Do I have the right setup for my Leo???

Hi all, I'm sure there's a wealth of great info here and just wanted to make sure what I'm doing is what the pros consider to be acceptable. I recently purchased a juvenile Leo which I believe is a strain of Tangerine origin. I have been working on his habitat for a while and wanted to share what I have at this time. For your consideration, here is the cage:



It's a 20-gallon tank which I originally filled with calcium sand, but after a short time determined that it was too risky and opted instead for paper towels. I have four layers of paper towels so that the entire cage bottom is covered. There is still some sand under the substrate but I don't think he has much of a chance of ingesting it. The tank came with a kit full of things I now know I don't need (please see the Craigslist ad below if you're in the market for lights!).

His water bowl is changed daily with tap water. I live in California Bay Area and have judged my water to be sufficient enough for his intake.

The tree to the left has three levels of hiding places for him, and he is most accustomed to it since I bought it with him. When it was positioned with the upper branch closer to the glass he had a tendency to jump off it in hopes of escape, though I don't think that would hurt him....

The hide on the right is his "wet hide," where I place a wet paper towel inside each day and keep on a small paper booklet on top so he feels more secure hiding in there, since the Tupperware is transparent. I cut a hole in the container portion and sanded it down, and I've kept the lid attached on the bottom. The only time he has actually gone inside was today, when instead of a wet paper towel I just sprayed the inside with water, but he soon left and retreated to his cool side. I am concerned he is not getting enough heat. The Tupperware originally contained salsa, though I felt that I washed it sufficiently after.

The heat pad (Zoo Med Repti-Therm UTH, Small) is positioned under the wet hide. The thermostat (Hydrofarm MTPRTC) is set to 90 F, with the probe to the left of the entrance to the wet hide. This means that there is a slight discrepancy between the readout and the gecko's perceived temperature, since there is a Tupperware lid under him instead of paper towels, but I decided it is negligible.

I do not know when to clean the tank or replace the paper towels.

I feed him four to five crickets daily around 8 or 9 PM, which I shake up with calcium powder prior. He always eats all of them.

I try to hold him a little bit each day, for no longer than a half hour. He is still skeptical of me and often tries to escape, but I hope with time he will be more comfortable with me.


Here are my questions:

Am I using a good layer of paper towels?

Should I be giving him purified refrigerator water instead of tap?

Should I be keeping the tree on the cool side and the wet hide on the hot side?

Should I put a wet paper towel inside the Tupperware, or just spray it down?

Should I keep the lid on the bottom of the wet hide?

Is the heat pad being kept at the correct temperature?

How often should I replace the substrate and clean the whole tank?

Am I feeding him enough and at the correct time?

Am I holding him too often, and how do I make him feel more relaxed with me?


Here is some stuff I don't need anymore and am selling, unless you tell me otherwise: Reptile lights and hoods for sale, like new!
I am more than willing to negotiate price.


Thank you for reading and I look forward to hearing all your feedback! This is Leo! He has shed since these were taken without any problems.

You have a pretty gecko and a nice setup! If he is avoiding the heat due to the moist hide, maybe switch the tree and the tupperware to see how he does?

now I will try to answer some of your questions

1. One layer is plenty, but it doesnt really matter all that much

2. I use the refrigerator water and just keep a huge bottle of it on my rack system (but our water is very hard out here, and will cover the bowl in lime if I use tap)

3. look to first two lines of post

4. that is completly up to you, but I just spray all of my young geckos tanks every day, and my adults get a moist hide with moss

5. I personally would just to keep the water from escaping everywhere.

6. I would raise it just a little so that the lid of the hide is the proper heat (if you don't switch the hides)

7. replace the substrate once a week or when extrememly soiled, and clean and sanitize the whole tank once a month with a cleaning agent.

8. I would give him as many appropriately sized crickets as he can eat in fifteen minutes every day. Thats the basic rule of thumb anyways

9. I would maybe shorten the handling to ten minutes or less until he becomes less skittish so that he doesnt become over stressed

I hope this helps!

Thanks for the feedback! He's currently in the Tupperware so I'll adjust the temp to 91.

remember that the temp can go up to 95, so dont be afraid to turn it up a bit more! Keep in mind that the inside floor of the moist hide has to reach 90 degrees through the lid and paper towels!

Great answers above, all I suggest is maybe some plants and another non-humid hide on the warm side for cover so he feels more secure wandering about. He needs a bottle cap of calcium powder (without D3) in there at all times too if you don't have it already. Then you dust the food with the D3 calcium few times a week and multivitamin once a week. ^^

Completely forgot about that cornsnake! Good thing some people can remember to type when I blank out!

Can I keep it 94 all the time?

I keep mine at exactly 90, but anything up to 95 degrees is perfectly safe IMO. Some breeders even keep the hot spot at up to 98 degrees! Lots of varying opinions though, so do your research, and make an educated descision besed upon it

What would you guys recommend for a cleaning agent for the tank? Ammonia?

Leo said:

What would you guys recommend for a cleaning agent for the tank? Ammonia?

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No. I would recommend white vinegar. It's the safest way to clean things and it does an amazing job. After you clean the tank with a vinegar and water solution (I believe it's one part vinegar to 2-3 parts water) rinse it out really well and dry it with a towel. Then everything is safe to put back in immediately after you're done cleaning it. The smell is reduced because it's diluted and then there's also the plus that white vinegar won't harm the gecko. It may smell unpleasant, but it doesn't cause respiratory problems like ammonia does.

Nothing beats soap, hot water, and elbow grease for cleaning. I usually use a natural, unscented dish detergent.

Disinfecting is a different matter. White vinegar, as Brittany mentioned, is a good, mild disinfectant. If I want to do a more serious disinfect, I use chlorhexidine. I only disinfect once or twice a year though, unless I'm dealing with a sick animal or some sort of disease/parasite outbreak.

Stronger disinfectants, like ammonia, are useful if you need to disinfect a used cage or fight something like Cryptosporidia.

Sorry to go on a little tangent, but your choice of cleaning agent depends upon what you're trying to do.

Tank Cleaning and Disinfecting - EverythingReptile.org

Just wanted to update yall on Leo's growth. Since moving with me to college he's been a little restless at night, standing on the glass and such... one night he actually escaped when I was out because his lid wasn't on (found him in my closet when I returned about an hour later)! I'm going to buy a third hide so he has more to explore, and also so he can have a cool hide, humid hide and warm hide. Even as we speak he's attempting to crash through his wall haha. From what I can tell he's healthy; I change his water daily and feed him 4-5 calcium-covered crickets each day. Thermostat's kept at 94 and he has a bottle cap full of calcium which he has a lovely habit of knocking over. How does his tail look to you? Should I buy a multi-vitamin powder the next time I'm shopping?

What a cutie! A third hide would definitely be good for him. He's grown so beautifully. I love his colors. Out of curiosity, have you ever fed him more crickets than what you're currently feeding him?

Kiara1125 said:

What a cutie! A third hide would definitely be good for him. He's grown so beautifully. I love his colors. Out of curiosity, have you ever fed him more crickets than what you're currently feeding him?

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Thanks, I think he's pretty too! I don't think I've ever given him more than 5, but the last couple days he doesn't actually finish them all, saving them for later. Just hand-fed him four tonight

Interesting. Well, it looks like he's doing great for you!

Looks very healthy! Beautiful gecko!

Looking good!

If you're only dusting with calcium, I would certainly pick up a multivitamin powder and use that a couple times a week. It helps fill in any missing nutrients.