Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I've got 21 inches of height to work with, so it seems a shame not to use as much of that area as possible. Obviously I need to still let the ground stay illuminated, and they like having enough headroom to stand up and jump instead of just scurrying, so I'm interested in what people have done to make both the ground level and upper level(s) appealing to their lizards. Let's see some setups!
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0.1 2006 Western Hognose (Bebe)
0.1 age unknown Cane Toad (Hengo)
0.1 2005 White-Banded Sheen Skink (Minerva)
1.0 2006 Northern Diamondback Terrapin (Queequeg)
1.0 2006 Madagascan Speckled "Hognose" (Sigmund)
1.0 2008 Bullsnake (Winkle)
1.2 2008 Eastern Collared Lizards (Pancho, Lupe, and Chica)

I don't have time at the moment to take and post pics, but did want to say that I never raise my basking sight to more that 18 inches below the uvb, as I use Mercury Vapor bulbs and you really shouldn't allow your lizards closer to them than that as per the manufacturer recommendations. They are not deemed safe any closer than that. My basking sites stay at what I think are perfectly adequate and reasonable temps 108-115 at the hottest, and my lizards are healthy little porkers as you can see from past pics that I have posted. I do create climbing areas in other parts of the tank, and I have hides in multiple temp zones.

I hear you about distancing, but the lights won't be right on top of the screen. I've already got two different height closet bars installed above them just to vary light positioning, and I know that as summer kicks in I'll probably have to either add a higher one or just move the lowest one to a higher level. Makes it easier to get the cover on and off, too.
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0.1 2006 Western Hognose (Bebe)
0.1 age unknown Cane Toad (Hengo)
0.1 2005 White-Banded Sheen Skink (Minerva)
1.0 2006 Northern Diamondback Terrapin (Queequeg)
1.0 2006 Madagascan Speckled "Hognose" (Sigmund)
1.0 2008 Bullsnake (Winkle)
1.2 2008 Eastern Collared Lizards (Pancho, Lupe, and Chica)

Heres an older one I kept, You can see I used a small log as a ramp they could climb/ sit on but still go under. I loved piles of slate on bricks, they were very secure and looked natural. And for some climbing height I used a cinder/ building block and broke the square top off leaving a different look.

I must say I used PAST terms as after being sent some rescue lizards with snake mites and them spreadign to my entire collection a couple years back, I opted to get rid of rocks , wood, and anything that the tiny microscopic and adult mites could live in. Rocks and wood have so many teeny tiny crevices.

I loved the natural look, but I changed everything for health and cleanliness purposes. I have tried to keep it looking natural as best as I can by spending "hundreds" on resin boulders, and rocks that I can scrub down weekly. Some of these boulders are a good size and have an open place for them to go under. I also have bought things like large sized herp hotels, but love the boulders the best. I will post some pics of the boulders I use in almost all tanks 40 gallon wide Breeder or critter cages.

Older pic

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PHEve / Eve

You could ask Valerie to post a pic or there may be one in the phot gallery of her big set up, pretty cool. Many people have some awesome ones.
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PHEve / Eve