Reptile & Amphibian Forums

So I saw one of these little guys in a pet store finally, after reading about them in mags and books. I put a deposit on it to save it for a week while i decide whether to buy it or not. The main trouble I'm having is with envisioning the cage setup, as this is the first "large" lizard I will have had. I hear basking of around 105ish, with ambient being around high 80s, as well as UVB. So how does one get all these lights to supply the heat to the cage? UVB fluorescent, 18inches long, infrared bulb/ceramic for ambient, and high wattage bulb for basking? I also know that there is a bulb called a sunbeam which is a large high wattage bulb with UVB, but they cost like 80$ (CAD). How do i manage all these lights? and also, what about undertank heater? recommended or not?

Thanks,
Sam
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2.1.0 Crested Gecko ( Rhacodactylus ciliatus)
0.0.1 Pac-Man Frog (Ceratophrys ornata )
1.0.0 Leopard Gecko (Eublepharis macularius)
0.0.1 Land Hermit Crab (Coenobita clypeatus)
0.2.0 DSH Cats (Felis catus)

i use two heat lights and a uv light. you will have to play around with the bulb wattage. i use a 60w on one side and a 75w flood bulb(not the huge kind for outside). as for uv lights i try to get the biggest one that will fit on my cage top, 5.0 uvb or higher.

this is a good forum and many people are glad to help here.

save your friend from the petstore!

alright, i kinda see the set up there (if you have the chance, do you have an aerial view photo?) For tank size, i was thinking of going for a 30gal long, maybe even 40long, and for substrate, a mix of reptile sand, calcisand, and a new gravel/sand aquarium product the pet store i frequent has. I really do need to save this little guy from the pet store, it's a different pet store from the one i usually go to, and he needs my help, I GUESS i'll just HAVE to buy him, darn

Thanks for any feedback!
Sam
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2.1.0 Crested Gecko ( Rhacodactylus ciliatus)
0.0.1 Pac-Man Frog (Ceratophrys ornata )
1.0.0 Leopard Gecko (Eublepharis macularius)
0.0.1 Land Hermit Crab (Coenobita clypeatus)
0.2.0 DSH Cats (Felis catus)

repti-sand is good but a little expensive. i would stay away from the calcium sand though. it is a good concept but it can cause impactions from the large particles.
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vonnie
***There is no pleasure in having nothing to do; the fun is in having lots to do and not doing it. Mary Wilson Little ***

I had typed out a whole big thing for ya lastnight, and pressed something stupid and lost it all , So I will try again, in a more condensed version,

It seems so much more complicated than it really is. You just need a basking light, any incandesant bulb that will bring your temps over your basking area to 100 - 105. I have even used a home light bulb 100 watts.

Get one of those silver Dome fixures for it, under it, in your tank, have a nice big rock for basking. I use one of those new fangled temp guns, point/ aim and get instant reading, great TOY!

Along the rest of the top of your screen, you want to put a strip light, kind ya see over fish, and buy a reptisun 5.0 UVB flouresant to fit into strip fixure.

This as I'm sure you know prevents Metabolic bone disease. It simualtes the sun , but nothings better than some real sunshine occasionally!

So your talking 2 lights on top of maybe a 30 or 40 gallon tank, Basking Dome light and long strip with UVB flourensant, NOT TOO BAD !

Alot of us go with a 50 lb bag of WASHED playsand from homedepot or lowes, whatever, costs about 4 dollars and something, for one guy it will last. As long as hes not a very young guy, then we use paper towels for awhile.

Shallow water dish, like a shallow saucer, they do drink, if he does not use his bowl, use a dropper drip some on his nose he will learn to lick it.

Also can drip from above, use a papercup with a pinhole and sit it on the screen and let it drip onto a rock below.

They love crickets, we ususally use these as a stable. But roaches, superworms, mealworms, wax worms, butter worms, MOTHS that flitter around , flies, spiders, well all small crawlies, as long as they are safe and not poisoned from sprays.

So nice your going to go get him and give him a home, we love lizards around here, and love their photos too, so get yoru camera ready also *SMILE.

Again Glad your here. Anymore questions give us a holler, you can see howmany people have already jumped in with great info!

My Scaley Kids

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PHEve/ Eve

Contact PHEve

Thanks for all that great info, it helps a lot! And just to clarify a little more, you recommend no undertank heater, right? (I hear they burrow, so risk of burns?)

And where does one acquire these infrared heat guns? i've heard of them, but never actually seen one. Radio Shack? Future Shop? Home Depot? Hmmm....

I think i'm going to get everything this week, and pick him up on the weekend!

Thanks,
Sam
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2.1.0 Crested Gecko ( Rhacodactylus ciliatus)
0.0.1 Pac-Man Frog (Ceratophrys ornata )
1.0.0 Leopard Gecko (Eublepharis macularius)
0.0.3 Land Hermit Crab (Coenobita clypeatus)
0.2.0 DSH Cats (Felis catus)

Nah, they just don't need the underground heater! They LOVE heat, to bask, but the other is not nessesary!

As far as the temp gun, they are about 25.00 I will leave you a link where you can go and look, go with the basic

Temp gun PE 1 for 25.00 good enough ! Great toy, pretty neat just point it at the rock or anywhere and instant read out.

Be looking forward to meeting our newest lil buddy soon
Temp Guns

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PHEve/ Eve

Contact PHEve

Mine would drink from a dish of water just fine. But they were always running through it, or pooping in it and the water was always dirty. So we graduated to this fountain which has been working just great. They hang out around it a lot and either drink right from the stream or lap up drops that are on the rocks.

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Valerie

We may have all come on different ships, but we're in the same boat now.
--Martin Luther King, Jr.--

God bless the USA

vrk.photosite.com

The Reptisun 5.0 is suppose to emit uvb 10-12 inches from the surface of the lamp compared to the Reptisun 10.0 which is 20 inches from the surface of the lamp. I am using the 10.0 because my terrarium is 2 feet tall. I also have a heat mat, a small one with a thermostat that used to come on at night. I got that only because I work at night and allowed the house to get really cold since no one was here. I keep it set at 65, so it does not work at all when the lights are on, only coming on in the middle of a cold winters night.
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Valerie

We may have all come on different ships, but we're in the same boat now.
--Martin Luther King, Jr.--

God bless the USA

vrk.photosite.com