My leopard geckos enclosure

[theWERM]

Heres some pics of my leo's setup, he has a 15 gal. tank with: sand as substrate, a R-Zilla 15 watt T8 desert 50 light fixture a water dish w/ two rocks in it, a cave hide (half of the hide is on the uth and the other is off), a moist hide, a piece of wood (he likes to hide under it), a side tank heater, an under tank heater, a calcium/mealworm dish, and two rocks. Let me know if you guys spot any thing wrong, the day time temps are 78-86 degrees fahrenheit and at night 70-75 degrees fahrenheit. I have a a stickie thermometer on the warm side and a R-Zilla thermometer on the warm side.

 

[roger]

Heres some pics of my leo's setup, he has a 15 gal. tank with: sand as substrate, a R-Zilla 15 watt T8 desert 50 light fixture a water dish w/ two rocks in it, a cave hide (half of the hide is on the uth and the other is off), a moist hide, a piece of wood (he likes to hide under it), a side tank heater, an under tank heater, a calcium/mealworm dish, and two rocks. Let me know if you guys spot any thing wrong, the day time temps are 78-86 degrees fahrenheit and at night 70-75 degrees fahrenheit. I have a a stickie thermometer on the warm side and a R-Zilla thermometer on the warm side.

Lose the sand it causes impaction over time.Since leos are nocturnal they dont need light fixtures.You need to bump the warm end to 90-95 degrees.You need to measure the temp on the surface.everyhting else looks ok

 

[BrilliantEraser]

Pretty much everything Roger said. If you want to use light fixtures to bump up the heat a bit, make sure they're red lights. Geckos cannot see red light, so it will not disturb them when they are up and about at night.

 

[musick]

Lose the sand it causes impaction over time...

Or if you prefer the natural look, mix it with clay powder, wet it and allow to dry.

It will become almost as hard as rock. End result might be similar to mine:

 

[theWERM]

The light is on a timer and only stays on during the day, its not really being used for heat, i was told that they needed UV light during the day. Do you guy know of any way to heat up a gecko tank without using a lamp or uth (my parents won't let me get a heat lamp right now). and what are your guys's temperatures?

 

[roger]

The light is on a timer and only stays on during the day, its not really being used for heat, i was told that they needed UV light during the day. Do you guy know of any way to heat up a gecko tank without using a lamp or uth (my parents won't let me get a heat lamp right now). and what are your guys's temperatures?

The light bulbs will stress your gecko.Natural light is all they need.Leopard geckos sleep and hide during the day.If your not using the light for heat it is pretty much useless to have on.Uth's are pretty much the common way to heat the one end of the enclosure or supplemented by infrared lamps.Temps on the warm end need to be 90-95 degrees and 75-80 on the cool end

 

[theWERM]

The light bulbs will stress your gecko.Natural light is all they need.Leopard geckos sleep and hide during the day.If your not using the light for heat it is pretty much useless to have on.Uth's are pretty much the common way to heat the one end of the enclosure or supplemented by infrared lamps.Temps on the warm end need to be 90-95 degrees and 75-80 on the cool end

OK, I'll take away the lamp and see if I can get a red lamp. Also, how long do rice socks last and would i be able to use this for the geckos if i made to were they don't burn themselves?

 

[theWERM]

Or if you prefer the natural look, mix it with clay powder, wet it and allow to dry.

It will become almost as hard as rock. End result might be similar to mine:

as far as the sand goes does it absolutely to go? (my parents won't like it :furious3 and if so is it hard to clean the clay sand or reptile crapet. and is clay sand removable?

 

[Chestersmom]

Get a roll of smooth top non adhesive shelf liner, paper towels or slate tile. They are much easier to clean than sand and they won't cause your gecko to become impacted.

 

[thegeckoguy23]

to be honst there is alot to say but if i say it now i well get ban cuz of how pissed i am so no comment

 

[Samantha]

i would use some repti carpet its pretty ceap and keep it your leo from coming impacted. its really easy to clean up and u can wash it and use it again and change it like once a month depending on how dirty it becomes. Please do ur reseach it could help you alot.

 

[theWERM]

to be honst there is alot to say but if i say it now i well get ban cuz of how pissed i am so no comment

Excuse me, but if you are commenting towards me or my actions i would appreciate it if you just say it or don't comment at all please.

 

[theWERM]

i would use some repti carpet its pretty ceap and keep it your leo from coming impacted. its really easy to clean up and u can wash it and use it again and change it like once a month depending on how dirty it becomes. Please do ur reseach it could help you alot.

I realize that sand can cause impaction but the pet store told me/my parents that we should use sand so my parents are stuck on the sand:argue:. I'll see how soon i can get repti carpet.

 

[Tony C]

as far as the sand goes does it absolutely to go? (my parents won't like it :furious3

If you prefer sand you can use natural sand, washed play sand from home depot is a good option. The sand you want to avoid is pet store calcium-based sand, which is what appears to be in there now. HOWEVER, you do need to get an undertank heater, proper temperatures (mid 90s) are absolutely vital to proper digestive function. A cold gecko is much more likely to become impacted, even with a relatively safe loose substrate like natural sand or soil mixes.

 

[musick]

as far as the sand goes does it absolutely to go? (my parents won't like it :furious3 and if so is it hard to clean the clay sand or reptile crapet. and is clay sand removable?

For the health and safety of the gecko, I would say dont use loose sand in 95% of the tank.

Clay/sand mix - I simply sweep it with a unused paint brush and vacuum it clean after. In the poop corner, I cover it w/ some plain old sand and vacuum it all out, then replace it w/ a thin layer. Absorbs and clumps nicely, and the poop dries out quick so removal is easy breezy.

You can remove it, but it comes out in large clumps. Think chipping away at concrete (but not nearly as hard).

 

[roger]

I realize that sand can cause impaction but the pet store told me/my parents that we should use sand so my parents are stuck on the sand:argue:. I'll see how soon i can get repti carpet.

Pet store employees for the most part at least where I live absolutely nothing about reptiles

 

[bjleemkuil]

Dump the sand and if nothing else, put some paper towels in there, dude. Simple as pie and cheap too!

 

[Ehatcher]

If you prefer sand you can use natural sand, washed play sand from home depot is a good option. The sand you want to avoid is pet store calcium-based sand, which is what appears to be in there now. HOWEVER, you do need to get an undertank heater, proper temperatures (mid 90s) are absolutely vital to proper digestive function. A cold gecko is much more likely to become impacted, even with a relatively safe loose substrate like natural sand or soil mixes.

quote for the truth. All i would add to this is add in propper supplementation and you are golden. Europeon hobbyists keep their animals on particle substrates with great success and the animals have normal lifespans.

 

[chechatonga]

I agree with chester, lose the sand as soon as possible. Shelf liners work great and are easy to clean(i personally use). Another option would be ceramic/slate tiles(DO NOT GROUT TOGETHER).
Lastly you could make or purchase your own floor.
I definatley would not use loose substrates that your gecko can accidently ingest.

 

[theWERM]

hey i put some papertowel/newspaper (alternating) in my geckos tank ill get some pics tomorow.