[Beardiephil]

Hi everyone!
I was wondering if anyone could give me any advise/tips to do with starting a leo set up.
Would i need a basking lamp aswell as a heatmat? Also where should i place the heatmat? Should it be underneath the substrate?
Any help and advise would be fantastic!
Also how much is a set up likely to cost( a shoping list would be great )!

Thanks everyone!

phil

 

[Venomous Poison]

right from what ive heard wooden vivariums are the best,as they hold heat etc better.
shopping list...1.vivarium...size depends on how many ur going to get but u cant keep a group of males together
2.substrate...if a baby best substrate would be kitchen roll...easy to remove when cleaning etc...
3.heat mat and thermostat (i think heat mat goes under substrate..not 100% sure as i use a heat lamp... no basking lamp is required as leopard geckos are nocturnal.
4.hides.....moist hide containing sphagnum moss to be kept in warm end of viv...and a few dry hides where gecko can errrrrr hide and keep out of sight,
5.thermometer...i use the ones u use in fish tanks they seem 2 be accurate i have one in cool end one in warm end to monitor temps.
6.shallow water dish..clean fresh water shud b available at all times.
7.small feeding dish if nessacary
8.small dish...i use lid off a pop bottle with calcium powder in it so gecko can have acsess as and when needed....
9.if u want 2 add decoration ....silk plants r ok but beware as insects eat em

you could try phoning around pet shops...ask if they do a complete leopard gecko starter kit...most places do...

 

[K.J.Geckos]

yeh like tigercub2005 says.that pretty much coversit all i'd say.with your heat mat though,make sure you have it at one end of the viv just to make sure you have a cooler end and a warm end.also with the hides make sure you have plenty as he/she will want to hide as its a new home and everything.make sure you have a equal amount on both the cool and warm end so they dont choose warmth over saftey or anything.also i would avoid the fake plants for a while as crickets tend to hide in them and mine never seem to be able to hunt them once they hit the trees!so i ended up taking mine out untill they were a little older.but other then that i think your sorted!try looking for seccond hand vivs on here or around as it might be a little cheaper for you

 

[Venomous Poison]

yeh i tend to find that with the plants to...another helpfull tip...dunno if any body else does this...but if there are any uneaten crix in viv that u cant get out i ut a small dish of grated carrot in there so they wont try an nibble my babies when they get hungry

 

[Beardiephil]

Thanks guys

 

[K.J.Geckos]

thats a good idea actually.im often chasing them round the viv with a pair of twesers trying get the little monkeys out.-not fond of crickets

 

[Venomous Poison]

nah its great jus get a small dish and grate some carrot into it...the leos dont bother and u find that when the crix ae in there i put a freezer bag over hand completely cover tub pull bag over it and get rid of the crix.it works wonders trust me...the crix scare me when the jump at me but i dont have that prob now

 

[BADGERS MUM]

ive got my heat mat,on a stat,under lino,really easy to clean,looks nice,nowhere for pesky crix/hoppers to hide,i use a 40w blue reflector lamp to heat along with the mat it gets my temps perfect,leos are hardy little things and will tolerate some ups and downs while you get it all sorted,heat mat underneath to aid digestion seems favourite,not everyone does it that way tho so your choice,light off at night to simulate day/night cycle mat gives enough heat with the residual lamp heat to keep him happy overnight,think tigercub and nuttyaboutgeckos have covered most of it,im just giving my set up,remember its never wrong its personal choice but its nice to get differing views and pinch a few ideas here and there