New to keeping reptiles

[Siders77]

I am new to keeping reptiles and have decided to take the plunge and invest in a Leopard Gecko.

I've got a small tank (16" L x 8 1/2" W x 10 1/2" H)
Thermometer
Heat mat
Calci-Sand
Water bowl
Moss
Bark for the shelter

I've done a fair bit of reading but on the sites I've visited nearly every one says different things.

Should the mat be put inside the tank or outside and the tank sat on top? Or should a light be used instead?

Is the Calci-Sand ok to use? A few sites say no.

Does the temp need to be kept constant? One of the books I have read says to have 92c - 31c during the day and 22c to 25c during the night.

Lastly does anyone know anyone that sells Leopard Geckos around the Bristol area?

Thanks for any help.

[corny girl]

Hi & . I don't really know anything about Geckos (only what my friend who breeds them has told me). I think you will need to get a Thermostat for the heat mat though, otherwise you have no way of controlling the temperature & the Gecko could die if the mat gets too hot (a Thermostat will control the temperature so it never gets too hot). I use the Habistat Proportional Pulse one & have found this to be very good (others will recommend other makes that are happy with so best to make your own mind up which you choose).

[Ssthisto]

I would second Corny Girl.

You *need* a thermostat for the heat mat. If you don't have one, you cannot control the temperature your gecko is exposed to - and they can quite easily get hot enough to brain-damage your gecko even if they didn't BURN him.

I personally wouldn't use the calci-sand; I don't like small, swallowable particle substrates for my geckos. Some people do use it successfully, however... at least for adult geckos.

Providing a night-time drop in temperature is up to you.

If your tank is glass, you'll want to put the mat underneath it, and prop the tank up on drinks coasters or something similar to ensure that the mat doesn't get thermally blocked and overheat. If the tank is something like an Exo-Terra, you shouldn't need to prop it up; they have airspace underneath naturally.

[Siders77]

Thank you for your help. I had a quick look at thermostats as I wasn't happy leaving it without one but wasn't sure which one to go for, thanks for the recommendation. I was told in the shop that I wouldn't need a thermostat which didn't really seem right.

The tank is acrylic and I've put the mat on the outside underneath and it seems to be working fine.

Last question I think, I was told to leave the tank for a week before putting the lizard in, is this right?

Thanks again for the help so far.

[jools]

It is best if you wait until you know your temperature is stable before getting your gecko. The tank you have is rather small and you may find it difficult to get the right temperature gradient ( it should be about 75f at the cool end and 88-90f on the floor of the warm end - this is necessary for them to be able to contol their body heat) in a small tank. You may also find that an adult would do much better with a bit more room. The guideline is 2 square feet of floor area for one adult plus 1 square foot for every additional gecko. I do not drop the temperatures at night and find that they are more active if you don't. And definitely get a thermostat - an ordinary mat-stat is ok and cheapest but a pulse one keeps temperature more even.

And welcome to the forum!

[Siders77]

I've just ordered a Habistat Pulse thermostat after reading a few reviews.

I'll wait for the thermostat to arrive then plug the mat in and see what the temps down the cold end of the tank are like, hopefully they will be ok.

The guy that sold me the tank said that a young gecko will be able to live for around a year until it's too big for it. One thing that worried me about changing tanks is putting stress on the gecko or something. Has anyone got any advice for changing tanks or should I start with a bigger one straight away?

Thanks.

[jools]

The tank would probably do until about 6 months but it really depends on the size of the gecko - not the age. They can vary a lot. If you already have the tank then go with that for now and use your judgement as to when you need to upgrade. To minimise stress when upgrading put as much of your Leos viv furniture (which smells of him/her) in the new viv and keep routines the same. By the age he is ready to upgrade stress will not be such a problem as with a baby as they have the resources to cope better. Leos can be such funny little things - you will really enjoy him/her!

PS It is more important to get the warm side temps right than the cool end.