Toplesss Enclosure

[slk_cheech]

I had leos aobut 10 years ago and am getting back into the hobby so i'm sorry if some of these questions might be common knowledge. I was not able to find them in existing forums so any help would be appreciated.

1) I'm setting up a new Leo tank and I had an important question. I'm planning on doing a 30x30x12 topless aquarium. Is 12" tall enough to keep the leos from getting out? I don't plan to have any of the cages or moist hides next to the walls. i will be housing regular leos and not giants. If not, how tall must the sides be to not have to use a cover?

2) If you are interested in breeding the geckos, is it best to keep the males and females separated until ovulation? I have gotten some mixed feed back on this topic. I'm considering separating the tank into one section that would be 20x30 and another 10x30.

3) When you feed your leos, do you use a dish or just put the critters on to the substrate? (don't worry, i will not be using sand). I'm planning on using a dish but am worried that the leos might not see the food in the dish.

4) Any opinions as to the best UTHs out there would also be appreciated.

Thanks again for taking the time to read this. i know i had a lot of questions but want to do it right the first time.

 

[Next Level Geckos]

1. Use a cage top with the secure locks. I once had a leo escape when I had a tank with no top, luckly i found him 10 days later in my shoe.

2. I leave this answer to other people

3. well, since i feed mealworms i use a dish. don't worry, your gecko should see the food.

4. Im not sure what the best ones are but when i used UTH's i had the zoomed ones.

 

[gators0204]

1) you probably would be fine, I would do 15 just to be safe.

2) you could keep colony together or seperate. I would would seperate if possible. That way there isn't excessive breeding from the male to cause undue stress on the females. But a colony would work, I've done both with success.

3)for mine they tend to not eat from the bowls, I've tried many different kinds. Most recently from LLL reptile, they are escape proof for worms. But mine like to chase more than to stick there heads in a bowl. Maybe yours will.

4)I personally stick with zoo med. I still have one from over 10 years ago that still works perfectly. I did have one go out in less than a year though. I like them cause they last and they are thicker than say Exo terra's uth. That's personal opinion and experiance.

 

[Blizzard Lizard]

I would wait until ovulation to house them.

 

[acpart]

Sometimes housing males and females together can encourage ovulation. I find that most of the UTH's besides Zoo-med are just pieces of flexwatt already wired up. The Zoo-med ones seem to be covered and a little more sturdy. With the problems that have been reported occasionally with hot spots with the flexwatt, I prefer the Zoo-med.

Aliza

 

[gothra]

I just replied to your PM, but here goes again:
1. I would say 12" from the highest point of the furnishing to the top of the glass should be enough. So, that depends on what you're going to put inside the tank.
2. I have not bred geckos myself, but I would suggest keeping the male and female separate until you want them to mate.
3. I use a dish to feed my leos. For mealworms, I just leave a dish in there overnight; if I feed roaches or crickets (with no jump legs), I put the gecko in front of the dish, and then drop the insect in the dish one by one. So there will be no leftovers to escape overnight.
4. I bought my UTH from Beanfarm, so far so good. But I haven't tried other brands.

 

[slk_cheech]

Thanks for all the replies guys. Appreciate the help. Will get some pics onto this thread when the tank is ready. Will still be while though. Have to move to California before i get my leos... Thank again.

 

[reddmann]

Another thing i've read with not having a top (mine is screen) on the tank is that other bugs can get inside and annoy your leo. As far as the food dish, mine will eat from it but it takes him a while. He seems to be more interested if i put the worms on the substrate (i use tile) and let him eat them one at a time, but he will get them from the dish after a while. The zoomed uth's seem to get the best reviews.

 

[slk_cheech]

yeah, i have heard a lot of good things about the Zoomed but i'm just worried about sticking it to my tank. If it stops working i have heard they are very hard to get off. Since the dimensions i'm going for are a little diff it will have to be a custom tank. But i guess i can secure it to the tank w/o the sticky pad...