After trying to maintain the temperature of our new geckos for a few days I decided to try an under tank heater (UTH). I was reading in geckoforums.net that that is the way most keepers of geckos regulate the temperature of the habitats. Unfortunately the Premium Desert Gecko habitat kit from Zilla® did not contain an UTH, but instead 2 lights.
A quick trip to the pet supply store and I came home with an Exo-Terra® desert medium heater. It is 10×10 and sticks to the underside of the glass aquarium/terrarium. I mounted it at one end of the 20 gallon tank. We were using the terrarium carpet that came with out Zilla® set and I found that the temperature above the UTH was reading about 100 degrees F. The geckos moved to the other hide at the cool end of the tank.
So now we had another problem. How do we cool the heater down? It didn’t come with a thermostat or any way to adjust the temperature. I looked online to see what I could use. I read about adding a dimmer switch, the kind that you install on the cord of a table lamp. I found one at the hardware store for about $15. It was pretty easy to install. you just cut the cord with a pair of sicissors and insert the cord into each end, then press down on the tabs. After playing with it a bit I got the temperature to stay at about 90 F.
So what did I learn? Well I didn’t really need the lights as they don’t really work to get the proper temp and leopard geckos are nocturnal and don’t really need a bright light on the tank as long as there is light from a window they will know when it is night and time to get up.
The other thing I learned was that the UTH can keep the tank too warm if all you have for a substrate is a terrarium carpet. I hear that a piece of tile might be better. Alternatively I might have been better off with the smaller heater, but I’m not sure that wouldn’t have just made the ‘too hot’ area smaller.
Actually having the geckos and trying to maintain their environment is an interesting process. I see why it is recommended that you have the habitat ready and get the conditions right BEFORE you bring the gecko(s) home.
The easiest reptile cages to keep heated are the ones manufactured by Cages by Design, Cages By Design
These reptile enclosures are so well made they can actually hold in the warmth. I was amazed at how well insulated they are. My favorite is the Hybrid reptile cages. These come standard with a stainless steel roof, which is ideal when attaching lighting equipment. Since I like my reptile cages to look extremely classy, I prefer to hide any unsightly light fixtures. Cages By Design offers various types of hoods for their custom reptile cages, which gives the cage a finished appearance and hides all that metal lighting equipment. I LOVE the result—a beautiful, finished reptile cage that stays warm and cozy for my pets.