Everything You Need to Know About Choosing Leopard Gecko Tanks

!±8± Everything You Need to Know About Choosing Leopard Gecko Tanks

Before you even buy your first leopard gecko, you need to spend some time setting up the tank. A happy, healthy pet all begins with good leopard gecko tanks so you want be sure you pick the right one.

There are a variety of choices of tanks out there, everything from specialty terrariums to fish tanks, there are even special ones that come with rocks built into the back. So which one is best choice for you?

This article will help you explore all your options regarding your tank.

For starters, you'll notice I keep on saying 'leopard gecko tanks' not 'leopard gecko cage'. That's because a Leo, should never be put in a wire cage. It's uncomfortable, hard to heat, and the wires are much too sharp for his delicate feet.

Glass aquariums or terrariums really do work best as leopard gecko tanks. You can go with either one of these, but the main difference is usually the length.

While most 10-20 gallon traditional aquariums are very long, some modern ones are not. Since the gecko cannot climb glass, you don't want the tank to be taller than it is in length. A leopard only has the floors of the tank to explore.

You want to give them as much room as possible. However, if you only have one gecko, I would recommend choosing one that is 20 gallons or less. Although there's a saying that 'bigger is always better' in the case of leopard gecko tanks, it's not.

Oversized gecko tanks can really stress out your leopard gecko. He can become confused as to where he is, unable to find his basking spot, his favorite hiding place or where the food goes. This could lead to a much stressed out Leo making him prone to disease and loss of appetite.

The lid on the tank should really be a wire type, standard with terrariums, but they have to be purchased separately for aquariums. This enables your leopard to get the fresh air he needs. Other things leopard gecko tanks need are lights, heaters, and decorations.

Despite the fact that they are called 'decorations,' they're not really in leopard gecko tanks to be decorative. Leopard geckos are used to things that look like logs, plants, and rocks. That's what would make them the happiest with their new home.

Man-made rocks, logs and plants are actually preferred because real rocks to scratch a leopard geckos sensitive skin while real plants and logs can be quite toxic. It's important that you have enough of them in their so that your Leo can run and play and hide.

Now the flooring of leopard gecko tanks, often called substrate, is also part of 'decoration'. After all, who wants to walk around on glass? This decoration is very specific. You can't just use something like woods shavings or kitty litter; it has to be something dustless that a gecko can't eat. (this kind leaves out sand as well because leopard gecko's can eat it and become very ill when they do.)

The best kind of flooring decoration for leopard gecko tanks is actually artificial turf. Also called reptile mats, these can be purchased in any pet store or even online.

Here are some other things to consider when setting up your pets new home.

It's important that your tanks stay a constant temperature and that the lights go dim and bright at regular times. This is best accomplished by use of a timer. You should also have special reptile lamps over the tank to keep them all warm and toasty, around 80- 87.

There are also special heaters you can buy. It's important that there be one spot in tank that is slightly warmer than the rest of the tank. It should be above 90 but below 100.

This is known as the 'basking spot' and if there's a decoration here it should be a smooth flat thing, like a rock, allowing the gecko to really stretch out and enjoy.

Now that you know the basics of setting up leopard gecko tanks, you can be sure to have it perfect before you add the most important part, your leopard.

Nothing says 'welcome home' to your new pet like the perfect tank.

Everything You Need to Know About Choosing Leopard Gecko Tanks

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How to accomplish a bootleg calefaction mat

!±8± How to accomplish a bootleg calefaction mat

OK when you make it make sure your plastic is snug because its wat keeps the heat in. You have to reheat it every other day. Dont make it too hot to the point it'll burn ur gecko put and extra layer of plastic if you think its too hot.

How to accomplish a bootleg calefaction mat

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Keeping Corn Snakes As Pets

!±8± Keeping Corn Snakes As Pets

As exotic pets go, corn snakes make a good choice for beginners. They come in a variety of colors, are docile by nature and enjoy being handled, as well as being fairly easy to care for. Here are some tips on how to keep a pet corn snake healthy.

To be a responsible pet owner, you will need to be prepared to commit time and energy to caring for your snake. Corn snakes can live for around 18 years, so bear this in mind before you buy one. Reptiles have very different needs to cats or dogs, and you will need to make sure you have the right equipment to provide your snake with a suitable place to live.

You will need to take into account how big your snake could grow. Corn snakes can reach 4-6ft long when mature. They aren't especially active creatures, but will need a reasonably sized vivarium or aquarium with a secure lid. As a guide, for each foot of snake, provide at least 1 square foot of floor space. The height of the tank should be around a third of the snake's length. If you buy your snake as a hatchling, give it a proportionately smaller enclosure to begin with so as to avoid causing it stress.

For the substrate there are various products on sale in exotic pet shops, such as aspen shavings or Astroturf, or you could use paper towels. Make sure you remove any soiled substrate when necessary and disinfect the entire tank every 3-5 weeks, using a reptile-safe solution.

You should provide objects for your snake to hide in, and to climb on, as it would in the wild. For hiding places, you could use small cardboard boxes or toilet roll tubes, or shop-bought hides, which have the advantage of being cleanable so they can be reused. For climbing, branches and rocks can be purchased, or you could use ones from the garden if you sterilise them first to kill any harmful bugs. Plastic plants can be used, as some real plants may be harmful.

Corn snakes ideally need a temperature gradient of 21-30C, providing both warm and cool areas in the tank, so they can thermo-regulate by moving to different areas. To do this, use a thermostatically-regulated heat mat under a third of the floor space.

Corn snakes in captivity can be fed mainly on mice, depending on their size. Hatchlings can eat "pinkies" (baby mice), one every 5-6 days. As you snake grows, it can start to have a larger mouse every 1-2 weeks. Larger snakes may need two mice per feed. It's important to use frozen mice, thawed to room temperature, as live rodents could injure your pet.

With proper care and attention exotic pets such as corn snakes can be fascinating and rewarding animals.

Keeping Corn Snakes As Pets

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5 Brilliant Reptiles for Beginners

!±8± 5 Brilliant Reptiles for Beginners

Bearded Dragons - A very popular choice for beginners and advanced reptile keepers as they are an exceptionally interesting breed with dinosaur like characteristics. They originate from dry, semi-dessert regions and like to climb. They can look quite nasty due to their spiny scales and can reach 13 - 24 inches in size, but their looks are quite deceiving as they are friendly and calm towards people, making them a very popular choice. To buy a baby Bearded Dragon you would be looking in the region of £30 and for an adult Bearded Dragon you would be looking at £80.
You will also need to invest in a number of items to ensure that your Beardy has everything that he will need. This will need to include a good sized vivarium, heat lamps and holders, basking spot lamp, a UVB compact lamp, water and feeding dishes, thermometer, dessert sand, a hut, such as a habba hut, calci dust to put on your bearded Dragon's live food and also a beginners book to caring for Bearded Dragons. Separately this can add up to quite a lot of money but you could choose to buy a Bearded Dragon Starter Kit to help save the hassle of wondering which lamps and accessories would be the most appropriate, these are priced at £154.99 including a 36"vivarium.

You will also need to buy some live food such as Crickets or Locusts for your dragon so make sure you have some in ready for when you bring him home.

Leopard Geckos - This type of reptile is perfect as a first time lizard as they don't grow too big, only about 8-12cm's and don't require any special lighting as they are nocturnal. They differ from other Gecko's in that they have eyelids and very eye catching spotted markings. To buy a baby Leopard Gecko you would be looking at about 25-40, and for an adult £60.

You will need to invest in a number of items to create the perfect environment for your Gecko and this will need to include housing such as a plastic or glass tank, a heat mat, substrate, a hide, water dish, health supplements to add onto you Gecko's live food and a book on the care of Gecko's for you to refer to. This can often be purchased as a Leopard Gecko Starter Kit and would set you back from £41.19 to £63.89. You might also choose to add a Zoo Med reptile lamp stand to your purchase just so that you have a light source if required. For their diet leopard gecko's won't usually accept dead prey, the best food source is crickets as they will hunt them as they would hunt in the wild, they generally choose to eat insects and worms and so you will need to ensure that you have a food supply ready for when you bring your gecko home.

Cornsnakes - Are ideal as a first snake, they are easy to handle and maintain and need little attention. They are generally a placid snake that isn't quick to bite and so are a popular choice of snake, growing to approximately four - six foot in length they are not a too big to be easily handled and can live up to 23 years in captivity.

Cornsnakes live on a diet of small rodents such as mice and many owners of captive cornsnakes choose to buy frozen mice, which are then thawed and fed at room temperature. The reason for this is so that the mice do not harm the snake, or spread any disease that they may be carrying. To buy a baby cornsnake you would be looking in the region of £30 and for an adult £80. There are snake starter kits available which will include all the equipment you need to care properly for your Cornsnake. This will include a vivarium, lamp & fitting, basking bulb, heat mat, water dish, thermometer, hut or hide, bedding, artificial plant and cornsnake care book. Starter kits are priced at £102.99 from Swell Reptiles.co.uk and include a 24"wooden vivarium.

Crested Gecko - This is another interesting choice as your first reptile, they feed on a variety of insects and fruit and are mainly nocturnal. They can live up to 20 years so they are a commitment and grow to over 5 inches in length. To purchase a baby crested gecko you would be looking at about £60, and an adult would be around £120. You will need a number of items of equipment for this type of Gecko as they require lots of hiding places and a good level of humidity to mimic their natural environment. The items that you will need before bringing your crested gecko home are a glass terrarium, a heat mat, feeding & water dishes, plantation soil and coco husk which are ideal for holding moisture and helping to maintain the levels of humidity in your terrarium, jungle vines, a spray bottle and a temperature/humidity gauge to ensure you can measure that you can read the levels of your terrarium and make sure that they are ideal for your crested gecko. For a Crested Gecko Starter Kit that contains all of this equipment you would be looking to pay £102.99, if you were to buy all the items separately this would cost you much more, so look out for these deals to make sure you get the best value for money. Crested Geckos eat Crickets so you will also need to make sure that you purchase some before you bring your gecko home.

Tortoise - It is becoming more and more popular to keep Tortoise, though you do need to consider before you run out and make your purchase that they have a long life span which is often similar to that of people, but can be up to 150 years. There are different breeds of Tortoise available but to give you some idea of cost you would be looking at paying £99 for a baby Herman and £79 for a baby Horsfield. Again, there are tortoise starter kits out there to help you with your set up and these can include tortoise tables or vivariums. Along with the housing the other equipment you will need is a heat lamp, lamp holder and bracket, feeding dish and water dish, UVB compact bulb, thermometer, Nutrobal and tortoise life. You would be looking at paying from £205.99 to £246.99 dependent on if you have a tortoise table or vivarium and will need to buy leafy greens, fruits and flowers. Tortoises also like to eat weeds and grass and can occasionally choose to eat worms or insects.

5 Brilliant Reptiles for Beginners

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