Reptile Forum, Reptile Classifieds - CaptiveBred

[paul75]

hi, iv got a couple of questions, i am thinking about getting a leopard gecko, i have been looking through the site to get some info about keeping them, iv looked in this post http://www.captivebred.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=65 about the care sheets, in the first link it says Bark makes an excellent substrate to put on the bottom of your tank, but in the 2nd link in that page it says to avoid bark, so what is the right advice here? as i would have liked to use some dark bark on the bottom but if its going to cause problems then i wont use it
next i have a 2 foot corner tank, at it longest point it works out at about 30x15x18 inches, would this be ok to keep a young gecko in and remove it to a small tank to feed? as i would prefer not to buy another tank if possible, the last question is about lighting, i have a set of t-5 or t-8 lights from a fish tank that fits in the hood, can i use this for during the day or should i buy a different type of light or should i just not use a light with the setup? this is the only things im not sure about just now
thanks for any help anyone can give me
paul

[Salli]

[paul75]

[quote="Salli"]

[Salli]

You can always buy a medium or big fauna box/critter keeper or something like that. If you're getting a very very youg gecko it's better to put it permanently in smaller terrarium (I use these) and move to bigger when they grow. So no need to transfer to different pot when feeding.

Those kind of plastic tanks are not even expensive.

And as a tiny gecko it probably could be better to keep it on the paper at the beginning. Even though it looks ugly.
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Madagascar - All things bright and beautiful and a little more besides

[miffikins]

As salli said, if you're worried about a baby not finding its food you can get faunarium plastic boxes. Heat mat should be fine under kitchen roll as long as it is on a mat stat (not that expensive) which will stop it over heatin and cookin your little fella.

UV lighting isn't necessary, but you can use it if you wish (I don't use it so I wouldn't know which to recommend).

I use kitchen roll and ceramic tiles for my leo's with no problem. I did use bark chips when I didn't know better, I'm always a bit paranoid about them eating it

Cheers

Kate

[paul75]

i was in my local pet shop and they told me i must have a uv light in there for the gecko to get the vitimins from the uv or whatever it was even though i will be giving the food the vitimins so the gecko gets them from its food, think they were just trying to make more sales as its not the best place iv ever been in

[Salli]

Yes, leopardgeckos don't need uvb. They are nocturnal so.. they hide almost all the days and come to look for food after the light has been switched off. In other hand uvb doesn't harm them. It's your choice.
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Madagascar - All things bright and beautiful and a little more besides

[paul75]

i set my tank up last night, it a corner tank and is shaped like a triangle


B



A C

if you can imagine the A, B and C as the corners of my tank, i have a heat mat on the wall between corner B and C (not on the floor but on the wall on the inside of the tank), i also have a heat lamp shining into corner C. the temp in corner A is a constant 70, in corner B the heat is a constant 70, in corner C the heat lamp is on the thermostat and the temp goes up to 90 then the lamp cuts off and comes back on when it drops to 80, is the temp of 70 in 2 of the corners to low, and is the constant rise and drop of the temp in corner C to much aswell? looks like i'll need to buy another tank but i would rather have used this one if there was any way round this problem
thanks

[paul75]

iv moved the thermostat and now have the temp going upto 88 where the heat light is and it drops down to 84 when the light cuts off, the cooler sides of the tank are at 72, the probelm is the light gets anoying going on and off all the time, when the light is turned of at night the temp drops down to 60

[Salli]

Temps sound ok.
Night temp is a bit low (for my ear), maybe, but it will survive. My night temp is somewhere around 68-70 (roomtemp).
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Madagascar - All things bright and beautiful and a little more besides