Heating and lighting question

[sunstarmoonfire]

Hi, we have our first leo. He was given to us by a friend and i want to make sure he has eveything he needs.

He only has 1 uva red light right now, with no other heating devices. Does he need anything else? He is active and has a great apetite. He also shed his skin in only 1 day and is looking really beautiful.

Thanks for the input!!

 

[hamby92]

i would recomend getting a undertank heater as leos absorb heat through thier bellysyou should also het a thermostat of somekind so it regulates the temps i just ordered this one from amazon http://www.amazon.com/Hydrofarm-MTPRTC-Digital-Thermostat-Heat/dp/B000NZZG3S/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1319783004&sr=8-12

 

[andrew5859]

!

Congrats on your first leo! Like said above he will need an UTH and a device to control it so it doesnt get too hot. You can use something like a light dimmer or something more like whats in the link above. You want to have a hot side of the tank and a cold side. The hot side should be 90-95 degrees and the cold side around 80.
He will need 3 hide (or more if you would like) one on the hot side above the UTH, a cold hide, and a humid hide to help him shed.
What size tank is he in and what substrate is he on?
Any other questions feel free to ask!

 

[sunstarmoonfire]

Thanks!! He has a cool and hot side, with 3 hide outs, and has compressed coconut for substrate. What about using a heat rock? It seems like they are pretty old school and mot really used anymore, so just wondering. I'm not positive his tank size, but i think it is 20 gal.

 

[andrew5859]

I would get rid of that substrate ASAP. If he would injest it when eating his food he could become impacted and could possibly die. Tile works great and is very easy to clean! Or if you dont care about aesthetics you could always use paper towel. Stay away from heat rocks. Leopard geckos need to thermoregulate, with a heat rock that can get VERY hot the geckos wont realize they are being burnt until its too late. There's some pretty gruesome pictures out there of reptiles that are plastered to their heat rocks because they get so hot and dont know it. That is a good size tank for him he should have plenty of room!

 

[sunstarmoonfire]

Ok, thanks so much for the info!! We are gonna make this little guy super happy and safe!!