Housing Questions From A Newbie

[Wind Dancer]

hey, i have a few housing questions about leo's.
can i use linoleum instead of the 'tile tiles'(i.e. the breakable kind )?
which side should the humid hide go on, the warm side or the cool side?
what should i put in the humid hide to made it humid, maybe moss?
would she appericate having a silk plant to play in, or not really care?
what would the best water dish be? i was kinda thinkin' a butter lid(we get the 'land'o'lakes spreadable' butter.
best mealie dish? i was looking at a 3 in ceramic dish.
thanks for the help guys!

 

[acpart]

hey, i have a few housing questions about leo's.

can i use linoleum instead of the 'tile tiles'(i.e. the breakable kind )?
Some people do. I think it gets a bit ratty looking after awhile.

which side should the humid hide go on, the warm side or the cool side?
Opinions vary. Sometimes for me it depends on where I have room in the cage. With multiple geckos the warm side is sometimes filled with dry hides. If I have a choice I guess I put it near the warm side.

what should i put in the humid hide to made it humid, maybe moss?
Once again, different people use different things. Moss holds humidity well, but the geckos can kick it all over the tank and it can also harbor bacteria. I use paper towel and mist it often.

would she appericate having a silk plant to play in, or not really care?
Some like to hide in stuff like that and some like to climb.

what would the best water dish be? i was kinda thinkin' a butter lid(we get the 'land'o'lakes spreadable' butter.
I think the butter lid is kind of shallow. I use things like peanut butter lids. You can also get some cheap ceramic or fake stone bowls from the pet store

best mealie dish? i was looking at a 3 in ceramic dish.
I make my own (ceramics) but also use jar lids.


Aliza

 

[Wind Dancer]

is there a way to cut the tiles in a way the i wouldn't be endangering myself? would the store do it? would they charge extra money to do that? i think i'll go with two of the 3 inch ceramic dishes. i guess i'll go with paper towels in the hide. does it have to be a special hide, or just a, i don't know, normal hide? could some one post a pic of their humid hide and their regular hide? i was sorta thinking about using one of those hides that goes up against the glass and has a cover on the out side. is there any thing wrong with them?

 

[acpart]

Cutting the tiles to fit is kind of a pain in the neck, but here's a solution that's always been kind of fun for me. Measure the inside of your tank floor dimensions (if you measure the outside dimensions, the tile won't fit because of the space the glass takes up. Most 10 gallon tanks, for example, are about 9 3/4" but a few are 9 1/2". When you have the measurement, go to Loews or Home Depot and look through the entire tile section. You can put together large tiles of standard sizes to cover most of the tank floor. You can use smaller bathroom tiles for the smaller spaces and if there are narrow spaces, you could fill in with a piece of repticarpet. An example of this process is that a 10 gallon tank is about 10" x 20". I put six 10"x3" tiles down and then have a narrow 2" strip at the edge which I just leave and don't worry about. I hope this makes sense. I find it easier to "floor" a 10 gallon than a 20 long but it can be done.

Most people make hides by getting some of those cheap (like "gladware" plastic storage containers with the plastic lids. Put the lid on, turn it upside down with the lid at the bottom and cut an opening for the gecko either on the side or on top. Then you fold a paper towel and put it on the bottom (which will be the lid).

The only problem with the kind of hide that goes up against the glass and hs the magnet is that some geckos fall in love with them and never come out.

Let me know if you need any clarification to all this information.

Aliza

 

[Ccrashca069]

I use bowls like cool whip containers. I cut an opening , make sure no sharp edges and then use moiste paper towels. I also use those containers you can buy pre-packaged crickets in that have the screen lid. Just wash them with soapy water really good.

 

[Wind Dancer]

do you need to put anything on the gladware to make it un-see though? just wondering! i think it'd be cooler to be able to see her. and she can fall in love with it all day long because i can still see her if i really want to! boy, am i up late!

 

[acpart]

Some people keep them see-through and the geckos don't mind. Others cover it with contac-paper or glue on plastic flowers or cut-outs. I leave mine undecorated.

Aliza

 

[Wind Dancer]

ok, so if i get a gecko, here's what i'm thinking about getting for the cage-
under tank heater(what's the best brand, how many volts do i need and can the cage rest on it or does it need to be up a little bit?)
two 3 inch ceramic crocks for food and water
a humid hide with paper towels made from a gladware dish
a half-in half-out hide so i can see her if i want to
a big-ish silk and/or plastic plant for playing(one with a suction cup, then i can put it up about half way up the cage wall. does that sound good?)
two thermometers, one for the reg. side and one for the heated side.
did i miss any thing? thanks!

 

[Wind Dancer]

BUMP:main_yes: :main_thumbsup: :main_cool3: !!!!!

 

[lucia]

Here is a good UTH http://www.reptilesupply.com/product.php?products_id=489 This item comes with little rubber feet that you stick to the bottom of the tank to lift it slightly off of whatever you've got it setting on.

Also, don't forget the small lid with calcium powder so your gecko can lick the calcium if he/she needs extra. And just make sure the plants you get don't have any pokey wires in them.

 

[Wind Dancer]

alright, i'll try to find that brand! our local pet store has a little plastic mealie dish that i'm thinkin' i'll go with. any problems with that idea?
i know i need two thermometers, one for the regular side and one for the heat-mat side, but what kind should i get? and whats a good brand?
and how long would a contaner with 100 mealies last with one adult female?
thanks for the help everybody!

 

[Wind Dancer]

just wondering, i have some building toys from when i was younger, they're called 'ello' and i was wondering if y'all thought that they would work for leo's, depending on how it was built. i think it would be really cool, but i'm the newbie, so i figured i'd better check first before i keep them just for that purpose! thanks!
Anna

 

[syntheticreality]

i, personally, would skip the thermometers in the tank and spend the 20-30 bucks to get an infrared temp gun try www.tempgun.com or radio shack. That way you can spot check temps anywhere you want. And when you become obsessed like the rest of us and end up with 5, then 10, then 50 leo's, you can check temps in all of their enclosures and check the temps in your incubator when you start breeding

and I have seen someone use legos to build leo hides, if "ello" es made of plastic, it should work fine, just make sure it's clean and use common sense

100 mealies should last you atlease a week or two. It depends on the size/appetite of the leo. When you end up with more leos, you'd start buying them in bulk.

 

[Wind Dancer]

that sounds like a good investment, thanks for the idea! could you tell me how they work?thanks!
BTW, how come radio shack carries them? just wondering!

 

[Rejoice in the Lord]

If you decide to get a thermometer instead of a temp gun, then get an indoor/outdoor digital thermometer with a probe. You can use the probe to check the warm side substrate temperatures, and the casing part to check the air temps in any part of the tank.

I haven't tried one, but I've heard good things about temp guns too.

As far as cutting tiles goes, some places will cut them for you if you ask. Some will charge per cut. You'll have to ask to find out.

My humid hides are cool whip containers that I painted with acrylic paint to make them cute One of them, I even cut a couple windows into it, and put in clear tape window panes so I can see inside (when the windows aren't covered with condensation)

I'm thinking about making some like I saw here that are covered with a few sand/glue coats. We'll see if I ever get around to it