New to forum,

[alex1972nova]

Hey guys and girls,

After hours and hours of research I decided to get a leopard gecko.. I decided to get a juvenile, estimated 4-5 months old.
And after lots of $$$$$ later, got his tank set up..I have had him for about 2 weeks now



TANK SPECS.......
-He/she (too young to sex) is in a rimless 10 gallon glass aquarium (used to be my previous saltwater tank).
-substrate - paper towels
-ZooMed UTH
-HydroFarm thermostat
-Flukers 75 watt heat lamp
-50 watt ceramic heat bulb
-Huge desert looking hide over UTH and flukers heat lamp
-moist hide in between hot and cool side
-cool hide
-water bowl
-calcium dish
****************************************************

I have the heat gradient all set up..
On the hot side the ambient air temperature reaches 82 degrees and I set the Thermostat for the UTH for 94 degrees.
On the cool side the air temperature is around 74 degrees constant.
For the moist hide I use damp paper towels.
****************************************************

for feeding I feed him everyday with calcium dusted crickets about 7-9 crickets (small size)
and about 3 wax worms as a treat..
* some days he will not eat and will just stare at his food. So he eats about every other day.. (im assuming b/c he eats alot in one meal)
He does poop everyday too.
*he also HATES mealworms! just licks them and walks away..

***************************************************

He did shed once, and didnt even use his moist hide!! I have no idea why...
***************************************************


QUESTIONS!!

-I hold him everyday for about 15-20 mins a time, is that okay?
-How long can i hold him?
-why doesnt he use his moist hide?
-why doesnt he ever go to the cool side? he is in the hot side 24/7 unless i put him on the cool side..

Ohh and forgot to mention, he doesnt seem stressed at all...just a little scared when i handle him..

 

[alex1972nova]

ohh he is about 4 inches long.. i think

 

[Embrace Calamity]

1) How often you hold him is up to your interpretation of his behaviour. If he's still skittish, start small and work your way up. These guys can easily live more than 10 years, so there's no need to rush it.
2) He'll use his moist hide when he needs to. Don't worry about it. Some use it more often than others.
3) Your hot side temps seem a little low. They should be between 88-93. Though I don't have experience with the UTH set at a certain temperature. What are you measuring temps with and where at?

Also,
1) If he's 4-5 months old, he's old enough to sex. Take pics of the vent and people can tell you.
2) I wouldn't use so many waxworms. They're very high in fat. Occasionally as a treat is fine, but three a day is quite a bit.
3) What calcium supplement are you using?


~Maggot

 

[lisa127]

You mention a heat bulb of 75 watts, plus a CHE, plus a UTH. Are you using all those? If so, I'm wondering how your temps can be what you state. What are you measuring the temps with?

 

[Embrace Calamity]

You mention a heat bulb of 75 watts, plus a CHE, plus a UTH. Are you using all those? If so, I'm wondering how your temps can be what you state. What are you measuring the temps with?

Good catch. I didn't even notice that. I use a 75 or 100 watt light during the day in my 20 gallon (depending on how cold my room is) and that's plenty. Though, if the leo never leaves the hot side, it can't be that warm. =/

I have a question though. He said the UTH was set at 94, but the air temps were 84. Despite what the UTH is set at, does that still make the hot side too cold?

~Maggot

 

[alex1972nova]

thanks for all the replies!!
But i measure the temperatures with the thermostat, and 3 thermometers (one on cool side, one in the middle, and one on the hot side)
The thermostat reads the SURFACE temperature that sits on top of the UTH. It is the temperature of the surface area the gecko lays on...
Normally the air temperature on the hot side reaches 82-84 degrees WITH the HEAT LAMP and the UTH set at 94.. (set at 95 now)..
I ONLY have a ceramic heater (50watts) and a UTH set at 95 degrees..
Those are my ONLY heat sources..

And thanks maggot, i will only feed him wax worms occasionally..
But he's always on the hot side of the tank..
Im assuming it's because he's a juvenile and kind of skittish

MAGGOT, "Your hot side temps seem a little low. They should be between 88-93."
Would that be for the air temperature?

 

[alex1972nova]

and i use zoomeds calcium supplement..

 

[Embrace Calamity]

thanks for all the replies!!
But i measure the temperatures with the thermostat, and 3 thermometers (one on cool side, one in the middle, and one on the hot side)

Where on the tank? And are they digital or analog?

The thermostat reads the SURFACE temperature that sits on top of the UTH. It is the temperature of the surface area the gecko lays on...

I don't believe so. You won't get 100% of the heat produced by the UTH at 94 degrees through glass and your substrate. Only way to know the surface temp is with a temp gun. A digital thermometer with probe set on the substrate will give you the temps of the air directly above the substrate.

Normally the air temperature on the hot side reaches 82-84 degrees WITH the HEAT LAMP and the UTH set at 94.. (set at 95 now)..
I ONLY have a ceramic heater (50watts) and a UTH set at 95 degrees..
Those are my ONLY heat sources..

So UTH and CHE. If you're using both, it really should be higher than 82-84.

And thanks maggot, i will only feed him wax worms occasionally..
But he's always on the hot side of the tank..
Im assuming it's because he's a juvenile and kind of skittish

They leave the hot side to cool down. If he never leaves, that means he never gets warm enough to ever need cooling down. And if the temps are only 82-84, that's why. These guys come from the deserts of the Middle East.

MAGGOT, "Your hot side temps seem a little low. They should be between 88-93."
Would that be for the air temperature?

Yes.

and i use zoomeds calcium supplement..

With or without D3?

~Maggot

 

[alex1972nova]

"Where on the tank? And are they digital or analog?"
Two are digital with probes, and other analog for cool side..

"I don't believe so. You won't get 100% of the heat produced by the UTH at 94 degrees through glass and your substrate. Only way to know the surface temp is with a temp gun. A digital thermometer with probe set on the substrate will give you the temps of the air directly above the substrate."
- if its telling the temperature of the air directly above the prove then shouldnt it be a higher surface temperature? Is 95 degrees too high of a surface temperature? should i set it higher?

"So UTH and CHE. If you're using both, it really should be higher than 82-84."

well the uth is set at 95 degrees with the thermostat, and the ceramic heater is only 50 watts.. so its not a lot of heat i guess?

"They leave the hot side to cool down. If he never leaves, that means he never gets warm enough to ever need cooling down. And if the temps are only 82-84, that's why. These guys come from the deserts of the Middle East."

then should i turn the temperature of the uth up to 97 degrees?? taking into consideration that its only reading the "air temperature" above the surface?

and its with d3 even though they dont need d3..


THANKS FOR BEING SO HELPFUL!

 

[alex1972nova]

should i turn the uth up to 98 degrees??
since its only reading the air temp and not the surface temp?

 

[Embrace Calamity]

Two are digital with probes, and other analog for cool side..

Where on the tank are they? On the floor? At the top?

- if its telling the temperature of the air directly above the prove then shouldnt it be a higher surface temperature? Is 95 degrees too high of a surface temperature? should i set it higher?

well the uth is set at 95 degrees with the thermostat, and the ceramic heater is only 50 watts.. so its not a lot of heat i guess?

then should i turn the temperature of the uth up to 97 degrees?? taking into consideration that its only reading the "air temperature" above the surface?

Someone with experience with thermostat-equipped UTHs needs to answer this for you. I don't want to give an incorrect answer.

and its with d3 even though they dont need d3..

They do need D3, though there's some controversy about using it daily.

~Maggot

 

[alex1972nova]

"Where on the tank are they? On the floor? At the top?"
One is on the top, another on the bottom.. one to read the air on top and one to read surface..

Im glad im using d3 then

 

[Embrace Calamity]

One is on the top, another on the bottom.. one to read the air on top and one to read surface..

Im glad im using d3 then

Which one is on the top? Move it down so it's sitting on top of the substrate. Unless your leo can levitate, you don't need to know the temps up there. All that will do is give you incorrect readings.

~Maggot

 

[alex1972nova]

well my surface temperature right now says 97 degrees.. and he is always on the hot side..
the air temperature is at 82-84?
so should i make the air temperature higher with a higher wattage bulb? 100 watt?

 

[alex1972nova]

okay, So i really want to get this stuff right..

So on the warm side i have a clamp on Ceramic heat bulb 50 watt,
and a UTH with a thermostat set at 96 degrees..

Should this be enough heat for the "hot side" ??

the air temperature on the hot side reads 82-84 degrees according to my analog and digital therms with a probe on the ground..
the surface is 96 degrees which was set by the thermostat

 

[DrCarrotTail]

Unless your house is super cold or your tank super big I think only the UTH is fine. I keep mine set about 93 in my 10 gallon set ups and my house thermostat at 66-72 (depending on how cold I am...haha). My Leo's seem just peachy. I found that too much overhead light/heat dried out their enclosure and caused shedding problems. As long as they have a hide over the UTH that's warm, a side to their tank that's about 75 degrees and a moist hide they should be ale to regulate their own temperature and do just fine

 

[alex1972nova]

Thanks DrCarrotTail!!

I will just leave the set up the way it is, ill just set my thermostat at 95 to be safe..
Just he seems to be on the warm side way too much?

 

[Lindz0518]

Thanks DrCarrotTail!!

I will just leave the set up the way it is, ill just set my thermostat at 95 to be safe..
Just he seems to be on the warm side way too much?

My leos are always in their hot hides, mine are set at about 92. They just need a cool hide as an option, some use it but then some don't. I have seen mine use theirs a couple times in the summer. He could go into his cool hide while you are sleeping.

 

[Embrace Calamity]

Unless your house is super cold or your tank super big I think only the UTH is fine. I keep mine set about 93 in my 10 gallon set ups and my house thermostat at 66-72 (depending on how cold I am...haha). My Leo's seem just peachy. I found that too much overhead light/heat dried out their enclosure and caused shedding problems. As long as they have a hide over the UTH that's warm, a side to their tank that's about 75 degrees and a moist hide they should be ale to regulate their own temperature and do just fine

Even with a digital temp reading 82-84? And how does the thermostat on the UTH work? I have no experience with them.

~Maggot

 

[alex1972nova]

"Even with a digital temp reading 82-84? And how does the thermostat on the UTH work? I have no experience with them."

A thermostat works like this - it is a device you plug your UTH into.. You put the probe thats connected to the THERMOSTAT on the surface you want to control the temperature. You set the temperature to any desired temperature (93-95 degrees) and the thermostat will keep the UTH on untill the probe reaches the set level, then shuts off.
I learned that without a thermostat, almost ANY UTH gets too hot for a surface. Somethimes it can reach 100+ degrees. So with a thermostat you can let a limit of how hot you want the surface to be...

I set mine at 95, so the surface my leo lays on, on his hot side is 95 degrees. Never gets hotter than that.