Getting Ready For New Leopard Gecko

KeithM

New Member
Messages
3
Location
Frisco, Texas
Hey all, I’m getting a Vivarium setup for a future family Leopard Gecko. I’ve done a lot of research, but wanted to start a thread to avoid any big mistakes. Thanks in advance for the help! I’ll add to this thread as it comes along.

Equipment so far. I’ll take a pic as I set up.
-Exo Terra Low Medium Enclosure (24lx18dx12h)
-22w 11x17 Ultratherm Under Tank Heater
-Combo dish for water and supplement powder
-8in dome reflector
-Exo Terra UVB 150 (26w compact fluorescent lamp)
-Thin foil backed duct insulation and foil tape for any applicable insulation.
-Ceramic tile for substrate
-terra cotta moist hide with water reservoir
-repashy gut load
-repashy calcium plus
 
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acpart

Geck-cessories
Staff member
Messages
15,119
Location
Somerville, MA
welcome to GF! Your setup generally sounds good. I think it's a bit of overkill with all the light for a nocturnal animal. The under tank heater should be adequate and the light isn't really necessary unless the room it will be in is dark all the time. 150 watt is more than I use for my basking bearded dragons and I'd worry that you'll dehydrate the gecko. Probably 60 watt is adequate. I also notice that your post came out black letters on a black background which is really hard to read. I don't know why, but see if you can get it to print white on black.

Aliza
 

KeithM

New Member
Messages
3
Location
Frisco, Texas
welcome to GF! Your setup generally sounds good. I think it's a bit of overkill with all the light for a nocturnal animal. The under tank heater should be adequate and the light isn't really necessary unless the room it will be in is dark all the time. 150 watt is more than I use for my basking bearded dragons and I'd worry that you'll dehydrate the gecko. Probably 60 watt is adequate. I also notice that your post came out black letters on a black background which is really hard to read. I don't know why, but see if you can get it to print white on black.

Aliza
Thanks for the welcome. I fixed the text, which was black by default for some reason. The UVB lamp is actually 26w and doesn’t put out much heat. The “150” is the model number. I’m not sure what it means and just included it in case it’s impirtant. I still hav by been able to determine how long the lamp should be on each day to help with vitamin D. I’m definitely going to get the Vivarium 100% perfect before we start gecko shopping. Thanks for the help!
 

KeithM

New Member
Messages
3
Location
Frisco, Texas
Here’s the progress so far.
-The ultratherm heater is attached to the bottom by 6mm of polyurethane foam backed with a foil heat shield to increase efficiency.
-I removed the silicone from the bottom of the Vivarium so tiles would lay flat. Then one tile is used for the hot side and one for the cold side. The tiles are separated by a 1/16” gap, filled with color matched, sanded caulk to prevent heat from conducting from the hot tile to the cold. The perimeter is also caulked to prevent any heat escaping into the air. To refit the background, I had to cut 1/2” off the top with a hot knife. In a 73f room, the ultratherm was able to bring the hot side to 97f!

Crap! The forum won’t let me upload the photos! If I figure out how, I’ll get the photos posted.

Okay, here’s a link to pics...
http://www.geckosunlimited.com/comm...ng-and-heating/85096-getting-ready-gecko.html
 
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