G
gkasp
Guest
Our 2 year old leopard gecko has taken to hiding under the mat, probably because it’s cold. Here's the whole story:
We got her 2 years ago as a juvenile. The tank is 20 gallons (12”x24”x16h”). For heat we have a small under-tank heat mat, plus a red heat lamp with fixture that sits atop the screened lid.
As a substrate, we covered the floor of her tank with a green, felt-like material that I bought from the pet store. When I washed the green substrate cloth, it got a little wrinkled up at the edges. Not a huge deal so we continued to use it with no issues for a while. The tank also has a few hiding places that she used regularly.
In the winter our house stays cold, and her tank stays was dropping to 71 degrees Farenheight. To keep it a bit warmer, I’ve attached foamcore to the back of the tank, and another piece of foamcore on the lid in the winter, with a hole cut for the lamp. This brought the temperature up just a bit, to around 75 degrees, and she seemed comfortable for a while.
Then one day she figured out how to squirm under the edges of the green substrate material. Now she almost never comes out, even at night. While I don’t really mind her hiding under there, I feel this must be an indication of problems with her environment.
Right away, I suspected the temperature. The question is, what is the best way to raise the temperature in the tank, and also, how do I keep her from crawling under the mat?
I think because the under-tank heat mat applies heat from the bottom of the tank, the closer she gets to that source of heat, the better. It’s always going to be warmer under the mat than on top of it. In fact, it seems to me that green substrate fabric is actually insulating the tank, keeping the heat coming from the mat on the outside.
My first concern is for her health and safety, but I want to keep costs down -- especially energy costs. Heating the whole house is out!
Here are some of my ideas for adding heat:
*Use a larger and hotter under-tank heat mat.
*Replace the under-tank heat mat with an in-tank heat rock.
*Replace the 100-W red heat bulb with a 150-W bulb or more.
*Replace the heat bulb with a ceramic heater.
*Add more insulation around the outside and top of the tank.
And here are some ideas for keeping her from crawling under the substrate:
*Use slate.
*Cut a larger piece so it curls up the sides, making it harder to squeeze around the edges.
Please let me know what you think is the best approach. Thanks in advance!
We got her 2 years ago as a juvenile. The tank is 20 gallons (12”x24”x16h”). For heat we have a small under-tank heat mat, plus a red heat lamp with fixture that sits atop the screened lid.
As a substrate, we covered the floor of her tank with a green, felt-like material that I bought from the pet store. When I washed the green substrate cloth, it got a little wrinkled up at the edges. Not a huge deal so we continued to use it with no issues for a while. The tank also has a few hiding places that she used regularly.
In the winter our house stays cold, and her tank stays was dropping to 71 degrees Farenheight. To keep it a bit warmer, I’ve attached foamcore to the back of the tank, and another piece of foamcore on the lid in the winter, with a hole cut for the lamp. This brought the temperature up just a bit, to around 75 degrees, and she seemed comfortable for a while.
Then one day she figured out how to squirm under the edges of the green substrate material. Now she almost never comes out, even at night. While I don’t really mind her hiding under there, I feel this must be an indication of problems with her environment.
Right away, I suspected the temperature. The question is, what is the best way to raise the temperature in the tank, and also, how do I keep her from crawling under the mat?
I think because the under-tank heat mat applies heat from the bottom of the tank, the closer she gets to that source of heat, the better. It’s always going to be warmer under the mat than on top of it. In fact, it seems to me that green substrate fabric is actually insulating the tank, keeping the heat coming from the mat on the outside.
My first concern is for her health and safety, but I want to keep costs down -- especially energy costs. Heating the whole house is out!
Here are some of my ideas for adding heat:
*Use a larger and hotter under-tank heat mat.
*Replace the under-tank heat mat with an in-tank heat rock.
*Replace the 100-W red heat bulb with a 150-W bulb or more.
*Replace the heat bulb with a ceramic heater.
*Add more insulation around the outside and top of the tank.
And here are some ideas for keeping her from crawling under the substrate:
*Use slate.
*Cut a larger piece so it curls up the sides, making it harder to squeeze around the edges.
Please let me know what you think is the best approach. Thanks in advance!
