Brand New Owner, Brand New Terrarium

[Cylar80]

Hi everyone! I'm a new owner and I wanted to first show off my terrarium and also ask some related questions.

Ok So this is my tank. This isn't the final set up I am trying to get the carpet to be flat so I am moving the bulky items to help. Plus I still need to clean the tank fully to make sure my gecko is happy! And sorry about the glare on some of them.

First things first (before you call animal shelters!) there is no leopard gecko in there YET. I want to make sure temperatures stay ideal and see if I need a thermostat. AND the cacti are fake with VERY soft "thorns".

Alright so question number 1. I am using reptile carpet and had to cut it to size. As you can see (or not) in the above pictures there is overlapping with lips. Will this be dangerous to my gecko? I know they don't burrow, but could he slip under them?

I have a fixture that has two bowls together in a rock formation (yeah real rock). Can I put water in one side and calcium in the other? I guess my real concern is will the rock make the water harmful? On the same note do reptiles really like kind of hot water? I read it on a site, but I have no clue.

My heat pad is located under the tank (a zoo med one for 40-50 gallons my tank is 40). Is this an ideal location especially with the reptile carpet?

I have an electronic temp gauge with a probe. the last picture shows the probe placement. Is this a safe location? And is the whole tank safe? The top locks and is secure and my gauges are securely in place so he can climb on them if he felt inclined. :main_laugh:

What EXACTLY is the ideal temperature range for the geckos? Everyone has different answers from 80-95 degrees Fahrenheit. And is there an ideal night temp? I know that it gets cold at night in a desert, I live in one. But still is there an ideal?

I welcome any suggestions about furniture and placement. Is there any other furniture that my gecko would love? Would he like a "dead tree branch" to climb on?

Thanks for reading and putting up with my questions!

 

[gothra]

I'll try to answer some of your questions.

Alright so question number 1. I am using reptile carpet and had to cut it to size. As you can see (or not) in the above pictures there is overlapping with lips. Will this be dangerous to my gecko? I know they don't burrow, but could he slip under them?

Yes, the gecko can dig and go under the cage carpeting; I think it'll be more difficult for it to dig under without the overlapping. Or, you can put some rocks or hides on the seam to hold it down. I would say its not very dangerous as long as it can't get to the UTH.

I have a fixture that has two bowls together in a rock formation (yeah real rock). Can I put water in one side and calcium in the other? I guess my real concern is will the rock make the water harmful? On the same note do reptiles really like kind of hot water? I read it on a site, but I have no clue.

Absolutely no hot water please. I don't see any problems with placing water next to calcium (except if water is spilt to the calcium, you'll need to change it out more often).

My heat pad is located under the tank (a zoo med one for 40-50 gallons my tank is 40). Is this an ideal location especially with the reptile carpet?

I have an electronic temp gauge with a probe. the last picture shows the probe placement. Is this a safe location? And is the whole tank safe? The top locks and is secure and my gauges are securely in place so he can climb on them if he felt inclined. :main_laugh:

I like placing the probe flat on the warmest floor spot in the tank. Digital thermometers with probe are better than the stick on gauge.

What EXACTLY is the ideal temperature range for the geckos? Everyone has different answers from 80-95 degrees Fahrenheit. And is there an ideal night temp? I know that it gets cold at night in a desert, I live in one. But still is there an ideal?

They need a temperature range so they can thermo-regulate; 80-95 is a good range. Everyone has different ways to do things, I personally like the ambient temperature to be around 78-80F; and then a warm section with floor temps around 93F (some people prefer higher). I don't do night drops.

I welcome any suggestions about furniture and placement. Is there any other furniture that my gecko would love? Would he like a "dead tree branch" to climb on?

Thanks for reading and putting up with my questions!

40G is a very spacious for 1 gecko; putting more hides and branches in there for him to explore and climb on will be great! Perhaps you need to add a humid hide if you haven't got one already - its just another hide with moist substrate in it.

Hope this helps, and welcome to the gecko addicts club.