Leopard Gecko Build (part 4)

After reviewing my third post on the leo build, I realize I never got around to talking tech about the methods and materials used for the foam rock cave.

Therefore, as promised, methods and material review for my rock cave!

Materials
My best advice here is to keep searching until you have exactly what you want.  I spent weeks trying to find Modge-Podge, finally settling for Liquitex, a similar product.  Ironically, I later found Modge-Podge at Wall-mart for half the price.  Now, I have to say, however, that the Liquitex seems to have worked really well.  It was the least toxic substance I could find, it was the right finish, and it is resistant to moisture.

For the paint, all I did was dig through some old (really old) arts and crafts boxes in the basement and found a decent pallet of naturalistic rock colours.  I based my pallet choice on some of the rocks I've collected to use in future tanks; rocks found along the shoreline, in fields, etc.  Rocks are one of the few things I prefer to find outside than actually buy. They aren't porous (obviously) so they're easy to disinfect and use.  Sorry, side-bar.  This is one of the parts of the build that might require a bit of an artistic background.  I've been taught colour selection and identification since I was young, so it's all fairly second nature to me.  Luckily for everyone, the rules of art are somewhat flexible.  And by that, of course, I mean it's all up to you.  It all comes down to what you're able to achieve.  Choose colours that reflect the type of habitat you want to create for your animals.  For this build, as I recall, I used the following colours; a creamy white, a deep blue, a dark grey, a mocha brown, and bit of black.

Lastly, the right tools for the right job.  I'm lucky enough to have a plethora of brushes both new and old kicking around.  I used just one brush for the majority of the painting, one sponge brush for the sealant, and one fine brush for the cave painting details.  I originally wanted to use a spray-bottle  to apply the sealant, but Liquitex specifies not to mix with water, which would have been necessary to reduce its consistency.  The sponge brush work fairly well, leaving a nice pitted texture, which I found worked better than the unnatural strokes of a course brush.

Methodes
The best way I can describe how to get a natural rocky look is to just dump on the paint.  Don't mix it on the pallet, mix on the canvas (the rock).  This makes for a blotchy, heterogenous mix of colours which looks much more natural than straight lines of different, solid colours.  Another tip is just that, the tip.  Use the tip of the brush and... just... tap it on.  Hard to explain.  Let the bristles give the rock that "sprayed on" look like that of centuries of mud and weather working on the stone.  Once you've got a nice mix of colours, don't over work it!  This will blend the colours and ruin that natural texture you've jsut spent fifteen minutes getting!
Also, don't feel rushed, but if you can establish a base over the entire build while the initial coat is still wet, you'll have a much easier time mixing the colours up just the way you want them.  If, by chance, you want a dusty look, try a little dry brush action, which I won't get into detail here.  I'll leave that up to the much artsier people of the internet.

You want to see the third phase of the leo tank?  Yeah you do.

For anyone who's followed the progression of my leo tank, much change can be observed.  Chief among them, the substrate.  Although the use of sand makes me leery, this is not your run of the mill sand.  It's Zoo-Med's Excavator Clay Burrowing Substrate.  Before I launch into it, I have to mention the following:

This is a clay-based substrate; there IS a risk of impaction.

Having said that, here's why I still chose to use it.
First of all, the clay is a great base to hold all the driftwood and stones in place, and it makes for great hills and depressions.  It also holds heat far better than the Eco-Carpet.  It's also more natural and visually appealing, though by no means should you compromise functionality for looks.  This clay sand compacts nicely and forms a fairly solid base.  It's much harder to accidentally ingest this than regular sand.  Also, in my case, the crickets usually make for the dark "safety" of the cave.  As such, the cave still makes use of the Eco-Carpet, for exactly that reason.  It becomes the feeding ground for crickets.  Another designated feeding area is the large flat stone I sunk into the clay sand just outside of the cave.  So far, it's been great.

The clay is made of sculpt burrows and tunnels, but I've heard tales of the tunnels collapsing, most likely due to poor construction.  I didn't even try this, for exactly that reason; I didn't want to risk having a tunnel collapse on my leo. 

The overall result has so far been pretty good.  The cave, thanks to the new Heat Wave Desert under-mounted tank by Exo-Terra, I'm holding a pretty cozy temperature inside the cave.  I haven't yet been able to buy the thermometer I've been eying to get an exact reading, but it's certainly around 30 °C.  Bronka spends most of his time basking half inside the cave, half outside, sleeping right under the heat lamp.  I put not a small amount of thought into the layout of this setup; the cave is both the first and second floor of a three-storey "bungalow", the third being the old piece of driftwood I've been using since I first got him.  This layout effectively creates a sort of Rete's stack, despite the fact that it's far warmer at the bottom.  The new piece, clearly visible on the right, was a great find! It's hollow, making for a very cozy natural hide out of the direct light.  I will be placing moist moss in it soon enough, finally providing the two natural hides he should have; cool and warm, dry and moist.  I've seen him out exploring much more since he's moved in.  I truly thinks he enjoys it!  The front door access has made picking him out ofthe tank much easier, allowing me to handle him much more than before!

Although I could fit a couple extra furnishings, I think I'll limit myself another rock or two, just to minimize the overall amount of open sand, effectively reducing risk of ingestion.  He has a lot to climb on as it is, and I think he appreciates the wide open spaces he now has as well.

***

Coming up in the next post, I'll talk about the creature I'm really working on acquiring, and possibly revisit some of my previous product reviews.

Tropical Terrarium Build (part 2)

First, a little catching up after the holidays!

Regrettably, my moss project didn't go so well.  I think it was due to a poor mixture and lack of sufficient natural lighting.  I think I'll give it another try in the spring, after the melt, when the moss will be accessible.  This time, I'll give the beer recipe a try.  Or maybe even both yogurt and beer, for a comparative analysis.

I've also got a bunch of new pics to put up!  Lots of new things in both my leo's habitat and my tropical terrarium.  My leo's build has been completely upgraded, tank and all.  For Christmas, I got the Exo-Terra Medium Low terrarium; much nicer than an old aquarium!  I'll get into that on a different post.

For now, I'll showcase my tropical terrarium.

***

Behold, the final product of my tropical build!

It's not quite what I had envisioned, but I'm satisfied with it.  I was obviously hoping for a little moss in there, but I may yet be able to culture some and transplant it.  In the meanwhile, I bought some Zilla Premium Compressed Frog Moss to toss around  for a little extra splash of green.  I'm glad I didn't try to stick it down; it works much better just fluffed about.  The colour can be a little dominating if I put too much of it in one spot. 

Also note that my plants have been trimmed down and separated.  I mixed up my pothos a little, so I hope that they won't be in direct competition for root space.  The gold pothos (just visible on the right) is doing fine.  It's sprouted a couple new leaves in the time since it's planting, meaning that it is doing well.

I was having some trouble with the philodendron and sansevieria (snake plant), however.  When I put the Zoo-Med Hydroballs in, I oversaturated the soil.  This lead to me loosing a couple philodendron leaves and a sansevieria stalk to overwatering.  Still, being fairly hardy plants, they've totally bounced back.  The philodendron has also sprouted two new leaf, which are not visible in the above image.  Some of the individual pothos plants are withering off, but some have also sprouted new growths, kind of averaging it out.  The sansevieria is now my cresty's favourite resting spot.  He wedges himself between the leaves, almost completely concealed.  I wish he'd take advantage of the log hideout I built him, but I'm just glad he's enjoying the plants.

I've still got to install the Monsoon system from my old tank, although for now, my hand mister is doing fine.  As a side bar, I'll most likely be revisiting my review of the Monsoon system eventually, as I've had some issues with it since.  One of the tubes is also in need of a little patch job.  A drop or two of silicone should solve the issue.

In later pics, you'll see the substrate layers; drainage, mesh, and substrate layer.  The substrate is a combination of three Exo-Terra products: Exo-Terra Jungle Earth, Exo-Terra Tree Fern Substrate, and Exo-Terra Plantation Soil (brick format).  The mixture I used is as follows:
-2 parts plantation soil
-1 part tree fern substrate
-1 part forest soil
This gives me a really nice, fairly natural substrate that is both visually appealing and thus far totally functional.  Plenty of drainage and a good amount of water retention.

I've also added a couple extra pieces of wood, drift wood and grapewood.  I originally planned to use them for the leo tank, but once again, my eyes are bigger than the physical space of my tanks.  It's all worked out though, since they fit perfectly into the tropical tank.  They give even more jumping and climbing platforms, and help to break the line of sight.

The overall effect has been fairly noticeable.  Humidity has been stable at the 50 to 70 percent range, and temperature has been holding at 20 to 25°C.

Psycological effects have been noted as well.  Rocza's a little less intimidated by my presence, he eats more freely from my fingers, he's actually walked up to the glass and observed me, and he's gone as far as jumping at my fingers as I worked to place some wires around the outside of his tank.  I'm fairly sure it was the twiddling movements that set him off.  I placed my hand in right after and he recognized it at once, and tryed to lick Repashy off my fingers. 

But enough analysis, time for some more pictures!

The philodendron leaf on the left covers the feeding dish, giving the gecko a better
sense of security while he eats.  Having the dish on the door also simplifies cleaning.

Formerly, the newest leaf of the philodendron.

Jade pothos, now a little more worst for where.

Here, we see the pothos wrapped around the grapewood, as well as the log hideaway.  And Rocza, of course.

Next post, I'll show off the third phase of the leopard gecko build, talk about some new product I'm trying out, do a little research into yet another animal I'd like to acquire, and post plenty new pictures.  Hopefully, it won't be another month till then!

Leopard Gecko Build (part 3)

Finally, some new pics of my first rock outcrop project!

As is clearly shown, I have painted my rocky outcropping and I've even managed to seal it. Heck, I've even managed to put a nick in it! Fortunately for me, it's in the back, where it won't be visible.

For a bit of an idea of the price of this part of my build, check out my quick break down:
-Rona Sanded Grout: 10.00$
-Rona No Sheen Grout Sealant: 10.00$
-Liquitex Matte Varnish: 20.00$

Throw in some left-over acrylic paint and some old brushes I had kicking around, and there you have it.

All I really have left to do now is give it a bit of a washing, but only once I touch up my little ding. I was going to put on a third coat of varnish, but after the second, I find that it starts to get a little cloudy. Since I don't intend on this piece to go in a humid environment, I think two coats should do just fine. The Liquitex is made for outdoor use, after all.

Quick fun fact; i made some crappy little cave paintings inside, just for funzies.

This build turned out way bigger than I had originally anticipated! I will definitely need a new tank soon. Thankfully, Christmas is just around the corner! I'm thinking possibly one of Exo-Terra's new Low models, but that's going to depend on prices.

I digress; next post on this particular project will be the conclusion post, wherein I will give a total break down of what I used and what I would not use again, as well as helpful tips for getting a natural finish and how to avoid annoying bubbles in your varnish!

Leopard Gecko Build (part 2)

Lots of new events going on this past month, which is why I plan on making a second post after this. Just trust me on this one.

I'll start off with the foam rock I'm making for my leo.
After re-evaluating the size of my setup and the size of the rock I was making, I decided to cut it down a bit, leaving me with this:

If you can see it, I've also added a tunnel going from the main chamber and exiting on the side. I figured this build is goign to take up a lot a floor space, and that by adding layers like this, I'm just adding on to the amount of space my leo will have to explore and hunt. There's also a secondary chamber inside which would be visible from the back.

After a little YouTubing, I found this great video by Beckywheeler (check her out), who has a TON of DIY foam background videos. Her technique for making foam rocks look more natural is to torch them with a lighter. I supose an actual torch would work here too, but that just seems like over-kill to me. My BBQ lighter did a great job, even with its sputtering little flame.

So after torching all the flat surfaces to give them a more pitted, uneven texture, and after torching down the 90 degree corners, I ended up with something like this:

And, I don't mean to gush, but for my first foam construction, I've exceeded all my own expectations! I even went as far as to torch the inner tunel and chambers, which really make it look like rock, I think.

Also, a couple weekends back, I bought some grout and some sealer, so all I need now is to find my old acrylic paint and I'll be able to wrap this project up!

Research into Custom Natural Habitats 2: Backgrounds

A little late on my idea to post more findings for making the natural habitats but with studying for my chemistry refresher courses, the heat we've been having lately, as well fretting over tuition and grant money, it kind of got back-burnered.

Anyway, I found a really decent website for Do It Yourself naturalesque backgrounds called Bamboo Zoo, which links to several threads on Reptile Forums UK.
The setup I really liked was the Reptile Habitat in Foam by Hedy S., shown below. I've been trying to get a hold of some black spray foam from a guy at work, which is an idea I found on Youtube posted by bshmerlie which I will also post below. (Note to self, don't start Youtubing Skyrim soundtrack female covers!)
 What I like about Hedy's background is the way their mopani wood seems to grow out of the backdrop, something which I feel gives natural backgrounds some credibility. I also like how they added a couple synthetic plants as accents.

Image from BambooZoo

Now before I skip ahead to the part I like the most about Hedy's setup, here's the video posted by bshmerlie on how to create a spray foam background, hosted by Sherry. It's long, but very informative.

Just to note, I've been around to a couple places, even asked some of the contractors at work, and no one has even heard of black spray foam insulation in my part of town till just now. Not sure if this black Great Stuff is strictly an American product, but I certainly can't find it. Now what I like about Sherry's technique is how it stand up to wear and tear versus the generic white spray foam background. I think I might use a bit of a mix of black and clear acrylic, using the clear around the mopani wood to avoid black spots.

Now to get back to Hedy's setup, they use a mixture of substrates which really give it a natural feel. They even use a bark background, like the one Zoo Med but which I cannot seem to find on their product site.

The end result is this stunning piece of work.

Image from BambooZoo

What I really like is the mixture of the fine-grade Eco-Earth and larger Repti-Bark, both from Zoo Med.

I'd also really like to try to find a good way to grow moss on the mopani wood. Exo-Terra has the Tree-Fern Panels, but I'd like to know if they're in any way malleable once it's soaked. Also, I'd like to see if it actually does as advertised and grows small ferns and mosses.

So my shopping list is as stands:
-Spray foam insulation (preferably black)
-Aquarium-grade black silicone (I already have clear)
-Mopani wood (you can never have enough)
-Cork bark rounds (mix things up a bit)
-Plants
-Fine substrate (probably the bag format of Exo-Terra's plantation soil)
-Coarse substrate (some bark or coco husk)


And that's just for my cresty!
I'm planning a second upgrade for my leo already. He's very curious and loves to explore. unfortunately, all I have for him are aquariums which are more vertical than horizontal.
If I could get my hands on a nice-sized low and wide tank, I'd be happy. I'm also planning on introducing some greenery into his environment, like this Jade cactus.

Maybe some of my other synthetics as well, since it would be hard to keep his habitat dry like he needs it and still have nice plants. I'll work something out though. I'm also going to need some things for his hab.

-Sand (not as an actual substrate, but as a sub-substrate, jsut to hold the rocks off the tank bottom and stop crickets from hiding under them)
-Concrete grout (with which to cover my foam)
-Lizard-friendly sealant (to protect the grout)
-Large pebble substrate (to go over any sand that may be visible)




I have a lot to keep me busy, on top of all the things that currently keep me busy...

More Hornworms

Tried getting Bronka some more hornworms today. Again, he totally loved them. I think they were a little larger than the last one I bought. This time I got some pics though, and here are a couple of them. For the entire album, check out my Photobucket montage.

He actually came over to my hand and crawled right up into it. He's pretty social!

But enough excitement for one day.

I wish this was a video instead of a picture. Just after this, he tried to extend himself even further out, lost his grip, plopped down onto the carpet, got right back up all cool and stealthy as possible, and took out the worm. Hilariously cute!

Leopard Gecko Build (part 1)

Well, as I now have a part-time job at my old place of work (though somehow I managed to clock 39 hours last week...) and with the release of Diablo 3, I've been too busy to post. But no more! Well, as in, taking time today.

Right, so things I've been up to:
-Browsing hardware stores for tank decor material
-Searching for tropical plants
-Bargain hunting for new pet gear

I'll start with the pet gear. Just a side note really. I managed to score the Exo-Terra terrarium I've been wanting for cheap on a clearance sale at PetSmart. Down side is, I didn't pay for it as it is a Christmas present... But hey, progress.
I also snatched up some Zoo Med Eco Carpet in the tan colour for Bronka's hab. It's better than paper towel, I hope.

Now, for some tropical plant news. After much searching, I have to come to an obvious conclusion; I need to listen to people more. I've been looking through every garden center I can get to with little to no luck. Home Depot has some interesting, colourful plants, but not really the ones I want. people keep telling me to check the florist shop downtown, but I kept shrugging it off. I've been in there before, but never noticed anything very tropical. Long story short, they have some. They're getting some bromeliades in this week actually. I might just look into it. Though I'll probably just grow them in one of my empty tanks till I get my new one up and running so I can grow out any excess of fertilizers they may have.

Now, for the bigger news. I've found some decent products for building some rocky outcropping for Bronka at my local Home Depot. It's all fairly cheap too. So far.
Quick shopping list:
-Six-pack of rigid board insulation: 10.00$
-"No More Nails" adhesive: 8.00$
-Silicone Aquarium Sealant: 13.00$

I probably don't even need the silicone for this particular project, though I will need a water-resistant sealant to go over the grouting, though making  a water dish might be fun.

Now, some pictures!

Behold the colour-appropriate Eco Carpet by Zoo Me, as it is being explored for the first time by a curious Bronka.

"Dafugg is dis? Dafugg is dat? Dafugg are you?"

And finally, construction of the desert rock formation after day one.

 I'm building it in two general pieces to facilitate getting it in the tank, since it's the full length.

 It's admittedly wider than I had originally wanted but I fell it'll work out in the end.

I plan on squeezing my brown rock in front of this on a bed of sand to add stability and block out the access of crickets.

 I have a nice little hide carved out right over the under-mounted tank heater. This is obviously going to be Bronka's warm hide. I plan on either using his current hide as the moist hide on the opposite side of the tank.

It's not glued yet because I want to have a better idea of the final product before I start shooting glue everywhere.

And lastly, simple tools for a simple job: adhesive, sealant, metal straight edge, steak knife, and of course a Sharpie.











More pics to come as I progress.

Today's work was definitely a good learning experience. I learned that this is an uber messy project, as one can clearly see. I learned that doing this without a shirt on is a bad idea, unless you want to look like a polar bear afterwards. I learned plans are useless, but planning is essential.

I wonder what I'll learn next session.

Leopard Gecko Upgrade

Dug out more goodies from the basement today.

Firstly, I vinegarred and scrubbed my old collard lizard tank. I should also note here that in my last post, I said I was soakign the log and rock in vinegar. This is not literally true. It was a solution of about 10% to 20% vinegar diluted in water. Very important.

I also found the bestest (truly) rock kicking around my basement. Don't ask why there are rocks in my basement. My family collects strange things. For example, I have a carousel horse down there. But I digress.
The rock I found will definitely suit Bronka's needs for the moment, but once I start the decoration phase of my ackie monitor project, this rock will make a great component for the Rete's Stack.

What's a Rete's Stack, you ask? It's this cool little bit of herpetocultural ingenuity. It's traditionaly a stack of ply wood boards, spaced about and inch to an inch and a half apart, stacked maybe five or six high with access to each level.

Photo by Pro Exotics

 
It's a great little piece of furniture! Not only does it make a decent hide, when placed under a heat lamp it gives the reptile a gradient of temperature to choose from. I've seen some nice twists on this concept, my favorite being one made out of slate.

Photo by dannyj and posted in a thread on Reptile Forums UK

The rock I have is slightly thicker but holds heat nicely and has some really interesting metallic veins in it. For now though, it will be put to good use as a nice solid substrate for Bronka, as show.

With the added space of the larger tank, I've had no trouble spreading out the furnishings to my liking. I'll even be able to add a foam piece one day. Bronka has also taken to the log and the way I laid it over the Exo-Terra cave. For the full set of images, I'd rather just redirect to the Photo Bucket slide show I will be adding to my home page.

Addopted Leopard Gecko

I got the leopard gecko this afternoon. He's a very charming animal, fairly bulky, with a real mild temper.

I'm writing this now because, quite frankly, I've been busying myself fixing up his vivarium as best I could since I got him home at 4:30. But before launching into my mini-tirade, a picture.

In light of his girth and physical size, I've decided to call him something burlier; Bronka (I kind of fabricated the name, not knowing it was actually a small Polish village).

Bronka's is a long story of moving from place to place, like a drifter. He began as the pet of a college student who, due to housing issues, was no longer able to keep him. Bronka found a new home with an acquaintance of mine, who took him in, loved him, cared for him, but ultimately had to move away to Vancouver and had to leave him in her mother's care. Unfortunately, her mother had other pets to tend as well and thus had to pass Bronka along. This is where I enter the picture.

This guy has a couple scars, too.

Some of his toes no longer have claws. In fact, some tips are simply gone. This, to me, is caused by one of two things (or two of two things), the first on my list being lack of humidity during shedding. The skin doesn't slough off, gets tight, restricts blood flow, and ultimately causes amputation.It really hurts me to think of this happening to a single toe, let alone about four.
And this is something that can easily be overlooked by the uninformed hobbyist. My friend noted that this was a condition Bronka had when she got a hold of him.

The other thing which could have cost Bronka his toes is slightly less likely in my opinion, though I can't really say, having very little contact with meal worms.
I'm told meal worms can and will bite. Now, when I picked up this little guy, I noticed the husk fiber was literally writhing with worms. I also noticed a trio of over-sized crickets bouncing around. I just hope they didn't decide to start feeding on the very creature they themselves were meant to feed.

Speaking of the coco husk, after some research, I found that it's not the best environment for leopards. Too much humidity retention. Too bad though, it looks nice. It's jsut not the right stuff, unfortunately. (Not to mention it BEING ALIVE WITH FREAKING WORMS!!!!! Gah... Terrible night to have stuffed manicotti).

Also, less of an issue, his tailed has previously fallen off. I knew this going in, having talked with the previous owner some time ago before she left for Vancouver. It's no big issue, since leos have regenerative tails, though apparently not toes. Strange.

I made a judgement call not to use some of the gear that Bronka came with.

The Exo-Terra heat rock, though probably one of the better ones, is still too much of a worry to me to have it in the tank anymore. I've read  too many articles and heard too many stories of malfunctions to have peace of mind. So, I'll be picking up an under-mounted tank heater (like the one I have for Rocza, just stronger).
All in all, I ended up keeping the Exo-Terra  Medium Reptile Cave... Um, the food dish which I swapped out for a smaller one of mine and that's about it. The piece of wood that had been used as tank decore was worm-eaten, and looked kind of tall for him to climb up.

Now this is his current habitat:

 

Yeah, pretty sparse. And, with some rather unsettling financial issues I've been having, I wasn't really able to go out today and get anything better.
Here's where it's lucky to have a large basement filled with clutter of years past. I dug deep and pulled out a nice log and large flat rock from my old collard lizard habitat, just what this blah habitat needs.
I am currently soaking them for the second time in vinegar, and am about to rinse and soak for a third time before baking them both off.
As for the paper towel, unattractive though it may be, it's safe, easy to clean and keep moist, and it's readily available.

And now, more pics.

Bronka basking in his red heat lamp.

Going to rest up after a long day.

More pictures to come once I pimp out his hab a bit.

Back From Vacation and Right Back Into It...

The lack of posts over the last week and a half would definitely be caused by the fact that I was in Halifax, visiting a friend. But this is not a travel blog, so I will dispense with the details.

A couple updates for now, but they're not small updates.

Firstly, I have been doing research and have decided that in the coming years I will be buying a Ridge-Tail Monitor, more commonly called an Ackie. It's an Australian species of dwarf monitor that grows to about 2' (60 cm) in length, most of that being tail. They're very energetic, active and inquisitive. The other cool thing about getting this animal is that no tank on the market will do to hold it; I must go into the realm of custom-built tanks. Don't think I'm serious? I'm going to the hardware store today.
The tank definitely has to come first. I might even have it for a year or so before I decide it's good enough to get the ackie. The tank dimensions will be (L x H x W) 4' x 3' x 2 or 3' (still on the fence about the width). It's a bit bigger than recommended for a single monitor, but hey, maybe I'll get two. If not, no problem. Lots of room to grow big and strong.
I've already done a couple preliminary sketches for the overall construction plan, which I will post in a bit. I guess those three years of architectural technology are paying off!

Second bit of new; after much head-scratching and the purchase of a tube of aquarium silicone, which I will be saving for my ackie tank, I've realized that the solution to the wire problem with my plastic plants is simple. Hot glue gun. It dries hard and so shouldn't be a problem, as long as I let it cure properly. Thanks for the advice, mom.

Thirdly, and this one is unfolding presently, I'm getting a Leopard Gecko.
"But Zach, why not save the cash for the awesome ackie?". True, very true. I would totally agree, if I were paying anything at all.
A friend of my mom is giving it away because her daughter left for Vancouver and couldn't bring it along.
It's seven years old, really well behaved, and it comes with all the fixin's. In truth, I wanted to do a bit more research into leos and get a proper space set up, but some people aren't good at handling the "pushy saleswoman" type. Long story short, I'm getting the gecko today.
Already, I'm making plans to change up it's habitat. I'm told it uses a heating rock, which have been know to malfunction and fry lizards. I'll be changing it up for an under-tank heater. Also, I plan on changing the substrate to something more friendly, assuming it's something like Calci-sand, which I have recently learned to be a pretty dangerous product.
I'm thinking of a name like Lokar. It sounds interesting.

Pics to follow.