Hi Everyone,
I just wrote this to be included in boxes with leopard geckos. It could
also be used at reptile shows. If you would like to use it that is ok,
just give me credit and put your own name of who to contact on the
bottom. I can also e-mail you a much nicer looking version in MS Word,
just let me know and I'll send it to you.
Regards,
Julie Bergman
http://www.geckoranch.com
GGA lifetime member
Leopard Gecko Care after shipping
Congratulations on the arrival of you new leopard gecko(s)! You are well
on your way to a long, rewarding relationship. There are certain things
you now need to do to acclimate your new friend to their new
surroundings.
Put the �Do not disturb� sign on my terrarium!
Shipping is a stressful ordeal. Your new pet needs peace and quiet while
calming down and getting used to their new terrarium. Make sure your
temperatures are correct, 86-88F in the warm end of the terrarium, and
put out a water dish. Keep handling to a minimum. It takes about a week
from the time of receiving them on the average for your new pet to feel
comfortable in their new home.
Feed me for the first time the day after my arrival.
Your new friend needs at least one day to calm down before you offer
crickets or mealworms. The second day, go ahead and put out a dish of
mealworms or offer about five crickets (90% the size of the gecko�s
head). If these are not eaten in about 20 minutes, remove them and try
again the next day. Mealworms can be left out overnight, remove them the
next morning.
Keep a close eye on me if you put me with other leopard geckos.
Make sure you put your new leopard gecko with similar-sized leopard
geckos. If you put your new gecko with much larger leopard geckos your
new friend will not get enough to eat. Be sure to observe your new gecko
to make sure they are eating and are not losing weight. If this does
occur, separate and raise them to a nearly equal size, then reintroduce
them to the other leopard geckos. Be alert to any aggression occurring
between the geckos, sometimes they may not get along and will need to be
separated.
Do not put two males together under any circumstances, they may appear
to get along, but they are experiencing stress that is not apparent to
the inexperienced eye. If they are sexually mature and a mature female
is present they may fight to their deaths.
Make friends with me gradually.
After your gecko has had about a week to acclimate, go ahead and try
letting them taste-touch your fingers while they are in the terrarium.
Once they are willing to sit on your hand in the terrarium, you may take
them out for short periods of time. If they fuss more than a minute put
them back in their terrarium immediately. Never grab them by their tail.
Support their whole body or hold them underhand-style. If you need to
control them gently squeeze as much of their body as possible so no body
parts are flipping around. You may grip the fattest part of their back
leg securely without damaging the gecko. Be sure to supervise small
children while they are learning how to hold their new pet.
Read the Leopard Gecko Manual and the Gecko Ranch FAQ on Leopard Geckos.
Read these already? Read them again. It will take time for all this
stuff to sink in. Write Julie at [EMAIL PROTECTED] or call (530)
759-8158 10am-7pm PST with ANY questions. The FAQ is at
http://www.geckoranch.com under �gecko info.�
###########################################################################
THE GLOBAL GECKO ASSOCIATION LISTSERV
WebSite: www.gekkota.com Archive: [EMAIL PROTECTED]/
The GGA takes no responsibility for the contents of these postings.
###########################################################################
