New Habitat

[Bbaselj268]

Hi all,

I'm not new to the Leo world, but I am however new to this forum. I've had my two Leo's for about a year and a half now and they have no health issues or concerns (atleast that I'm aware of). They both eat crickets 3-4 times a week and meal worms 2-3 times a week. I just bought them a bigger tank and just have some questions and concerns that I have it setup properly. Any and all help, suggestions or ideas are greatly welcomes and appreciated.

Thanks guys!

 

[kvnsu]

Greetings Bbaselk268 and a warm welcome to GU!

Some recommendations, instead of using 2 lights, how about just one light in the middle? Unless you are using the lights for heating purposes, there still should be a warm and cool side. Another thing I noticed was a moist hide should be located on the warm side. A moist hide can easily be made out of a Tupperware container and be filled with sphagnum moss (spray the moss w/ H20) Best of luck and seems you have everything under control!

 

[Bbaselj268]

Greetings Bbaselk268 and a warm welcome to GU!

Some recommendations, instead of using 2 lights, how about just one light in the middle? Unless you are using the lights for heating purposes, there still should be a warm and cool side. Another thing I noticed was a moist hide should be located on the warm side. A moist hide can easily be made out of a Tupperware container and be filled with sphagnum moss (spray the moss w/ H20) Best of luck and seems you have everything under control!

I use the middle as my cool section during the day, then have the night bulb in the middle. I tried an actual moist hide once (one that was able to hold damp moss) and neither liked it. They never used it so I switched to this setup and one stays in the left rock (the male) and the other in the right rock with the moss on top (the female). Any other things that I should try? I notice everyone bashes sand, so I tried crushed walnuts and they have been doing fine. No eye infections or anything. Just want to make sure I'm providing everything they need to be healthy and have as good of a life as you can in a 36x12x12 cage haha. Thank you for your input!

 

[kvnsu]

I would not recommend crushed walnuts because they can become impacted if eaten.. Sand "digging" is typical for leopard geckos and it stimulates natural behavior. As long as the sand is very fine and you have proper husbrandry then the risk of impaction is very low.. I have my warm side as Eco earth and my gecko is fine.. ( I sift out the Eco earth so it's in the finest form) By the way complete darkness is recommended at night, studies have shown that geckos can actually see the red light and it will disrupt there circadian rythm.

 

[Bbaselj268]

I would not recommend crushed walnuts because they can become impacted if eaten.. Sand "digging" is typical for leopard geckos and it stimulates natural behavior. As long as the sand is very fine and you have proper husbrandry then the risk of impaction is very low.. I have my warm side as Eco earth and my gecko is fine.. ( I sift out the Eco earth so it's in the finest form) By the way complete darkness is recommended at night, studies have shown that geckos can actually see the red light and it will disrupt there circadian rythm.

I don't use a red light bulb, I use the darker colored ones that don't really give off any light, just heat for a warm spot at night.

 

[Conched]

Crushed walnut is one of the worst substrates you can use. I understand it looks nice but you are pretty much asking for trouble.

I have seen reptiles with mouth infections caused by a pice of the crushed walnut getting between the lip and gum. It is also very unsanitary, right up there with sand.

I would also scrap the red light, try using a ceramic heat exchange type bulb if you are using the lamp for heat. They last much longer and I would say a 65 watt on one side of your enclosure would work well.

The moist hide needs an overhaul as well. Let me know if you would like some additional guidance concerning that.

Best of luck.

 

[BoothEatsBugs]

Paper towels work great for my substrate. Though they dont look the best, I can spot clean poop buy tearing up that section every 2 days or so, and cleaning the entire cage once a month.

 

[Alana]

Porcelain or ceramic tiles are awesome to use as well. You can find some natural looking colors and textures. I get mine at Lowes and they cut them for free.

 

[LEOPARD1]

I would suggest shelf liner as well as paper towels.

L@1