Question About Exo Terra

[Dubby Tee]

I am looking to buy the Medium Exo Terra Desert Terrarium and I have a few questions about it.

Is the light that they provide enough for a leopard gecko?

And do I need a heat pad for the bottom of the terrarium?

Any information would be helpful!

 

[sammer021486]

I am looking to buy the Medium Exo Terra Desert Terrarium and I have a few questions about it.

Are you looking at this tank because of what it offers in the package or because of its design?

Can an adult leopard gecko live in that size of tank? Yes, it actually provides more floor space than a standard 20 gallon fish tank.

Is the light that they provide enough for a leopard gecko?

From what I understand, you do not get a light with the tank, only the fixture. This is also an assumption, but I think that the fixture is only meant for florescent UV bulbs, which will not provide the heat required by the gecko, nor is it needed as leopard geckos are nocturnal.

And do I need a heat pad for the bottom of the terrarium?

Yes and maybe no. All depends on how you would like to heat the tank and if it is required. I only use heat mats, never had a need to use lamps to supplement the heat from the mats.

Since you were thinking that the lamp would provide the heat, it comes down to whether or not you are going to purchase the set up.

Any information would be helpful!

Personally speaking, I think that if you go with this package deal you will probably end up not using a lot of the items included. For me it would come down to the cost difference of buying the packaged item or the items I needed individually.

Depending on how you are going to heat your enclosure you may need to purchase a thermostat or a rheostat. The rheostat option is very inexpensive, you can go to almost any DIY store and pick up an inline dimmer. Which is just a dimmer switch for lamps that requires no wiring, you just plug the lamp into the dimmer and adjust the dimmer.

If using lamps for heating then a dimmer is necessary as a thermostat will cause the bulbs to expire prematurely.

As for sand, I personally do not use it after one of my girls that I rescued was full of it. But if you like the looks of it, then stay away from the vita-sand, calci-sand or any of the sands sold in the pet stores. Instead go to your DIY store and buy a large bag of the fine grade play sand.


Check out the care sheets on this forum for some more info and ideas.http://geckoforums.net/articles.php?c=115

 

[mushraeddur]

I am looking to buy the Medium Exo Terra Desert Terrarium and I have a few questions about it.

Is the light that they provide enough for a leopard gecko?

And do I need a heat pad for the bottom of the terrarium?

Any information would be helpful!

I put some low watt blueglow lights in med exo terra...they still warm the tank too much (I use a UTH). Though this may change when I get a thermostat...right now the UTH keeps it between 89 and 95. However, it's winter and my house temp is about 68 so the thermostat will definitely be needed for warmer months.

I prefer the UTH...At first I tried the lights, but It didn't work great and the majority of the folks here suggested UTH heat for better digestion and belly heat.

I love the tank...my guy is still fairly small (just got him at Christmas time), but he loves it. I put tile on the base and it works great and transfers heat perfectly. I plan to cut some tiles for a better fit when I have time to mess with it.

Again, I rarely use the light fixture. It sits on the tank right now, but I'm thinking about just putting it in the closet since it's basically unused.

I think you'll like the set up...I'm happy with it. If I had it to do again, I might have saved some money and got a 20 gal long with screen top though.

The length is easier to spread out the hides, food/water dishes, etc.