Wow that was wierd! - Page 2

kaikara · #11 (**permalink**) 11-26-2009, 10:03 PM

Leos are nocturnal and in the wild would normally get all of their heat from laying on rocks that were warmed up by the sun during the day. this is reason why most people recommend under the tank heaters as they provide the belly heat they need to warm up and for digestion. You should be less concerned with what air temps are and more concerned with the surface temps. The best way to check this is to get a digital thermometer with a probe or a laser temp reader. If you get the probe you can sit it right on the substrate and find out the temps. I personally don't use any other heating at night other then the under tank heater.

As for slate you should be able to get it at any garden or landscape place. You can also use pieces of tile. For slate I put a thin layer of sand underneath to get good even contact. With slate and a layer of sand I get perfect temps of 93-95 using a desert exo terra UTH in my larger tank.

Allee Toler · #12 (**permalink**) 11-26-2009, 10:09 PM

For your question on an "agreed" upon tank set up, it's as follows:
paper towels
3 hides, warm-humid-cool
water bowl
calcium bowl
UTH

Not everyone uses this, but it's a universal one that everyone agrees on as "safe".

If you have a lot of sand on the floor then the UTH's heat must not be getting through. Try the slate out this weekend and see if it heats up. It should take a few hours to really distribute the heat. I don't use any lighting at all. In the wild the temps naturally drop at night, so if your temps drop naturally at night I wouldn't be worried.

OffshoreMetal · #13 (**permalink**) 11-26-2009, 10:20 PM

Ok first of all , Sand is really controversed subsrate. But almost everyone agree that the Calci-Sand is the worst. It encourages your Leo to eat some because it gives him the calcium he needs. Thats why we dont use Calci-Sand and put a calcium dish instead.
I currently use really Fine quartz sand, It doesnt clump alot when wet and if my leo eat some while hunting , she poop it normally because it doesnt clump alot.
Whats the brand and tank size rated of your UTH ? I use a 10-20 gallons Uth in my 20g high tank and i have no problem about the temps. It does not get to 90f but stays around 80 at night and she never had any digestive problems. They DO need belly heat to digest properly but air temp is less important. I put my thermometer sensor about half a inch from the substrate, Over the Uth.
Oh forgot to say i putted a flat rock over the Uth area, Sand retain heat well but disperse it also , But rocks retain it alot more.
Do you have pictures of your setup ? This could help alot ! We can give you good advices on what you should change , What is ok , what you should get etc...
And if you feel that your Uth doesnt heat enough , Remove some of the sand. I personally use about 1 1/2 inch of sand and it is perfect. Dont forget that the sand will disperse the heat evenly and a rock will keep it.

blackyisdabest · #14 (**permalink**) 11-27-2009, 01:52 PM

yea its probly starting to get impaction so you should probly get it off the sand unless you want it to die
sorry about the lizard dude

OffshoreMetal · #15 (**permalink**) 11-27-2009, 04:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by blackyisdabest

yea its probly starting to get impaction so you should probly get it off the sand unless you want it to die
sorry about the lizard dude

He never talked about impaction , His leo only regurgitated , Probably because he was really exited or something like this...

Snagz · #16 (**permalink**) 11-28-2009, 01:43 AM

Well I have the lights goin and the UTH but moved my term to the bottom... It is reading 80 degrees (either light) That seems a little chilly... I am gonna try to get some slate tom... and clean the tank up and see how that does. I have not seen him eat since he threw up... And he is way less active now... Im freakin out a little here...

Get this all cleaned up and rearanged tommarow and see what happens I guess...

Hope the little guy is ok.

blackyisdabest · #17 (**permalink**) 11-28-2009, 02:31 AM

i am pretty sure that it is impaction because the vent gets plugged so it can't fully digest and it regurgitated.

kaikara · #18 (**permalink**) 11-28-2009, 09:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by blackyisdabest

i am pretty sure that it is impaction because the vent gets plugged so it can't fully digest and it regurgitated.

Just because he regurgitated once doesn't mean that it is impaction. Leo's sometimes regurgitate and impaction isn't the only cause. Improper temps, handling after eating, stress, food items that are too large can all cause regurgitation.

kaikara · #19 (**permalink**) 11-28-2009, 09:46 AM

When you say you moved the thermometer to the bottom what does it mean. Is it a digital one? If you have just moved it close to the bottom that isn't going to tell you what you need to know. You need to find out what the substrate temp is above the UTH. To do that properly you need a digital thermometer with a probe (or a laser temp reader) and you need to sit the probe right on top of the substrate. If you are just sitting a thermometer on top of the ground or in the air stuck to the glass it is not going to give you the proper temps especially if it is one of those non digital dial types.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Snagz

Well I have the lights goin and the UTH but moved my term to the bottom... It is reading 80 degrees (either light) That seems a little chilly... I am gonna try to get some slate tom... and clean the tank up and see how that does. I have not seen him eat since he threw up... And he is way less active now... Im freakin out a little here...

Get this all cleaned up and rearanged tommarow and see what happens I guess...

Hope the little guy is ok.

Snagz · #20 (**permalink**) 11-28-2009, 02:02 PM

Ok I Cleaned the tank up today. I went to the hardware store to try to find some slate tiles but they didn't have any... said they would have to order them and I couldn't just get the 2 i would need for my tank i would have to get a whole box (about 30 bucks). So As of today I got rid of the sand and put the repti carpet back in. Do you guys know if ceramic floor tiles would work the same as the slate or a better place to look for the slate? As for the thermometer I do not have a digi nor do i have a prob or laser... A probe prob won't help much with slate or carpet though right? I didn't see anything like that at the pet store. They do have digi but nothing I saw with a probe or lazer. Sounds expensive... I only set my tank back up about 20 mins ago and it's reading about 80 degrees on the thermometer as of now hoping that will go up a little... Thats with the UTH on and the day bulb. I want it in the 90's right? Hope it will get there in the next hour or so.