my "house"

[flygecki145]

here's how my set up is..wondering if its "perfect" for my gecko. We breed bearded Dragons so the setups are quite a bit different, sometimes throwing my instincts off.

20gal L, 50watt red heat bulb on 24 hours a day (i live in minnesota and the tank gets pretty cold if its not on all the time and doesnt seam to bother her.) she has a coolwhip container as a shed box with sphagnum(no idea how to spell that) moss that i moisten once a day. she has several rocks and things to climb on/in/over/under, a fairly large water dish (water changed every other day and washed). the substrate I dont believe is the best I could have in there. im not sure what its exactly called but it sort of looks like wood chips only they are not.. they are smaller and a more tan/cream color. i have not had any issues with impaction on it though. if she gets any in her mouth, she actually spits it out! and then along with that i feed her a bag of 12 medium crickets coated in calcium once a week.

Once again, just trying to see if theres anything im missing here. if not, well alright then suggestions would be appreciated. will try to get a picture up..

 

[flygecki145]

heres one of the tank and a better pic of gecki

 

[Bbugs]

All of that seems OK, but I'm worried about your choice of substrate. I would either change your substrate, or feed your Leo in a separate tank. I know my Leo licks the ground sometimes when I'm not looking, and I would be worried about your Leo eating some. Goodluck!

 

[fl_orchidslave]

For starters, get rid of that substrate, it will cause a problem that can be avoided. Paper towel works well, as does some nice decorative tile if you prefer. You will need an appropriate sized heat mat (UTH) NOT a light for heat source. The thermometers you are using measure ambient temps, which are of no consequence, so a digital probe is needed to measure floor temp on the warm side. Correct temps and improper lighting directly affects eating/ digestion, so to avoid issues, these things need to be fixed. Other than that, your set-up looks great

 

[Geckolisa]

For starters, get rid of that substrate, it will cause a problem that can be avoided. Paper towel works well, as does some nice decorative tile if you prefer. You will need an appropriate sized heat mat (UTH) NOT a light for heat source. The thermometers you are using measure ambient temps, which are of no consequence, so a digital probe is needed to measure floor temp on the warm side. Correct temps and improper lighting directly affects eating/ digestion, so to avoid issues, these things need to be fixed. Other than that, your set-up looks great

:main_yes:

 

[Dog Shrink]

I just wanna add, I love your bracelet :main_yes:

 

[prettyinpink]

The difference between beardies and leos is that beardies have that 'third eye'...they take the heat from above, leos can take the heat from below.

I suggest you read some of the caresheets here they'll help answer most of your questions
http://geckoforums.net/articles.php?c=115

I use slate tile. Helps warm the tank nicely and I think it looks better than paper towels. They have many different once to choose from, some have the sand look and even feel to them. Others have a rock look to them with texture, others are very smooth.

 

[wakeskate420]

Is the substrate ground walnut shells? If so I've read somewhere that it is the worst thing you can put any reptile on.... And instead of feeding 12 once a week try breaking it up into three separate feeding days @ four crickets a day

 

[Bbugs]

I wouldn't limit the amount your Leo eats. Keep putting more in if it keeps eating.

 

[flygecki145]

the substrate is "sani-chips." on the bag it is listed as a "best" option for leopard geckos. I will apparently have to change that though. i dont really like the look of tile or paper towels.. is that calcium sand alright? could i do the hot side in tile and the other side in sand?

What kind/wattage of an uth would i need? what cant i put my tank ontop of once i have that? the only reason i never got one is because ive heard it burns surfaces. currently my tank is on carpet and next week after my move she will be on a nice oak dresser. do i need to put something underneath it?

thats for all your advice

 

[prettyinpink]

I'm not too sure about a UTH being on the carpet.

As for what it says on the bag...that really doesn't matter. You can't go by that. There are sprays, food, ect that vets would kill you if they heard you're using them. It's just what they do to sell you, to make money off of you. Not all bags lie, but some do.

As for substrate, there's a HUGE substrate debate. No, don't use calcium sand. If you're going to use sand...you can use the child safe swifted through sand at your local home depot. I've heard eco-earth is safe and can give you a more 'natural' look if you're aiming towards that. Sand is NOT natural, read more on their natural enviroment if you think that...they're on rocks. Not sand.

I personally dont' use any of those to be on the safe side. Better safe than sorry

 

[Pinky81]

Jackie here is what Ive found with my tank this winter..I live in WI so I totally understand the temp issue. I use to house my two on repti-bark as with no impaction issues but what I have found this winter is that with the drop in temp in my apartment I couldn't keep my hot side adequately heated. I currently have a zoo med UTH 10-20gal size. I use digital themometer probe directly on substrate to accurately measure temps that the Leo is getting to its belly cause thats the heat it uses. I was only getting around 82-85degrees.

So here is what I did. I switched to papertowel (easier for the heat from the UTH to penetrate. and I use a infared heat bulb to help get the temp up to 95 degrees. I have my probe on the floor inside of the hide so its not directly in the infared light. So I feel Im getting a accurate temp reading of what my leos are getting to their bellies. I have not found that the light bothers my leos at all...my female will actually climb ontop of her hide and lay right under the light weirdly enough.

So must haves UTH and digital thermo. you can get rid of the round ones you got..not useful. I'll list below the two UTH that should fit the 20gal long tank. i have the 10-20gal one but have found it not to be big enough or strong enough to get the temps up..thus my having the light...I don't want to go out and buy more UTH at this point. But I have heard some people have had better luck with the 30-40 gallon UTH and it does fit. Just make sure you get a RHEOSTAT to control your temps cause the 30-40gal could drive your temps too high.

Hope this helped! Good luck!!!

Oops like promised here are the stats on the Zoo Med brand UTH and remember rheostat (thermostat) if going with 30-40gal!)
Size: SN
Dimension: 6" x 8" (15x20cm)
Wattage: 8
Gal Size/Color: 10-20

Item Number: RH-5
Size: MED
Dimension: 8" x 12" (20x30cm)
Wattage: 16
Gal Size/Color: 30-40