Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi all, well i finally picked up the gecko last wednesday. The people i got it from had taken it from someone else who wasn't careing for it and the lady i got it from had it "temporarily" for 2 yrs. It looks to be in fine shape to me. I just would like some opinions on my set up for it. I have a 12x36" tank, using non-adhesive shelf liner for a substrate, i have 3 hides, one on the warm side and one on the cool side and the moist hide in the middle. The warm side is 91.2 degrees, cool side is 78. I have a water dish and a food dish. I'm feeding mealworms and crickets. (Although he/she has yet to eat anything--i'm assuming its an adjustment period) It is drinking, i haven't seen this but there's no way the water is evaporating that quickly. I'm using a red bulb for heat that is on 24/7 but thats it. It is in a room with windows so its gettting 'daylight' but there are no actual lights on in that room during the day (usually) Please comment on anything or ask for more clarification. Thank you all. Lo
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1.0.0 Mali Uromastyx (Angus)
1.0.0 Bearded Dragon (Eddie)
1.0.0 Veiled Chameleon (Stevie Ray)
2.0.0 Dogs (Black German Shepherd-Nicholas, Black Lab-Cooper)
1.1.0 Budgies (Kia and Simon)
0.0.25 Various Fishies (Freshwater)
2.1.0 Hubby and kids (Boy and a Girl)

I rather have belly heat (UTH) than a light bulb. Make sure the water is in the cool side of the tank. One more thing, add a calcium dish with no vit D3. Everything else seems ok to me. But Im sure someone will add a couple things..
Good Luck!
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2.4.6 Leopard Gecko (Abraxas, Trinny, Susahna)
0.2.0 Homonota Darwinii (Talus & Gracilis)
0.1.0 Cham Caliptratus (Al Respecto)
1.0.0 Golden Retriever (Cafu)
1.0.0 Black Cat (Felipe)
0.0.8000 Tenebrio Molitor
0.0.2000 Zoophoba Mario
0.0.2500 Lobster Roaches

thank you for your opinion,, i did forget to mention the calcium dish,, i do have one,,, i've read conflicting opinions on the UTH, and since i don't have one (yet) i wanted to make sure i even needed it first,, i've got to make a rather large order for more reptile supplies soon (for my other reptiles) and if i do need to get a UTH i throw that in with my order,,,is it ok to have the humid hide in the middle? again,, conflicting reports, i've read on the warm side and the cool side,, so i went middle of the road so to speak , Lo
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1.0.0 Mali Uromastyx (Angus)
1.0.0 Bearded Dragon (Eddie)
1.0.0 Veiled Chameleon (Stevie Ray)
2.0.0 Dogs (Black German Shepherd-Nicholas, Black Lab-Cooper)
1.1.0 Budgies (Kia and Simon)
0.0.25 Various Fishies (Freshwater)
2.1.0 Hubby and kids (Boy and a Girl)

Sounds like you are off to a pretty good start. As far as the UTH, yes, it is the best heat source for a Leo. Reason being, they require the belly heat to properly digest their food. The temp on top of the substrate on the warm side should be between 88-93 degrees for best results. The UTH should cover 1/3 of the bottom of the tank and not more than 1/2. And for the humid hide, it's best kept on the warm side, I would move the hide you have there now to the middle. If the humid hide isn't warm enough then it won't really be "humid". It'll just be cold & wet which is not good for your Leo, it could possibly lead to respiratory problems
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www.StoplightCityLeopardGeckos.com

very good point about the humid hide jsut being cold and wet. So far I've only seen him in the humid hide and the cool hide. Still haven't seen him eat anything either. Its been one week today that I've had him.(or possibly "her" haven't checked yet). Also is there a way to use the UTH without sticking it to the tank? I'd hate to do that and then decide to move to a bigger tank and have it stuck there. Just wondering, as I've said I've never used one before BUT I will be adding it to my next order. Thank you all for your advice, its great having people "close by" to ask these questions to. Lo
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1.0.0 Mali Uromastyx (Angus)
1.0.0 Bearded Dragon (Eddie)
1.0.0 Veiled Chameleon (Stevie Ray)
2.0.0 Dogs (Black German Shepherd-Nicholas, Black Lab-Cooper)
1.1.0 Budgies (Kia and Simon)
0.0.25 Various Fishies (Freshwater)
2.1.0 Hubby and kids (Boy and a Girl)

The UTH's do have to be stuck to the bottom. But I've heard people say they have removed them very carefully and reused them, though I've never tried this myself. You said the tank is 12" x 36", that is plenty big for a single leo, and actually you could easily house 2 females together in that size.

As for eating, it's normal for them not to eat for a week or so. I would guess he/she will start eating very soon. Just keep offering a couple of crickets each evening and leave a small dish of mealworms in the tank.

Another thing about the eating is that with her being an adult she also could be brumating this time of the year (leo version of hibernation). Does he/she have a nice plump tail? If so, don't worry too quickly about the eating, if the leo is on the thin side then it could be a problem. It is quite normal for adult leos to brumate during the winter months, they won't eat much or very often, tend to sleep a lot more and basically just be lazy a majority of the time LOL But, even though they don't eat much they don't lose much weight at all. For instance I have a male that started this process the 1st of October, right now he hasn't eaten anything in about 6 weeks. But he has only lost 3 grams of weight during this time and is healthy other than not eating. Just keep an eye on him/her.

Good Luck !!
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www.StoplightCityLeopardGeckos.com

I don't have an undertank heater on my bigger gecko tank (40 breeder, 36inX18in), but I do put a peice of slate under the heat bulbs and that warms up considerably. They often sit on it. Just another option if you do not want to purchase and under tank heater.