# Newbie with a 4ft tank, dunno what to put in it :/



## DizzyMoo (Oct 11, 2010)

Hi all , 
I'm Lyn & ive joined to get more info & hopefully to make a decision on what to put in 1 of my 4ft tanks, I currently have 2 4ft tropical fish tanks & have decided to merge all the fish together & then convert 1 of the 4ft tanks into a new home for some sort of reptile but i just cant decide what & have many questions so googled " lizard forum uk " & here i am.

I've always liked lizards (have a tattoo of one) ,chameleons, smaller snakes & tree frogs but ive never given it a thought to actually own any, prob due to the fact they eat either mice or insects. I love animals so couldn't physically feed snakes & i hate insects with legs so ive got a problem haven't i ? lol

I'm going to a reptile shop near me wednesday morning to hopefully buy a heat mat, lamp & uvb/uva bulb which ive been told i need, but to also see if these insects really bother me etc.

So i'm here to get info i need to make a decision on which reptile is for me, So anyone got any ideas for my tank please throw them at me. 

Its 48" l x 18" h x 15" d  
Welcome to Facebook

^^ link is to show the tank im using


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## DizzyMoo (Oct 11, 2010)

Sorry thought this was intros have reposted in correct section


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## dolphin186 (Apr 13, 2010)

Hi 
A quick word about insects - I too hate them - however I have a wonderful little system that means I never have to touch them.
First buy a cricket keeper and a pair of feeding tweezers.
Tip a box of crickets into the feeder - egg carton and all
Then when tube has some crickets in it slide tube out of feeder and into a small sandwich bag- add a pinch of whichever supplement you are using and gently shake tube into bag.
Remove tube and seal bag - gently shake the insects in the bag to coat with powder
Carefully tip coated insects into viv being careful not to empty excess powder all over your chosen reptile.
Use the feeding tweezers to remove the egg carton when your number of insects has significantly diminshed as the insects will hide behind it instead of using the tubes.
hope this makes sense as it works a treat for me:2thumb:


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## Dragon Wolf (Oct 27, 2009)

Hi DizzyMoo :welcome:
If you don't like feeding insects to your lizard, how about getting a vegetarian lizard like a Uromastyx?


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## &Lizards& (Oct 16, 2010)

All of the Uromastyx genus are vegetarian lizards, they are a desert species.


A good beginner lizard is either a bearded dragon which eats insects (mealies, super worms, wax worms, locusts, crickets, pinkie mice) etc and vegetables, will tolerate human interaction and is diurnal grows up to 2 ft long and requires a 4x2x2 vivarium. A total cost at the beginning is about 300 dollars. The food costs are high. Bearded dragons range from 40-250 dollars depending on the color, etc.

Exclusive Dragons - Bearded Dragon Care Information Library! 
^care sheet.

Another one is the leopard gecko which just eats insects, is nocturnal so will be more of a look at tank then interaction. Leopard geckos have lovely patterns and colors on them. They are very easy to care for and requires a 2x2x2 vivarium or a simple 20 gallon tank.
What you will basically need in a Leos tank is:
1 hot hide
1 cold hide
1 moist hide
1 water dish
1 calci dish
1 heat mat
1 mat stat
NO loose substrate!
Pro Geckos sheets/leos.htm
LEOPARDGECKO.COM | Leopard Gecko Care
^caresheets^


Before jumping into things please make sure that you do your research, and you don't just buy the animal because its "cool looking" because if that's how you buy a live animal your making that poor thing suffer. Don't only read one care sheet, read pages and pages of care sheets.
Good luck with your decision.


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## Graham (Jan 27, 2007)

> I'm going to a reptile shop near me wednesday morning to hopefully buy a heat mat, lamp & uvb/uva bulb which ive been told i need


Who told you that? You haven't decided what animal you're getting yet, so how can anyone tell you what equipment you're going to need?

Mats are not suitable for some reptiles, lamps are unsuitable for others, some animals don't even need heating, and quite a few don't need UVB lamps (nocturnal species in particular) either!

If whatever you decide on does need a heater then there's one crucial bit of kit that's not on your list, and that's a thermostat.

I would take your time and decide what you really want, then read as much as you can about keeping it, get some advice from people here who already keep them, and then go and buy the stuff you need for the setup and get it all assembled and working before you buy the animal.

In most cases you're better off buying direct from a reputable breeder, and you'll find plenty of them on here, they will happily talk you through everything you need to know and buy and won't be trying to sell you unsuitable or unneccessary items.


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## &Lizards& (Oct 16, 2010)

Heat mats are not needed for plenty of reptiles. Unless your going for a leopard gecko, drop the heat mat off of your shopping list.


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## loulou87 (Sep 10, 2010)

Do lots of research whatever you get, i would suggest you dont get a beardie as a glass tank is difficult to maintain tenmperature and humidity within. glass retains humidity and loses heat so not ideal. not sure about other kinds of lizards but im sure youll get great advice on here. 

theres is a wealth of information on here, in the shape of caresheets and people will always answer your questions to give advice when you need it. 

I deffo think before you buy anything you should research into the types of rep's so you make sure you have the correct equipment, you dont want to spend money if you dont need to. Reptiles take work and dedication so please dont buy on a whim. Im sure there will be plenty of reps to go in the tank you have though  

Good luck


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