help a new owner with his setup!

[TheKidHypno]

hey everyone, i'm a new owner and i'm wondering what else i should get for the setup. today i'm getting rid of the sand after reading on here how bad it is for them, damn you ********!

 

[OneFootedAce]

yeah, definatly get the sand outta there (as you said), from what i see it looks good, I think thats a calcium dish in the back, but if its not, then make sure u have some calcium in the tank. And im not sure if you havea heat mat on it, bt if you dont, heat mats are much better then heat lamps because heat mats produce belly heat which helps them digest, so a heat mat is more recommended then a heat light.
you also need a thermometer (preferably a dgital with a probe) to measure floor temps wheer the gecko actually is.

Good luck!!

 

[TheKidHypno]

^ i read somewhere the heat mats are bad because they can't feel the heat and it can burn them, is that true?

anyway, just made a quick stop to ******** down the street and got rid of the sand. i want to get a second level in there someway....any suggestions?

 

[daleo]

no heat mats are good! lol leopard geckos need the heat on the bottom of the tank because they use the heat from the bottom to help them digest their food. the lights just heat the air, leopards need stomch heat. as for the second level just look thro some of the older post in this section, there are alot of them with second levels. good luck!

dale

 

[VampyricAngelX]

^ i read somewhere the heat mats are bad because they can't feel the heat and it can burn them, is that true?

Maybe you're thinking of heat rocks? Those do get too hot and can cause burns

 

[Alusdra]

Yes, you're probably thinking about heat rocks- they don't put out enough heat over a large area, so the lizard needs to huddle over it to get warm enough... except it's too warm and they basically end up melting to the heat rock. Not pretty. But heat mats/pads are great! Especially combined with a thermostat, which can regulate the heat mat on and off depending on the temperature that the probe senses.

Your leo is very lucky! What a huge, swank cage! My only suggestion would be to move the water as far away from the heat source as possible, so it doesn't evaporate as fast.

 

[TheKidHypno]

ok a few questions.

i bought the digital thermometer and heat pad.....i put both of them outside of the tank correct?

do i also use the lamp and shut that down all together or just use that at night and turn the pad off during the day?

 

[Saphira]

I have to run both the light and the heat pad all the time to keep the correct temperature.

 

[TheKidHypno]

ok, i have everything set up. thank you so much for the help!

 

[lazyleopa]

HEAT PADS GO UNDERNEATH THE BOTTOM OF THE TANK!!!!