Hello

I have just set up my vivarium ready for a leopard gecko. For the last couple of days i have had everything plugged in to keep an eye on the temps. I have got a thermostat so when i turn the light off the heat mat come on, but i have been noticing that during the day the temp has reached 37. I know that this is too hot as was wondering on how i can keep it down to about 29. Also please can i have advice on how much to feed a leopard gecko. I know they have to have a mixed diet of crickets, meal worms and the occasional pinkie and that they have to be coated in vitamins.

Ok you only need the heat mat on you dont need the light unless its for your own viewing as leos take their heat from the underbelly.
If you have the heat mat hooked on the stat then you need to place the probe from the stat on top of the substrate you are using but on the same side as the heat mat.
Use a digital thermometer and place that next to the probe on the heatmat.
Double check the temps then.
If the temps are still to high adjust the thermostat setting there should be a little dial you can turn which allows you to adjust the temps
Keep doing that until the temps are down to 30 in the hot end.

As for diet they should have crickets, mealworm, locust, wax worms.
Most keepers dust with nurtobal mon-fri and calcium at weekends as well as leaving calicum in a dish in the viv.

The leo if a baby should be fed every day about 10 -15 crickets what we normally do is place a few in the viv and wait 10 minutes what ever is left after that we remove.

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Do they not need a basking light

A heat mat on continuously during the day would be better, you can keep the heatmat on a stat that way and the temperature wouldn't vary too mcuh that way. They don't need a basking spot as they are nocternal animals, and bright lights can potentially hurt their eyes.

you don't have to vary their diet, pinkies are to be used STRICTLY for adults only. I personally use hoppers and occasionally a waxworm for a treat. I use black cricekts for babies until they're adults. Babies should be fed everyday adults every 2-3 days. You don't necessarily have to coat them with vitamins, if they're well gutloaded, so you feed the crickets etc and then dust in calcium (as well as having a calcium pot in the viv with them) they should be fine.

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How many crickets should i put in a day. The shop where i got my viv from use exo terra sand. Will this be safe to keep using. If not what substrate do you recommend.

I feed mine on crix and mealies, alternate days, just a few each should be fine. most of my reps, including leos are on paper towel. eaiser for cleaning and cheap

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2.1.0 CATS
1.0.0 FRENCH LOP RABBIT
1.0.0 DOG
0.0.2 GOLDFISH