Uth heaters inside leopard gecko tanks?

[ericsara1]

Hello I've had my leopard gecko now for about a year and I have always used the uth heaters underneath my carpet inside the tank now I know you're supposed to place it under the tank but for some reason I'm just now finding out this information lol hence uth! It's about a 20 gallon tank and I have to uth Pad That I place under the hot area and they fit very nicely to wear the gecko cannot get to them directly. He does not seem to be in any distress but this came to my knowledge because I was wondering if he was getting enough Heat. I just recently found out my temperature gauge was not working correctly anyway as I'm waiting for my new one to arrive I believe it's about 90 degrees and during the day I just keep a UVB light 13 watt and at night I use a 50-watt black light. After investigation I found out that my daytime temperature is lower than my night time temperature but he seems to be fine at night. I only have 1 Dome light and was wondering if I needed to get a second one for like a basking light Maybe. And I know everywhere I read it said they do not need UV light but my first gecko died of brittle bone and the light didn't seem to stress this gecko out but I noticed when my bulb broke but I left my nighttime bulb on and he seemed to be out more. I'm really set on thos Uv bulb for some reason so I'm wondering if I should just move light to the cooler side since it doesn't produce any heat anyway if that would be adequate rays or not.I don't really have anything for heat actually but it is about 70°. I use calcium on my Cricket but don't think it's enough that's why I use the bulb but I might be wasting my time and $. Just want him to be happy please help thank you Sara!

 

[acpart]

Welcome to GU! Ideally the floor of the hot side will be in the low 90's. In my opinion it doesn't matter too much about the air temp in the enclosure as long as it's a comfortable indoor temp for humans. Be sure you're using calcium with D3; the gecko needs the D3 to metabolize the calcium. I don't feel that lights are necessary, but if you want to use them, go ahead.

Aliza

 

[ericsara1]

Thank you Aliza , i do sprinkle calcium on the Crickets but I hope it's enough.Thank you for your great advice, I really don't think he's very fond of bright light obviously . The other question I had is what do you feel about the heaters inside the tank under the rug mat? I've just done it that way since I've got him? If necessary I'll have to rethink my heating strategy because I'm not too sure if the heat on the mat itself is too hot ,thanks again Sara

 

[acpart]

To determine whether the heater is OK in its present location (or in any location for that matter), you need 2 things:
a thermometer: either a digital thermometer with a probe or a laser temperature gun (point it, push the button and get a digital readout)
a thermostat: chances are the heat mat without thermostat is going to be too hot. If you have a thermostat to keep the temp on the ground in the low 90's and you can do that with the heat mat under the carpet, then go ahead. You may want to check and see what result you get with the heat mat on the underside of the enclosure, but it's up to you.

Aliza

 

[ericsara1]

As of right now I have one thermometer and humidity gauge right on the bottom of the glass closest to the bottom of the tank and it is reading about 90 but when I put it directly on the carpet it reads a little hotter

 

[ericsara1]

So basically would you suggest getting a probe thermometer to get an accurate temperature for the the floor and if that reads over 90 or so I should probably turn it down. Thx again Aliza!

 

[acpart]

I would definitely recommend getting a probe thermometer because I don't trust those little round thermometers. Usually the ideal temp is considered to be 92 on the ground. Some people feel they're getting good results at 95, but any higher can be a problem.

Aliza

 

[ericsara1]

Thx alot!!#

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

Hi Sara ~

Welcome aboard!

Placing the under tank heat mat directly on the glass underneath the tank is your best bet. Since heat rises I don't see how placing a UTH on the side of a vivarium could ever work.

Have you a thermostat to moderate the UTH's temps when necessary?

May I ask what brand and type calcium with D3 and multivitamins you use. Some contain way too much of some supplements.

 

[ericsara1]

I actually have a uth inside the tank under the carpet, not on the side on the tank. And I do have a thermostat that reads about 90 on the very bottom of the tank placed against the glass. I use the regular D3 that you get at Walmart that you sprinkle on your crickets. As mentioned that's why I wanted to continue to use the UV bulb. Leopard gecko died from brittle bone disease that believe so I'm very cautious now,Thank you for responding�� and the info.

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

I actually have a uth inside the tank under the carpet, not on the side on the tank. And I do have a thermostat that reads about 90 on the very bottom of the tank placed against the glass. I use the regular D3 that you get at Walmart that you sprinkle on your crickets. As mentioned that's why I wanted to continue to use the UV bulb. Leopard gecko died from brittle bone disease that believe so I'm very cautious now,Thank you for responding�� and the info.

You are welcome. I see what you've posted.

I'm asking these details so that you'll have a successful experience with your leo this time.

• Do you have an actual thermostat that turns off and on depending upon the heat? What brand? People sometimes get thermostats confused with thermometers.
• Keeping the UTH inside the enclosure and under the carpet does not give the UTH proper ventilation. UTHs need proper ventilation in order to work properly and to prevent overheating.
• I do not know what brand or type D3 calcium Walmart carries. What does it read? Leos also need a wee bit of multivitamins.
• Have you the Exo Terra 13 watt coil type bulb? To get any benefit from that a leo would need to be super close. The bottom line is that they aren't very good.

 

[ericsara1]

So I have to 2 uth in the warm area. One is adjustable and the other isnt, i believe they r 5 watt. So I do not have a thermostat , which would be ideal. I really LOVE my gecko but I have put so much money into him and now am finding out that maybe I'm not taking as good care of him as I thought I was.As of now I don't have the expense to get more uth's( the ones I have now would not be able to stick on bottom of the tank. Yes I have the 13 watt UVB coil bulb. The calcium is D3,calcium carbonate w supplements. As for the ventilation the lid on the cage seems pretty open(big air spaces) if that makes since.Thx again. . ugg I always thought there was supposed to be one of the easier reptiles to take care of LOL

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

So I have to 2 uth in the warm area. One is adjustable and the other isnt, i believe they r 5 watt. So I do not have a thermostat , which would be ideal. I really LOVE my gecko but I have put so much money into him and now am finding out that maybe I'm not taking as good care of him as I thought I was.As of now I don't have the expense to get more uth's( the ones I have now would not be able to stick on bottom of the tank. Yes I have the 13 watt UVB coil bulb. The calcium is D3,calcium carbonate w supplements. As for the ventilation the lid on the cage seems pretty open(big air spaces) if that makes since.Thx again. . ugg I always thought there was supposed to be one of the easier reptiles to take care of LOL

Leopard geckos are easy once their basic needs are met. It's very important to provide the correct temperatures. For $10 Zoo Med makes a yellow digital thermometer with a probe that's pretty accurate.

Thank you very much for posting a photo of your set up. I see you have several hides and a great moist hide. Can you move things around so that your moist hide and one of the dry hides are on the warm end?

Look at the bottle and tell us who makes your calcium with D3 combo? How much D3/kg or D3/pound might be right on the label.

• Please list the ingredients.
• Without that info it's impossible to say it's all OK.
• That also depends upon how often you use it.
• Some reptile supplement manufacturers are: Exo Terra, National Geographic, Tetrafauna, Zilla, Rep-Cal, Flukers, Repashy, and Zoo Med.

Are the heat pads you're using designed for reptiles? I'm concerned about potential fires or a cold leo. I'm not trying to be an alarmist.

• You say there's a lot of air space in the tank itself. In your tank the heat pads are "blocked" by glass underneath and carpet above.
• When using UTHs stuck underneath the tank, Zoo Med always recommends elevating the tank with small tiles or blocks of wood at the corners and in the middle for ventilation.

Copied off Zoo Med's website:
"Any of the following situations constitutes improper use of the Zoo Med ReptiTherm® under tank heat mats and can lead to stress cracks and/or other hazards:
• A gravel or sand substrate deeper than 1.5” (3.81cm) when the heater is on the
bottom of the tank.
• A larger size ReptiTherm® on a smaller tank; i.e. 50-60 gallon heater on a 30 gallon
tank or multiple ReptiTherm®s under one tank.
• Placing the ReptiTherm® inside of a terrarium.
• Placing a heat bulb or ceramic heat emitter directly over the area where the ReptiTherm®
Heater has been placed, resulting in a high build up of heat.
• Any other use not described in this manual is not covered by the warranty.
• For indoor use only."