awholeasszoo
New Member
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Hello everyone! Just looking from some advice from people with actual experience as online there's a lot of mixed messages depending on what different sites are trying to sell.
I am looking to upgrade my leopard gecko's tank (she's been in one that I think is 60x45x30cm for the last 5 years since I got her as a beginner gecko owner). She's been doing well in it and grew fine but it's a bit difficult to add enrichment items in without using up so much floor space that she cant move around much. I'm thinking of getting one that is around 90x45x45cm but all the glass tank ones are quite out of my budget. She has always been in a glass tank with a heat mat stuck underneath the tank, and a repti carpet with coco fibre on top in the tank which she has done well with. Any cheaper tank options are without a glass bottom so I wouldn't be able to use a heat mat and would have to use some form of bulb which I have zero experience with.
My main concerns:
1. Any bulbs (e.g. halogen) that emit visible light wouldn't be able to be used at night and the room she is in gets quite chilly at night (old house, crappy insulation) so how would I keep her warm during the night when she is more active?
2. I have read that leos are underbelly heat absorbers so would she even be able to thrive without a heat mat? Or would she be okay if I used a heated rock as an underbelly heat source as well as a lamp?
3. I have never used supplemental lighting as I assumed the natural light in the room was enough and she gets vitamin supplements on her food. Is supplemental lighting necessary or will she be okay to continue without? She isn't showing any signs of developmental/metabolic bone issues in 5 years.
4. Would it just be better to wait until I have more money saved and invest in the more expensive glass tank and size up the heat mat with the tank size?
I'll obviously use a thermostat for each heating element and a thermometer and want to get a temp gun too to make sure everything is the right temperature.
Any tips and advice would be appreciated
I've attached a picture of her current set up, I've had to add some more stuff for her to climb as she kept trying to scale the foam back of the tank which is just a straight climb up, she has a hide in the back left and her moist hide on the right. I've tried to make as much empty floor space as possible for feeding time but I'd still like for there to be more.
I am looking to upgrade my leopard gecko's tank (she's been in one that I think is 60x45x30cm for the last 5 years since I got her as a beginner gecko owner). She's been doing well in it and grew fine but it's a bit difficult to add enrichment items in without using up so much floor space that she cant move around much. I'm thinking of getting one that is around 90x45x45cm but all the glass tank ones are quite out of my budget. She has always been in a glass tank with a heat mat stuck underneath the tank, and a repti carpet with coco fibre on top in the tank which she has done well with. Any cheaper tank options are without a glass bottom so I wouldn't be able to use a heat mat and would have to use some form of bulb which I have zero experience with.
My main concerns:
1. Any bulbs (e.g. halogen) that emit visible light wouldn't be able to be used at night and the room she is in gets quite chilly at night (old house, crappy insulation) so how would I keep her warm during the night when she is more active?
2. I have read that leos are underbelly heat absorbers so would she even be able to thrive without a heat mat? Or would she be okay if I used a heated rock as an underbelly heat source as well as a lamp?
3. I have never used supplemental lighting as I assumed the natural light in the room was enough and she gets vitamin supplements on her food. Is supplemental lighting necessary or will she be okay to continue without? She isn't showing any signs of developmental/metabolic bone issues in 5 years.
4. Would it just be better to wait until I have more money saved and invest in the more expensive glass tank and size up the heat mat with the tank size?
I'll obviously use a thermostat for each heating element and a thermometer and want to get a temp gun too to make sure everything is the right temperature.
Any tips and advice would be appreciated
I've attached a picture of her current set up, I've had to add some more stuff for her to climb as she kept trying to scale the foam back of the tank which is just a straight climb up, she has a hide in the back left and her moist hide on the right. I've tried to make as much empty floor space as possible for feeding time but I'd still like for there to be more.
