New Leopard Gecko housing issue

So, I just picked up my new friend (Thundercleese) here today


However, I believe I may have an issue. I
live in an area that's usually fairly warm (San Diego), but because it's the middle
of december it's like ~50 at the coldest usually (though it can get to
high 30's) outside and only high 60's/low 70's during the day for now. Normally
this wouldn't be an issue but my apartment isn't well insulated and all
the windows are single pane so it can get chilly in the apartment.


Now, I've got the little guy in a room where no windows are left open
generally and for the meantime I've got two heating pads going on
underneath it to try and get the temperature as a whole up even if it
doesn't provide a great temperature range for now. My tank thermometers
say it's about 70* in there, but they're the kinda crappy ones that
stick to the glass at the top of the tank and the bottom of the tank is
definitely much warmer.

Now, given that the bottom of the
enclosure is obviously warm, I'm assuming he'll be ok for a bit, but
what's the best way to ensure the temperature remains high enough that
he doesn't have any issues, or should he really be ok for the most part
with two heating pads on there, especially if I turn one off during the
day while I'm at work?


Also, he doesn't seem at all interested in the mealworms I've left in a little feeding cup in there, I'm assuming that's probably normal for the first day or two?

Thanks in advance

hi, leo's need a hot and a cool side the hot side should be around 31-35c and your cool side should be around room temp, this will provide a proper temp gradient for your leos allowing it to what is called thermoregulate. The thermometers you stick to the side of your tank measure the abient air temp and not the floor temp. also if you dont have already you will need to get a thermostat you control the temp of your heat mats, your heat mat should cover 1/3 of your viv's floor space.

leos will take a few days to settle in and adjust to their new surroundings so it is normal that they will not eat for a few days it is nothing to worry about. mine took a week before she started eating and now she has a very good appetite.

Welcome to the forum, I hope you enjoy your time here!

Thundercleese is adorable! He looks like an albino, very cute!

You need to get probe thermometers, or a temp gun. You can't accurately measure the temperatures of the tank without one or the other. Air temp isn't important with leos, its the floor temp that is important, as leos get their heat from their bellies to help digest their food. The hot side of the tank should be between 88*-95*. This is very important. Too cold and he won't be able to digest his food properly. Too hot and he can get burned.

As James said, you need a hot side and cool side. The heat pad should cover 1/3 of the tank floor. Adding another heat pad beside the first one, isn't really going to add more heat to the tank, I'd assume. Its just making the heated space of the tank larger.

A thermostat, or rheostat will control the temp of the heat mat. You can also use a light dimmer to control the temp (it controls the amount of electricity getting to the heat mat).

Not eating for a few days is normal. It will take a few days for him to adjust to his new home.

Also give him about a week before you start trying to handle him

Again, welcome to the forum!

Thanks for the help so far, I'll pick up a temp gun or something when I get off work.

In the meantime, I've got two of these UTH's

http://www.petco.com/product/6353/Zoo-Med-Repti-Therm-UTH-Under-Tank-Heaters.aspx?CoreCat=OnSiteSearch

(the small ones)

There's one on each side of a 10 gallon tank (each taking up about 1/3 of the space), I currently only have one plugged in after leaving for work. Should that be enough to keep the tank warm enough for the little guy? It was 42* outside and probably mid 50's inside when I left for work at 5am, the floor of the tank felt warm enough though. I'll pick up a temp gun, but is this going to be a huge issue or so long as the floor of the tank remains nice and warm will it be ok? If so, anything I should look at in particular?

If the UTH's aren't heating it up enough is there something else I should look at to help increase heat?


Also, at what point should I start getting worried if he doesn't eat, more than a week, a couple of days?


Thanks in advance

Welcome to the forum, side of whats been said I would suggest reading in the housing section stickies, http://www.leopardgeckoforum.com/t166-proper-housing-for-leopard-geckos it'll tell you EVERYTHING you could possibly need to know about proper housing. Once you've got the husbandry proper you can likely assume any refusal to eat is settling in related. If it goes for more than 2 weeks and your set up is right I'd start worrying a little about a potential health problem but some leos can take up to a month to settle and are just fine.

I haven't been able to pick up a temp gun yet (workworkwork), but I did
get him at least to eat a couple mealworms today (I left another waxworm
in the bowl for him to try later if he decides he's feeling more
adventurous).

However he seems to be sticking entirely to the
heated side of the cage, I'm guessing this means the other side is
likely too cold or is this fairly normal for the first couple of days to
not move around too much?

He will explore the cool side when your not looking and won't hang out there unless he needs to thermoregulate because he's too warm. His warm spot might be a lil low but won't know that until you get a proper thermometer. $ 9 bucks at lowes/home depot. Make the time to stop plz, it really can't be delayed.

I plan to go out later tonight to grab one as soon as traffic dies down and I can make it there. In the meantime I've got the other heating pad hooked up to help keep the ambient temperature high temporarily, and he's eyeing the waxworm but hasn't eaten it yet.

EDIT: yup, ate the waxworm now XD

Picked up a temp gun, looks like the floor of the tank on the warm side at its hottest is about 103*F and 82ish at its lowest while the other side is about 72-85*F on the floor so I'm thinking he's probably good, the ambient air temperature outside shouldn't matter *too* much then I'm assuming as long as it doesn't start to get too bad in the vivarium right?

welcome to the forum!

How far is the difference in the temps? Like, is it a few inches or is it like milimeters away from each other (the two places you are measuring).

Do you still have both heat pads on? And if so, are they right next to eachother or are they on separate ends? Because only one side of the tank should be hot.

Air temp doesn't matter. Its the floor temp, as thats what the leo's belly is touching.

The temp differences are a couple inches away from each other. I keep the second heating pad (on the other side of the tank)on for a few hours a day as the cooler side drops into the 60* range if it's not heated at all.

103 is too high honestly. Anything over 100 and you'll start to have shedding problems and risk dehydrating the leo. Shoot for a high temp of around 96-98*f at most.

My leo won't eat his mealworms from a dish, but he'll gobble them by hand (well, tweezer-things). Some are funny like that