# Leapord Gecko heating, hidden costs, and noise issues?



## matthewdownloads (Sep 1, 2009)

Hello everybody, just joined :2thumb:

I've wanted a pet lizard for quite a few years now, and now that my parents consider me 'old enough' I'm looking seriously at getting a leapord gecko. Before I go get one I want to make sure the right environment etc is set up for it.

First Question:
As a student living with my parents, I don't pay the electricity bills. Therefore, having a 100W bulb on 8 hours a day is a bit out of the question. At present, I have a lava lamp with a 30W bulb on a timer for about 8 hours a day. Essentially my question is, if I use the 30W bulb from there to heat the vivarium, is that okay? And then obviously a low-wattage heat mat under the substrate whenever the bulb is not on (or does it need to be on regardless?). Can a red 30W bulb replace the heat mat at night? Or is the red-bulb for my use only (ie, an optional extra so I can see in the cage at night).


Second Question:
Hidden costs? Assuming I bred my own mealworms/crickets (looks fairly easy from what I've seen with people doing it on youtube), after the initial costs for the vivarium etc, are there any additional costs I haven't forseen (aside from buying calcium for £3 once in a while, and about £1 for a replacement bulb when it blows). Ideally it should be an initial investment, and then next-to-no costs after that.



Third and final Question:
I produce bass heavy music with a computer - essentially my bedroom is also a recording studio with loud speakers. I've read some leapord geckos don't mind, some do, and some can 'adapt'. Now, generally the music is medium volume, but at some times it gets cranked right up. The last thing I want to do is frighten a poor creature in my room. Is it possible to move the vivarium out of the room or does the gecko get scared of that also? Or is it just a case of headphones (thats not really ideal for me)? Or is it a case of good sound insulation on the vivarium?



Thanks for all/any responses : victory:


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## Crown Prince Of Crime (Jul 28, 2009)

Hi, in terms of lighting a 40w-60w bulb should do the job, its best to keep leos in a more quiet/peacefull envionment eg I keep my leo in my living room, im not sure about any hidden costs such as food as I have barely had my leo for a month.


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## SleepyD (Feb 13, 2008)

First Question:
As a student living with my parents, I don't pay the electricity bills. Therefore, having a 100W bulb on 8 hours a day is a bit out of the question. At present, I have a lava lamp with a 30W bulb on a timer for about 8 hours a day. Essentially my question is, if I use the 30W bulb from there to heat the vivarium, is that okay? And then obviously a low-wattage heat mat under the substrate whenever the bulb is not on (or does it need to be on regardless?). Can a red 30W bulb replace the heat mat at night? Or is the red-bulb for my use only (ie, an optional extra so I can see in the cage at night).

I only use statted heatmats for all my vivs which are on 24/7 (leos require belly heat to aid digestion) ~ I don't use heatlamps at all as I find using statted heatmats is better and cheaper 

Second Question:
Hidden costs? Assuming I bred my own mealworms/crickets (looks fairly easy from what I've seen with people doing it on youtube), after the initial costs for the vivarium etc, are there any additional costs I haven't forseen (aside from buying calcium for £3 once in a while, and about £1 for a replacement bulb when it blows). Ideally it should be an initial investment, and then next-to-no costs after that.

breeding your own livefood still takes time initially as the colonies need to build upto strength also you'll need to keep them (and any livefood you buy) well fed/gutloaded ~ I use a mix of fresh veg ie carrots, dark cabbage etc, hard fruit such as apples; cereals etc plus as well as calcium you'll need a vitamin product such as Nutrabol

Third and final Question:
I produce bass heavy music with a computer - essentially my bedroom is also a recording studio with loud speakers. I've read some leapord geckos don't mind, some do, and some can 'adapt'. Now, generally the music is medium volume, but at some times it gets cranked right up. The last thing I want to do is frighten a poor creature in my room. Is it possible to move the vivarium out of the room or does the gecko get scared of that also? Or is it just a case of headphones (thats not really ideal for me)? Or is it a case of good sound insulation on the vivarium?

although I've had vivs in areas with teenage/young children it hasn't really been ideal loud/strong vibrations (such as heavy bass) can affect some badly ~ which is why at one stage I ended up with most vivs placed in quieter rooms 

I have a selection of care sheets and info on my website which may be of further help : victory:


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## matthewdownloads (Sep 1, 2009)

Crown Prince Of Crime said:


> Hi, in terms of lighting a 40w-60w bulb should do the job


So a 30w (considering this is heating up a lava lamp VERY hot) is not enough?



SleepyD said:


> I only use statted heatmats for all my vivs which are on 24/7 (leos require belly heat to aid digestion) ~ I don't use heatlamps at all as I find using statted heatmats is better and cheaper




That's very good news, but I'm slightly confused how you vary the temperature for day/night? Isn't it meant to be 27 degrees C in the day, and 20ish at night?





SleepyD said:


> I have a selection of care sheets and info on my website which may be of further help




Pardon my ignorance - where is your website?
Edit: Ignore that, I see the big picture in your signature... doh!


Thanks for the responses!


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## SleepyD (Feb 13, 2008)

matthewdownloads said:


> That's very good news, but I'm slightly confused how you vary the temperature for day/night? Isn't it meant to be 27 degrees C in the day, and 20ish at night?



I run a standard set-up similar to many breeders .... all mine have a hot end with which to lay and digest food (31*C-32*C/88*F-90*F) and a cooler end at about 70*F-75*F which allows them to thermoregulate as they need to  



> Pardon my ignorance - where is your website?
> Edit: Ignore that, I see the big picture in your signature... doh!



think I'll have to make the piccie bigger : victory:


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## matthewdownloads (Sep 1, 2009)

SleepyD said:


> I run a standard set-up similar to many breeders .... all mine have a hot end with which to lay and digest food (31*C-32*C/88*F-90*F) and a cooler end at about 70*F-75*F which allows them to thermoregulate as they need to  [/COLOR][/COLOR]


Thanks for that info! What's the minimum wattage and size of the heat pad I should be looking at? I'm assuming it's going to cost under £10?

Edit: For example, is this enough: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/HEAT-MAT-142-...ects?hash=item2ea77d7594&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

They all seem to be around the 25-35W mark, with considerably varying sizes.


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## SleepyD (Feb 13, 2008)

the heatmat needs to cover between one third and one half of the floor space for instance with a 24" x 12" viv I would use a 10"x12" statted heatmat (round about 12w) priced around £14-£15 ~ I prefer using either habistat or microclimate heatmats


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## ex0tics (Jun 9, 2009)

basically the heatmat and matstat will cost around £30 both can be bought here: www.livefoods.co.uk

No bulbs needed, atleast one digital thermometer would help though they are available on ebay here: DIGITAL THERMOMETER **** FAST POSTAGE **** on eBay (end time 12-Sep-09 22:24:32 BST), 

two medium exo terra hides, mealworm dish, waterdish from www.livefoods.co.uk too and finally some substrate kitchen towel should work fine.

That's about it really except cricket, locusts, mealworm costs(for a single leopard gecko it will be easier to just buy then breed and end up way over ran)

It's best to have some money put away incase of vet bills but aslong as you follow the correct husbandry and make sure you get a gecko in good health I doubt problems will occur .

Cheers.


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## matthewdownloads (Sep 1, 2009)

SleepyD said:


> the heatmat needs to cover between one third and one half of the floor space for instance with a 24" x 12" viv I would use a 10"x12" statted heatmat (round about 12w) priced around £14-£15 ~ I prefer using either habistat or microclimate heatmats


Great! The information you've told me and also your website is very useful!

One final thing before I get a tank and heat mat - on your site it says


> 1 x vivarium or tank ~ 24L x 12w x 12h


. I asked this in another post but I haven't heard a 100% certain response. Is using a "fish-tank" suitable for the purpose? If I was to get a fish-tank, what should I be looking out for? (aka, how can you tell the difference between a fish tank and a vivarium?) - Is a fish tank OK?


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## matthewdownloads (Sep 1, 2009)

ex0tics said:


> It's best to have some money put away incase of vet bills but aslong as you follow the correct husbandry and make sure you get a gecko in good health I doubt problems will occur .


Thanks! Your post was also really helpful! Can I just ask, since I've never owned an animal before, what are vet costs for various problems (are we talking £15-50, £50-£75, £100+??? (I have no idea).

I'm not exactly short on money because I always save rather than spend, but it would be useful information to know in advance.


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## SleepyD (Feb 13, 2008)

matthewdownloads said:


> Is using a "fish-tank" suitable for the purpose? If I was to get a fish-tank, what should I be looking out for? (aka, how can you tell the difference between a fish tank and a vivarium?) - Is a fish tank OK?


*nods* some people use fish tanks and yes they're okay to use  the difference between tanks and vivs is that tanks tend to be all glass or plastic whilst vivs tend to be wooden 



matthewdownloads said:


> Can I just ask, since I've never owned an animal before, what are vet costs for various problems (are we talking £15-50, £50-£75, £100+??? (I have no idea).
> 
> I'm not exactly short on money because I always save rather than spend, but it would be useful information to know in advance.


on the whole and if well looked after leo's a relatively hardy I usually advise regular fecal tests (for worms & parasites) these average between £15 and £25 depending on if they're basic or lab test ....... like any other pet though costs do depend on treatment so obviously some prices can be a lot more expensive


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## sabex (Sep 6, 2009)

Vet consults range from £15 - £30 depending on where you are in the country and how posh the practice is. Extra treatment is on top of that.


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## Art_Gekko (Aug 9, 2009)

I have three leo's, two of them are quite young and both my partner and I play guitar most evenings.

When I got the new leo's they jumped at first but now don't mind at all. Dunno whether it'll be different for you as the bass might affect them differently.


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## grumpyoldtrout (May 19, 2008)

You could also look at the website on this thread...........

http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/snakes/365867-look-what-i-just-found.html

Seems to have some very good bargain prices and some good feedback from the members. I HAVE NOT used them, but probably will soon.

If you are concerned about parasites, I will try to find the link to a mail order parasite diagnosis lab. They were a lot cheaper than the vets costs.

FOUND IT!









Veterinary laboratory | Vet lab | Pals | exotic veterinary laboratory

full reptile fecal including Cryptosporidium 

More details on rep tests here. (PDF)

http://www.palsvetlab.co.uk/sitebuilder ... tology.pdf


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## Ssthisto (Aug 31, 2006)

SleepyD said:


> *nods* some people use fish tanks and yes they're okay to use  the difference between tanks and vivs is that tanks tend to be all glass or plastic whilst vivs tend to be wooden


I personally would have said "A tank opens at the top" and "A viv opens at the front" - and in that respect, no matter what material you choose, I personally prefer front-opening enclosures for lizards, so you don't have to come at them from above like a bird of prey.


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