Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi all. My girl and I just got our first rep and had some questions on his enclosure.

We used sand as our substrate, we have a water dish, a log for him to chill in, a bowl with some meal worms. We will be adding a humid shed box and some of the other basics as well. My main and biggest concern is with keeping the temp right. We got a UTH and also bought a thermometer, one of the kinds that has a wire atached to a probe so we could moniter the actual temp of the bottom or substrate. I guess my question is where is the ideal place to put my probe and is that what should actually be around the 80 to high 80's? Any advice would be great!
Thank you to those who reply!!
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Mike

First of all lose the sand. It can cause impaction which can kill your gecko. Also it is harder to clean, harbors parasites, and dries out their feet which could lead to bad sheds and toe loss. If you are dead set against paper towels look into using slate tile.
You should place the probe on the ground on the hot side. The temp should read 90. If it is hotter it can cause thermal burns to your gecko.
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Brian
www.thewindycitygecko.com

how about useing like a repti carpet type deal instead of sand. Wouldnt that stuff be harder to clean? It seems to methat you wouldnt be able to just spot clean it, like the bateria stuff from the waste would stick to it more?
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Mike & Wendy

2.0.0 Siberian husky, Jackrussel/schitzu
0.0.1 Lepard Gecko
0.0.4 Beta's
3.1.0 Warm blooded life sucking spawns.

Not only can you not spot clean carpet but your gecko can get their toes and teeth stuck in the fibers. Paper towels are the easiest to clean and slate is the safest appealing substrate. The only thing with slate is you need stronger heating element. Personally I use paper towels. It is safer for them and easy to clean.
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Brian
www.thewindycitygecko.com