Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i just recently bought a leo from a pet store, and i have a undertank heating pad, and a light shining ( about a 90 watt) on the side of the tank as the same side of the pad. The other side includes the water and the hiding place for my leo. I just bought a thermometer ( the sticky on ones) and it read 80 degrees, and ive been told that it should be higher than that for a healthy leo. All my leo does is hide all day. What can i do to make it hotter in the cage for him and not let him hide all night?

OH! and when i bought him, his tail was fully grown except the very last part was colored but not stubby like the rest of his body... why is that also? thanks!!
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1 leopard gecko- corona
1 japanese chin pup- layla
1 kitty- libby
1 fishie- hoodlum

Hello,

Well, are the UTH and the heat lamp on the same side of the tank? How many gallons is this tank? The temp. should be at 90* on the warm end and the air temp, probably about 85*.. Cool end should be around 78*. Also, do you have a humid hide(out of curiousity, lol)?

Oh and.. The end of his tail must have dropped off before.
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-Britney

2.4.1 Leopard Geckos: Ron, Raine, Dream, Tango, Go-Go, Johnneh and Salleh.
0.0.1 Bearded Dragon: Lil' Little.

yes the light and heating pad are on the same side of tank... i dont know how many gallons the tank is... no i dont have a humid hide... should i have one?
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1 leopard gecko- corona
1 japanese chin pup- layla
1 kitty- libby
1 fishie- hoodlum

The taller the tank, the less likely the heat lamp and the UTH will combine their heat.. use a higher wattage red bulb to obtain 90*F if necessary. And you should definitely have a humid hide at all times! If you don't already know about them, they are made from a tupperware container or yogurt container(clean one of course), with an access hole on the side(About 2 inches wide by 2 inches long), moist papertowel, moss or vermiculite should be on the inside to keep the humidity level up. Spray that with warm water each day so it's damp, not sopping wet. Sorry if I'm not being detailed enough, i'm on the phone with my little sis as I explain, lol. If I forgot to answer something or you have more questions, just post them.
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-Britney

2.4.1 Leopard Geckos: Ron, Raine, Dream, Tango, Go-Go, Johnneh and Salleh.
0.0.1 Bearded Dragon: Lil' Little.

sounds good but will that one little humid hide really keep the temp u i thought maybe the screen on the top was lettting all the hot air
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1 leopard gecko- corona
1 japanese chin pup- layla
1 kitty- libby
1 fishie- hoodlum

sorry what i said was i wasnt sure if that one little humid hide was going to keep the temp higher and if the screen on the top was letting out all the hot air...
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1 leopard gecko- corona
1 japanese chin pup- layla
1 kitty- libby
1 fishie- hoodlum

No, the humid hide is just another issue on it's own, it doesn't help the temperature at all. I'm just saying, if you don't have one then you need one.
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-Britney

2.4.1 Leopard Geckos: Ron, Raine, Dream, Tango, Go-Go, Johnneh and Salleh.
0.0.1 Bearded Dragon: Lil' Little.

What does a humid hide do for him?
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1 leopard gecko- corona
1 japanese chin pup- layla
1 kitty- libby
1 fishie- hoodlum

The humidity aids in shedding their skin. This way skin will not remain dry and stuck to areas such as their toes or their tail tips. If the skin does not shed from their toes, the skin will constrict the blood flow through the toe and it will eventually die and fall off(Never growing back).. Most tail sheds seem to come off, but result in kinked tails. If part of the tail(or even all of it), were to ever fall off, it would grow back, but not nearly as beautiful as the original and it's not very healthy for them to lose alot of their tail(Especially if they're sickly or breeding). Good luck.
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-Britney

2.4.1 Leopard Geckos: Ron, Raine, Dream, Tango, Go-Go, Johnneh and Salleh.
0.0.1 Bearded Dragon: Lil' Little.