Leopard gecko and heat pad?

Question

i am getting baby leopard geckos and i am going to use paper towels for the substrate, would it be ok if i used paper towels and a heating pad?

Answer 1

Do not shred the paper towels for reasons of impaction if ingested, and difficulty of finding prey insects.

You can't regulate the heat on a heating pad, so this is not a good source for heating a reptile tank.

You will need a UTH pad, and a Rheostat to control the heat on the pad and lights.

The gecko will need a cool and warm side, as well as a basking perch/area.  You will need a digital probe or Infrared thermometer gun to establish correct temps. in the habitat.  Strip thermometers and round stick ons are inaccurate up to 20 degress.

I'll post some links below for you to peek out when you find time, but please note my disclaimer.

If you have further questions, you can email or IM me.

I hope this has been helpful, and enjoy your new pet.

Answer 2

sure but remember only put the heating pas on one side of the cage and the cage temp should not go above90 degrees!

Answer 3

Woah, woah , woah. You leave the paper towels whole. You cover the whole underside. Make the paper towels a bit more thick around the heating pad. the heating pad should be under the tank and cover about 1/3-1/2 of the tank.

The paper towels must be kept whole so that they do not ingest it. You always want something solid on the bottom of the tank.

The first answerer needs to go and do some research. She is totally uninformed. she has probably seen some poor leopard gecko kept on sand in a pet store and that is what she is going by.

A heating pad is very good. Leopard geckos need belly heat whereas bearded dragon need back heat. You need to raise the tank up a little to allow excess heat to escape.

Leopard geckos don't burrow. I don't know where anyone got that. If you would look at there body structure it is readily apparent that they don't. Maybe they would take up an abandoned hole in the wild. But in the wild they are normally found under rocks.

You need 3 hides. 1 on the warm side, one on the cool side, and on in the middle that is moist.

http://www.reptilerooms.com/index.php?ca...

I used this tutorial to make a moist hide.

these are good guides.

http://www.reptilerooms.com/index.php?ca...

And these are too.

http://www.repticzone.com/caresheets/Gec...

Don't tear the towels.

Answer 4

no..if your a city boy then would you like it to live in the jungle...

Answer 5

no...if your going to invest in a new pet you need to fully educate yourself on the pet and provide what it needs to be healthy and happy. otherwise dont waste the money or its life.

neither one of those will work fine for your gecko

Answer 6

If you use a heating pad, put it UNDER the terrarium, not inside.  Also. keep it on LOW- we don't want any fried lizards.  Put it under only 1/3 or so of the terrarium, so your geckos can move off if they want to cool down.  Also, keep in mind that many heating pads are designed to automatically turn off after a certain number of hours.  This could be uncomfortable for your geckos if the room they're in less than 70 degrees.  They're a little expensive, but you can buy special reptile heating pads at most pet stores.  They can vary from $15-$30, depending on size.  I would highly recommend one- I've had mine on nonstop for six years, and it still works great.

If you're going to use paper towels for substrate, I would tear it into bigger pieces (say 1 by 2 inches).  That way, it will be loose enough to burrow in, but not small enough to be easily swallowed.