Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I'm getting ready to go get supplies for a leo I'm getting in a week and a half. I'll set it all up about a week before I get him. I already have a ten gallon tank (20in x 10in x 12 in)from my childhood that has been disinfected. I also have a food supplier lined up (both mealies and crickets). This will be my first reptile, so I want to make sure I'm doing it right. Here's what I have on my shopping list:

- two-three hides (one for the cool side, on for the warm side. I will use damp paper towels in the warm one for the humid hide)
- a water dish
- calcium powder
- multivitamen
- UTH
- feeding dish for mealies
- large rocks for decoration
- gutload for critters

And now I have a few questions.
1) Should I use a heat lamp with the UTH during the day, or just the UTH?
2) substrate, which is apprentley a touchy issue among pet owners. I want to get large pebbles (maybe 1"-1.5" diameter). Is there anything wrong with this?

I'm a college student, money and space is kinda limited. I can do this, I know that. Just want advice from more experiences people. Also, if I could have photos of setups, that would be great. Thanks, and sorry about the length.

It looks like you have done your homework. i prefer to just use a small 15 watt bulb that does not give off heat. I use a UTH that is on all the time and gives off plenty of heat. Leo's dont bask but i feel it is important for a photperiod. Dont waste money on an expensive light. Use a low watt cheap house bulb. Save your money for the UTH and thermostat/rheostat which are more important.

Good luck

I know money can be tight for college students so i'll give you a few hints to save money. Don't buy expensive hides. I have 1 log (don't get a pine or cedar log), about 7 dollars, and a plastic one made out of a wipped cream container and also a gladware container, that ran me about 2 dollars. I don't use lights for my guys because they are in a well-lit room and they get the same photoperiod as all the other animals. But you can use a low wattage bulb if the room doesn't get a lot of sunlight. You also do not want to use a loose substrate, such as sand, pebbles, rocks. Use papertowels for babies (very cheap) or tile (a couple dollars but you'll never have to replace it, just clean them periodically). If you have any more questions feel free to ask. I'll post a picture of one of my set-ups later.

Thanks. I'm actually leaning toward tile now. If I could just find two 10 x 10 tiles, that would cover the base perfectly (10 x 20 base). All I've found so far is 12 x 12 and 6 x 6. And yes, pictures would be much appreciated.

I'm sure if you go to lowes or home depot they will cut some for you.

Get a thermostat or at least a rheostat/dimmer. And also a good book on Leos, if you don't have one yet.