new gecko owner . . . . questions-

[fallenangelfyre]

so i got a leopard gecko for my girl for her b-day. neither of us have ever had a lizard. we are learning as we go.

^question one:
the dude who sold me the gecko said that sand is bad. and after viewing multiple posts, i see why. so he recomended bark as a substitute. now after looking at multiple posts i have yet to see one person who uses this as a substrate.
*is bark in any way harmful to the geckos life? (as is sand)?

^question two:
what is the best way to heat the gecko's environment?
dude who sold me him sold me a ten gal. aquirium with a mesh screen top, a ballasted lamp with a 40 watt basking bulb, and a 60 watt red light night bulb. we bought a digi thermometer and basically it is always around 80 degrees, day or night. we try to change the bulb around the same time to give him a normal day/night schedule. but from what i've seen on the forum it's best to give him 90-95 degree heat in the day and around 80 degree heat during the night.


. . . . suggestions . . . suggestions . . . .suggestions


thank you-

 

[Tony C]

1: Yes, bark is just as, if not more, dangerous. The safest substrates are those that can't possibly be eaten like paper towels, tiles, or repti-carpet.

2: You need an undertank heat pad. You can leave the red light on all the time to keep air temps up if necessary, and don't need the daytime basking light.

 

[Misstasha]

i use bark and soil and have no had a problem, i do not put any juveniles on bark tho!! Im sure it could be a huge problem if you feed your lizard on the substrate - I feed my leos in a dish so they dont have any problems with digesting the substrate!!

welcome to the forum!!