# Leopard gecko water and heat questions?



## BettaNubRandyLove (Apr 8, 2013)

I have had my baby leopard gecko for 2 days and I have never seen him drink water. His water bowl is o the other side of the tank from the UTH and kinda cold. Is this why he wasnt drinking? How should I keep it warm?


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## nel3 (May 29, 2011)

I don't have experience with leopard geckoes but they do need a hot half(86-90 F) of the tank and a cooler side (just above 73F) to thermo regulate. a undertank heating pad is the usual choice but lighting options can be viable until the proper equipement is in. some people here do have leo's in their care and will also reply. I took these temps from a leo gecko care site.

you should try to handle the gecko and drop water droplets on your arm/hand or maybe the leo's nose as the baby geckoes often need to be watered by hand. ive never had a baby gecko but ive seen a store employee hand water one. since its a baby and new they will need a period of time to get used to the habitat but they still would need to hand watered until they can do that on their own.


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## bettacrazygirl86 (Jan 21, 2013)

My leo drinks his water from the cool side of the tank. It's actually not supposed to be warm. Not sure why, but I was always told to not put it on the warm side. Maybe try dipping your finger in it and seeing if he'll lick it off your finger? How big is the tank he's in, and how big/deep is the water bowl?


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## cousiniguana (Apr 3, 2014)

He is most likely drinking, you're just not seeing it.


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## BettaNubRandyLove (Apr 8, 2013)

I tried giving him water by hand but he refused. He is still kinda of scared of me although when I put my hand in he crawls on because he wants to explore.


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## BettaNubRandyLove (Apr 8, 2013)

The water bowl is pretty deep but I only put a small amount in so he cant drown. Its taller than him but I have rocks propped up next to it so he can reach it. The tank is a rubbermaid bin it says its 15 gallons. He has a UTH on one side but I may wrap a hearing pad around it because its only made for 5-8 gallon. The bin says its 15 gallons but I have a 10 gallon hamster cage next to it with the same proportions as the floor of the bin. He seems happy although he is scared of me. He wont eat out of a bowl.


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## nel3 (May 29, 2011)

you could let him explore your hand then use a eye dropper to drop water on your wrist/hand. he could just crawl up and lap it up. that aside you just need to wait for to get used to his new home.


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## Skyewillow (Dec 28, 2012)

The depth of the dish itself could be quite intimidating. Our adult male won't go anywhere near a dish he feels is too deep. I bought him a much shallower dish, and my baby has a very shallow dish as well, just enough for her to lay in if she wanted to, but it only comes up to her belly.

The water goes on the cold side of the tank to prevent a massive evaporation from the heat on the warm side, this would increase the humidity, which is bad for a desert lizard. My baby doesn't actually use the dish at all for hydration, instead, she uses the humid hide, which is important for shedding skin. This could be as simple as a tupperware dish with damp papertowels in it, and a hole cut into the side. As long as it's kept sufficiently wet, you won't need to worry if they're not using the dish.

Hope that helps!


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