Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have seen and read so many setup options for setting up a 10 gallon tank for a leopard gecko.I wanted sand,but I guess I will rule that out and go with the cage carpet stuff.I know about the hides,bowls,and the humid hide.I guess my question is about heat.I wanted to use a uth,but many people say that they get way too hot.I was going to order a rheostat from drsfostersmith.com,but was told that it wouldn't be good enough.I really don't like the idea of a heat lamp as I have parakeets that do fly around in the same room as the leo setup would be in.There is a reptile kit lighting setup at drsfostersmith.com that caught my eye.It has day and night lighting.Would I have to have both,uth and heat lamp?Would I need to add slate or something to the side with the uth??? Sorry that this was so long,but I just cannot figure out the best way to heat the tank.

For leos, the best way to provide heat is from underneath, as they absorb the heat through their bellies. I had a hard time with my UTH too, until I learned that you MUST use either a rheostat/thermostat or dimmer. I now use a dimmer and after a couple of days of slight alterations, my heat is right where it needs to be - as oppose to the 110 that it had gotten up to! I picked mine up at Home Depot for 15 bucks, and all I had to do was plug it into the wall, plug the UTH into it, then adjust the switch until the heat was at a good temp. I'm not sure about a 10 gallon, as my terrariums are larger, but my UTH is on the warm side of my terrarium (obviously ) and I have 50 Watt DayGlos that hang about 2 feet above the terrariums that I have on for a couple of hours in the morning just until the ambient air temp. in the house gets back up. But you wouldn't need the heat light with a 10 gallon.
You have to be careful with the carpet too, their little claws can get caught in it
Hope this helps