hey new here

[darren]

hey guys im new to the forum. i just got 2 leos and i was wondering. what should the humidity be inside of the tank? and also i was wondering how to keep the heat at a constant temp. of 90-95 the highest mine stays is 85. if some one can help me out that would be great. thanks

 

[sunshinegeckos]

Leo's are a desert animal they dont need a high humidity. They need a moist hide which helps them shed (you can spray paper towles down to moist them and stick them in your hide to achieve this. What are you using for heat? Under the tank heater is the recommended way to heat because they need belly heat. Mine are hooked up to a Rheostat http://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-Repti-Temperature-Rheostat/dp/B0002AQD0Y but you can use a light dimmer until you get it to the right temp if your using just one. Welcome! HTH

 

[Kat&Rin]

Hi there!

Basic questions first, are you using a UTH? And what is your current set-up like, its kinda hard to give advice when we don't know what you have set up already They come from the desert so the tanks aren't supposed to be humid but there should be a humid hide in the tank for them to go into if they want, they especially need it when they're about to shed, I put a moist paper towel in the top level of Rin's hide on the hot side when her colours start to dull and I know she's preparing to shed but many people leave moist hides in their tanks permanently and if you aren't concerned with it being particularly fancy you can use household supplies to make a moist hide for free

 

[darren]

Hi there!

Basic questions first, are you using a UTH? And what is your current set-up like, its kinda hard to give advice when we don't know what you have set up already They come from the desert so the tanks aren't supposed to be humid but there should be a humid hide in the tank for them to go into if they want, they especially need it when they're about to shed, I put a moist paper towel in the top level of Rin's hide on the hot side when her colours start to dull and I know she's preparing to shed but many people leave moist hides in their tanks permanently and if you aren't concerned with it being particularly fancy you can use household supplies to make a moist hide for free

well this is my set up little plain but just got it yesterday so still working on it.

i got the daylight and the black heat light for the night time. under the rock i have moss and im spraying it every night just so its a little moist. i have about a half inch of sand. thats pretty much it for now.

 

[sunshinegeckos]

1) get an UTH: Leo's need belly heat to digest their food and most do not like bright lights (especially if they are albinos)

2) ditch the sand. Go with paper towels or tile. They can get impacted by ingesting the sand.

3) You will need a digital probe thermometer to accurately take the temps of the floor and not just the room temp.

4) You need more than one hide. You need at minimum 2 (one in the hot side and one in the cold side) but its suggested you have three (a hot side, a moist hide and a cold)

HTH

 

[LeopardShade]

+1

 

[darren]

1) get an UTH: Leo's need belly heat to digest their food and most do not like bright lights (especially if they are albinos)

2) ditch the sand. Go with paper towels or tile. They can get impacted by ingesting the sand.

3) You will need a digital probe thermometer to accurately take the temps of the floor and not just the room temp.

4) You need more than one hide. You need at minimum 2 (one in the hot side and one in the cold side) but its suggested you have three (a hot side, a moist hide and a cold)

HTH

okay so any color tile i guess would do good or more of a sand color? and im guessing ceramic.. as in hide what would i use for this?

 

[Kat&Rin]

Yah +1 to sunshinegeckos post

Quick note, if you'd prefer to have just two hides but be able to use one of them as a dry and moist hide I highly recommend buying one of these http://www.snakeestate.com/cage-decor/hideouts-shelters/exo-terra-medium-reptile-den.html (I've seen them for cheaper then this, just wanted to use this as a visual reference/idea for you) Rin adores it, by far her favourite hide and I have tried using other ones to see what she prefers, I just stick the damp paper towel in the top level and then viola! Moist hide AND dry hide! But definitely get rid of the sand, NOT healthy for your leos, they are kinda klutzy when they're little so they tend to get a mouthful of sand in addition to the mealworm/crickets. I'm using tile and I love it. Please do get an under-tank-heater (UTH) the leos need belly heat for digestion so the surrounding air temps aren't actually that important hence the need for a thermometer on the ground.

Hope you find all of this helpful and welcome to the site! (Forgot to mention that earlier lol)

 

[Kat&Rin]

Oh and as far as tiles go, yes ceramic is good. I have porcelain tile in Rin's tank that has a slightly rough edge, you don't want smooth tile (like bathroom floor tile) but rather, something that has more grip to it so that your leos slide around (not very fun for them I'm sure lol) The only thing I found with the tile is that, in my case, they were getting too hot. I was originally using a reptile carpet so I stuck that underneath and the temps are now in the perfect range of 90-95 F tending towards a constant 92 F most of the time. So I'd leave the sand in and just put the tile in on top to start out with, measure the heat at the hottest part with a probe and then adjust accordingly. Some people find the tile doesn't get hot enough so it may be that you need to take the sand out to raise temps, it varies from tank to tank I think.

 

[darren]

Yah +1 to sunshinegeckos post

Quick note, if you'd prefer to have just two hides but be able to use one of them as a dry and moist hide I highly recommend buying one of these http://www.snakeestate.com/cage-decor/hideouts-shelters/exo-terra-medium-reptile-den.html (I've seen them for cheaper then this, just wanted to use this as a visual reference/idea for you) Rin adores it, by far her favourite hide and I have tried using other ones to see what she prefers, I just stick the damp paper towel in the top level and then viola! Moist hide AND dry hide! But definitely get rid of the sand, NOT healthy for your leos, they are kinda klutzy when they're little so they tend to get a mouthful of sand in addition to the mealworm/crickets. I'm using tile and I love it. Please do get an under-tank-heater (UTH) the leos need belly heat for digestion so the surrounding air temps aren't actually that important hence the need for a thermometer on the ground.

Hope you find all of this helpful and welcome to the site! (Forgot to mention that earlier lol)

alright so i can keep the rock that i have and just get something like you showed me in addition. but would i be able to use sand when they get older or just stick to using tile?
and thanks for the help

 

[Kat&Rin]

alright so i can keep the rock that i have and just get something like you showed me in addition. but would i be able to use sand when they get older or just stick to using tile?
and thanks for the help

Yah, the current hide looks fine, just another in addition is needed They need cool and hot spots so they can adjust their body heat (not sure if that as mentioned so I wanted to point it out) Its kinda like people in summer. We're cold so we sit in the sun and then when we get TO hot we move into the shade, same concept except for leos who can't raise their own body heat its essential. I personally would just stick with the tile. When they're older you can use sand but there's still a chance of them getting impaction, so *technically* you can use the sand when they're older, but I'd recommend just sticking to the tile. If you enter in "Sand as a Substrate" or something on "Tile" you'll probably get like a billion different posts with different opinions which you might find useful

I love helping people, especially where leos are concerned, probably because I wish I had found this site when I first got Rin. There's only so much useful info on the web and not all of it is accurate

 

[LeopardShade]

Sand is always a risk to leos, regardless of the age. Just try to stay away from it at all costs and you'll be good to go.

 

[darren]

thanks alot guys. your giving me alot of great information. i picked up some slate, and as soon as it was put in one of my leos thats always hiding came out from under the rock, just still need to get the under tank heater so that will be done tomorrow.

 

[Kat&Rin]

Nice! It looks great! and the under tank heater should boost the temps and make it perfect Keep us updated!

 

[LeopardShade]

Looks great! Good for you asking questions and giving your gecko a proper home. I commend you.

 

[Adinar]

I would also recommend putting the moss in a tupperware container with a hole cut in it so they won't feel ike they are out in the open and possibly an easy target for predators. Once you do that, you should see start seeing some activity around the moist hide when it comes time to shed. Just make sure it stays damp for the humidity! Helps them out alot when it comes to shedding and cuts down on stuck shed which can lead to eye infections, shed stuck on toes (which can lead to circulation being cut off to the digits.). Less you need to help them with that the better.

And also definetally go with a thermometer with a probe. Petco sells them for about 8 bucks. Geckos need belly heat to properly digest their food, so if the floor temps aren't right that could lead to problems. Just make sure the tip of the probe is touching the floor over the UTH for correct readings. Those last two things will have you at a correct set up.

 

[fsbulldog24]

nice food and water dish! mine look quite similar i got one blue and one green too!! lol

 

[darren]

well got the under tank heater today just put it on. now still need to get the thermoeter probe so i know the temp of the floor.

 

[darren]

http://www.petco.com/product/109784...=MM_ReptileSupplies_TemperatureControlHeating
would this be a good thermometer to use?

 

[darren]

im asking soo many questions lol.. without the thermometer how will i know if the heat pad makes the floor to hot? and since its summer and i have my AC on during the night, should i leave the heat pad on during the night and leave the black heat buld on both at the same time? since the heat pad is heating the hot side during the day and the buld is heating the cold side during the night.