leopard gecko

[BigFish]

im getting a sub-adualt. is it ok for me to have sand as a substrate and do i need to have a heating pad under neath the tank if i have a basking light. One more question, how do i keep the tank humid.

 

[Starfish]

I donno.....but I sure do love that you are getting one.....lets name him roger! Oh and can I pick him out?!?!?!?!

 

[Hakon]

I keep lopard geckos with sand as substrate. Works well.

 

[dacox]

In nature leo's they occurr on sandy soil/rock substrate, but straight sand should work alright. As far as basking goes, if you have the light situated where it heats a solid basking area, ther shouldn't be any need for an under tank heater. In my opinion, dorsal heat is more natual and as far as thermoregulation goes, it's what most reptiles seek. If you live in a northern region though, an undertank heater may be usefull in controlling cooler "mass temps." The room where the animal is kept may have a certain air temperature, but in cold regions the "mass temps" could be much cooler. Mass temps refer to the temperatures of the ground, walls, floors, etc. of an area. If you measure the temperature of one of these areas anywhere, it is likely to be under the air temp, so in regions where the climate is much cooler the undertank heater may be effective in raisin the mass temp of the enclosure. This is not always necessary though, as raising the enclosure off the floor/surface will raise its temp above the mass temp of the room. This can be done by sitting the enclosure on cinder blocks, 2x4's, etc. If this is not a concern though, or if you are offering 24hr basking sites, an undertank heater would not be necessary.

 

[dacox]

Oh, and as far as keeping the tank humid, I would recommend buying a thin piece of plexiglass from a local hardware store and covering the top with that. You can easily cut a hole in the plexi in the shape of the heat lamp so that the lamp won't melt the plexiglass. Also, with this method of covering the entire surface of the tank, you will be able to heat the area with a lower wattage bulb, thus saving money in energy each month. This is particularly apparent in large enclosures. It will also help in allowing for easier sheds by not drying the enclosure out.

With a screen top, the heat easily rises out of the enclosure and with it takes moisture. This can severely decrease the overall health of your animal.

If getting plexiglass to cover the top is not an option, covering the top with aluminum foil accomplishes the same thing.

 

[Nic]

they do not require high humidity a put a seperate container in there with moist moss or just lightly mist the cage every other day check the relative humidity in your room it should be fine for them do not leave the tank lid open for airflow be carefull of sand i used to keep 1.4 leos lost one to sand impaction i would recomend 3/4 inch gravel but repti carpet or paper towels works best do some more research on these guys too they are very easy to care for kingsnake.com has some good caresheets

they are also nocturnal so only use red heat lamps or ceramic heat emiter

Nic

 

[walls]

The ceramic heat emmiters are expensive to start with but they are worth every penny. I have a couple that are almost TEN years old and still work like the day I bought them.