Show Off Your Cages

[Bloom]

That's a cool setup, but it's not very suitable for a leopard gecko. You really should remove those wood chips. If he accidentally swallowed one, you could be in a world of trouble. What kind of temp gradient do you get with that?

~Maggot

i see what you mean, but i really doubt he'd eat those chips unintentionally as they're pretty big :O i gotta say you scared me as i was sure it was fine opposed to sand for example, i'm giving him mealworms on this rock there so possibility of him missing mealworm and eating substrate is quite low
temperature is like 25-27 celsius and i already ordered 15x28 cm's 7 watt heat mat while terrarium is 45x45x45 so it'd be 1/3 of it's size (uh lenght)

edit:
i'll change it to tiles then

 

[Embrace Calamity]

i see what you mean, but i really doubt he'd eat those chips unintentionally as they're pretty big :O i gotta say you scared me as i was sure it was fine opposed to sand for example, i'm giving him mealworms on this rock there so possibility of him missing mealworm and eating substrate is quite low
temperature is like 25-27 celsius and i already ordered 15x28 cm's 7 watt heat mat while terrarium is 45x45x45 so it'd be 1/3 of it's size (uh lenght)

edit:
i'll change it to tiles then

I know of at least one person who had their gecko on wood chips, and the gecko accidentally swallowed one without them realising. They didn't know until she dropped her tail for no reason and they took her to the vet, and the vet said the pain was probably what made her drop her tail.

Is that temperature the warm or cool side? You need both. That's way, way too cold for a warm side. You need it to be 31-34 on the warm side.

~Maggot

 

[Paula Marez]

Here's my set up! I think I'll replace the reptile carpet with tile soon (I've read the recommendations here). His water bowl and a calcium dish are in the back left corner; can't see it due to the big rock hide in the front. The toilet paper tube was just thrown in there for fun. The moist hide is in the back (the bridge); I sealed the back and floor of it with plastic and am just using damp paper towels, replaced daily. Warm side is under plant; he has a under tank heater and a red-light lamp (my house temp runs low, it's just to keep the overall air temp up. There is also a "reptile ladder" thingie in the back left corner; it provide a little more hiding space under it and he can climb up a little bit.

Any suggestions?

 

[Embrace Calamity]

Here's my set up! I think I'll replace the reptile carpet with tile soon (I've read the recommendations here). His water bowl and a calcium dish are in the back left corner; can't see it due to the big rock hide in the front. The toilet paper tube was just thrown in there for fun. The moist hide is in the back (the bridge); I sealed the back and floor of it with plastic and am just using damp paper towels, replaced daily. Warm side is under plant; he has a under tank heater and a red-light lamp (my house temp runs low, it's just to keep the overall air temp up. There is also a "reptile ladder" thingie in the back left corner; it provide a little more hiding space under it and he can climb up a little bit.

Any suggestions?

View attachment 56210

As a note, you should only heat one side, especially since you have such a small tank. And you should get rid of the red light. If you need the heat, get a ceramic heat emitter. Red lights disrupt a leo's day/night cycle, as well as being a totally unnatural color for them to see.

~Maggot

 

[Paula Marez]

Thanks Maggot. There is usually a 15-20 degree difference between the warm and cold side... the cold is at around 72 and warm is about 94. The light keeps the cold from going below 70... is that necessary? Is there any lightbulb that is ok? I heard the black lights were bad but red was ok...?
Thanks for ur help!

 

[Embrace Calamity]

Thanks Maggot. There is usually a 15-20 degree difference between the warm and cold side... the cold is at around 72 and warm is about 94. The light keeps the cold from going below 70... is that necessary? Is there any lightbulb that is ok? I heard the black lights were bad but red was ok...?
Thanks for ur help!

I wouldn't say so, since, if it's too cold, your gecko just won't go there. But I'm not sure how you're managing temps that low. Doesn't sound right, even if your house isn't very warm. Have you checked with another thermometer?

But you need a proper hide for the warm side, not just some plants. Leos generally spend their hiding times in rock crevices; a fake plant isn't going to help your gecko feel very secure. Also, I'd ditch that humid hide. It doesn't really do anything. The point of a humid hide is to keep humidity high in a small, enclosed area (think like a sauna, but not as hot). All the bridge will do is have wet paper towel, but the air will still be pretty much the same humidity level. It won't serve to help your gecko feel very secure either.

~Maggot

 

[Paula Marez]

Ok, verytime I think I've got a great viv, I get some more feedback about needed changes, so here's my latest shot at it! I want the little guy to live in a little gecko utopia!

Warm side on right, cool side on left, humid hide in middle/warm side (behind bridge). It's not a huge viv, but it has a temp differential and I think it will do for now.

Warm side has fake plant and a hide under the plant (made from a small plastic toy container) and a temp gauge with probe going into that hide. There is an under-tank heat mat there. Inside the warm hide is about 84-85 degrees. Is that warm enough?

Cool side has big rock hide in the front. There is a climbing ladder/wall thing in the back corner. Water dish and calcium dish are in that back corner too (can't see due to big rock in front). The climbing wall makes a triangle, about an inch off the ground, and it seems like under that is where General Fang has decided to install his toilet.

Middle: humid hide opening is on the left, but it's a long rectangular tube so the damp paper towels are actually more on the warm side, furthest from "door." Best of both worlds, I guess. The bridge is just a cute thing, a good place for crickets to get caught.

I have a air temp thermometer in the middle. I have one of those crap dials that came with the tank, it's just there so I can compare the digital one to the dial one and get an idea of just how crappy it is.

I have reptile carpet for now, will replace with tiles this weekend. Back and left side is permanently covered, right side has a cloth that I can move if needed.

I've seen him out and about many times, eating, pooping, checking things out. Seems happy! Oh, the white dish in the front is mealworms, which he seems to ignore. He just wants the crickets. Fine with me, but I thought I'd offer them now and then. The tiny white bottlecap in the front right has cricket food in it, so they don't bother General Fang if he hasn't eaten them yet.

Thoughts? Suggestions? I used to have a red light to help warm up the right side, but someone said not to use it... but I am a little worried that 84 isn't warm enough?

 

[Embrace Calamity]

84-85 inside the hide isn't warm enough. I'd suggest getting a low-wattage CHE to keep on the warm side. Make sure you have a gap under your tank, btw, to allow excess heat from the UTH to escape. If it builds up, it can crack the glass. Otherwise, looks good.

~Maggot

 

[Bloom]

+

 

[Bloom]

ok i have tile already and imo setup is quite nice
thank you Maggot for your help

 

[Embrace Calamity]

ok i have tile already and imo setup is quite nice
thank you Maggot for your help
View attachment 56226 View attachment 56227 View attachment 56228 View attachment 56229

Yes, it is. I'm still curious though: Were the temps you gave warm or cool side?

~Maggot

 

[Bloom]

Yes, it is. I'm still curious though: Were the temps you gave warm or cool side?

~Maggot

it's ranging from the furthest point from lamp to the spot under it like 25-27 c so not much of a difference in whole terrarium as only heat source is from 2 bulbs overall 51 watt (like bulbs which spread light, not pointing it in one place...)
that's why im getting heat mat, but it'll come to me in monday

 

[Embrace Calamity]

it's ranging from the furthest point from lamp to the spot under it like 25-27 c so not much of a difference in whole terrarium as only heat source is from 2 bulbs overall 51 watt
that's why im getting heat mat, but sadly it'll come to me in monday so yeah
i hope he'll do fine by that time

I think you're just gonna have to get a regular 20 long aquarium. 25-27 is too warm for a cool side (should be about 21-24), so even when you add the UTH, if it brings up the warm side temps to what they should be (31-33), your cool side is still gonna be a bit too warm - maybe even warmer after adding the UTH. Exo-Terras are really nice enclosures and great to have, but they just don't work well for leopard geckos, since leos need lots of floor space and a really big temp gradient. However, Exo-Terras work extremely well for arboreal geckos like crested and gargoyle geckos, so you could always move your leo and then get a gecko like that to put in the Exo-Terra.

~Maggot

 

[Bloom]

if temperature on the non-heated side will stay at 25 degrees and it'll get warmer on heated side then i probably won't change it until he won't be comfortable anymore
if not, then i'll probably buy some cheap 60x30x30 terrarium (60x30x40 seems to be senseless as they stay mainly on ground) and then i guess it'll be a lot easier to maintain good temperature gradient
buying crested or gargoyle gecko seems to be good option too if i do that, will need to think more about it later

 

[Embrace Calamity]

if temperature on the non-heated side will stay at 25 degrees and it'll get warmer on heated side then i probably won't change it until he won't be comfortable anymore

What? There's a suggested temp gradient for a leopard gecko so that it can stay comfortable and allow it the options it needs. You just can't really get that with the kind of enclosure you're using.

~Maggot

 

[Bloom]

What? There's a suggested temp gradient for a leopard gecko so that it can stay comfortable and allow it the options it needs. You just can't really get that with the kind of enclosure you're using.

~Maggot

huh?
i mean if the 25 celsius will stay as it is when i add an uth then it will be good enough to be cold side
or maybe you mean that 25 celsius is far too hot for cold side of tank?

 

[ehebert]

Phoenix's crib

 

[Embrace Calamity]

huh?
i mean if the 25 celsius will stay as it is when i add an uth then it will be good enough to be cold side
or maybe you mean that 25 celsius is far too hot for cold side of tank?

I said that the cold side should be 21-24. I wouldn't be surprised if the UTH bumps it up a bit on the cool side, since your enclosure is so small that there isn't much room for a temp gradient.

~Maggot

 

[SC Geckos]

There are tons of amazing setups in this thread.
Here is my take on this temperature discussion. All my enclosures keep the warm side at 91 - 92 F (about 33 C) and the cool side at 78 - 79 F (about 25 C). This is with using heat tape covering 1/3 of the tubs and no light source other than the light in the room. My tubs are ranging in size from a 6qt all the way up to a 41qt. I do have a room heater that keeps the ambient air in the entire gecko room at about 76 -78 F.

IMO if you get your warm side surface temp into that 90 - 92 F range (+- 2 degrees), if your "cool side is between 75 and 80F (+- 2 degrees) you will be just fine. I know of several large breeders that keep the ambient temp of there entire room between 80 - 82 (which essentially would be there "cool side" temp) and have never had any issues as long as the warm side is in a good range.

If the gecko is too hot or too cold it will tell you by the way they behave. For instance, If the gecko stays on the warm side all the time, your temps (could) be too low. If he stays on the cool side all the time, your temps (could) be too high. If he has runny stool, it (could) mean the temps are too low. just to give a few examples.
This subject can be debated endlessly just the same as how many hides a gecko "must have". Different strokes for different folks. What works well for me, my not be ideal for others. In the end, As long as the animals are eating, pooping, and shedding normally, along with maintaining good weight there is not much to worry about.

 

[Embrace Calamity]

The main problem is that it's at that temp with no UTH, just a light. That's the ENTIRE temperature, not the cool side temp. Once a UTH is added, with how little floor space there is, I wouldn't be surprised if the cool side temp went up over 25. I have seen my leo use temps in the low-mid 70's, and I wouldn't want to not offer that.

~Maggot