This is Spike!!!
Before you cut to conclusions, I didn’t get another gecko. But my little cousin got one for his birthday!
My cousin’s name is Kaeden, and his grandma is my aunt (because he’s my second cousin). Kaeden turns eight later this month, while I turned fourteen today!
Awhile ago I showed Kaeden a picture of Sammy, and he fell in love! My Aunt Kym had asked me what kind of animal Sammy is, so I told her that he was a leopard gecko.
And guess what. She bought him one of his own. I was quite appalled at this, because all the stuff she bought for him was W-R-O-N-G.
The people at the pet store told her all of the wrong stuff. She bought a ten gallon tank which is totally fine as a baby, but the employee had told her that it’d be a good size for his whole lifespan. Noooo!!! Then the person told her that they needed a heat lamp, which is wrong, wrong, wrong (in my opinion). Next, they told her that they needed SAND!!!
Enough of this rant; the main point is that my cousin is following in my reptile-loving footsteps! This weekend I’m going downstate and I’ll have plenty to tell them.
That’s all for now.
Sincerely,
Erin 
Project Humid Hide: Introduction
Hey there!
First of all, I’d like to say that I’m really sorry for disappearing on you guys! I’ve been super duper busy with school, track & field, piano lessons, voice lessons, jazz band, and a ton of other stuff! Buuuut one of the things of ”other stuff” is for you!
My school is having a science fair! My “experiment” is more of a testing; and not even that. I guess you could consider it a test, because I’m using this science fair to my advantage. My project is entitled, “Project Humid Hide.”
Basically all I’m doing is putting difference types of substrates inside of Sammy’s humid hide to see which one he likes best and which one is the best for his health.
Now, I don’t really consider this as animal testing, because I’m not really doing anything to Sammy directly; I’m just simply changing his humid hide substrate. Plus, I was going to do something similar to thing anyways; science fair or not.
I think Sammy got bored of the paper towel in his humid hide. He used to sit in there and sleep all the time, but not as much anymore as he used to. I’m just going through trial and error to figure out which one he likes best so I know which one to buy.
When I’m done with Project Humid Hide I’ll post some pictures from the science fair and I’ll type up the whole shin-dig. (Scientific method and all!)
So, until then, toodles!
Sincerely,
Erin!
Still in Brumation?
Hey friends! Even though it’s Spring time, here in the northern part of Michigan it is still looking a lot like winter! It snowed all day yesterday, and we didn’t have school on Friday because of an ice storm. It’s crazy!
How did this affect Sammy? Well, since it still looks like winter and feels like winter, he’s still in brumation! He just doesn’t seem to want to come out of it, and there is a perfectly good explanation for this! When a reptile goes into brumation, they don’t only feel the temperature change, they also feel the change in air pressure. So as long as it’s “Spring” like it is right now, he’ll most likely stay in brumation.
However, he is not totally in brumation. He will eat if I place mealies right in front of his nose, but only some of them. He wouldn’t eat at all during brumation, even if I offered anything. So I guess he is half-brumating. (Is that even possible?)
..::||::..::||::..::||::..::||::..::||::..
I made another blog here on WordPress! It’s called Bellaire Basenji, and it’s about my dog, Jack. (And yes, he is a basenji). If you’d like to check it out, that’d be awesome! I also made a Tumblr. but it’s a beauty/fashion blog, so it’s totally not animal related at all. If you’d like to check that out, you can find it by clicking here. I feel like I’ve mentioned it before, but I don’t think I have.
Soooo yeah! Thanks!
I’m thinking about starting yet another WordPress blog about journaling. I’m not quite decided on it yet, but I’ll keep you updated!
Sincerely,
Erin!
Monthly Poll
Reptile Related Jobs + Pictures!
Hey guys!
Here are some epic new pictures of Sammy! He’s helping me find a topic to blog about. We haven’t found a good one quite yet, but we HAVE been doing some in-depth research about Russian tortoises, because I am extremely interested in them. I probably won’t get one anytime soon, and the soonest I would be able to get one would be after college, so I have a loooong time to research!
I just got a brilliant beyond brilliance idea for a great topic to blog about! How about some careers that are based around reptiles? Sounds interesting enough!
Herpetologist
A herpetologist is a zoologist who specializes in reptiles and amphibians.
Zookeeper
Although zookeepers don’t specialize in reptiles and amphibians, they often get to take care of them, along with many other awesome exotics!
Exotic Veterinarian
This one is pretty self explanatory. An exotic vet is a veterinarian who specializes in exotic animals, which does include reptiles.
Reptile Breeder
Oh come on. This one explains itself.
That’s all that is coming to my mind at the moment! I felt like I needed to add SOMETHING to go with the pictures. Just needed to spark a little imagination!
Sincerely,
Erin!
Pictures!
This gallery contains 4 photos.
New Phone: Better Pictures
So today I got a new phone! It’s the Nokia Lumia 920, and it features a Carl Zeiss camera lens, and the pictures turn out soooo much better than the ones from my old BlackBerry Torch!
I took quite a few pictures, but chose two to share with everyone!
I hope you like them!
Sincerely,
Erin 
Video + Reptile Channel
Hey guys! So my friend who love, love, LOVES horses takes an online college course on a website called Horse Channel. I though it was pretty cool, but since I’m not around horses a lot, it probably wouldn’t be as helpful for me as it is for her.
We checked to see if they had a similar website for reptiles, and guess what! THEY DO! It’s not exactly the same, since it’s reptiles, not horses, plus it doesn’t have the college course, BUT it is still really cool! It’s called Reptile Channel and it has awesome quizzes, fun games, and MORE! My favorite part of it is that it has a ton of care sheets for reptiles. I’ve started in depth research about tortoises, specifically the Russian tortoise, and this has helped quite a bit!
If you sign up, you can earn points by doing various activities, and the more points you gain, the better prizes you can win! That’s right: PRIZES. They have a selection of reptile related products that you can get by redeeming you points.
You can also make a page for your reptiles! People can vote for your pet, and then your precious baby could be crowned as Reptile of the Day! If you already have an account, it’d mean a lot to me if you would vote for Sammy.
It’s just an all around epic website and I think you would all really love it!
..::||::..::||::..
The second part of this post just so happens to be a new video of Sammy!
I’m not sure if I even told you guys about my first video of Sammy, sooooo… Here it is!
I seriously just figured out how to actually embed videos, and I’m soooooo super duper happy about it!
..::||::..::||::..
Also, please vote on the poll if you haven’t already! It is linked in the side bar over there —>
It wouldn’t embed correctly, AGAIN, so I’m sorry!
Thanks!
Sincerely,
Erin
Leopard Gecko Care Sheet
Hello my dears ^_^ I am proud to present the GGB Leopard Gecko Care Sheet! This isn’t all you’ll need to know before buying a leo, but it’s a good start. In this guide, I will be going over housing, heating and lighting, feeding, handling, substrate, cage mates, hides, and other things about these amazing creatures!
Housing
One leopard gecko could live in a ten gallon tank, but I prefer to use a twenty gallon long. If you have the option, always go long, because leopard geckos need more floor space than climbing space. There are quite a few options as to the type of enclosure, but I would recommend a glass aquarium or terrarium. Other options include (but are not limited to) plastic bins, acrylic aquariums, breeding racks, and custom cages. Be sure to have a screen covering the enclosure. Although leopard geckos do not have toe-pads, if there is a tall hide or other sort of decor near the side of the tank, your beloved pet might escape! My leopard gecko, Sammy, has a reptile hammock and it was very high up, and while I was cleaning his tank, he was this close to getting out. His whole half side was out of the enclosure, and thankfully I caught him before he got any father. So, as you can see, it’s a pretty good idea to use a screen cover.
Heating and Lighting
Leopard geckos are “belly-heat” animals. This kind of infers that they get their heat through their belly, and that is absolutely correct! So, to provide for this need, you will have to get an under tank heater, often referred to as a UTH. Another option could be heating tape, although I have never used that. Leos don’t really need extra light, as they are nocturnal. Sammy gets his lighting from the natural light that is already in my room. If you need extra heat though, you can always purchase a lower wattage of bulb. If you are thinking about getting a nightlight for your leo, there are three colors that are usually available: red, blue, and black. My personal favorite is black, as it glows in a purplish shade, not black.
Feeding
There are many different types of insects you can feed your leopard gecko. I usually feed mealworms, but you can also feed crickets, superworms, dubia roaches, along with many other main foods. It is good to give them a varied diet, but isn’t absolutely necessary. One way that I vary Sammy’s diet, is by giving him treats every so often. Now, when you think of the word, “treat” you might think of something like a dog treat, or something sweet. Well, a treat for a leopard gecko is yet another kind of bug, like waxworms. It is very important that you do not feed too many waxworms, as they are very fatty. It is also super important that you only feed live food. It is much healthier than freeze dried, and some reptiles will just refuse freeze dried. Pet stores might also try to sell you pellets. Never in my life have I seen a leopard gecko actually eat them. So, in my opinion, stick to live.
Handling
Handling leopard geckos is pretty simple, but there are a few things that you need to keep in mind. Never pick your leo up by his or her tail, they are very likely to drop their tail if you do so. Also, I recommend “scooping” them up. By “scooping” I mean placing your hand in front of your gecko, and sliding your hand underneath of him/her. I feel that it is safer to “walk” them from hand to hand, as some leos get quite squirmy. This being said, you probably don’t want to hold your gecko too high off the ground, just in case they try to jump.
Substrate
There are quite a few types of substrate to choose from, but my two favorites are reptile carpet and tile. Some people are against using reptile carpet because they say their leopard gecko’s toenails get stuck on it. Well, one side of it is fluffier than the other. To fix the issue of their toenails sticking, just flip it over so the less-fluffy side is up. Simple as that. Another controversial substrate is sand. With sand, your leo might accidentally eat some of it while stalking their prey. If they eat too much sand, they are at the risk of impaction, which can kill your gecko. Tile is really easy to keep clean, but can be kind of expensive depending on where you purchase it. Another option is paper towel. Many people use paper towel just because of how cheap it is. However, you should replace the old paper towel with clean at least once a week. There are other options of substrate out there, as these are just a few.
Cage Mates
There are a couple things to keep in mind while choosing cage mates for your leo. First of all, all of the cage inhabitants need to be leopard geckos. Second, you need to make sure there is enough space for all of the geckos. Males should never be kept in the same enclosure, as they might be territorial and will fight to the death. A male can be kept with females, but I wouldn’t risk it, because again, males are territorial and could kill the females (or the females could kill the males) plus, they will most likely mate if they are kept together. Females can be kept together, though. However, if they ever end up fighting, you will need somewhere to separate them.
Hides
You should have three hides for your leopard gecko: a warm hide, a humid hide, and a cool hide. The warm hide should be placed over the UTH. The cool hide should be on the opposite side. The humid hide can be placed pretty much anywhere, but I like to keep mine in the middle. A humid hide is absolutely necessary for proper shedding and digestion. You can make one of these very easily. Here is a D.I.Y. guide to making a humid hide for your gecko.
Other Stuff
There is sooooo much other stuff you NEED to know before adopting a leopard gecko. This is just an overview of the basics. You will need calcium powder, with AND without vitamin D3. You will need to know about brumation. So PLEASE do much more research before buying yourself one of these beautiful creatures! I researched them for a whole year and a half before I got Sammy. You can get help at Gecko Forums, Geckos Unlimited, and many other reptile forums online. Good luck!
Sincerely,
Erin
P.S. If there is anything major I missed, please let me know in the comments and I will add it! Thank you!
Alsoooooo. I will be getting a new phone around the 18th of March, and the one I want has a MUCH better camera than my BlackBerry, so I will most likely be posting a lot more pictures! Yay!
Okay, that’s all I had to add ^_^ byeeee.
