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snakesrcharming, AlteredMind99

vince3267 Mar 16, 2005 12:57 PM

Thanks a lot for your help!, So far I removed all sand and went with the reptile carpet (not sure if this was a good idea, but he seemed to love it). Also, I wasnt using a night time light so i'm using a red light for night time. he has on hide box, but i'm washing his other one. I washed it in anti bactiria soap and let it soak over night. I'm going to go home and wash it in hot water and then not put it in the cage for at least a week and re rinse it b4 i put it back in. i'm also looking to getting him an under the cage heat pad. not sure if he needs it. I know there nocternal so i'm not sure if i should use a day time basking light. i will do the tuper ware trick for a humid box. but for the paper towel thing can i put some kind of potting soil or somthing else in side intead of paper towels. Thanks again

Replies (2)

Kendergirl Mar 17, 2005 12:00 AM

You don't want to use regular potting soil for your humid hide. Not only will it just turn to mud when moist, but it can potentially contain a lot of chemicals that will be bad for the gecko. If you don't want to use paper towels, you can use moss or bed-a-beast. I've heard of people using vermiculite as well.

Everyone has their favorite, and mine is moss. I like the fact that it doesn't get tracked around the cage too much due to the larger size. It also hold moisture well. It's also very natural looking.

snakesrcharming Mar 17, 2005 09:32 AM

Hey there!
I'm glad to hear you have your little guy all set up. Reptile Carpet is a good choice for substrate. Just make sure you have extra pieces to switch out while you are cleaning the other one. One thing I used to do when I was using the carpet was observe which area my leo used as a bathroom. Then I just placed a folded piece of paper towel there, which made cleaning a lot easier!
As far as heating goes, it sometimes depends on where you live or if your room is heated. I recommend using just a UTH, and a basking light as supplementary heat only (meaning you only turn it on when it is chilly). And you're right, they do not need a basking day lamp - you can use a black or red bulb. And lastly, when it comes to a humid hide box substrate, I personally use a simple sponge cut to fit the tupperware. Obviously, I use the kind without a scrubber and without any toxic chemicals . . just a plain, boring .89 cent sponge. I do not use vermiculite because a few of my breeder friends have lost their female leos to impaction and I don't use moss because for me it always gets moldy. Dirt is messy and a hassle to deal with.
Hope that helps!
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0.1 Hogg Island Boa
0.3 Leopard Geckos (my very first reptiles-I've had them a LOOOOOOOOONG time!)
2.0 Wonderful Dogs

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