Please help me idetify this gecko :)

[neuroticpreschoolteachers]

This little guy was donated to my Preschool because his owner wasn't taken the best care of him....and they weren't sure what kind he is. I looked at pictures on the Internet...he looks like a leopard gecko but he has a spotted head or he kinda look like a bearded gecko but his middle is striped.
Any help I would be grateful for, so I can start giving him the proper care he needs! Thanks!

 

[GeoTerraTestudo]

Hmm ... I think it's a western banded gecko (Coleonyx variegatus), which is native to the southwestern USA. There are seven subspecies within this species, but I am not sure which one this individual belongs to.

 

[StudentoftheReptile]

Nope...that's just a young leopard gecko. They often develop the spots on the head before the rest of the body.

 

[GeoTerraTestudo]

Very interesting!

 

[lisa127]

Yes, that's a very young leopard gecko. But he needs to get off that sand! newspaper, non contact shelf liner, paper towels, or slate tile for substrate. No particulate substrate.

 

[Angi]

It is a very cute gecko

 

[neuroticpreschoolteachers]

Thank you all for your help!! Do you know some websites that will tell me how to care for a leopard gecko?

 

[NudistApple]

Yes, that's a very young leopard gecko. But he needs to get off that sand! newspaper, non contact shelf liner, paper towels, or slate tile for substrate. No particulate substrate.

+1!

Sand has a very high impaction (gut blockage) risk, when they catch their prey they will swallow a bit of it, and it's very unlikely that they will be able to pass it at such a young size.

By the looks of him he is very underweight. Mealworms, small crickets and waxworms are your friend until he gets bigger. Then you can move him to giant mealworms, large crickets and small dubia roaches. Wax worms should be a sparring treat as he gets bigger, they are very high in fat.

Leopard geckos are awesome little buddies, and very easy to care for. 20 gallon long tank, dish of calcium, dish of water, humid hide and 2 dry hides, and a UTH that is 1/3 the size of the enclosure will give him all he ever needs!

 

[chester tortoiseson]

It is a leopard gecko!

 

[lisa127]

Thank you all for your help!! Do you know some websites that will tell me how to care for a leopard gecko?

NudistApple about covered it all. Make sure you give him that humid hide, it's very important. And the small dish of calcium in the cage as well. Any other questions just ask.

 

[neuroticpreschoolteachers]

How do I make a humid hide? I replace the sand with paper towels first thing this morning

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Whoops Should I just spray the paper towel under the hide everyday....will that work or is there a better way?

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+1!

Sand has a very high impaction (gut blockage) risk, when they catch their prey they will swallow a bit of it, and it's very unlikely that they will be able to pass it at such a young size.

By the looks of him he is very underweight. Mealworms, small crickets and waxworms are your friend until he gets bigger. Then you can move him to giant mealworms, large crickets and small dubia roaches. Wax worms should be a sparring treat as he gets bigger, they are very high in fat.

Leopard geckos are awesome little buddies, and very easy to care for. 20 gallon long tank, dish of calcium, dish of water, humid hide and 2 dry hides, and a UTH that is 1/3 the size of the enclosure will give him all he ever needs!

What is a UTH?

 

[StudentoftheReptile]

UTH = Under Tank Heater (or Heat pad)

 

[NudistApple]

The quickest and easiest way to make a humid hide is to get a small tupperware, and cut a hole in either the lid or the side. Then put your choice of material inside, an old wash cloth, paper towel, sphagnum moss, etc. You shouldn't have to spritz it everyday if you've set it up right.

 

[neuroticpreschoolteachers]

Thank you guys so much for all the help! "Speedy" seems to be doing great and is eating...I am giving him crickets and wax worms. He is under weight because the family that had him had stopped giving him food The family that donated him said they have had him for about a year and he was just a couple months old when they got him.

 

[pam]

at least he is in good hands now

 

[lisa127]

I'm glad to hear he is eating. You can try mealworms as well. Leopard geckos often like those.

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I'm glad to hear he is eating. You can try mealworms as well. Leopard geckos often like those.

That gecko is not over a year old. Are you sure about this information? He looks to be only a couple of months old now.

 

[neuroticpreschoolteachers]

A Grandma brought him into me at the Preschool saying that she had bought him for her grandson's birthday a year ago and when she went to his party this year she noticed that they weren't taking care of him. She scooped him up and brought him home with her and then she offered him to me. I would say its pretty accurate but....you never know
Makes me sad when I think about it. I was afraid that he had a gut blockage because he hadn't pooped in 4 days but yesterday he pooped!

 

[BowandWalter]

If they are starved, it sometimes slows the aging, I helped a woman who'd rescued one who was almost three. It had baby colorations and was about 2 inches long. It had been getting one pinhead every three days. After a year of proper care it started growing, in a somewhat slow manner.

 

[snickerssanctuary64]

If they are starved, it sometimes slows the aging, I helped a woman who'd rescued one who was almost three. It had baby colorations and was about 2 inches long. It had been getting one pinhead every three days. After a year of proper care it started growing, in a somewhat slow manner.

Did you find out what it was

 

[Yvonne G]

Did you find out what it was

Hi snickerssancturay64:

Won't you take a few moments to start a new thread in the "introductions" section and tell us a bit about yourself?