Just got a leopard gecko, should've done my research..?

[ultimatedc]

I bought it off a guy who runs an animal rescue. It is an adult male gecko, about 7 inches, and has what he said to be "full snake eyes." He looks pretty sweet.

Anyway, for equipment, he gave me a therometer, 10g tank, slate cave, water dish, food dish, some substrate, and decor for 40 dollars + the gecko. The light he gave me was crazy overpowered and too bright. 150w bulb, temp shot up to about 120 in 2 minutes!

I replaced it with a 25w incandescent bulb. His heated size temperature is about 98 degrees. From what I've read, the bright light will disturb the geckos sleeping and feeding patterns, correct? I'm using it as a heat source for his warm end of the tank.

What should I do? Should I get a red bulb and have it on throughout the day and night, or get a heating pad? Does the heating pad go inside the actual tank under substrate, or under the actual glass?

So confused. Really like this guy.

 

[OnlineGeckos]

You *need* an under tank heatpad for the warm side, it should cover at least 1/3 of the tank. It sticks on the bottom of the tank, on the outside. That heating pad should stay on 24/7. You will want to get an accurate thermometer to measure the temperature on the substrate/floor and make sure it hits at least 90. If it doesn't, a lower powered overhead lamp can be used to help heat the surface for them. Leopard geckos get their heat from their stomach, not their back unlike iguanas. They don't need light, but people do use a red bulb for night viewing purposes, which should work fine as red light doesn't bother leopard geckos.

What substrate did he sell you? The best substrate to use are slate tiles, paper towels, and repti-carpet. Avoid sand or anything they can bite into as they may ingest and get impacted.

You have to offer your leo a few hides. There should be a warm hide, a cool hide on the opposite side, and a moist hide which should be around in the middle. You can keep it moist by using moss or paper towels, spray water on them once a day or so. Good luck and congrats on your new buddy, leopard geckos are awesome.

 

[fl_orchidslave]

Get a heat mat and digital probe thermometer to attach to the floor on the warm side. It goes under the glass. UTH = under tank heater.

 

[ultimatedc]

I can't remember exactly what the substrate was, he said it was the best he could do to replicate their natural environment. but he is a very successful reptile keeper and he has a garage with numerous tanks. The gecko is obviously healthy, very fat tail, very good weight, ETC.


One side of the tank has a moist hide. It is a slate rock stone cave, low to the ground, very dark in there. He is currently residing in there.

The other side, where the heat pad will be going, has a cave as well, topped with a piece of mopani wood. I will incorporate a middle hide, but the tank is only 10 gallons, seems kinda small?

Will he be alright until tomorrow afternoon? Unfortunately all I can do to heat the tank is use this bulb. It's hitting one side of the tank with his warm hide. His moist hide is relatively cool. Should I turn the light off, or leave it on? The temp will be around the 80s :s

 

[TokayKeeper]

I use 40w bulbs on my 10 gallon leo gecko setups. All my lights are on timers set to my area's sunrise and sunset. From observations I've made, the lighting doesn't seem to adversely affect the geckos' sleep or feeding patterns. You can still do this route. If you opt for a red bulb, use it only for night; I'd personally avoid the red bulb on 24/7.

Should you go the heat pad option, the pad goes on outside of the tank. New pads should come with little vinyl feet to elevate the tank for air flow. You can get better vinyl feet from Lowes or Home Depot in their hardware or furniture sections. One way or another you do need to elevate the tank bottom for air flow and to avoid discoloring of whatever furniture you have the tank resting on. If going this route I'd also look into a thermostat to control the heat pad. Having used light dimmers and rheostats in the past, I'm more of an advocate for an accurate, set temp controlled thermostat.

If going the heat pad vs incandescent bulb heat source route, you can still light the tank for day viewing with an 18 inch under cabinet light fixture. They run about $8 at wal-mart and I swap the factory supplied bulb for a GE daylight bulb (about $6 down same aisle). The light should not disturb the gecko, but some of the paranoid keepers on here will say otherwise. I've done this very setup for 16 years and my old man gecko still sleeps fine during the day and hunts just as fine at night.

I was typing the above while your replies hit...

A 10 is fine, it's minimum cage size. Think of it like a smallish studio apartment. If you have the room you could upgrade to a 20 long or if you feel ambitious and want to go all out you could even do a 40 gallon breeder. I'm a huge fan of larger caging, but they require a bit of understanding beyond the animal's basic needs in setting up the tank such that the animal utilizes the entire space.

 

[ultimatedc]

Also, my last question.. how do I replicate a day and night cycle? He is in a tank in my room and my room is relatively bright. He is located next to a window however, the window is covered. So basically, when the lights are on in my room, he will believe it to be daylight?

These things are confusing D:

 

[ultimatedc]

Okay so, wait.

If I go with a heat pad, could I keep a very low powered incandesecent bulb on during the day, switch it off at night and add a red bulb, or no bulb at all? This would simulate day/night while not giving off TOO much heat.

 

[TokayKeeper]

to mimic a day and night cycle requires lighting on the tank. That lighting equates to a photoperiod, which is achieved through plugging your light into a timer. You set the timer to come on at roughly sunrise and go off at sunset. You can get timers at just about any large deparment or hardware store. I prefer to get mine at petsmart, down the fish aisle with airlines, air pumps, etc. I prefer those mainly due to the outlet being on the front of the timer and it takes grounded plugs. This is useful when you happen to be running multiple lights on one timer, in my case I run either a surge protector or power strip into the timer which allows me to usually light up to 5 cages.

 

[OnlineGeckos]

Will he be alright until tomorrow afternoon? Unfortunately all I can do to heat the tank is use this bulb. It's hitting one side of the tank with his warm hide. His moist hide is relatively cool. Should I turn the light off, or leave it on? The temp will be around the 80s :s

He should be fine until you get get the under tank heater, as long as your room temperature doesn't drop below 72. Go buy one for him first thing tomorrow if you can, and get it hooked up. It'll take awhile for it to heat up fully.

What substrate does it look like? Is it sand? I'm sure the guy is a good guy, but if he knows about leopard geckos, he would've told you to get an UTH, and not have sold you that 150w bulb.

 

[TokayKeeper]

Okay so, wait.

If I go with a heat pad, could I keep a very low powered incandesecent bulb on during the day, switch it off at night and add a red bulb, or no bulb at all? This would simulate day/night while not giving off TOO much heat.

If you go this route, I'd stick to the heat pad as your heating source and switch from an incandescent light to a tube fluorescent light (walmart...lights of america brand 18 inch under cabinet fixture).

 

[ultimatedc]

So, let's get this situated. I work at petco lol, I'm an aquatic supervisor/department head and I've just now decided to venture off into reptiles, so I can get his equipment 30 percent off !

On my list right now is...

Low watt bulb (probably get it at a dollar store or walmart) Petco sells only heating bulbs in the store, or basking lamps, nothing low powered, around 5 to 10w. The 25w I had on was keeping the temp at 95 according to my hang on the tank thermometer.

Heating pad. Keep it on 24/7.

So I'll have the light on during the day (I don't need a time, it's not hard to keep the light on for the day, off at night.. I work mornings and off evenings and nights ) But I may get one.

Will he be fine tonight? Should I leave his bulb on? It gets pretty hot and now that I turned it off he's venturing out into the tank. But the temp already reads 81..

 

[OnlineGeckos]

I use a low wattage red bulb for night viewing, works great, doesn't bother them, and allows me to observe them when they're most active.

 

[ultimatedc]

What do you mean, under cabinet? Like, under my stand...? Or a strip light? Because I have him on my dresser :/

 

[TokayKeeper]

where's your thermometer positioned? If at the top of the tank you're reading right there at the light and not down at his surface. The 40w bulb, 10 gallon tank setups I have generate a surface temp of 92-95°F directly under the 40w bulb. My setup use 2 of the zilla rock caves Petco sells (my work [your direct competitor :main_evilgrin: ] doesn't sell that model), one on the cool end and one on the warm end. I then use a 2-3 inch layer of play sand (OMG I know not sand...stop your crying paranoided keepers). I've used this very setup since 1997 when my first leo was large enough to transition over to a more complicated setup.

He will be fine for the night, but if you do want to use lighting in an adverse way, then by all means keep it on all night.

 

[TokayKeeper]

What do you mean, under cabinet? Like, under my stand...? Or a strip light? Because I have him on my dresser :/

This is what I'm referring to. http://www.lightsofamerica.com/en/Products/7000.aspx

They are a HELLUVA lot cheaper (price) than the lighting units Petco or my store carry.

 

[TokayKeeper]

as for thermometer options...

You guys should carry something similar, but your site is being updated and inaccessible at the moment.

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3788229

It's no different than an indoor/outdoor thermometer. You can get the same thing at radioshack for around the same price. The probe is for outdoor reading and needs to be placed on your warm side. The placement of the unit as a whole can be on the cool side, thus you'll be capable of getting readings for both required temp ranges.

 

[Reborn]

Ummm they dont NEED a day and night cycle. Lights just stress them and run up our light bills ya know:3 dont forget that a vast majority of leo breeders us rack systems which use any lights what so ever and stay pretty dark. Just had to point that out. If you want to view it by all means use a night bulb(red or black light) but there is no need for a "day and night cycle"

Also a 10 is alright but personally id never use one for a adult. Once he settles in and is doing well i bet hes gonna start trying to climb the glass, a sign of boredom which is often the case with 10 gallon tanks.

I must agree Mardy. If he knew greatly what he was doing he wouldnt have provide such a high wattage bulb. Leos dont bask they get belly heat. Not to bash him or nothing but this is common knowledge that most know after reading a few caresheets:3

 

[TokayKeeper]

I don't have any direct from the home range experience, but local eublepharid (TX banded and Tucson banded geckos) specie behaviors contradict your assessment of them not basking; particularly during the spring and fall, where I've found both species utilizing thin rock or vegetative cover for diurnal thermoregulation - even more particularly after evening rain storms.

My nocturnal snakes don't need lighting either, but I provide it for establishing a circadian rhythm. What's really freak'n cool is watching my tokay gecko come out to bask in the morning in his 90 gallon tank, which is just as equally freak'n cool as watching some of my leos, the few that get aquaria vs tubs, come out from their hides and bask under the 40w bulbs I use to solely heat their taks. But WTF do I know about animal behaviors since I work for a lowly large chain petstore with my piece of college paper that says I can BS in biology. Nevermind my former job of 2 years removed now, where I was the Museum Naturalist at the Las Cruces Museum of Natural History, where I curated our Nature Center for 4.5 years that showcased 39 species of reptiles, amphibians, and fish native to the Chihuahuan Desert and/or New Mexico. I must be stupid compared to the "vast majority of leoaprd gecko breeders," which is why I must have got runner up to becoming the Supervisor of Terrestrial Ectotherms at Ft. Worth Zoo's MOLA.

 

[eyelids]

And boom goes the dynamite.

 

[fl_orchidslave]

If I didn't have any sunlight coming thru a window in my lizard room, there would be some kind of lighting on a timer for them. Even lizards that don't bask benefit from light cycles of daytime. They have their own little body clocks that determines their routines. If I had geckos in a big naturalistic terrarium, I would install viewing lights that wouldn't disturb them, for my enjoyment.

A while back, I had a crested gecko in a interior room with no windows and only overhead room light. It was active during the day and hid at night. This is not normal behavior for them so I moved the tank to a room with a window. He went back to instinctual behavior within a few days, of roaming about at night and hiding during the day. This is also a lizard that requires no additional lighting.