Difficult Terrarium Setup for Leopard Gecko

[tdecker]

Hello,

We purchased the Thrive Easy Clean Terrarium (20Gal) from PETSMART when we got our Leopard Gecko. In hindsight this seems to have been a bad purchase. The plastic tray does not allow a good way to adhere an under tank heater.

https://www.petsmart.com/reptile/habitats-and-decor/terrariums/thrive-easy-clean-terrarium-59177.html

Currently we use a 50W Basking Bulb during the day, and a small 4W heating pad at night. We have been putting the heat pad inside the enclosure against the wall of the enclosure and use one of the hides to keep it in place. This heat pad does not get very hot (About 90F is the hottest I've ever seen it and it usually doesn't even get that hot) our gecko usually comes out of his hide at night and lays up against the heat pad to keep warm.

We use eco carpet for the substrate. I did try placing the heating pad under the eco carpet but it does not seem to transfer enough heat through the eco carpet.

Any ideas? This terrarium seems like it would work great for a bearded dragon or something else that needs "above heat". Wondering if I need to invest in a whole new terrarium or if we can make this one work.

Thanks!

 

[acpart]

One thing you could do, though it's not ideal, is to attach the heat pad to the wall of the enclosure outside the enclosure. If it's adhering, there's a good chance it will get hotter than 90 and you'll need a thermostat. In all honesty, you will do better with a different enclosure. Keep an eye out on craigslist and also at Petsmart/Petco for when they have their dollar a gallon sale. It's pretty easy to get a 20 gallon long aquarium for a very reasonable price (30"x12"x12"). Maybe you could sell what you bought to get a little return for the extra expenditure. Also, consider using ZooMed heat cable which is a rubberized cable that you can tape (use Nashua tape which is a duct tape sized roll that's aluminum foil with adhesive backing, sold at Home Depot or equivalent) to the outside of the enclosure and then remove and re-tape. The best place to get this stuff is Ebay which I can usually spend less than $15. You will need the 14' or 25' length for a 20 gallon long.

Aliza

 

[tdecker]

One thing you could do, though it's not ideal, is to attach the heat pad to the wall of the enclosure outside the enclosure. If it's adhering, there's a good chance it will get hotter than 90 and you'll need a thermostat. In all honesty, you will do better with a different enclosure. Keep an eye out on craigslist and also at Petsmart/Petco for when they have their dollar a gallon sale. It's pretty easy to get a 20 gallon long aquarium for a very reasonable price (30"x12"x12"). Maybe you could sell what you bought to get a little return for the extra expenditure. Also, consider using ZooMed heat cable which is a rubberized cable that you can tape (use Nashua tape which is a duct tape sized roll that's aluminum foil with adhesive backing, sold at Home Depot or equivalent) to the outside of the enclosure and then remove and re-tape. The best place to get this stuff is Ebay which I can usually spend less than $15. You will need the 14' or 25' length for a 20 gallon long.

Aliza

So one of the problems I found with getting an aquarium is finding a cover that fit it properly. The covers they sold at Petsmart didn't match the sizes of the aqauriums they were selling. I didn't check PETCO though so I may have to give that a shot.

 

[acpart]

That's odd, since most of the mesh covers are standard sizes as are the aquariums. Don't get a tank with the kind of cover that slides out. When you slide it out, you'll have to lean over the pulled out cover to get to the gecko and it will be uncomfortable.

Aliza

 

[tdecker]

@acpart thanks for your help. With a bit of patience and checking multiple stores in town I was finally able to find a tank cover. Turns out the 29 gallon covers fits the 20gal (long) aquariums. We got it set up last night with a UTH and thermostat.

 

[acpart]

Glad it's working out. The 29 fits the 20 long because the 29 is the same width and length as a 20 but 6" or so higher.

Aliza