New Leo Owner - Any advice?

B

bibliotech

New member
Hi everyone,

I just got my first Leopard Gecko today. He's a 6mo male, Mack Snow Leopard. No name yet, I'm still getting to know him. I have a 30 gallon Terrarium, with the UTH, and a lamp to put on top of the lid. His terrarium was second hand. It came with some driftwood, a water dish, a water bottle thing, and this crocodile head that possibly might be better suited to my goldfish.

I am going to the pet store tomorrow to get more supplies for him. I know he needs some hides, one for each side of his tank. I'll take a picture to show you what his set up is like. It wont be like this for long. I hope he will be ok. He's so cool! I've had a lot of animals in my life, but never a Gecko.
 
Elizabeth Freer

Elizabeth Freer

Well-known member
A warm welcome to you and your little guy! He's got a nice BIG enclosure! What are the dimensions?

It's a good idea for his UTH to cover 1/2 the base. That way he's more comfortable.

How about getting him 3 hides (warm dry, warm moist, and cool dry), a digital thermometer with a probe or maybe a temp gun?
 
B

bibliotech

New member
He has a thirty gallon tank with the three hides, the uth and terrarium liner. He gets mealworms just after dark each day. I've been getting a lot of conflicting information. Some tell me to get a dimmer or thermostat for the uth. I don't even know if his uth can plug into one. Some tell me to get a heat lamp or element to augment the uth. I'm not sure what do do now.
 
Elizabeth Freer

Elizabeth Freer

Well-known member
bibliotech said:
He has a thirty gallon tank with the three hides, the uth and terrarium liner. He gets mealworms just after dark each day. I've been getting a lot of conflicting information. Some tell me to get a dimmer or thermostat for the uth. I don't even know if his uth can plug into one. Some tell me to get a heat lamp or element to augment the uth. I'm not sure what do do now.
Click to expand...
The length of your tank makes a difference in the bottom heating I recommend. Just wish to make sure. Sometimes folks confuse length with size. If your tank is taller than ~12.5 inches high, overhead heat may be necessary. Even at 12 inches high, overhead heat makes a leo more comfortable. That's why I asked about the measurements.

Another factor is the size of the UTH. Many GU leo keepers use 11 x 17 inch UTHs. The UTHs I know do plug into thermostats. If the UTH is too small, there's no room to place the warm moist hide on top of it. The more belly heat a leo has the more active he will be.

Dimmers (rheostats) tweak the heat higher or lower with a dial that is manually adjusted. Thermostats turn off and on automatically once the max heat is reached. I recommend Hydrofarm's Jump Start thermostat. Set it at 91*F. It's the only inexpensive thermostat I know of that has a digital readout and a small probe.

It's good to also offer crickets and/or dubia to your leo. Crickets are much lower in fat that mealworms.

Click: http://www.geckotime.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/table-large.png
 
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K

Keeboard

New member
I wouldn't use a lamp. Leopard geckos don't bask, are sensitive to light, and a window can be used for a day/night cycle
 
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