My setup - let me know what you think

[idmd]

Here is my basic setup. 15 gallon tank, cage carpet, warm hide is on the left with an UTH and cool hide on right. My current temperatures are 95 F in the warm hide and about 80 F on the cool side. The overhead light is red (I think that can be left on at night without disturbing circadian rhythms?).

Let me know what you think. I'm going to work on cool side temps by moving the overhead light around and/or partially covering the cool side top to reduce air exchange with the room which can be on the cool side.

On Wednesday I'm going to look at some captive breed Leos. He has a few females from the same clutch and if I like them I was thinking of getting two or if I go with a male just one.

 

[theclean1]

Sweet set up!

 

[Foreverandever]

Yep the red light is ok (they cant see it)

Looks good Which is the cool hide? I cant see it for the life of me lol

Congrats on your soon to be new addiction

 

[Dan K.]

look's good you need a humid hide for sheding! and a calsium dish, your temp's are good.

 

[Foreverandever]

Duh...yea you need a small dish of pure calcium WITHOUT D3 available at all times

Good catch, dan

 

[idmd]

look's good you need a humid hide for sheding! and a calsium dish, your temp's are good.

Yup...have the calcium dish, I just don't have it out. For the humid hide it can either the warm or cool hide? If so which one is usually better and if not where is the best place for the humid hide?

I was thinking of moving the log out an inch or so on the warm side and stuffing the back of log with some sphagnum moss that I could easily wet daily by just squirting what ever is showing behind the log.

 

[2bacop]

Yup...have the calcium dish, I just don't have it out. For the humid hide it can either the warm or cool hide? If so which one is usually better and if not where is the best place for the humid hide?

I was thinking of moving the log out an inch or so on the warm side and stuffing the back of log with some sphagnum moss that I could easily wet daily by just squirting what ever is showing behind the log.

You really want to have three hides, especially if you are going to get 2 females. It needs to be on the warm side, other than that it looks great! I love that cactus hide, where did you find it?

 

[Foreverandever]

I love that cactus hide, where did you find it?

OOOOH! Durh haha

That is pretty cool

 

[idmd]

You really want to have three hides, especially if you are going to get 2 females. It needs to be on the warm side, other than that it looks great! I love that cactus hide, where did you find it?

More hides I can do! Would you say that is only necessary if I get two females? Would just two hides and my moss idea work for one Leo?

 

[idmd]

OOOOH! Durh haha

That is pretty cool

Well that's my wife's contribution. She want little to do with the Leo (at this point) but she insisted she help decorate with a desert motif.

We found it at (*cough*) Pet Supplies Plus.

 

[idmd]

And for temps....it's now 101 in the warm hide, 85 by the slate and 80 in the cool hide. Warm hide too hot? It's easy to fix as I can move the warm hide halfway off the UTH. What would be the absolute warmest for a warm hide?

BTW the floor in the warm hide doesn't feel that warm.

 

[2bacop]

More hides I can do! Would you say that is only necessary if I get two females? Would just two hides and my moss idea work for one Leo?

I missed what the moss hide idea was. You want to have 1 hide on the cool side, 1 warm hide and a humid hide on the warm side, that goes for all geckos. Some people make the warm hide the humid hide as well but I believe that its better to have three. The general rule with leos is the more leos the more hides. That way if they dont want to be around each other, they both can have there own hide on the warm or cool side of the tank.

 

[2bacop]

And for temps....it's now 101 in the warm hide, 85 by the slate and 80 in the cool hide. Warm hide too hot? It's easy to fix as I can move the warm hide halfway off the UTH. What would be the absolute warmest for a warm hide?

BTW the floor in the warm hide doesn't feel that warm.

101 is too hot, you want the floor temps on the warm side of the cage to range between 88-96 degrees.

 

[idmd]

I missed what the moss hide idea was. You want to have 1 hide on the cool side, 1 warm hide and a humid hide on the warm side, that goes for all geckos. Some people make the warm hide the humid hide as well but I believe that its better to have three. The general rule with leos is the more leos the more hides. That way if they dont want to be around each other, they both can have there own hide on the warm or cool side of the tank.

Gotchya

 

[2bacop]

what was the moss idea?

 

[idmd]

what was the moss idea?

I was going to make the warm hide into the humid hide by pulling the plastic log out an inch or two from the back of the tank and stuffing the back of the hide with moss (so some was showing in the space between the log and the tank. Then I could just spray the moss showing with a spray bottle daily to replenish it's moisture.

 

[2bacop]

I was going to make the warm hide into the humid hide by pulling the plastic log out an inch or two from the back of the tank and stuffing the back of the hide with moss (so some was showing in the space between the log and the tank. Then I could just spray the moss showing with a spray bottle daily to replenish it's moisture.

It may be hard to actually maintain the humidity like that, but you could give it a try. What size tank is this?

 

[idmd]

It may be hard to actually maintain the humidity like that, but you could give it a try. What size tank is this?

15 gallon....if it dries out too quickly then I can get a dedicated hide that's enclosed and will retain humidity.

 

[2bacop]

15 gallon....if it dries out too quickly then I can get a dedicated hide that's enclosed and will retain humidity.

Sounds like a plan! Just an FYI 15 gallon is too small for two adult leos, it can serve as a temp. tank but if you are getting them from different breeders they each need to have there own tank anyway for quarntine.

 

[idmd]

Sounds like a plan! Just an FYI 15 gallon is too small for two adult leos, it can serve as a temp. tank but if you are getting them from different breeders they each need to have there own tank anyway for quarntine.

Yeah.....if I get two females it's from the same breeder and actually from the same clutch too. It's a 15 G tank but not an aquarium and so some of the volume that normally goes towards height has been redistributed into more useful dimensions. It's 24"L x 12"W X 12"H. You think that's still too small for two females?

Moving the hides around my warm hide is now 92 and the cool hide is 80