Leapord gecko setup help

[colicabcadam]

Hi all,

Im looking after my dads mates gecko while his family are on holiday.

it has a typical "from the pet store setup", a 24x12x15 glass tank, a bulb on one side of the tank, a heat mate stuck on the same side of the tank at the rear, 1 large piece of bark, a rock directly under the light, a water bowl and a small amount of sand (about 2mm)

Temp wise, when the bulb is on, it's 45+ degrees on the hot side of the tank and 28 degrees on the cooler side. When it's off, the temp on the warmer side (created by the heat mate) is 23 degrees and around 21 degrees on the coolder side.

The gecko is always on the rock (right next to the heat mat) during the evening and under the bark during the day.

I think it's too cool in the evening and too hot during the day, am i correct?

TIA

 

[Mushroom Spore]

45C translates to 113F. Under no circumstances should it ever be over about 90F (32C) on the warm end of the tank. Absolutely get that bulb out of there.

However, the heat mat is clearly not warm enough on its own. Both need to be gotten rid of, and a better heat mat (or bulb, but NOT BOTH) purchased. The temperature range should be 32 on the warm end, and about 23 on the cool end. Roughly. I'm not good with converting temperatures.

At the same time, the gecko hiding during the day is not wrong - they're nocturnal.

Standard other questions: is it possible to get the gecko off the sand and onto a substrate that cannot cause impaction, and does it have access to calcium supplements? (If the answer is "it's living on calcium sand" please get rid of that ASAP, that stuff has killed a lot of pets.)

 

[colicabcadam]

Thank you for the advice, it is greatly appreciated, I will certainly not turn the light on any more.

I was thinking of getting 2 bulbs mounted, 1 day light and 1 night light, I take it the bulb in there at the moment simply has a too high wattage?

As far as I am aware, it's just normal sand, what substrate, would you recommend?

How about climbing material? i was thinking of sticking some bark / something rough to the rear and sides of the tank let it climb a little.....

Again, thanks for your input