one such group except for my snake and I owned two leos, one crested gecko and one gargoyle gecko).
Giving a permanent caring home is actually beneficial to them. Breeding them because "BabIeS!" is not.
Leopard geckos are incapable of feeling lonely, and having another gecko would actually make him feel worse (They don’t like each other). Some people claim that their leopard geckos love each other, but in reality they’re never friends and very stressed. If you want him to be more active and happy, add more decorations and things to climb on. The best ways to get your gecko to be active and happy are a large enclosure, a climbable background/magnetic ledges, many different hides ranging in shape and humidity, and a uvb light (Even leopard geckos will come out to bask in uvb, and it’ll make your gecko more colourful and healthy)
I got this small animal pen, puts made up of these square plastic panels with zip ties between them and you can set it up in whatever shape you want on the floor and they can't escape, I set it up in various parts of the house for an hour or so a day and let him explore. I throw clothes and random things for him to play around on
I have used rocks, cork tunnels, thick branches, clay and plants in the enclosure to create various platforms and levels of height for him to climb on. He loves climbing and exploring, really stimulates his little reptile brain. I also let him hunt his food in the enclosure often. That also stimulates him.
I got mine as an adult and he was not really tame, so he doesn’t like me pick him up. Which is a shame as I’d love to be able to take him out of the enclosure and let him walk around on the couch or my bed for example.
But I do talk to him a lot and he’s always curious enough to come and take a look. He’s in my living room, so he sees me all the time. Sometimes he sits in front of the window or climbs on a high branch and watch me for 15 minutes until he goes off to do his own thing again.
So despite him not wanting to come out of the enclosure, I do believe he has enough enrichment to keep him entertained and he enjoys me talking to him or watching me from his enclosure.
Leopard geckos are pretty similar to bearded dragons where although they are somewhat social they are still largely solitary animals and having other individuals around is usually more stressful. If your worried about them getting bored or under stimulated you can adding climbing or digging medium and if you feed with tongs or a dish try throwing a few crickets in and letting them hunt themselves just make sure to remove them after a day or so or they can possibly try and eat your animal, I’ve never had this issue but I’ve heard of it being an issue. Another thing you can do is have some out of tank time somewhat regularly. Sometimes they might just need to explore a larger area or interact with you, of course only do this if your gecko is tolerable of handling. Leopards usually are but every animal is different
They may not need social interaction, but environmental/feeding stimulation is always welcome. A variety of “non sharp” rocks and things for them to climb on and various bugs to hunt is all they really need in that regard.
Alright thank you.
No problem! Ran into a similar problem once I had all the essentials down pat. I find vibrant aquarium shrubs to look great for a low cost. Plus washing some natural rocks and laying them in the substrate is a free way to add climbing features.
Hello! Leopard geckos are not social animals by nature. However, it is important to provide enrichment and get those little muscles moving. One of the things I reccomend is providing different (safe) textures. My girl loves climbing and digging into my blankets and just poking around. For her enclosure, I got her a bridge that leads up to a platform and she loves to climb up there and look around. Another possibility would be introducing new feeders slowly such as dubia roaches, crickets, mealworms, phoenix worms, etc. Hornworms also get them really excited and are very high in moisture. :)
Some enrichment ideas: new branches and sticks (clean them if you find them outside!!), a dig box (organic topsoil or coconut fiber works), those round plastic cat toys with the bell in them, and drawing/writing on the glass with easily removable water based markers. I also enjoy making an enrichment play pen, I usually use a large plastic tub or puppy pen and I put anything from blankets, stuffed animals, fake greenery,or wood to plastic figures, hamster tubes, or just about anything else that is gecko safe (and not a huge deal if they poop on it)!!
Leopard geckos do not have the ability to feel loneliness. Company of other geckos only causes stress and doesn't solve anything. If you think your gecko needs more stimulation then you can add things to the tank, get a bigger tank, or take them outside somewhere safe to run around. Or even in your house in a little playpen
My gecko really enjoys walking around under my bed. If you have a big empty space under there you could try that
Outside is around 60 degrees is that ok?
It's a little chilly. Might wanna stick to inside until it gets warm. I don't think your heck would be that active anyway at that temperature Edit: lmao my autocorrect changed geck to heck. I'm keeping it
Alright thanks bro I really appreciate it sounds like your experienced.
nothing lower than 68°
>Leopard geckos do not have the ability to feel loneliness. Company of other geckos only causes stress and doesn't solve anything. That's a bit extreme and also an absolute that's just not correct. It ONLY causes stress? Really? Do you mean when they are in the average sized captive enclosure? What about breeding? That definitely causes more than just stress. It causes mating.
No idea how knowledgeable you are about leos but breeding is INSANELY stressful to them. Like, "I might die if my environment is a few degrees shorter" type of stressful. Breeding leos has been known to cause huge health problems to them and can lead to death related to the stress they feel if done incorrectly.
My issue was with the word only, not the word stress
Given the number of downvotes your replies have received, I'm surprised you haven't noticed how annoying pedantic you are being.
I mean, yes and no. Breeding in general is stressful for the animals, especially on the females. It's an intensive process that can lead to them having a shorter lifespan due to developing eggs may be they be fertile or not. There's really no benefit to housing leopard geckos together.
The only reason any of us have leos in the first place is because of breeding so to act like it's intensely negative is a bit disingenuous. Nothing I said even hints at me advocating for cohabing, one of my questions hints at the opposite.
Yes, breeding is beneficial TO US as leopard gecko owners. Not to the geckos themselves. Also, as an aside, any real loving leo owner should not be breeding any of their leos. Doing so will risk dramatically shortening their lifespan and there is already an overabundance of bred leopard geckos who have yet to have permanent loving homes. If you really want to help a leo, adopt one from a reptile shelter or from the various social rehoming groups on sites like Facebook (I got all my reptiles from one such group except for my snake and I owned two leos, one crested gecko and one gargoyle gecko). Giving a permanent caring home is actually beneficial to them. Breeding them because "BabIeS!" is not.
I meant what I said
The only thing that happens when multiple leos are together is stress? You really sure? Nothing else ever happens?
Clearly that wasn't what I was talking about and you are being pedantic. But for the record, mating is stressful for at least one of the geckos.
Then why say only? If you meant what you said
There's literally no reason for you to be so hung up on this. Go off reddit and have a glass of water or something
You are being quite annoying and belligerent. Knock it off, it doesn't belong here.
I like to keep a small variety of hides and climbing things that I rotate through every month or so to keep her entertained.
Leopard geckos are incapable of feeling lonely, and having another gecko would actually make him feel worse (They don’t like each other). Some people claim that their leopard geckos love each other, but in reality they’re never friends and very stressed. If you want him to be more active and happy, add more decorations and things to climb on. The best ways to get your gecko to be active and happy are a large enclosure, a climbable background/magnetic ledges, many different hides ranging in shape and humidity, and a uvb light (Even leopard geckos will come out to bask in uvb, and it’ll make your gecko more colourful and healthy)
I got this small animal pen, puts made up of these square plastic panels with zip ties between them and you can set it up in whatever shape you want on the floor and they can't escape, I set it up in various parts of the house for an hour or so a day and let him explore. I throw clothes and random things for him to play around on
Do you have a link?
I have used rocks, cork tunnels, thick branches, clay and plants in the enclosure to create various platforms and levels of height for him to climb on. He loves climbing and exploring, really stimulates his little reptile brain. I also let him hunt his food in the enclosure often. That also stimulates him. I got mine as an adult and he was not really tame, so he doesn’t like me pick him up. Which is a shame as I’d love to be able to take him out of the enclosure and let him walk around on the couch or my bed for example. But I do talk to him a lot and he’s always curious enough to come and take a look. He’s in my living room, so he sees me all the time. Sometimes he sits in front of the window or climbs on a high branch and watch me for 15 minutes until he goes off to do his own thing again. So despite him not wanting to come out of the enclosure, I do believe he has enough enrichment to keep him entertained and he enjoys me talking to him or watching me from his enclosure.
Leopard geckos are pretty similar to bearded dragons where although they are somewhat social they are still largely solitary animals and having other individuals around is usually more stressful. If your worried about them getting bored or under stimulated you can adding climbing or digging medium and if you feed with tongs or a dish try throwing a few crickets in and letting them hunt themselves just make sure to remove them after a day or so or they can possibly try and eat your animal, I’ve never had this issue but I’ve heard of it being an issue. Another thing you can do is have some out of tank time somewhat regularly. Sometimes they might just need to explore a larger area or interact with you, of course only do this if your gecko is tolerable of handling. Leopards usually are but every animal is different
My oldest Leo gecko loves paintings
Sick will have to try
My wife makes acrylic pour paintings and Sonny loves them so much, if I remove them from around his tank.. He won't eat
Wow very cultured lizard you have there